<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Listmates, *grin* Thank you to everyone who wrote us back and showed their concern!! It really was appreciated! Mark doesn't feel so alone anymore!!! We've been members of this support group for a few days and it really has helped him to read all your letters, responses, and questions you all have about this disease. Please don't get frustrated if we ask questions that have been posted many times before because we're new to this group an still in the "research stage"! *wink* Mark has been diagnosed with celiac sprue for about a week now and as most of you can recall, these first few weeks and months can be the most frustrating and depressing! I keep telling him that this is God's little funny way of telling him that he needs to quit eating all that junk food and start eating things on a healthy diet!! I was saying to him the other day (as a joke to try and put him in a better mood), "I just learned how to cook things the way you like them and now I have to learn how to cook things all over again!!" *grin* And here these past few years, I use to think that the reason why he went to the bathroom so much when we first starting dating was because I made him so nervous!!! *hehehehe* The majority of you felt that eliminating grains from our diet is more healthy than what it was previously to being diagnosed with celiac sprue. Mark and I happen to agree and not only does he feel better, he's put on about 5 lbs., something he's been wanting to do for about 3 years now! He's been the same weight since he was about 17!! Listed below are summaries of some of the responses we have received: (summary) "I do not feel that grain is an important part of a healthily diet. Just the opposite... I feel that my immune system was damaged from all the years of being undiagnosed." -Ginny (summary) "...All indications are that if you are careful to eat fruit and vegetables and not too much fat, etc., etc., you will be healthy - probably more healthy than the average American..." -Gayle K (summary) "...grains are not healthy for anyone's diet. They aren't what humans evolved to eat... they (grains) have only been eaten for a few thousand, or maybe less, years. In an evolutionary sense this is miniscule compared to the 2.5 millions years we were hunters and gatherers..." -Don Wiss And some of you even went further into telling us your health now that you have been diagnosed: (summary) "... since becoming GF 2.5 years ago I have had every bug going... recently have had quite poor health ( nothing serious ) and a very weak immune system - the general consensus of opinion I had was that quite a few people suffered in this way for 2-3 years post diagnosis before the body finally sorts it-self out." -Paul Rodgers (summary) "... the disease is caused by the immune system. Your body sees the gluten particle as an intruder and attacks it like it would a virus or something similar..." -Audrey (summary) "...I have noticed as my children stay gluten free longer, their immune systems have seemed to improve...I would recommend a good supplement...my friend who was just diagnosed with celiac disease says they (supplements) have made a great difference in her health since she began taking them..." -Diane Humphrey Once again, thank you everyone!!!!!!! We both appreciate it so much!!! -Mark & Liz