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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