Reply #46: Well that's a bummer but when you get accustomed to it

[astral]

it will be not so bad when you realize how much good stuff out you still **CAN** eat. There is gluten-free corn pasta, which in my in opinion is a lot better than rice pasta. Unless you happen to be allergic to corn, too, but hopefully not! Corn spaghetti noodles have to cook a bit longer but hey you can still have a heaping plate of spaghetti with them.

I am learning, since last March or so, how to be gluten-free, and eating out of my own kitchen usually works pretty good, restaurants are a major disaster especially in this town.

One thing I have a problem with, and you will find it takes time and maybe mistake after mistake to learn, is you have to read the ingredients of everything that has them listed. And, you may or may not be able to tell from reading them whether or not there is gluten in the product. And, if something is gluten-free, it still can change later so you have to keep on top of it and don't assume things stay the same.

Best bet is to stick with regular food you know is safe for awhile. You can have all the fruits, vegetables, meat, (some kinds of) cheeses you want, corn tortillas actually are pretty good, and you can really eat pretty cheap and healthy sticking with what you know is safe, for awhile.

More trouble, more planning ahead, more bringing your own food with you when you leave home. It's kinda hard to adjust to, but hey, it's not terminal cancer, and you are actually kind of fortunate that this is the hand you were dealt. Try to look at it that way. Go to celiac websites and forums to learn alot more.

My major reactions were skin problems, still are because I eff-up on what I eat! Tiredness and fatigue and anemia, most likely are also from having this and not knowing about it. Right now my face has gotten better as have my hands, but my legs and ankles have itchy spots on them and it's very tiring. I look forward to the day when I have been 'clean' long enough to not itch anywhere, not to have puffy places on my face, itchy eyelids (try organic coconut oil on your skin problems, helps quite a bit), cracks and blisters and lizard-skin patches on hands, ears, eyelids, ick! My symptoms are kind of mild so far, but I tell you eating something 'anyway' is not worth the consequences, and yes, I've messed up both accidentally and on purpose on that one!