New Diagnosis

I have no symptoms, except I've had a low iron count for 7 years (not anemic, just on the low side).  I went to a hemotologist who did all kinds of tests and all blood work came back normal and I was absorbing the iron he gave me to take.  He then gave me the choice to have an endoscopy or just take iron for the rest of my life.  I wish I had taken the 2nd option!  During the endoscopy the dr. said I have celiac.  All but 1 test came back negative.  I haven't really started on the diet because I feel great.  I guess I should tell you that I am type 1 diabetic for more than 40 years and have heart disease.  I thought to myself "I can't do ONE MORE DIET".  My kids did buy me a bread mix and I am going to try it tomorrow.  I just refuse to pay $7 for a small loaf of bread to have toast in the mornings!  Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Berrygal,

The gluten free diet CAN be really expensive and overwhelming at first. Trust me. When I first started this diet, I thought how in the WORLD will we be able to afford it? We've learned to adjust. I make almost everything from scratch, I buy most of my baking supplies online, and occasionally head to the nearest "big" city for supplies like rice pasta. Believe it or not, since we started this diet and have changed our eating habits, we actually spend MUCH LESS on groceries than we used too! No more processed foods. Little sugar (I really watch sugar in our baked goods, and we've become so much healthier. WHile I have not been diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease, many of my family members have both, and I know I am predisposed. So, with that in mind, I always gear my cooking and baking with less sugar, less salt, less saturated and trans fats, and I always add extra fiber, etc... Once you start making gluten free foods yourself, it will get easier. Feel free to email me personally if you need help with this transition! It really is worth it to heal yourself! My email address is gingerlemon_girl at yahoo dot com! I hope you are able to find a way to make this diet work for you! 

Sincerely,

Carrie @ www.gingerlemongirl.com

Hi berrygal,

 I can understand your frustration however it is important to find yourself a nutritionist that works with both diabetics and sprue. My sister-in-law has both and just had to have an angioplasty due to a heart attack at the age of 43. Gluten free foods are good, they can be expensive however they also tend to have more fats in them or you have to use more fats to keep them moist. If you have access to this person please find them. LOL you say you feel good and sis did too however once she went on the diet she felt great because she didn't know how sick she'd actually been until they found the sprue. Good Luck!

 Deb

Hey there and Welcome!! I hope you won't be afraid just to see if the diet may help you! Being type one diabetic there isn't really a lot to change.  Most of your carbs are form gluten containg products anyway.  Give it a try!  THere is a silent Celiac.  I had no idea I had a problem until we found out my DD had Celiac then my DH and I got tested and I came out positive.  I decided to change my diet as an experiment just to see if anythign changed, as I had no symptoms.  I was SOooo Surprised at how good I was feling even after a week.  I felt better than I had even known was possible.  Good Luck!

I've been diagnosed a celiac for almost one year now and want to encourage you.   You can survive this!    I learned from a fellow celiac at the beginning of this journey that bread - as we knew it before diagnosis - is something that we just need to grieve the loss of.   However, after baking my own from GF recipes and trying numerous mixes, I now treat myself to a wonderful loaf from Whole Foods.   They have several GF loaves from their own bakery.   One of my favorites is their Sun Dried Tomato & Basil bread.   Yes, it is pricey, but toasted and holding together your favorite filling will be worth it.  In reality, it is close to $1 a slice, but $2 a sandwich isn't a bad deal when you taste the "almost" familiar taste of the old days!  Feeling better will be worth changing your diet.   All the best!