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Loved the analogy about the dog and his bowl. They do growl. It makes me
think of my sister, who is having health difficulties not exactly like I
experienced before becoming GF but very similar, who refuses to consider that
it might be part of her problem. She watched my improvement, which was
dramatic, but apparently doesn't want to go to all the trouble to investigate
the possibility and try it out for herself. I've quit talking to her about
it because I'm tired of listening to her version of growling. Too bad.
Learning about gluten and adopting the GF lifestyle is the best thing that
ever happened to me in spite of the difficulties it presents.

Why don't they want to know?
Because to many in our society, food is their 'god' and they don't believe
in making sacrifices, even for their good health. Watch 'Survivor'. The
main complaint is about the lack of variety of food, or lack of food,
period. You don't hear very many complain about the lack of the daily
newspaper or exercise equipment. :)
Go to a potluck dinner and watch people pig out. Or at an all-you-can-eat
buffet restaurant. That is why obesity is such a major problem today. Tell
people they can't eat certain things and they go into complete denial.
I am so thankful for celiac disease. (Yes, thankful!) If we had not
discovered that our daughter had CD, we would have continued to eat just
like every body else. Now, we have to cook and bake from scratch and eat
more fresh fruits and vegetables, like we should be eating anyway! Our
family is one of the healthiest I know of in our area. When viruses go
around, they usually miss us or touch one or two in the family. I know a
great deal of our better immune systems is because we eat better and don't
drown ourselves in cokes! I would rather the kids never have one of those,
but they do once a week or so. So much better than their peers who drink
several daily and don't even know they could be drinking water or milk since
it isn't even kept in their houses!
Your husband hit it right on the mark!
Now here is another question...Why don't doctors want to know about celiac
disease? It may sound cynical, but I believe it isn't taught in medical
schools because the 'cure' is not medically related. Go on the gluten free
diet and you get well. Stay on it and you should have no further problems,
except for those who have considerable intestinal damage before diagnosis.
So by giving you a diagnosis, they have lost you as a patient. I am not
saying all doctors are like this, but once a doctor is out of medical
school, there usually isn't a lot of time to learn about updates on medical
news, much less totally new items.
And so... we have to spread the word! :)
Best wishes for a gluten free life!

Yes, I know what you mean. I tried telling a few people that have had
stomach issues that they might want to get tested, but they were
hesitant. One was only into alternative stuff, and has basically cut out
most high-carb foods (ie bread, cookies ect.). However, I recently
attended a diabetes support group and mentioned my celiac
diagnosis, and some of them actually wanted to know more! I was
thrilled. anyway, I think that this actually will be paralleling the track
that
diabetes has had in awareness and diagnosing, and hopefully a cure
(but this shouldn't take as long).

Thanks! Your story is about like mine. I don't need help to stick to it:
when I eat the stuff it feels like I've been eating rat poison. Nausea is a
great teacher! I wonder though, about the people with 'no' symptoms (or who
don't know they are having symptoms). I can't imagine changing my whole
life, as I have done, purely on the belief that the doctor is correct.
BTW it's interesting you were a beer addict. Me too. One thing I thought I
would NEVER give up! But you know I react to beer and other alchohol with
trace amounts of gluten faster than any other food: it makes me wonder if
that is why most alchohol is grain based and people get so addicted to it.
There is a very low rate of addiction/abuse among wine drinkers (fortified
wines don't count!).

This is my second attempt at answering. Somehow my
first disappeared due to a computer glitch. I
apologize if this is a duplicate.
My only symptom was unexplained borderline anemia. I
felt well and loved to cook, eat and entertain. I was
tired occasionally, but I have a full time job, a
marriage that I want to nurture, 2 sons with
burgeoning lives, a home to take care of, hobbies and
interests, etc. Everyone I know is busy and tired.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that one a day
vitamins would not take care of my problem.
For someone like me, the adjustment is way more
painful than the disease ever was. I know
intellectually that I cannot eat outside the diet, but
I do not have the visible connection between how I eat
and how I feel. For me, it feels like a HUGE loss of
an enjoyable component of a normal life.
Seeing what we have to give up, it's no wonder that
others might not want to pursue the diagnosis,
especially if they are not sensitive reactors. Since
I was diagnosed last August, I have told my story many
times. MANY of my women friends and acquaintances
have said that they, too, have anemia (some quite
severely) that is unexplained. Yet I do not know one
person who has pursued the test or asked her doctor.
Just one theory for the bunch I'm sure you'll get.
Have a great GF day!

You know, Susan, that is a very good question. I have Celiac, my aunt had
celiac (died of advanced lymphoma, she did NOT watch her diet.) and my
sister has MS. I have been after my sister to be tested for Celiac Disease,
not that I doubt she has MS, but because I am not too sure the MS wasn't
caused by undiagnosed Celiac. I get DH, too and auto-immune diseases are so
prevalent in my family such as arthritis, vasculitis, me with the CD, my
sister with the MS and a multitude of skin ailments with most of my family,
aunts. I suspect my dad has CD. AS near as I can tell, they resist the idea
of being Celiac and don't really want to know because they don't want to go
on the diet. I am so frustrated with them all I could scream. Funny thing
is, they wanted to know all about CD when I tested positive (biopsy, both
bowel and skin). THEY DON'T WANT TO KNOW. All I can say is that they are
not sick enough. I stay on the diet because if I don't I am miserable. Can
someone like bread and pasta so much they'd rather be sick? Quite frankly,
I think this diet is easy and I can think of a lot worse things to have to
give up. I don't think it is really all that restrictive either. I have
learned to cook differently, shop differently and it was not the challenge
of a lifetime. I hope you summarize......

Because....no one wants to be on a diet that places limitations on them and
no one wants to believe it could happen to them. No one wants to be
restricted and feel different when they are with other people and have to
explain. They do not care about damaging villi and probably do not believe
it can cause such other health problems

more coming up...

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