I started having digestive issues 05/10 and was eventually diagnosed with mc 10/11. I was not introduced to a gf diet until 04/11.
Before the glunten free diet my digestion, i thought, was eventually going to kill me!
I would have a combo of D & C. Which eventually leds to vomiting perfusely, followed my a chest pain that feels like a heart attack. I went thru this everyday, a few times a day, depending on how much i would eat. I eventually stopped eating. Only a bit of someting a few times thru out the day so i was able to keep my eyes open and not fall out. After many follow up visits to my GI. I was only given a pepto regimine with not word on how diet can help. Finally in April, my family had realized that i had not come to see them in Michigan and mad it out here to see my personally. They saw how bad things had gotten and did some research and in turn put my on a gf diet. It was the beginning to my releif. I still had a long way to go, but i was not perfusely vomiting and it was a crutch that i used to gain my life back.
Now this is the first month that i feel almost totally aware of whats needs to be done and i have also been executing these needs by eraticating all gluten, diary, chocolate, caffeine, soy, eggs from the diet. It makes a world and a life of a difference!
How Gluten Affects Me
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi,
Welcome to the board. Glad to hear that you're doing so much better. This disease can be rough, sometimes.
Please feel free to ask any questions that might come to mind.
Tex
Welcome to the board. Glad to hear that you're doing so much better. This disease can be rough, sometimes.
Please feel free to ask any questions that might come to mind.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Robin.booboo
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:44 pm
- Location: Goodyear, AZ
Something that is upsetting to me is that just before Thanksgiving, we came across one of those "be a polite guest" news articles that gave zero concern to the people suffering from food related problems, and just directed guests to eat whatever is served and to not be "pushy" (not communicate preferences or bring alternatives). This is so frustrating because I have seen the issue from both sides. When your kids are growing, you have to encourage them to try things, or else, (at least mine) were incorrigible monsters who would eat no healthy thing on the planet. I suspect the vast majority of well meaning people writing these "be polite" articles are far, far more familiar with the obstinant child issues than with any actual food related health issues. I believe that, because I used to feel the same way. Why should the host have to accomodate every diffent guests' tastes?
At the same time, I now know about food intolerances. It seems like a double standard. Now that I am on the other side of he fence, trying to convince people not to serve me things, I feel like I've been put back in the role of the whiny child. I wish more people were aware of the actual reasons, and didn't just think it is a fad or a preference. Sadly, as someone who was vegetarian for four years, now that I am including meat in my diet again (I could not manage both vegetarian and gluten free at the same time), I am sure it is just propagating my friends and co-workers' beliefs that these food "rules" of mine are simply a personal choice and not a serious healh issue. How do we deal with this without appearing to be the "boy who cried wolf"?
At the same time, I now know about food intolerances. It seems like a double standard. Now that I am on the other side of he fence, trying to convince people not to serve me things, I feel like I've been put back in the role of the whiny child. I wish more people were aware of the actual reasons, and didn't just think it is a fad or a preference. Sadly, as someone who was vegetarian for four years, now that I am including meat in my diet again (I could not manage both vegetarian and gluten free at the same time), I am sure it is just propagating my friends and co-workers' beliefs that these food "rules" of mine are simply a personal choice and not a serious healh issue. How do we deal with this without appearing to be the "boy who cried wolf"?
Robin,
I don't want anyone to make me food they don't want to make, and I don't want to eat anything I can't/don't want to. In some of those situations, I would just bring something you know is safe, and eat nothing that doesn't make you feel 100% certain, no matter what anyone says or thinks. I also use the "Scarlett O'Hara" method, which is to say that I don't arrive hungry, but eat before I leave home. Spending extra time with kids or dogs or helping with cleanup is a nice distraction, too.
With the best of intent, it's pretty hard for a cook who's not adept at managing food intolerances to be successful at preparing a safe meal for omnivores and people with serious food issues. Cross-contamination can happen on the counter, with serving utensils, and everywhere in between. I'd really just rather not go there.
