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

(continued from 1/3)
**
I don't know the product Victory, but do think that two things stand out
in your e-mail: one, the difference between home and school is stress;
back when I was misdiagnosed for my ulcerative colitis, I discovered not
only that stress is a real trigger for gut issues, but, oddly, things
that my brain would never have thought of as stress are stressful - to
wit, I would always get a severe cramping attack as I entered the
grocery store! It made me far more sympathetic to my husband - I had
always thought that his diarrhea attacks (he has Crohn's) were just
because he wanted us to leave the mall before shopping. Second, whatever
is going on with your gut, a good probiotic regimen would be helpful -
necessary in fact. It is known that any dietary changes change the
balance of the gut flora, and that is why any change seems to help for a
time, but then the effect fades as bad flora take over again. If you
cannot tolerate dairy products such as kefir and yogurt and buttermilk,
then try live kimchee and live sauerkraut and miso soup. The various
pills and elixirs (acidophilus) are helpful, but not as good as live
food, and cost a lot more. I think there are a lot of posts on
probiotics in the archives. Basically, make sure you get plenty of
protein and veggies, minimize the starch and sugar, and supplement the
"friendly bacteria".

**
I don't know about the Victory/vegetable issue... BUT I have found that
my symptoms improved (i.e. not as much gas) from eating organic fruits
and vegetables... they're grown without herbicides or pesticides, and I
can definetely tell when I eat them!
In terms of what else you might have.... I would suggest bringing gluten
back into your diet, so you can get the blood test again (that way you
know for sure!) BUT a word of advice... the medical system has been of
NO HELP to me whatsoever!!! All the help and good advice I have gotten
has come to me through naturopathic doctors or other celiacs... celiac
isn't very 'well known' and doctors don't really have much information
on it... they think that if you eat gluten free all your symptoms will
disappear which is not true!

**
Could you possibly have a problem with sugar?  I have sprue, dairy
intolerant, and sugar intolerant.  I eat no fruit, only veggies that are
low in sugar content, no potatoes (high sugar content), no rice.  The
symptoms I have with the sugar intolerance are the same as with
sprue--horrible stomach pain, weight loss, diarrhea.  There is a
fructose tolerance test you can take to determine the problem--simply
drink a cup of  sugar preparation liquid.  When I did the test the first
time it was positive.  The second time was on the border.  But there is
no question that sugar is a no, no.  Good luck--it is frustrating enough
to have these problems when you can do your own cooking but to have to
rely on someone else is an added problem.

**
Since your primary problems involve painful gas, please be aware that
guar gum, xanthan gum and other texturizers commonly used in GF products
are a well-known cause of flatulence and bloating.  Another common cause
of painful gas and other bowel problems is corn syrup, which is found in
almost everything it seems.  Check out these articles:

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20021026/food.asp
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100004146.html

**
I would think that this would indicate cross contamination problems. Are
they using dedicated GF pots and pans and cutting boards and utensils?
Do they use flour in the kitchen? If so, the airborne flour may be
enough to "get you"

**
The simplest solution is to follow up at the school about the Victory.

Crohn's: one simple test - start eating fish or fish oil three times a
day (a total of 9 caps a day) - that will often clear up a mild case.

**
I think you will find the Primal Defense very beneficial. You can order it
online from the Vitamin Shoppe also. www.VitaminShoppe.com Other vendors
carry it also, but I have been very pleased with their prices and service,
plus they have a frequent buyer program.

**
Crohn's disease is usually accompanied by belly pain and weight loss (when
untreated).  College age is a popular time for it to start up (my daughter
was diagnosed at age 8).  Do you have any pain, especially near your belly
button? Any blood in your stool? Joint pain?  Any of those would point
towards Crohn's.

Any diarrhea that persists more than several weeks should be evaluated by a
gastroenterologist.  There are lots of things that cause diarrhea - I would
try to get to see a gastro doc over xmas break.

An interesting aside - my daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's & put on
prednisone & azathioprine but the diarrhea persisted. It took us 2 years
(and a different doctor who thinks outside the box) to test her for
anti-gliadin antibodies.  She went on a gf diet & poof - 3 yrs of diarrhea
were gone (except during flareups of Crohn's).

**
Don't let this cook use this wash he needs to use just water
Don't go into denial it is of course celiac
the pans for cooking could have traces of gluten

(continued in next email (labeled 2/2))

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*