Funny, I don't know why I haven't posted about this before, but Reese has Celiac Disease.
I think a part of it has to do with just trying to keep him from being labeled or for him to think of it as a hardship on us. We try as much as we can to not draw attention to him needing to be gluten free. I've had to stop myself from making comments about the price of gluten free items or that we can't buy something because we just spent so much on his food.
We found out in August after about a year of trying a dairy free diet. His symptoms seemed to get better without dairy, but then worsened again. Our family doctor is also an acupuncturist and practices different kinds of Chinese medicine. She had his blood tested and it came back positive for Celiac Disease. About four weeks ago she started treating him with NAET which you can read about... long process, long story. We are very hopeful and he is doing well with it so far.
Reese feels much better on a gluten free diet, obviously, and if he has to stay that way the rest of his life it won't be the worst thing. We have found that we are all eating healthier--it is much easier to all go gluten free than to make two meals every mealtime.
So, I feel like lately I've been pulled in many directions. We've moved, we're settling in, I have to be very diligent about R's diet (reading every label and then reading it again because I'm not always sure what I am looking for) and pretty much learning how to cook all over again--and I wasn't a tremendous cook to start with.
I could write so much more about all this--people being understanding, people not being understanding, trying to keep him from being hurt (emotional as well as his gut), needing to be an expert on gluten free and not coming close... needing to get all this off my chest...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Celiac
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11 comments:
I have enjoyed some foods from the Living Earth Bakery in Corvallis. Everything there is gluten free, and some of it also dairy free. If you guys are coming to the Halloween Party I was thinking of getting some cupcake/muffin things from there! I am sure you have already learnd a lot, but Alexa's therapy place also has some gluten free baking mixes called Gluten Free Mama or something...I could check the prices for you if you want. It stinks when kids are all of the sudden different from others in ways that they notice and may feel bad about. I would venture my opinion that the sooner they learn that everyone is different in some way the easier it is for them. Maybe this is wierd, but I always think..it could be so much worse..Alexa could have autism and be noninteractive for example. Anyway, I'll shut up now :)
Wow, one of those happy/sad moments. Happy that you finally figured out what was wrong with him, and sad that his diet is so restrictive. It must be so hard for going to birthday parties, eating out, pretty much eating anywhere you don't have control over his food. And I can imagine the expense. It just doesn't seem right that "special" food should cost so much more. It's expensive enough to raise kids.
There's a really neat website of a family where all the kids have celiac disease, and he has this great website at Christmastime where he has all these lights on his house, and if you log onto his site, you can turn them on and off using his computer. He donates the proceeds from his website to raise money for celiac disease research.
Here's the link:
http://www.komar.org/cgi-bin/christmas_webcam
I can't wait to see more pictures of your house!! :-)
My cousin's husband has that disease and my cousin has learned to eat that way too. Yes it is expensive but she said it is well worth it. You eat healthier that way and it also makes the person with the disease not really care about what the others are eating. I will ask her for some tips for you too. Hope all is well. Love your house by the way......
Dana...
I feel your pain! There was a point in time it was suspected that I had celiac disease (thankfully it wasn't that!) so I went gluten free, its a lot of work! Here are some resources I utilized:
Against the Grain, a great book that helps with a little humor as well
try this link: http://www.celiac.com/categories/Celiac-Disease-%26amp%3B-Kids-by-Danna-Korn
this woman started a group called ROCK they are a great resource and may have a chapter near you
Hang in there, and don't hesitate to ask wherever you shop for resources!
Hi there - there is a great magazine called "Living Without" that has all kinds of good recipes (seasonally appropriate depending on the issue) and also very good support for those with food allergies. There is also a woman up here in Washington (let me know if you are interested and I can find the contact info) that hosts a weekend long "cooking class retreat" on learning how to go gluten free in your kitchen and cooking. I think NAET can be a good option but usually is most effective on "sensitivities" rather than true allergies like celiac. Starting with a young one though might make the difference. I have a wheat sensitivity and know how hard that is...going gluten free is that much harder so my thoughts will be with you. Also - there is a really great gluten free bakery in Seattle called the flying apron and I think you can order from them online.
Jean
Welcome to the club!
:)
Laurie
xo
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/
Thought you might be interested in this neat site!
http://authenticfoods.com/
Gluten free foods and flours to order online. SUPER HELPFUL!
There are some GREAT gluten free foods at a store in Salem called LifeSource. I try to stay away from gluten as much as I can and I've been surprised at all that there is that is gluten free! It is more expensive, but it really is worth it! Wishing you the best!
A gluten free life has become my future as well. Just discovered it this year. I KNOW it is not easy to follow this diet. It surprised me to find out how many and which foods have gluten products in them. I'm going to check out the websites that other commentators have shared on your blog. I wish you well as you continue to research and provide a gluten free diet for Reese.
Patty
So sorry to hear that. I am confidant in your ability to make it all work out! :-) Your house looks great by the way.
Hi Dana,
I had NAET treatments 7 years ago... and it works! Best of Luck.
Love,Gin
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