DH going gluten-free

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 5:29 pm

I've been gluten-free for 14 months now, and dairy and soy free for one year. My husband has been very supportive of my doing this, but has continued to eat those things. He eats whatever I serve as meals with no complaint, so he's been eating a lot of gluten-free foods. He does eat oatmeal, cold cereals, bread, and burritos.

Last week, he told me that once the Christmas goodies are gone, he's going to go gluten-free until he leaves for his next overseas trip in April. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I had only once suggested that he try eating gluten-free to see if his "normal" runny BM would improve. But he said that he's been this way all his life (true--we've been married 36 years, and it's been that way as long as I've known him) and he just goes once or twice in the morning, no other time, and no urgency, so it didn't bother him, and he didn't see any reason to change his diet.

So I was really surprised that he is willing to try going all the way gluten-free. We gave our son all of our cold cereal and oatmeal today. I still have a few crackers and things for the grandchildren. DH will have to watch out for the absent-minded snacking, but he has good will power, so it shouldn't be that hard for him to consciously follow the diet. I hope that 3 months on a GF diet is enough time for him to see an improvement if there is going to be one.

Love to you all,
Martha

Post by **tex** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 6:09 pm

Good for him, and good luck to him. I'll bet that he's going to find that it makes a huge difference.

Love,
Tex

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:10 pm

Martha,

I'm impressed! I hope he finds some improvement going GF and SF.

Gloria

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:48 pm

Wow! I think that says a lot about how you handle your intolerances. He has watched you do it for a year or more, and now he knows it can be done, and it's not the end of the world. I would be very interested to hear how he does--like Tex, I'm sure he will notice a difference!

My daughters have both agreed to do a GF trial after we get through the holidays (one more Christmas celebration next weekend), and even my 10-year-old son is considering it. I would love to share your husband's results with my family, since my DH is the only family member who hasn't jumped aboard yet!

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:00 pm

I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Cynthia, that's amazing that your kids are all intending to try the GF diet. Are they having an gluten intolerance symptoms?

Love,
Martha

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Tue Jan 03, 2012 4:38 pm

Martha,

Well, let's just say there are some symptoms that MIGHT be attributable to gluten. Daughter #1 has headaches, fatigue, and depression (she is currently on Zoloft, which is what catapulted me into GI hell in the first place

). Daughter #2 has always had a sensitive stomach, typically has a BM after every meal (and I mean RIGHT after), and also has acid reflux and joint pain. My son (who was initially the most reluctant to consider GF) was diagnosed with "IBS" when he was 5. Twice in his life we have had months of recurrent "
stomach bugs" in which he had vomiting and/or D every couple of weeks. When he was in kindergarten he had about 2 months of D without any other symptoms. No tests were ever run, it resolved on its own, and I never thought to pursue it further until I got sick. I am surprised that all of them are considering it (I knew I couldn't enforce it without their cooperation, so I made it a choice), but as I am a double DQ1, they know they inherited at least one gluten-sensitive gene. I have told them that if they try it for a few weeks and nothing changes, they can go back to eating the way they always have, but I suspect they will find it makes a difference! At 15, 13, and 10, I think they're old enough to understand the potential for future health problems, and I'm glad they are willing to give it a try. Still working on their dad, though!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:35 am

Martha,
Wow, I would love to hear those words coming from my DH. His mother is gluten intolerant with multiple autoimmune issues and his father denies his obvious "IBS" and probable MC. DH suffers from allergies, asthma, headaches, probable sleep apnea, etc. but seems to have a steel stomach. He too has seen how "easy" it can be to live GF/DF/SF, and he enjoys making and eating our GF family meals (except for the pasta), but he enjoys his beer, sandwiches and cheese too much. Sigh.

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:04 pm

Zizzle,

I wonder how long that "steel stomach" will hold out?

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:18 pm

I used to have a steel stomach. I could eat anything.

Zizzle, I hope your husband eventually decides to try eating GF.

Love,
Martha

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:11 pm

Martha,

How very interesting about your husband. He sounds like the way I've been for several months now. Norman left some time during the summer, and does not want to return. However, I have no other symptoms than loose, watery stools, usually only once a day. I'll be so curious to see if things improve for your husband. It sure will be easier for you to manage any cross contamination when he switches his diet - I'm so very happy for you about his decision.

Love,
Kari

P.S. I totally relate to why your husband has not wanted to address this issue, because when you feel good in every way, except the seemingly minor problem of soft stools, it sure is easy and convenient to just ignore it :).

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:07 pm

My husband has had an interesting experience this week. We don't have TV reception, so on Friday he went to a local bar to watch a football game. He was in a foul mood because he has been unemployed for six months and had just learned that a job he thought he was going to get had gone to someone else. Through the evening, he drank beer. A lot of beer. At one point he was hungry and ate some French fries.

He is gluten-free at home because I am so sensitive that I cannot have gluten in the house. He does eat gluten on Sundays at our regular church meal, or if we eat at someone else's house, but essentially he is gluten-free. On Saturday he thought he had the flu because he was hot and cold, and had nausea and diarrhea. He slept most of the day, and Sunday, he was still under the weather. Sunday night he got stiff, and has remarked on how very stiff and sore he is, even through today, and how fatigued he is.

Of course, I told him on Saturday that on top of the alcohol poisoning that he had seriously glutened himself and surprise--he's gluten-sensitive. He pooh-poohed this at first, but he's starting to think I am right.

He is one to always challenge what other people think and has to come to his own conclusions, so right now he's looking for "the other side" to gluten-sensitivity, whatever that means. I think he's looking for people who dismiss gluten-sensitivity to see if he agrees with their arguments. I am not inclined to help him. I think his body is on my side, too.

Post by **tex** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:17 pm

Bummer! That's how I first became aware that my health was heading south, (not drinking beer, but thinking that I had the flu). I kept getting the flu, over and over again. At first I had "relapses" about once every 4 to 6 weeks, but after about a year, it was happening every 2 to 3 weeks, and then one day the D started, and wouldn't stop. After every cycle, I would be stiff and sore, (especially my neck), for at least several days to a week after the D stopped.

Tex

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:55 pm

Wow, Marliss! Sorry that your husband is going through such a rough time, emotionally as well as physically. Hopefully he will find that the other side to gluten-sensitivity is that you can eat gluten-free and feel good.

My husband has been foiled by peanut butter. His first week of being gluten free was going well, we thought, until I happened to notice that the peanut butter has wheat germ in it. I'm off legumes, so I hadn't thought to check the peanut butter. He mixes freshly-ground peanuts with this other PB to make the fresh-ground stuff spreadable. We bought some different PB, so I hope that we don't mess up with something else now.

Love,
Martha

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:45 pm

My daughters started their GF diet challenge this week. So far it has gone pretty well--they were surprised to learn that many of the things they like are GF (they're used to me not being able to eat many more things because of my multiple intolerances). I made a GF lasagna, and two of my kids actually liked it BETTER than the old way! The only snag was church supper last night, which we all skipped because it was taco night, and there was no way to tell what was safe (I never eat there anymore, anyway, for that reason). Cross your fingers that they stick it out long enough to see whether it's making a difference!

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:58 pm

Yeah,church potlucks are the pits now. I don't dare eat anything that I don't take myself. It makes for slim pickings.

I hope your girls can stick with the diet long enough to see a difference is there is going to be one. And since they have some issues, I hope there is a clear difference for them.

Love,
Martha