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Hello, all.  I've been on the list for a few weeks but (so far as I can
recall) haven't contributed yet--nothing really to say.  Unfortunately,
it's an off-topic comment that first prompted this note, but let me
introduce myself anyway:  I'm 37 and live in the San Francisco Bay Area (in
Berkeley, specifically--and I think I saw something about an East Bay
celiacs group; could somebody kindly mail me info about that off-list?
thanks).

I had a number of medical problems as an infant, some (at least) of which
may have been celiac-type.  My mother's vague notes in her journal suggest
this--stuff about the doctor saying I shouldn't be eating wheat etc.--but
my diet was not significantly changed (long story, but to give you an
example:  another such note says "she says you're allergic to tomatoes, but
I can't believe that--you just turn such a lovely healthy pink when you eat
them!").

Anyway, eight years ago a nutritionist suggested, on the basis of various
symptoms, that I was probably gluten-intolerant.  I started trying to eat
GF then (mostly--I've already learned so much more from this list!) but
have struggled with it all along.  One thing that I wonder about, after
reading here:  although I was very skinny and unable to digest food as a
young child, I've been extremely *overweight* for years.  Is this also
possible with CD, or is my problem something else?  No, it's not just
greed; when I keep my diet clean of gluten, I lose weight and am less
hungry too.  Nutritionist's suggestion was that gluten clogs up the innards
so that I'm not absorbing anything and that's why I'm hungry all the time;
does this fit anything other people know about?

Also:  I've noticed that when I've been GF for a while (or even mostly GF)
and then eat gluten, I get rough scaly patches of skin, usually on face and
hands.  Is this DH, or something similar?

My mother also insists that the only reason gluten gives me trouble *is*
because I'm overweight; it sounds unlikely to me, but could that be true?
(I think she's too much affected by having become diabetic, since which
time she thinks weight is the cause of all disease, or something.  Speaking
of which:  are there connections between CD and diabetes?)

I'm about to try going completely GF (is this the "gluten challenge"?).
Somebody recently commented on a link to stomach and intestinal cancer;
since that seems to run in my family, I'm scared.  Can't manage biopsies
and such at present, since my income is very limited and my health-care
possibilities even more so.  I hope to have a new job (with real income and
insurance) soon, but for now this is it.

Thanks for the list; I'm glad to be "meeting" all of you and appreciate the
information and the sense of community.  Maybe with all of this I can stay
away from gluten.  (I'm making a *real* effort this time; I just spoke to
my pastor about taking communion under only one species, and he said fine.)

OK, and I had to respond to this posting:

>From:    Cecchini Ron <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: MY DAD - was Re: to eat gluten or not

Ron, first let me say thanks very much for your posting.  I'm in training
as a psychotherapist and had never been told of possible links between
various psychological problems and gluten; that's something to keep in mind.

I'm truly sorry to hear about your dad's condition (and your own troubles),
but please note:

>He's had violent mood swings in the past that we
>would jokingly call schizophrenia (we even named his different
>personalities) -- but this is a little different now.  I wouldn't
>say that he's a classic schizophrenic; i.e. he doesn't really assume
>distinct personalities that have no knowledge of each other, etc.

PLEASE be aware that "schizophrenia" (or what is now called "the
schizophrenias") is a *whole different problem* from Multiple Personality
Disorder (also called Dissociative Identity Disorder, as in the new DSM).
Schizophrenics may have mood swings, or hear voices, or have various
problems relating to reality; they don't (as part of their schizophrenia)
have separate personalities.  (It's a common error, because people so often
refer to a split situation as "schizophrenic", but it is an error.)  People
with MPD/DID may be schizophrenic, or a given MPD patient may have some
personalities that are schizophrenic and some not, but again that's a
separate problem.  Schizophrenia seems to be partially genetic and
partially environmental; MPD/DID is a specific response to severe trauma.

Much longer posting than I'd intended to write; I'm sorry.

Katherine


--
Ye knowe ek, that in forme of speche is chaunge         |
Withinne a thousand yere, and wordes tho                | [log in to unmask]
That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge          |
Us thinketh hem, and yit they spake hem so.  -- Chaucer |