Other than the lack of symptoms, GI and otherwise...which is a given, there have been at least three other really positive things that have resulted for me since going gluten free, and just recently nut and lactose free:

#1: I am a type 1 diabetic and my husband has always been very supportive and accommodating when dealing with my health issues. However, since discovering that I have celiac disease, my husband, who does much of the cooking of evening meals because he is often home from work before I am, has done a lot of research on Celiac disease and has even taught me some stuff I did not know. He has learned about what I am allowed to eat and prepares the food very carefully so that I don't get sick. He reads labels and if I start to eat something HE's not sure about, he questions it. Both he and my youngest daughter, who still lives at home, have decided to eat gluten-free meals so as to avoid cooking two separate meals, toxic and gluten free. And in most cases enjoy the gluten-free versions as well if not better than the toxic stuff. Where I could easily feel very bad and guilty...yes guilty..at having to impose another health issue on THEIR lifestyles, they have embraced this wholeheartedly and never make me feel like I am a dietary burden.

#2 Because I am a type 1 diabetic, carbs are a huge issue and because much of the starch and flours that are available for our use is sooooo refined, it would seem that these would be an even bigger issue for a diabetic. You would also think that it might be more difficult to control the blood sugar levels because of the carbs. However, I am finding that since I have been gluten, lactose, and nut free, my blood sugar levels are so much easier to control and that even when I do eat GASP...sugar... I don't get the BS spikes. I am wondering/guessing that this is because my body is healing and being better able process the sugar and carbs??? This is huge for me and I can hardly wait for the Dr. to do his annual blood draw. My last tests showed that my cholesterol was a total of 139, triglycerides were something like 79, and my A1C, which has been 5.9 or less for many years, to see what effects this lifestyle has had. Although my Dr. was very supportive and agreed that even without testing that we were probably looking at celiac disease, he cautioned me at the outset of my going gluten-free that it was a very hard diet to follow (not if you have an extreme aversion to toilets and pain!) and that diabetics with Celiacs had to really be followed much more closely. I countered that with, "I have watched my diet and exercise for years and my numbers have been, in your words Dr., excellent. What would I change now? If anything, I will be eating an even healthier diet because of this." So again, after removing gluten and cassein, I am anxious to see what happens to my 'numbers'.

#3: Another huge positive is this board and the support I have gotten here. Almost everything of worth that I have learned about our disease and how to deal with it came from this board. To the person on another thread who advised Marshmallow Root for stomach pain...a huge THANK YOU! After being glutened and suffering, someone recommended this and it worked over everything else I have tried, even Pepto DISMAL, which actually I love the taste of. I had a really bad attack a couple of weeks back and really suffered for several days, and could not understand why I was feeling so bad. Learned that lactose and nuts could be a problem. Dropped them. Learned from this board about the Marshmallow Root. Took it. Learned that Psyllium, which I was taking because of the lack of fiber in my diet, can be very irritating to a celiac and can really cause problems, so I stopped. Learned today that fish oil caps (and flax oil I would suppose) encased in gelatin caps may contain gluten. I stopped taking those two weeks ago too along with my other vitamins, on instinct I guess. You could say that any ONE of these things had caused my problem or that all contributed to make it a really bad problem and that any one of the solutions alone may have alleviated the symptoms. Regardless of the answer to that question, I have had a wonderful week without pain or D. Even survived a birthday party!

I have always believed that for every difficult thing that happens in our lives or in the world, there is an equally, if not better blessing to be found somewhere in the process. Dark/light, good/evil...etc.
For me, finding out about the Celiac disease and all that it means to my life and future really sucked! Finding this board, finding an answer to the cause of years of pain and illness, feeling better and learning that I can live with this bump in the road, finding friends and family who want to understand and are supportive...these are all huge daily blessings that bring more joy to me than the sadness that having an illness can ever erase.

I's a very good thing to count our blessings and share them as you have done. I'm very greatful that I know what's wrong and can do something about it. I'm greatful that this can be treated with a dietary change and drugs are not needed. I'm greatful to have myself back and that my son has his mom back. I'm greatful that because of my "diagnosis" , my sister has also been able to get her heath back and some light has been shed on other problems in the family. I'm also greatful for the very supportive Celiac community.

Silk, would you consider renting out your husband???

re diabetes, there was an article in the Houston Chronicle last week about a study on diabetes that had to be halted because they found that a diet extremely low in sugar caused an increase in heart attacks. You should check out the new research on diabetes, maybe you could google it. I also recommend the book "Good Calories Bad Calories".

