Off Topic Anemia and Celiac disease

Anybody had any experience with these things?

My lady got some blood test results today, Showed her to be significantly deficient in Iron and Folic acid which in layman terms means she's have massive massive problems with her red blood cells.

When ever she has gluten based food she's in agony which points to the Anemia being caused by Celiac disease. Celiac disease is like a gluten allergy which can kill you over time. One of the things it causes is vitamin lockout which is what has happened here to make her anemic.

She needs more tests which means she needs to eat more gluten while they carry them out.

She fainted again tonight and now that makes sense as the red blood cells just don't carry enough oxygen to the brain. Pretty worried here like.

 

Sorry to read this, mate. I really am.

Don't know anything about it, but she's got my best wishes. I'm sure she'll be okay, champ.

Chin up.

 

Take heart that the medics have identified the problem Bri and they know which direction to take. Might be a change to her, or both, your diets but in the long term it is fixable.

 

My niece got it (Celiac) a few years ago and it was very painful until they got a handle on her diet. Over here there are loads of gluton free items and I send her a package on a regular basis. My sympathies are with you. If there is anything in particular she likes (gluton free) I can see if I can get it here and send it to you....

 

Know people who've gone through both.

Lady had to have a hysterectomy as a result of cancer down there and the anaemia it was subsequently resulting in. Think that was a pretty damn extreme case though.

Gluten intolerances are being diagnosed at a pretty alarming rate. I know three of four people who struggle with gluten. Not too big a deal over here as everything has a gluten free alternative. Not too sure what it's like over there mind.

 

Ta fella.

The gluten free range in the uk is growing rapidly at long last. Sainsburys have just announced they'll be baking fresh gluten free bread in store which is first in this country.

We've been aware she's not good with Gluton for a while and so I've had time to work on some meals. My gluten free fried chicken with Mac and Cheese is her favorite. Gluton free pasta is amazing. I prefer it to normal dry pasta. But bread, she hasn't been able to find anything that remotely resemble the bread she likes. Hopefully the fresh bread coming to sainsburys is to her taste cause she does love her bread.

Once she's diagnosed she can get her diet sorted and that lead to the anemia clearing up. It's just in the meantime with the anemia which is most worrying at the moment as she needs to eat gluten while she's diagnosed and while that's going that anemia is going to keep being a problem. She can sleep 20 hours a day at the moment and still feel knackered. It stealing her life and has been for a while but it's getting worse.

 

Sounds horrific mate.

 

It was pretty tough. Poor old mum!

 

Its quite common in men when they get over 50 as well. Mate of mine developed it and once it was diagnosed and he adopted a gluten-free diet he was fine. In fact he says he now wishes he had adopted the diet a long time ago as he has never felt healthier. He is now firmly of the opinion that a lot of the grains are not good for you at all. I am sure it will take some getting used to for her but hopefully she will feel the same benefits which will make the diet changes a lot easier to accept.
I always bring him gluten-free stuff back from UK as its hard to get here. Restaurants also have no idea about gluten free cooking here - restaurants in UK now often offer gluten-free dishes as well.

 

Catch 22 there mind having to keep on the gluten stuff while they figure out what to do and in the meantime that anemia is messing her about.
Hope they get it sorted sharpish mate.

 

Don't know if its any consolation Bri but there is a lass at work who has to eat the gluten free stuff (don't know if its that disease mind) and she manages fine

 

Sorry to hear mate.

I don't know much about either tbh, but one good thing to take from it is that it's in the process of being addressed.

Sooner the better & wish you both well

 

A friend of mine was diagnosed it a few years ago into his fifties.

It played havoc at home trying to find the right things to eat at home but as you say, since them he hasn't looked back. Fitter than ever he is and still grafting and at work.

The only thing that has been affected is eating out and holidays because of the additional restrictions of his diet.

 

Sorry to hear your news, hope it all gets sorted. With gluten free food be careful, as it's not as healthy as people think -- my understanding is yes they remove/omit the gluten but it is replaced with extra sugar and fat to replicate tastes and textures of the product. So if poss, try to eat simple fresh food rather than substitute breads etc. Easier said than done though !

 

Mrs RTB was diagnosed with anemia after giving birth - which is fairly common if there are any complications. She was given iron tablets initially and told to eat specific foods that contain iron & folic acid e.g. Red meat, liver, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, beans, peas, lentils, avocado etc.
She was a bit pale for a few days or maybe a week but gradually got back to normal and is very healthy now.

One of my mates was diagnosed as gluten intolerant and was told to change his diet to avoid all gluten - bread, pizza, pasta, beer etc. He is fine now and like Burly Hurley said earlier, my mate wishes he had changed his diet years ago. So the good thing is your lady has a diagnosis - or will have one soon
There are loads of gluten free stuff in the big supermarkets these days, some have a whole section with a wide choice of products - there are even a few decent gluten free beers now.

 

Bri sorry to hear about this mate, it's a shame she has to keep suffering to get to the bottom of it.

If I was in your shoes, I'd probably go bowling, no seriously, I'd probably go to a dietitian with her. GP's have a way of doing things as you know and they discount what it isn't before they find out what it is. I'm not saying ignore medical advice, by any means but take more than one opinion if she's genuinely worried, a specialist will often be much more reassuring than a GP.

My advice ref food, start introducing a healthy daily amount of virgin coconut oil, using it in gluten-free baking as well as raw, or for frying or cooking. The digestive system has millions of benefits from VC oil, personally I blitz up in my ninja coconut oil, flax, spinach, kale and almond milk and have this every day and after a few days you really start to feel the benefits of it. Those items will harm nobody, they're all packed with vital nutrients.

Rather than finding an alternative bread mate, it might be worth accepting it's no longer part of her diet. Substitute food is generally heavily processed and won't do an awful lot of good for her. Natural is best, I'm not gonna patronise you with a shopping list as I'm sure you know already the foods that are out there.

Hope it all works out for her soon mate.

 

I am a bit naïve on such subjects but my wife has MS and she has gone on to a vegan diet. She knows a lot of her stuff so I will have a word with her mate and see if she can offer her best advices.

 

A couple of my close friends were diagnosed Celiac........Both went on a very strict gluten free diet and really are fine..lets hope your lass has the same outcome.

 

Sorry to hear that mate.

Don't know much about Anemia, but my Nan was diagnosed Celiac around 10-12 years ago.

She struggled for a couple of years but once she got her diet sorted she's fine now.

When she firsr got diagnosed it was hard as **** but (as a lot of things like this), as time has gone on and awareness has increased it's become a lot easier.

Most supermarkets have a section dedicated to it now, Sainsburys are one of the best iirc. Same with pubs and restuarants, worth ringing before you book but a lot of places will cater specifically now, though it's still worth mentioning it when you arrive so it gets to the chef etc.

Where it gets tricky is when stuff is cooked together. For example my Nan can only use certain chippies where they cook the chips in a seperate frier to the battered products. Same in restuarants, always ask whether chips are cooked seperately to anything breaded.

It can be tough but if care is taken is fully workable still.

Hope everything is okay n works out for both of you fella


Edit- just seen a couple of points I've made have already been mentioned after reading through... will leave it there anyway.

 

Great to hear that there is more choice now! The offer is open anytime mate if maybe it's something specific she is looking for. Just PM with the details. My niece tends to like some of the cakes, cupcakes etc.....lol. It took a while for my niece but she is in a good place now.....best wishes to your good lady and a speedy recovery to full health!!!
When I was young my grandmother used to drink Guinness at night. The reason she told me that she needed iron in her system because she was anemic.....not an old wives tale right.....lol? She certainly slept well.....