Talk to me about Celiac/Gluten Intolerance

[noobiechickenlady]

Ok, so I've been reading about other folks experiences with celiac. I'm convinced DH has it, but he absolutely loathes going to the Dr. about anything. Fine for the kids, but not him, no way.

So far, from my readings online & here, he has the following flags.

1. Reflux & IBS (not diagnosed, see above attitude RE Drs.)
2. Bloating & gas
3. Early graying, got his first gray at 14 or so, was heavily salt&pepper when we married at 22.
4. 90% of his genetic background is Scot/Irish & Cherokee, with a little dash of French & English.
5. Diagnosed ADHD - Inattentive
6. Fats in his waste (Maybe TMI here, but still. His urine smells like bacon grease/pork fat after eating a large quantity. Maybe bacon for breakfast & a ham sandwich for lunch)
7. Muscle weakness, not always, but soreness tends to last much longer for him than it does me or most of our friends
8. Prolonged fatigue

So, talk to me.
What does the test entail (simple allergy test?)?
What favorite foods have you been going without?
Good resources you've found?
Any tips you can think of.

 

[freemotion]

He can do a simple elimination diet himself as a first step. I outlined it on Dace's thread...

 

[freemotion]

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=98699#p98699

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I did read that! Good info, but hardheaded man, kinda like Dace's son.
"But I like pasta!"

I guess I'm looking for backup to convince him to try it or go to the Dr to rule it in/out conclusively.

 

[freemotion]

Good grief, it is two weeks! Eat rice with pasta sauce! Give him a smack upside the haid for me, wouldya?

 

[Dace]

Testing for celiacs is just a blood draw....I would probably prefer to do that and be done with it than to do the elimination diet. However, if you think it may be affecting the kids as well, then perhaps the whole family should try the diet and see what happens.

I know that you have altered your diet recently to be healthier whole foods. When I did the E diet for my DD she was about 12 and it was tough! Our diet was heavy on processed foods. Instead of sending her to school with an alternative to her usual PB sammy, I bought gluten free bread and just slapped PB on it. Now I would approach it differently. I wouldn't try to replace the usual bread or pasta with gluten free alternatives, I would come up with something completely different as in no pasta and living without bread.

I am on the verge of going thru it again with the whole family. Boy this is really gonna shake it up!! If you are going to do it maybe we can share recipes and ideas. I am certain that at least 3 of the 6 of us have some food sensitivities, perhaps it is everyone.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Consider it done! Many times
The changes we've made since your class (which he listened to several times with me) plus adding kombucha & yogurt have cleared up a lot of his intestinal issues, but I don't want this being a silent disease. Besides, if he has it, the kids stand a chance of it and I don't have a problem missing out on my honey wheat bread. We can just change the entire family's diet.

 

[Dace]

If he is like my son then I guess you'll be in for the kind of ride I am expecting!


If you can come up with enough meals you can do it, but you are going to have to be prepared and he is going to have to be flexible. Lunch would be tough if he eats while at work...you will have no control!

 

[Dace]

Basic Elimination Plan

Eliminate the following foods from the diet for a period of 7 days to a month:

Dairy products, including cheese. [Instead, rice milk, rice-based ice cream.]
Egg and egg-containing products.
Food products containing gluten, such as wheat and wheat-based products (including pasta), and barley, oat or rye grains. (Alternative grains could be brown rice, buckwheat, spelt, millet, potatoes or sweet potatoes).
Citrus fruits.
Corn and corn-containing products.
All processed foods, including caffeine.
Note that suddenly stopping some foods (such as caffeine) can result in withdrawal symptoms (typically headaches) however this should only last a few days.

Next, reintroduce one food group to your diet roughly every 5 days

The reintroduction period allows sufficient time to determine any intolerances.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Dace, that would be great! I've done some reading and know that gluten can be found in tons of stuff, thankfully it's mostly processed foods. He's just being a whiney baby about it.
Ha! He should have my rolling veins & try to get someone to draw blood, he has no problems giving a blood sample.

Yep, exactly what you said, just dump the gluten containing whole foods and find whole food alternatives.