I would also say "don't eat at the homes of people who make you feel ill at ease" but I know you cannot realistically decline invitations involving family members and friends at this time of year! A neighbor was just getting herself geared up to go shopping and buy all kinds of stuff to make a GF apple pie so I could come over - frankly, I know my GF apple dessert rocks, and I already have all that stuff, AND I ALSO HAVE OTHER PLANS... I don't even know if I talked her out of it, but that is not my problem. We are going to a party tonight where I doubt I'll eat much. I may bring potato chips for the snack table, but after a pretty short time, I believe the risk of cross-contamination grows exponentially from the hands of people snacking on cheese, etc. But I'm not going there to have my favorite foods - I'm going to see the hostess & friends.
We have houseguests arriving tomorrow. I don't feel at all sorry for them, going without gluten for a few days - do any of you? The entire planet can help them out, if missing wheat for one meal is that disappointing that they have to rush out for pizza or pastry. I don't want to live as though my home is like a haz-mat zone - but if you bring pizza in here, you'd better believe I need to see your hands at all times, and they'd better not be reaching into my drawers or cabinets unless you'd like me to autoclave them for you.
My husband has a sandwich from outside once in a while - he uses the wrapper it comes in as a plate, then throws it out and washes his hands. Today he had goat cheese with breakfast - didn't even get it out of the fridge till all things we might share were prepared and served. So - don't you feel bad about putting anybody's noise out of joint by not eating in a way that would make you ill. You don't have to convince anyone of the legitimacy of your dietary needs, or whether it's a need vs. a preference, or anything else, and if they get a little pissy about that, you tell them they ought to be grateful that I'm not a guest in their home, nor they in mine! They should appreciate you. (If people ask, sometimes I'll 'postpone' the conversation, which is rarely of interest to the whole assembled multitude.)
If adults are getting their etiquette advice from magazine articles, perhaps they might remember that nothing dashed off on a deadline trumps the golden rule. And also - that article was directed to guests; it does not entitle the hosts to hold the guests to it. If anyone is trying to make you feel bad, they have a real problem, and that problem is not your diet. Either they're so stressed out that they've lost their festive goodwill, or they need a refresher in compassion, or your food restraint makes them feel guilty about their total inability to "diet" - or something. You can't fix that, but you don't have to take them up on the opportunity to feel bad, either. Practice an enigmatic smile, and don't say a word.
Someone said to me, "I can't keep track of your food thing!" I told her I don't expect her to - why should she? Also, she just told me I can't trust her cooking - thanks for letting me know! (When my husband said that to me, I responded rather differently - that worked, too.)
For years I've accommodated a friend with specific food allergies. She couldn't always eat everything in my house, but she could always count on something - and not some sad ghost of the real goodies, either. It was a pleasure to make safe and delicious food for her, as it is for any guest.
I should probably have a special flag that says "don't get me started" for posts like this.
Robin, I know you're just getting your hands and mind around this - feel free to tell people that, instead of edifying and explicating and defending. This is big news, and it's a big adjustment. Go and and repeat "it's a big adjustment" as many times as you need to!
It's just as much a matter of etiquette for a host/hostess to accept "no thank you" as it is for the guest to take a "no-thank-you" helping and not eat it. If putting that on your plate is too risky, you do not have to do it.
And while I'm in full-rant mode, why should your personal choices have to be approved by anyone else - whether for health needs, preferences, ethical/spiritual choices such as avoiding meat... if I have judgments about whether someone should be eating processed crap, I keep my mouth shut. You are as entitled to your personal choices as anyone else, and are not obligated to set them aside for anyone's convenience. (In other words... if your host "prefers" that you eat something, how does that trump you "preferring not to"???)
Sorry this got so long. Send 'em my way, if they give you any trouble
Sara
I don't want anyone to make me food they don't want to make, and I don't want to eat anything I can't/don't want to. In some of those situations, I would just bring something you know is safe, and eat nothing that doesn't make you feel 100% certain, no matter what anyone says or thinks. I also use the "Scarlett O'Hara" method, which is to say that I don't arrive hungry, but eat before I leave home. Spending extra time with kids or dogs or helping with cleanup is a nice distraction, too.
With the best of intent, it's pretty hard for a cook who's not adept at managing food intolerances to be successful at preparing a safe meal for omnivores and people with serious food issues. Cross-contamination can happen on the counter, with serving utensils, and everywhere in between. I'd really just rather not go there.
