It’s Monday Mailbag!

Gluten Dude February 11, 2016 in GLUTEN-FREE - 10 Minutes

Been a long time since I rock and rolled. No…that’s not it. That’s Led Zeppelin.

Been a long time coming. No…that’s not it. That’s Sam Cooke.

Been a long time without you, my friend. No…that’s not it. That’s Wiz Khalifa.

Been a long time since I did my last mailbag. That’s it!! Over a year and a half as a matter of fact. Man…I’m lame. Alright then, let’s jump right into it. Lots of questions so I’ll try to keep my answers brief and somewhat accurate.

Q: Just found your blog. It has been lovely to read after 2 months of trying to figure out gluten free living on my own after my celiac disease diagnosis. I had an appointment with a nutritionist last week who recommended taking a gluten free “vitamin with minerals in it.” She didn’t have any recommendations of brands that might work. So far I’ve found nothing that fits these qualifications. I was wondering if you or your readers might have a suggestion?

Not THAT Flounder.

I wish I did. The more reading I do, the more I’m starting to think that most over the counter vitamins are crap. Head to your local health food store or jump on Amazon and see what others recommend.

See that…one answer and I’m already floundering.

Q: So, I’m not sure if you can do anything about this or post something but I heard a super rude Geico commercial about gluten free stuff & I have celiac and I found it to be very insulting; it’s unnecessary.

Oh come on. Making fun of gluten-free is genius marketing. Those ad execs are just brilliant. (I wish there was a sarcasm font I could use.) Yeah, I’ve heard the ads. I know one company pulled their gluten-free mocking version. I forget which one though. Look…they’re idiotic, insulting and totally lame. Maybe one day they’ll stop. Hey…a Dude can dream, can’t he?

Q: I’m a newly diagnosed celiac, so I’m just working through the minefield of hidden gluten. Where can I get gluten free nuts?

From a gluten-free squirrel? In a pair of gluten-free pants? At the gluten-free hardware store? In a gluten-free freak show? Ok…I’m done. Many nuts are gluten-free. Just check the packaging to make sure they’re not made in a shared facility.

Q: I was hoping you could help me figure this one out. I have seen this one other time. Where a product says that it is certified gluten free but under the ingredients it says may contain wheat. My dad bought a bag of these fruit and nut snacks from costco that had both of those labels. I’ve already had a few before I saw that may contain wheat so i hope i don’t get sick.

Ah…the good old certified gluten-free labeling confusion. It’s not supposed to say gluten-free if the product is made with any gluten-containing ingredients. As far as the certification, I’ve heard whispers the whole certification thing is questionable. That’s a topic for another day.

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God…I hate spam.

Q: Hi…my 15 year son was recently diagnosed with celiac disease after been hospitalized with severe abdominal pain high fevers and elevated liver enzymes and bilirubin levels. My son has not accepted this dx well and I have tried everything to help him I am a registered nurse and have been researching his disease with a passion. He had become angry, combative and hates me. I know that this is all part of the denial/ grieving process but I am really concerned and worried!! I feel lost!!!

Mrs. Dude went through the same thing with me when I was diagnosed. Just kidding…sort of. Give him time. As an adult, celiac is a HUGE adjustment. As a kid, when life is all about spontaneity, I imagine it may be even worse.

My parents used to leave sex-ed books on the book shelves of our family room when I was a kid. I would sneak a quick read when nobody was looking, thinking I was doing something wrong and I’d get in trouble. I found out years later that was their way of teaching me the birds and the bees. I was SUPPOSED to be reading them. Why didn’t they just tell me the books were for me? Good question.

My point is don’t push it on him. He’s got to come to acceptance on his own. But feel free to leave articles around. Send him links to good celiac websites, with a quick “I love you” note. Tell him about my forum, where he can find other kids his age with celiac. He’ll get there.

Q: As a dietitian, and someone who has recently pulled problematic gluten and wheat from my diet (my husband, too), I want to thank you for this wonderful forum. You offer a very nice mix of fun, inspiration, and resources. Job well done!

