<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
My Celiac Work Life post generated numerous responses, approximately 80 in
all.
The responses were generally quite thoughtful, conclusive, and written in
earnest, revealing both vulnerabilities and strengths in regard to the topics
of work, coping strategies for food dominant social gatherings, blood sugar
management, isolative vs. interactive work/home environments, having/not
having support at home/work, and the BIG question: has celiac impacted our
work, as well as other, life choices, either consciously or unconsciously. I
am greatly enriched by this outpouring of support, camaraderie, and new
information. In fact, I have been deeply moved by this study.
Dear friends, I thank you. Highlights follow. But first, a brief note on
the subject of "bullying."
I received only a few responses that were condescending in nature, one a
scathing attack on my supposed "negativity." It is my strong belief that
patronizing, criticizing, and language of any sort that seeks to diminish has
no place, on or off this list, within a network of support and information
sharing, WHICH THIS IS. I believe this is clearly stated (in so many words)
in the guidelines for this List, which are sent to every new member. Posting
a question involves risk and does leave one wide open for comment. I would
like to suggest that this form of risk taking is to be commended, respected,
and NEVER put down, or some of us may not feel safe to take that risk again.
* In regard to whether or not celiac disease has impacted our work choices,
the responses were mixed. I would have loved to have had a definitive answer
to this question, but responses were evenly divided: some folks stated that
yes, most definitely, they felt safer and more autonomous working from home,
and therefore strategically aligned work choices with this goal. Simple
needs such as having a bathroom available when you need it can make a big
difference in comfort level (some of us still struggle with accidental gluten
invasions and it really helps to have a bathroom nearby! It's important to
note here the vast spectrum of list members, some of whom were diagnosed
20-30 years ago or even at birth, to just recently, so incidental gluten is
very understandable.) Other folks underscored the importance in their lives
to make the disease fit their lifestyle, and not the opposite. We range from
salespeople to chefs to artists, writers, world travelers and weavers, to
name just a few. How wonderful.
* I mentioned in my original post, "I love silence." This statement
stimulated lots of thought! I received approximately a dozen replies
underlining the connection between Aspergers syndrome (high functioning
autism) and the gluten/casein free diet. Some folks reported being extremely
sensitive to noise, movement, odors; easily becoming overwhelmed. For some,
the gluten free diet has had a "calming'" effect. For others,
overstimulation occurs just as frequently on the gluten free diet. Some
showed improvement with the addition of a casein free diet (casein is the
protein component of milk/all dairy products, and is thought to have a
similar impact as gluten on some digestive/nervous systems). It is
apparently a common practice now to place newly diagnosed autistic/asperger
children on the gluten free/casein free diet; oftentimes these children show
remarkable improvement.
Suggestions were made to me that perhaps some of my idiosyncrasies (such as
my intense need for quiet and alone time) were due to still ingesting dairy.
I am acting on these suggestions and have subsequently been eliminating dairy
from my diet. (We'll see how it goes, too early to tell I think.) Suggested
readings and websites on autism/aspergers have also been helpful. The MOST
helpful hint has come in the form of a book called "The Highly Sensitive
Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.
* Managing hypoglycemia is, thankfully, something that many of you have
become quite good at. Thank you for sharing your strategies, the most
significant of which are:
-eat a high protein breakfast with little or no starch, such as fresh meats,
poultry, and seafood (leftovers from the night before work well) and whole
fruit, or even applesauce.
-have another large serving of meat, fish, or chicken at lunch, with veggies.
-eat whole fruit or nuts (but not peanuts or cashews, people were pretty
consistent about not digesting these two well) between meals.
-some folks do not eat anything sweeter than a green apple, ever! to manage
blood sugar levels.
-for some, nothing sweet is ever ingested, even fruit, until evening.
-drink lots of water throughout the day. keeps energy up.
One final mention. Those folks who have the benefit of a supportive
spouse/significant other say that really makes a HUGE difference in how they
feel about having celiac disease. For those of us who do not, we are gently
being guided to join a celiac support group in our local area. I will pursue
this.
Anyone who would be interested in a more in depth discussion of any aspect of
my review is welcome to write to me. Thanks again to all who helped.
Chase
New Hampshire, USA
* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *
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