I would also say "don't eat at the homes of people who make you feel ill at ease" but I know you cannot realistically decline invitations involving family members and friends at this time of year! A neighbor was just getting herself geared up to go shopping and buy all kinds of stuff to make a GF apple pie so I could come over - frankly, I know my GF apple dessert rocks, and I already have all that stuff, AND I ALSO HAVE OTHER PLANS... I don't even know if I talked her out of it, but that is not my problem. We are going to a party tonight where I doubt I'll eat much. I may bring potato chips for the snack table, but after a pretty short time, I believe the risk of cross-contamination grows exponentially from the hands of people snacking on cheese, etc. But I'm not going there to have my favorite foods - I'm going to see the hostess & friends.
We have houseguests arriving tomorrow. I don't feel at all sorry for them, going without gluten for a few days - do any of you? The entire planet can help them out, if missing wheat for one meal is that disappointing that they have to rush out for pizza or pastry. I don't want to live as though my home is like a haz-mat zone - but if you bring pizza in here, you'd better believe I need to see your hands at all times, and they'd better not be reaching into my drawers or cabinets unless you'd like me to autoclave them for you.
My husband has a sandwich from outside once in a while - he uses the wrapper it comes in as a plate, then throws it out and washes his hands. Today he had goat cheese with breakfast - didn't even get it out of the fridge till all things we might share were prepared and served. So - don't you feel bad about putting anybody's noise out of joint by not eating in a way that would make you ill. You don't have to convince anyone of the legitimacy of your dietary needs, or whether it's a need vs. a preference, or anything else, and if they get a little pissy about that, you tell them they ought to be grateful that I'm not a guest in their home, nor they in mine! They should appreciate you. (If people ask, sometimes I'll 'postpone' the conversation, which is rarely of interest to the whole assembled multitude.)
If adults are getting their etiquette advice from magazine articles, perhaps they might remember that nothing dashed off on a deadline trumps the golden rule. And also - that article was directed to guests; it does not entitle the hosts to hold the guests to it. If anyone is trying to make you feel bad, they have a real problem, and that problem is not your diet. Either they're so stressed out that they've lost their festive goodwill, or they need a refresher in compassion, or your food restraint makes them feel guilty about their total inability to "diet" - or something. You can't fix that, but you don't have to take them up on the opportunity to feel bad, either. Practice an enigmatic smile, and don't say a word.
Someone said to me, "I can't keep track of your food thing!" I told her I don't expect her to - why should she? Also, she just told me I can't trust her cooking - thanks for letting me know! (When my husband said that to me, I responded rather differently - that worked, too.)
For years I've accommodated a friend with specific food allergies. She couldn't always eat everything in my house, but she could always count on something - and not some sad ghost of the real goodies, either. It was a pleasure to make safe and delicious food for her, as it is for any guest.
I should probably have a special flag that says "don't get me started" for posts like this.
Robin, I know you're just getting your hands and mind around this - feel free to tell people that, instead of edifying and explicating and defending. This is big news, and it's a big adjustment. Go and and repeat "it's a big adjustment" as many times as you need to!
It's just as much a matter of etiquette for a host/hostess to accept "no thank you" as it is for the guest to take a "no-thank-you" helping and not eat it. If putting that on your plate is too risky, you do not have to do it.
And while I'm in full-rant mode, why should your personal choices have to be approved by anyone else - whether for health needs, preferences, ethical/spiritual choices such as avoiding meat... if I have judgments about whether someone should be eating processed crap, I keep my mouth shut. You are as entitled to your personal choices as anyone else, and are not obligated to set them aside for anyone's convenience. (In other words... if your host "prefers" that you eat something, how does that trump you "preferring not to"???)
Sorry this got so long. Send 'em my way, if they give you any trouble
Sara
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humbird753
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1014
- Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:44 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
showstopa - Welcome!
Very sorry to hear how sick this has made you, but also glad you are finding improvements on the gluten-free diet, and that you found this web site.
I am still fairly new here, but you will find as I have that everyone here understands and are very helpful.
Paula
Very sorry to hear how sick this has made you, but also glad you are finding improvements on the gluten-free diet, and that you found this web site.
I am still fairly new here, but you will find as I have that everyone here understands and are very helpful.
Paula
Paula
"You'll never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have."
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass... It's learning to dance in the rain."
"You'll never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have."
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass... It's learning to dance in the rain."
Amen to that, Sara!
