Celiac

[markr]

Yesterday I found out that I have another complication to add to my list: celiac. For those of you that know me, as a result of my recent colonoscopy, (negative) I did further tests and now found out about the celiac. As you can well imagine, I can easily learn to live with the latter. During the last few months I was also sick with subacute granulomatous thyroiditis. At the time my doctor did not put the two together, however now he said they probably were related. The longer we have this **** diabetes, the greater our chances are that additional complications. I can only say thanks to the support and information I receive from people like yourself on this forum.

Mark

[shabbie]

hey mark, glad they finally found out what is going on for you.
hope you feel better soon ;)

[markr]

Thanks. How are you feeling today?

[shabbie]

still ropey :) but getting there ;)

[Scratch]

It's good that you found out about this. It'll be a pain in the butt as you'll spend a lot of time now checking ingredient labels, but over time it gets easier as you get more familiar with what are safe foods and you adjust your meal planning accordingly.

[markr]

Thanks. Just another minor complication to add to my list.

[markr]

I contacted my insurance company yesterday. I explained to them about having Type 1 and celiac, and the expenses of "normal day living" for me. After being transfered to just 3 people, I was told that all I need is a letter from my doctor and I am entitled to a refund of USD130.00 per month!! :D All I have to do is submit the bills from the grocery store. I don't know what it is like where you live, but I was in shock. Believe me, I'm not complaining.

Have a happy and healthy new year.
Mark

[JasonJayhawk]

Mark, that is wonderful (regarding the insurance--not the dx!). I'd never heard of insurance companies doing that. I did read on a Celiac board (once, out of curiosity--I'm not celiac) about the procedures one takes in the USA for tax write-offs for buying more expensive food due to food sensitivites/allergies. Wonder if there's anything like that in Israel.

Now that you're gluten-free, have you noticed any improvements yet? I read that it can take months before the damage is healed, and that each "glutening" pushes that back more.

I read about work being done on medications or substances to remove or alter the gluten protein or protect the intestinal track from gluten. It's sort of like the idea of "a cure for Type 1 diabetes" ... it's something that's out there, but will probably never bear any fruit. And if it does, hopefully it will help.

If it's any consolation, as an experiment one time, I tried going gluten-free as part of a project to see what doing a major diet change would be like (empathy training, perhaps?). During this time of 3 "short" weeks, I had the most stable glycemic levels of my entire life. I also learned a lot about reading food labels and calling companies and obtaining gluten-free lists!

If going gluten-free wasn't so darn expensive and require so much thought (who would have known that many brands of soy sauce aren't safe?!), I'd think that gave me better glycemic control than even a low-carb diet.

[markr]

Thanks for your reply. Even though I just found out last week about my new situation, I immediately started a gluten-free diet, and I have started to feel better. I did a series of blood tests a few days ago and I will do follow ups to keep on top of things. By the way I see that you are living in the Midwest. I graduated from a small school in Ohio (Ohio State) and lived in Minneapolis before moving to Israel.