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Dear List,

First, the good news: sometimes gentle prodding and occasional
hounding of someone you suspect of having gluten problems bears a
little fruit. Yesterday I ran into an acquaintance of many years who
is clearly malnourished and has been a very sick woman for a long,
long time, sick enough so that she's been on disability for at least
fifteen years. She must be in her late forties or early fifties. She
claimed some time ago to have been tested for celiac (I doubt
properly) and does not have it (well, of course that's entirely
possible). She's resisted offers of help in getting to a celiac-savvy
gastroenterologist. Kind of understandable, I suppose, because she's
seen an awful lot of doctors who have given her little help and whose
diagnoses of colitis and other GI conditions have turned out to be
mistaken. IBS is the best diagnosis she's received, which of course
only means "something's wrong with your gut and we don't know what."
Five or so years ago I suggested that she just try going gluten free
and see what happens. She thanked me for my interest, but clearly had
no interest in giving up bread and pasta.

Anyway: yesterday she was looking a little better: no cane, and
walking with a firm stride. I hadn't run into her since the spring.
Turns she stopped eating wheat in May. Doesn't feel queasy three-
quarters of the time. Definitely stronger. Isn't so fatigued. Imagine
that!

She's eating oatmeal (no comments about this, please -- I talked to
her about cross-contamination and what might be the safest brands) and
says it gives her no trouble. But she's hungry all the time, and badly
needs to gain weight. I am not pushing her to get tested again (why
invite resistance, just as she's finally making progress?), but I
suggested she try a gluten-free, not just wheat-free, diet. She seems
ready to do it.

She has some limitations: ice cream is too fatty for her to tolerate.
Same goes for chocolate and sweets in general. GF bread and pasta from
our excellent, local natural foods store are non-starters: she's tried
'em, and can't stand them. She will eat white rice, but not brown.
Avoids corn; finds it hard on her stomach. I didn't suggest beans,
because I remember having a hard time with them for awhile after I was
first diagnosed, and my gut wasn't in nearly as bad shape as I'm
guessing hers is. She has very little money. She has a toaster oven,
but no proper oven. She is not an ambitious cook. And she has no
internet access.

I found her a couple of simple GF oatmeal cookie recipes she can cook,
a couple at a time, in her toaster oven. I have suggested cheese as a
good source of calories. I also suggested separately steaming some
green beans and little white potatoes, cutting them into bite-sized
pieces, and combining with Hellman's in order to have something
snackable and nutritious in the fridge. She seemed willing to go to
that much trouble.

Given those parameters, any other ideas? I would love to be able to
pass further suggestions on to her.

Mary B.
NYC





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