Q: First let me say I have not been officially diagnosed as a celiac yet. I, as many others on your site have suffered different symptoms throughout my life but here in the last year or two things have gotten way worse!! I had no idea how much gluten could affect your mind. I am a type A personality but anymore I can barely think let alone be a go-getter and get much done other than what HAS to be done. I have been completely gluten free since Tuesday and it’s Friday and I am feeling human again. My head has stopped hurting my insane rage is better and my gut isn’t killing me. So I will be seeing a new doctor Thursday and I want a celiac panel to be done; however at the moment I have been gf for 4 days and the thought of consuming gluten again just kills me. Do you think I will still test positive for it or do I have to start eating the poison again? Thank you so much for your time and all you do!

Sorry…but you need to be eating gluten since the tests show your body’s response to gluten. Yeah…I know…it sux. This is probably the question I get asked the most. Is it worth it? I can’t answer it for you. Personally, for a lot of reasons, I’d want to know if I was celiac. But that’s just me.

Q: Do you have any leads on gluten-free resorts, anywhere? Thanks

I talk about my most recent vacation here. It’s not a resort, but it certainly was paradise (and gluten-free). A quick Google search for gluten-free resorts brought up these results. Happy travels.

Q: When I had my endoscopy 4wks ago, I wasn’t even anesthetised when they started! They put the mouthpiece in (sorry, layman’s term) and started sliding the scope in – I tried to grab the scope and was panicking but the nurse just held my arm down. So there I was bawling, trying to be brave about it (my GP had reassured me “don’t worry, they give you the good stuff!) and watching the doc open sterile packages and mess with equipment. I guess at this point they gave me some type of “amnesia inducing” med I read about after doing research on it. I was still aware of what was happening and never did fall asleep. Going back to the recovery room I said to the nurse – I was awake for the whole procedure! She just looked at me and said – well that’s unfortunate!!! I sat in recovery and glared at every nurse that went by and when I finally got to see the doc post procedure I asked my two questions and got the hell out of there! Now I’m kicking myself for not going ballistic on him, but I think I was still in shock! My question to you is, what level of anaesthesia should I have reasonably expected for this procedure?? Does every GI doc have a different protocol?

That is just awful…absolutely awful. I swear the more stories I hear, the more I think getting a good doctor is a total crapshoot. I will say this: I’ve had two endoscopies and was out cold for both of them. I cannot imagine being awake. What is wrong with these doctors??

Q: I’m 14 and live in a family where they love gluten foods, and they keep bringing gluten products into the house… Especially my dad. I’ve tried to tell them how it effects me but they don’t what it feels like to even breathe in gluten, though my mom tries the hardest to understand she still sneaks in a little gluten once and awhile. Every time I go out with my friends somewhere, or just leave the house for concerts or youth group they bring in gluten. They’d bring pizza, or crispy chicken, etc… Thinking I won’t notice the gluten in the room, I’ve told them, even the tiniest of crumbs bother me. My dad says don’t eat the crumbs, and I tell him I don’t need to eat the crumbs to feel terrible. Sorry for going on… But how do I get it through to them that I’m struggling with it?

Sorry to hear you are not getting the support you desire. That can be tough. Keep communicating with them and educating them on celiac a bit. But I will say this to you. Try not to live in fear. You cannot get sick just from being in the same room as gluten. You have to eat it to get sick (unless we’re talking about airborne flour or something like that.) If your family and friends insist on having gluten, don’t withdraw from them out of fear.

Q: Today my coworker gave me a printout from our local grocery store that had Gluten Free Lean Cuisine. Not being the healthiest of options anyways, I was curious and went on the site to see what they could have possibly come up with as gluten free options. Disappointingly, on their “gluten free” option I found things like 2{5676e3b156b07d12bd9df9fe13d641a85da396026abde11a1ff2d0afc1b3c015} or less of the following ) – wheat gluten, hydrolyzed wheat flour, bleached white flour, and wheat (soy sauce)- not on all products, but some. I know you have lots of people who follow you, so I just wanted to send this and maybe you will inform them to STAY AWAY from these products.

Hmmm…just went to the Lean Cuisine website and the first thing I saw was Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala. And in the ingredients: hydrolyzed wheat gluten. Stay away! I believe they are actually breaking the law since legally it can’t be labeled gluten-free. I will definitely follow up on this. Thanks for pointing it out.

Q: Is there a good resource of gluten-free alcoholic beverages — and especially those that are not?

Funny you should ask.

Cheers everyone!