TravelingChris Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I took my two daughters to a new doctor. He seems very good and thorough. ALthough I have mentioned my my concerns about my youngest to two other doctors, they never considered anything strange. He is concerned enough to order blood tests and refer us to a geneticist in Orlando. Her symptoms are easy fractures in the last few years, a slowing of her growing, and a deficiency of enamel on some of her adult teeth that have been coming out. She is 11 1/2. Anyway, among test for calcium deficienty, vitamin d deficienty, and thyroid, he is also testing for celiac disease. I have also been wondering earlier if I have that problem since I have some symptoms that my be attributed to it and it is linked to a disease I already have. This has just gotten me thinking about how unhappy I would be to have to have a gluten free diet. I get such happiness from baking. It is one of the real pleasures of my life, and something I love to do when I am stressed. I also love to eat baked products. I hate corn bread, but I love wheat and rye breads. I love pasta. If it ends up being that we have these problems, I guess I will have to adjust but it would be very hard for me. What would you all have problems giving up forever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Christina, If you do end up needing to be gluten-free, please know that you can still bake. I've fed my kids gluten- and casein-free foods for 2+ years (with one 3 month break while we determined whether some allergy treatments had worked or not), and it *can* be done. It's a hassle at first, but it's not too bad once you're used to it. I hope everything works out for the best. Hugs, Lisa who would be VERY sad w/o Diet Pepsi or bread... ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Coffee!! (Christina) I'm sorry. Have you looked at the website Gluten Free Girl? She will give you great hope and encouragement should this be your path.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleni Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 coffee uh...only GOOD coffee made with a french press Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue in MD Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 My family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakitty Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 My family! I'm ignoring you....lol. Im going to say 'the internets' because I choose to make this about something superficial... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Coffee!! Forget the cheese - I definitely couldn't live without COFFEE!!! I thought of cheese because there have been times I needed to avoid dairy for various reasons, and this was the hardest for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I just wanted to assure you, along with Lisa in Jax, that *if* you and your daughter have to go without gluten, it doesn't mean you have to be completely without baking and baked goods in your life. Especially if you can still have eggs, dairy and nuts, there are wonderful treats you can bake and enjoy. Even without one or more of those things, it's possible to bake great things, but with them, you can work near miracles! :) I certainly hope you don't have to face that -- but I want you to know that if you do, it doesn't have to mean the loss of something that is so important in your life... And I'm very, very glad that your new doctor is taking your concerns about your daughter seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 The same as you, I love bread and pasta. I could give up sugar but to give up ooey-gooey french bread with fresh blueberry jam or nutella on a croissant...I just can't. Well I could for my children but I'd have a hidden stash and I'm not sure that's healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanG Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I can give up any food. Just don't take my Tivo. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Sonic diet coke. My parents live in the boonies and I have been known to drive the 40 miles *just* to get a Sonic diet coke with extra ice. I don't know how you northerners (?) do it! Maybe you just don't know what you're missing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hope it is nothing, but on the Dr front, i'm not sure where he referred you to but we had a VERY positive experience with Dr Patricia Wheeler with Nemour's. She was very good at explaining things, and most excellent with DD. She was very helpful to me in some other areas - she really cared about us! ::hug:: Brownies. I'd miss brownies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 You would still be able to bake - just differently. I had one kid on a very restricted diet for several months - not only wheat and milk free, but also rotating food groups over a four day cycle! I was baking odd-ingredient crackers and biscuits and breads and cakes.... daily! Just so the kid would have stuff he could eat. Now - take away books and my ability to get a daily reading fix in and then you are talking deprivation!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 My two daughters have Celiac.. so we went GF as a family. Now, I still can eat gluten outside the house, but I find I rarely do. I miss San Francisco Sourdough, fresh French baguettes, but if I eat a lot bread now, I feel awful. My youngest also has Type-1 Diabetes, so I really miss not having to think about what food we eat, as in what are all the ingredients vs. does it taste good and counting carbs (constantly checking her blood sugar). That ability to go anywhere to eat. It has been a real loss of freedom and choice. I recently had to give up coffee (espresso) as well. I was having irregular heartbeat issues. I even had to stop eating chocolate for a while. I can now have some but only in limited amounts. I do miss coffee but I feel better and life has not ended... I guess, I've had to give up a lot (dreams of two perfectly healthy kids), that Better Homes & Garden view of what life could be like. But in the end, I still have my family, and they would be very hard to live without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Well my first thought when I read the title of your email was immediately COFFEE. No seriously, if I had to choose between eating and coffee, I wouldn't even have to think about it. My husband makes fun of me because I always keep at least a 6-month supply of beans in the house. If things ever get horribly bad, I find comfort in the fact that I will still be able to have coffee in the morning....... Krista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I have lived intentionally without so many things at one time or another, that the hardest part is finding alternatives. The only thing that really does not have a similar enough alternative, imo, is cheese. That is my hardest thing. Of course, giving things up intentionally is a very different feeling from being made to give them up. :grouphug: Hugs to you and yours in your process. ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Christina, I had to give up most starchy food about a year ago. It is NOT easy, as I LOVE bread, pastries & cakes, cookies and brownies. BUT, realizing what happens when I DO eat it has made all the difference. Once in a while, if I am VERY careful, I can have some. I can eat the outside, crunchy part of brownies, I can eat a (limited amount of) well-done cookies, NOT gooey ones. But bread is still out of the question. I had weight loss surgery last year, the Lap-Band. And if I eat this stuff (along with rice or too much pasta) it gets stuck. I won't go into detail, but it hurts like crazy until I vomit. That is enough to keep me in check. So, my point is this. Once you and your daughter try this new diet, you may very well find that the way you feel (hopefully super good!) far outweighs your desire for these foods. I still have moments when I would really love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a warm biscuit with honey on it. BUT the lack of desire for the pain and vomiting pretty much outweigh that, and I have no problem saying 'NO'. I was petrified before I had the surgeyr because I just could not imagine NOT eating these things. But I've had things stuck (not starches, but other foods that were not sufficiently chewed) and I know that I want to avoid that at ALL costs. Wow, that was alot more wordy than I thought it would be. I hope it helps you. Hugs, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 My library card! I just wouldn't feel like me without it! Avoiding soft cheese and sushi for the duration of pregnancy sucks too. I agree with the others on the baking issue. You can make some funky things gluten free when you get the hang of it. Instead of seeing it as a restriction, see it as an invitation to further your happy cooking knowledge and experiences. I believe gluten free shortbreads flavoured with lavender would be just as good as gluten containing ones. :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen sn Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 coffee uh...only GOOD coffee made with a french press Love my organic coffee in a french press! But - I couldn't live without music. Dancing saves me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 My fish oil. Living without it this last month upped the bee-otch factor to overload:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen sn Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 My library card! I just wouldn't feel like me without it! Avoiding soft cheese and sushi for the duration of pregnancy sucks too. I agree with the others on the baking issue. You can make some funky things gluten free when you get the hang of it. Instead of seeing it as a restriction, see it as an invitation to further your happy cooking knowledge and experiences. I believe gluten free shortbreads flavoured with lavender would be just as good as gluten containing ones. :) Rosie Why soft cheese? And I must confess - I have eaten sushi twice since being pregnant. From the reputable place I have been eating for years......I just can't give it up! I cut down on coffee though. Do they say no sushi because of food poisoning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Hope Faith Music Coffee internet my son my dh pets laptop That's the big list in no particular order, HOPE is always at the top however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich with Kids Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 No surprise here, I'm sure. But, my Husband. It took me so dang long to get to him, I just can't imagine life without him. We just hit 4 years and I plan on having a 50th wedding anniversary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Sonic diet coke. My parents live in the boonies and I have been known to drive the 40 miles *just* to get a Sonic diet coke with extra ice. I don't know how you northerners (?) do it! Maybe you just don't know what you're missing! OK, I'll ask.....what is special about Sonic diet coke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich with Kids Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 OK, I'll ask.....what is special about Sonic diet coke? For me, it's the Sonic ice. I loooove rabbit pellet ice! My favorite is McDonald's Diet Coke. They have fat straws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Animals. Pets or meat? :D Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I had to give up dairy while I nursed my boys, and I had to give up eggs with one of them, but I've never had to restrict wheat. I've thought about it a lot though. My sister is struggling with endromitriosis, and going wheat free is one of the treatment options (an alternative medicine option, but an option). So far she has been unwilling to try it, but I think I would. I guess that seems easy to say, but really, I couldn't stand to be in all the pain she is in without trying something. But I know would be difficult. You have to do what you have to do. You may find a whole new creative baking outlet with a gluten free diet. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 my two oldest have celiac. We keep the house gluten free. Yes, it was hard to grocery shop at first and I had to relearn cooking. After 6 months it wasn't hard. We gave up bread and entire year because we couldn't find a bread we liked. After a year the kids forgot what bread tasted like so when presented with store bought gf bread liked it. I learned how to make a good gf bread about 3 years ago. My mil, an expert bread baker, liked it and thought it had wheat. It's been 6 years. It's old hat now. I make fabulous birthday cakes. The thing the kids miss is just being able to eat whatever when out with friends. That part is hard, but they've learned how to handle it. For example, dd likes to order salads and she knows how to question ingredients. There's a ton out there you can eat. There are ethnic cuisines from places where wheat not a heavily relied upon ingredient to be discovered. Some cuisines, if true to their homeland, are naturally gf--Vietnamese and Thai. What would I miss cream and ice cream. But really don't think about what you miss. Think about what you can have. If this is your problem, take care of yourself and your dd. Get gf. In a few months your gut will heal (it takes time) and you will feel better than you ever have. A good friend of mine said she didn't realize what "good" felt like until she was gf for a while. She had no idea her normal, with its fatigue and pain and digestive issue, was not normal and didn't know she could feel better. As a disease, it's easy. There's no drugs to take, no blood sugar monitoring, no constant lab trips. You're completely healthy once you are on the diet with no slip ups. You may need an annual visit to the gastro for a lab test. Good luck. I hope you can find the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 What I would miss the most is a tie between coffee and peanut butter! I don't think I could live without either one! My nephew has to eat gluten-free. My sister called all the local grocery store's headquarters and many of them sent lists to her of their store-brand items that were gluten-free even though the label didn't read so. Wal-Mart lists gluten-free on their Great Value brand stuff when it is. Buying these items has really helped her save money. Amy of GA Darin's wife for 17 years 11yo dd 5yo ds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Assuming we're talking things, not people, my answer would be books. If we're talking about food, salt, closely followed by caffeine. I've given up both in the past and have been miserable. It was easier giving up all grain products than it was to give up either salt or caffeine. ::sigh:: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Speaking food-wise, my sister found out she's terribly allergic to dairy. I would have a *really* hard time with that. Quickly followed by giving up coke and/or chocolate. I love my soda...and chocolate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julpost Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 My dh had a gluten intolerance for years and years. He never tested positive for celiacs but had horrible intestinal distress if he had bread or pasta. So for years he avoided those foods and only ate rice pasta or gluten free breads. When I began grinding my own wheat, I read several testimonies online about people who had celiacs who could tolerate freshly ground wheat. Dh was very nervous about trying it but finally did one weekend. And believe it or not...he's fine!! I don't know what to make of it. Just a thought.... Oh and I would be terribly miserable without coffee or dark chocolate. And so would my family....:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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