Coeliac Disease

My Doctor thinks I may have Coeliac Disease ( Gluten intolerance ) I have been ill for a few months , I have to go for the Coeliac blood test on Tuesday, yet another blood test.
The problem is he told me to eat normally until after the test . I have been so ill in the night I don't think I can carry on eating wheat products for another 3 days. I have already lost 1 & 1/2 stone in 3 months.
I just wondered if anyone else as this disease and as any tips for me.

 

Thank you so much thats the sort of thing I need to no.
I no it may sound stupid but after eating for 60 years and then having to change all your eating habits it's a bit daunting.
I've just been looking round Asda for some ideas and i was shocked at the amount of things i won't be able to eat.
I'll have a go at the things you suggested Thank you again.

 

This is an Italian site about coeliac disease that you can translate completely via Google Toolbar.
http://www.celiachiamo.com/

 

I'm a coeliac and also lactose intolerant.

I worked it out myself and since I cut out ALL wheat my health has improved dramatically.

The trouble is, that there is hidden wheat in loads of things e.g coconut milk!

If someone uses a bread knife to cut ordinary bread and then uses it to cut your gluten-free product, it is instantly contaminated. Beware!

I shop in Aldi, as virtually everything is marked if it contains gluten, wheat or dairy. Their labeling is superb.

A strange thing is, that I have an instant problem with cows' milk products but absolutely none with goats' milk!

 

Also, if you're travelling abroad, this site is absolutely invaluable for printing out a little card that you are a coeliac, in different languages.

 

Hi Marley,

It's in ordinary tinned coconut milk as well. They're only starting to label every ingredient correctly now.

The best way to proceed, if you're a coeliac, is to regard everything in the pic below as a POISON. It sounds dramatic, but it's true.

 

Hi Lyn, I hope you find this easier to cope with over the next few weeks. I would be very daunted to try & change my diet now (if I found it easy at all I wouldn't be fat:o) Seriously, it must be a minefield. I read recently that we are one of the best countries to label all ingredients, apparently Oz doesn't list many and only has semi-skimmed or full-fat cows milk! Strangely enough I was eating a pack of non-branded crisps the other day & it had two list of fats etc, one for UK and one for Oz. Puzzled me though cos they seemed to be the same???
Do you know, I'm sure if we all went back to the eating habits of years ago we would be better off. Like Marley says, fresh preparation is the key and you get quicker with time. That means fresh produce though, with no additives - near impossible now I would think.
We (personally) eat a lot of processed food but I've noticed now we enjoy much more veg, baked potatoes etc. I'm even getting back to making own lasagne etc & freezing. Hubby makes a mean broth too - the thought of having to watch out for wheat etc is frightening.
Ask Marley & others on here - it's the best for so much info, , and if you get stuck do lots of 'googling'. So many people suffer from this so you're not alone.

Good luck.

 

Hi Lyn, I'm afraid I can't be of any help but I wanted to wish you luck!!

Val

 

Although my daughter, doesn't suffer from this disease she has battled with allergies for many years. Most of which are food related. Her food allergies:- Alcohol, beef, all dairy, wheat and gelatine. Gelatine is in a great number of items too. Even pills, of the capsule sort. She has to be so careful and takes antihistamines should she eat something mistakenly.

Over recent years she has gone back to a natural diet, basically the old fashioned meat and two veg, and practically lives on chicken. She copes very well and surprisingly, still has to diet from time to time.

 

I was once tested for such ailments after I spent several weeks suffering really bad stomach cramps, and having to randomly hurry to the loo with very little warning.

It turned out in my case that I'd picked up a bit of food poisoning while away on holiday (several months before I finally decided to consult the GP about my persistent ailment). The doc explained that in the case of the type of food poisoning I had, germs that are relatively harmless in themselves attach themselves to the intestinal wall, causing irritation.

How is this relevant? Because certain foods really, really caused me problems while other food didn't. The doc explained this too. It seems certain foods are easier to digest than others, and that some foods feed the germs moreso than others. I was advised to stay off all dairy, red meat, wheat, tomatoes and fatty foods for a month, giving my natural antibodies time to kick some butt without aggravation from difficult to digest foods. I followed the doc's advice, and was soon right as rain.

 

Something quite perverse but highly important is ......
Don't eat a high fibre diet.

I used to work in this 'field' and the above sentence is key to keeping a coeliac tummy comfortable.
It is also 90% applicable to the symptoms under that huge umbrella called Irritable Bowel Syndrome.