<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Finally, I've been able to pull together a digest of the responses I've
received.  Everyone has been so helpful and sypathetic, and I really
appreciate all oof you taking time to write to me.  It certainly helps to
know that you aren't alone.

One person did actually scold me for not taking care of myself and taking
my diseases so lightly, and I must say those word really made me think
about what I need to do to take care of me.

But I think the responses that helped me the most are the ones about how to
help my husband be more understanding. I've included a few below, too.

So, here are some selected responses:

Gas & bloating:

"For gas I recommend regular use of acidophilus. the Nutrition Now PB8
brand is very good, and the self proclaimed top of the line is Culturelle
from www.vrp.com . I find that dried fruits (any fruit, really) are
particularly bad at causing a lot of flatulence, as is any dairy
(particularly bad smelling in the case of
dairy). You may also want to look into digestive enzymes to aid you
digestion."

"Common symptoms of both celiac and lactose intolerance. Absolutely a
symptom that celiacs have after ingesting a little gluten. But
also it's a symptom of lactose intolerance, and most celiacs, especially
those who have done the damage you've done to your intestines with all
those  years of eating gluten, will be intolerant to ANY dairy. Also dairy
can do the same kind of damage to the intestines as gluten if you are
intolerant. Some celiacs can go back to lactose after a year or two of
eating gf if their gut is repaired and healthy again."

"I went to several nutritionists. They have helped me things especially the
bloating. Good nutritionist are sometimes difficult to find. I feel they
need to be interviewed. I try not to eat too many salads. It is really hit
and miss. You are not a minority. I find exercising also help me a great
deal."

"Phyzame(sp?) is good for gas and maybe certain gassy foods give
you bloating, fruits, vegetables, beans, etc....."

"if you can tolerate cooked garlic...try it...read about it...suppose to be
helpful for bacteria and a lot of digestive problems...it helps me, but it is
very stimulating  because it causes excess acid so I can't eat it everyday."

"Before I became gf I had much more gas.  Since then the following things
seem to cause trouble:  pigging out (rare though), indigestion because of
nervesness, milk, too much food when my system is weak, sitting the whole
day in an office with tight clothing, unsoaked beans, weird ingredients I'm
not used to in funny combinations and when my UC is pretty bad gas can come
without any 'intervention'."

"Apart from avoiding all situations, ingredients and so on that cause it I
use fennel tea with great effect.  Mint also helps but fennel is the
winner.  My mother uses it too, she is allergic to yeast, which used to
make her incredibly bloated but now she is fine with avoiding it plus
fennel tea.  If you don't like the taste of the tea or it's a hassle to
prepare where you are during the day, you can do what my mother does, she
buys big bags of dried fennel, chops it up in a blender and puts it in
small gelatin capsules then she takes it like all the other vitamins and
capsules, two at a time."

"Double-check to be sure everything you eat is GF, and vary what you eat so
that you can weed out offending food that you *think* is OK.  I cannot
tolerate Carnation Coffee Mate and Great Buy Corn Chips.  They probably are
GF, but I cannot tolerate them.  I also can't tolerate large amounts of
coffee.  Some ice creams are bad for me.  Read Jax Lowell's book.  The F &
B seems to be impossible to completely eliminate.  I've read (and agree)
that Celiacs tend to generate 5x the amount of gas as compared to others.
You can adjust this somewhat by what you eat."

"milk, corn and wheat are my trouble areas, the only way I can be gas and
pain free is to avoid all of these three, including soda pop chocolate
gives me trouble but I am in denial about that.  learn the diet well,
watch, watch and watch some more what you eat and how you feel."

"I use dairy sparingly. i was always told that when I was going through a
difficult time, to hold off the diary. I don't find cheese as much of a
problem as yogurt or ice cream."

"The gas and bloating helps if you follow the "Eat right 4 your blood type"
this is a book by Dr.  Peter D'Adamo.  He has a web site www.dadamo.com If
you are an A blood type you do not have enough hydrochloric acid in your
stomach to digest different foods so the blood gets the undigested
particles and food allergies or ulcers in the colon start.  You have to
read the book to understand it.  I have been following this program for
almost 3 years now at about 98% compliance and the longer I am on the
program the better I get."

Ulcerative colitis:

"colitis responds well to a low carb diet...like
what diabetics use.  Check out Atkins diet."

"The colitis was in itself the manisfestation of celiac disease"

"Also ulcerative colitis sometimes is caused by Mercury in your colon,
either from the fillings in your teeth or other chemicals and metals from
previous jobs etc."

(Books) "The second thing I want to pass on is something that I had found
while looking up something on celiac:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0969276818/o/qid=953142543/sr=2-2/102
-9040588-3352012
Read the reviews at the bottom.  Plus it suggests other books.  This
one, though, seems to focus on the diet."

Asacol:

I called the manufactuer of Asacol and they told me it was GF, but did
contain lactose.

"According to Stokes Pharmacy's Guide Through the Medicine Cabinet, Asacol
has no gluten but it does have lactose."

Husband:

"I suggest you love and nurture yourself...lower your expectations of what
you want from your spouse...then if you get anything positve it is good, but
if you don't get it...let it go...you can't change other people; you can only
change how you react to them....writing in a journal is very good...studies
have shown that people who write about their illnesses and feelings improve
better than those who do not write daily.  Also, when your spouse doesn't
give the expected response or you feel like venting or focusing on what your
spouse is doing or not doing....look at the palm of your hand....just a
glance will often divert your attention back to yourself...it is subtle and
works..(that tip came from my 80 year old holistic doctor) Good luck, I share
the pain you must feel from not having a supportive spouse; my problem is
similar."

"Huh, that's a hard one!  Mine doesn't need 'training', probably I'm lucky on
that front!  Depends whether he is an overtly rational type or some other
qualities dominate.  There are many reasons and ways he can support you, you
'just' need to find the one that's most compatible with his personality,
lifestyle and the relationship between the two of you.  Some people can be
pursued by pointing out how horrible it is and where it leads when they don't
support you, some like concentrating on the positive.  One thing I learned
though that it is important that in the negotiation you don't lose other
rights and you don't sacrifice anything else.  You shouldn't need to give
major concessions just to be supported in what and who you are.  On the other
hand you can make a pact that his positive support will see you extending
some extra support for something in him in a similar way.  It doesn't have to
be a game of cost-benefit analysis, but if your relationship is to be based
on equality than it's no big deal to consciously express just what it
entails."