I am always very polite and extend a no thank you with a smile and try to move on with conversation. Sometimes I have to follow with the assurance that it's really ok that I'm not eating and don't expect anything special done for me. (I really don't like the attention).
The workplace can be a challenge but I've come to the conclusion that if someone doesn't "get it" after a couple of brief friendly explanations, then they haven't listened or don't care and I don't feel the need to have the same conversation on a regular basis- I just smile and keep working. Eventually, they go away.
I figure I'm already pegged as an odd-ball and I'm good with that. I regularly spray down my desk area including phone, keyboard, mouse, and adding machine (that is shared) with a germicidal cleaner. I work in a government office and the traffice from the general public and co-workers put my germ-a-phobias in high gear. It also doesn't help that the prednisone warning is to stay away from anyone who is sick.....it seems this time of year everyone who comes in to pay their property taxes is coughing, hacking, or wiping their nose before handing me their checks. I know I go a little overboard at times but again, I'm good with that- it gives me peace of mind. I just laugh and tell them that I'm actually protecting them from me. I've already made the accouncement that it is not my intent to offend anyone and if they are- that's not my problem. Most were able handle that and in turn I take a good-natured ribbing when the spray bottle comes out and Some- not so well. I've often wondered if there are any intentional uncovered sneezes at my desk while I'm at lunch. Some people just don't have a sense of humor!
I am always very polite and extend a no thank you with a smile and try to move on with conversation. Sometimes I have to follow with the assurance that it's really ok that I'm not eating and don't expect anything special done for me. (I really don't like the attention).
The workplace can be a challenge but I've come to the conclusion that if someone doesn't "get it" after a couple of brief friendly explanations, then they haven't listened or don't care and I don't feel the need to have the same conversation on a regular basis- I just smile and keep working. Eventually, they go away.
I figure I'm already pegged as an odd-ball and I'm good with that. I regularly spray down my desk area including phone, keyboard, mouse, and adding machine (that is shared) with a germicidal cleaner. I work in a government office and the traffice from the general public and co-workers put my germ-a-phobias in high gear. It also doesn't help that the prednisone warning is to stay away from anyone who is sick.....it seems this time of year everyone who comes in to pay their property taxes is coughing, hacking, or wiping their nose before handing me their checks. I know I go a little overboard at times but again, I'm good with that- it gives me peace of mind. I just laugh and tell them that I'm actually protecting them from me. I've already made the accouncement that it is not my intent to offend anyone and if they are- that's not my problem. Most were able handle that and in turn I take a good-natured ribbing when the spray bottle comes out and Some- not so well. I've often wondered if there are any intentional uncovered sneezes at my desk while I'm at lunch.
Some people just don't have a sense of humor!DebE,
I hear you. Most people in public seem to have the idea that if they caught a virus, then surely everyone else is going to catch it anyway, so why worry about it, (or maybe misery just loves company), but I don't buy into that sort of stupidity, (that just helps to make the pharmaceutical companies richer), and I'm willing to take whatever reasonable measures are necessary, to prevent it from happening, starting with adequate vitamin D, and ending with anti-bacterial wipes, hand washing, etc.
Furthermore, if you're taking a corticosteroid, then you do indeed have a very good reason to be taking extra precautions, because it will definitely lower your resistance.
Tex
I hear you. Most people in public seem to have the idea that if they caught a virus, then surely everyone else is going to catch it anyway, so why worry about it, (or maybe misery just loves company), but I don't buy into that sort of stupidity, (that just helps to make the pharmaceutical companies richer), and I'm willing to take whatever reasonable measures are necessary, to prevent it from happening, starting with adequate vitamin D, and ending with anti-bacterial wipes, hand washing, etc.
Furthermore, if you're taking a corticosteroid, then you do indeed have a very good reason to be taking extra precautions, because it will definitely lower your resistance.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Rich,
Thanks. I consider myself pretty lucky, because it only lasted for 2 days. It definitely convinced me that I haven't "outgrown" my gluten-sensitivity, anyway. LOL.
I hope you're feeling better, too, and enjoying some well-deserved time off for the holidays.
Tex
Thanks. I consider myself pretty lucky, because it only lasted for 2 days. It definitely convinced me that I haven't "outgrown" my gluten-sensitivity, anyway. LOL.
I hope you're feeling better, too, and enjoying some well-deserved time off for the holidays.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.