I am thankful to feel so darn good at 61. OMG when I was 30 I thought I would be dead by now. Because I was half dead then. I can work 12 hour days & drive a 1 hour commute each way & still have energy!!! I think that is wonderful.

The other day when I was cleaning my room, I realized that I no longer keep a towel & trash can by my bed for those late night vomiting sessions. I used to wake up in the middle of the night & throw up, no time to get to the bathroom & lucky if I did not throw up on the bedcovers. I am still in the habit of not leaving my shoes by the bed, because in the old days if I threw up I did not want to splatter on my shoes!!!! I am grateful that I do not do things like that anymore. It reinforced the thought that most people do not realize the things that they do to compensate for their "minor" health issues.

[quote name='gfpaperdoll' date='Feb 10 2008, 02:36 PM' post='396210']
Silk, would you consider renting out your husband???

hmmmmm.....I'm pretty sure that this would be illegal in every state of the U.S. but Nevada.

This is a rockin thread!! I really appreciate your positive post and finding the good out of the bad.

I am 25, and thought I cannot continue this way. I will not make it to 40, and if I do, I'll be in a wheelchair and won't be able to walk at all. For me, discovering my problems with gluten have probably saved my life. I caught things pretty early, and I am thankful for all the people on this site and for discovering that it wasn't anything awful, just removing something that I ate. How many people can say that they can control a health problem simply by removing a food item? It's definitely not always easy, but of the things I thought it could be, Celiac was a relief.

Thanks for helping us keep our heads up!!!

Personally I don't like the word disease.

I would more believe this is evolution at work...Celiac's and general gluten intolerance is growing and I think more people have it than realize it.

Too much refining and too much flower, its just a natural reaction to it. I think the same of diabetes too.

I caught my allergy very early. Now that I go back and look at it probably about 4-5 years into it and only a year into moderate symptoms.

Overall we'll be healthier in the end because of it.

I don't want to rent your husband, I just want to know where you found him so I can go get me one.

And I do want to agree with you about this forum. Such a great group of people. I appreciate their persistence in explaining the same thing over and over for people like me. I am finally a believer but probably would have went on still looking for answers without their determination to help me. So for that I am truly thankful!

Even my endocronlogist that I went to go see(unrelated, I do not have diabetes) told me he has a few patients who went to a no flour/no sugar diet are off of insulin and things have started to work normally again. They can even re-introduce sugar into their diets again with no need for insulin.

A guy I work with is currently undergoing testing at the University of Michigan. He was a diabetic, confirmed, tested, poked, prodded, etc....and then one day POOF, he's not diabetic anymore.

Now he gets to be a lab rat

Thank you. I hadn't heard of Dr. Clark or read her information but you can bet I will now! (See...another positive!) Actually, I'm very interested to see what she has to say as I was taking 50 units of Lantus insulin at bedtime 4 years ago and cut that wayyyyy down with diet and exercise and dropping 40 lbs but after living the gluten-free lifestyle, well...I took 8 units last night and was borderline low this a.m. While I believe that I will always be a diabetic, I can be a well controlled diabetic and perhaps lose the insulin dependency some day. And Eric?? I agree with you. I don't like the word 'disease' either. Makes us sound like we have koodies or we're contagious. However, I am finding that if I use the word 'disease' under certain circumstance, people tend to take it a bit more seriously than if I just say I'm 'intolerant' which, by most definitions is just that side of annoyed.

Gee, I love cheese! Too bad I seem to have a lactose problem too. Maybe I could be a guinea pig! I am happy for your friend.

Actually I eat sugar. Not copious amounts of course but I have reactions to the artificial sweeteners. I have so many people say to me 'Oh, you can't have sugar." What a huge misconception. A diabetic can eat anything anyone else can eat, just nothing, including sugar in excess. Sugar is not an evil thing any more than any other food. All are problems in excess. I take (or am suppose to take a fast-acting insulin with meals when I eat carbs, but I am finding that in most cases, I have had to cut way back on the recommended dosage, if and when I do take it, because I seem to respond to it more quickly and end up with a crashing blood sugar. Got down to 32 last week. Not a pretty thing at all. So generally, unless I am eating something that is really over the top (which face it, with the stuff I can't eat (nuts, dairy, gluten) is pretty hard to do I don't take it at all. I test my blood sugar usually about 1-2 hours after eating and if it's high, I might tweak it with a little insulin to bring it down, but that almost NEVER happens. Exercise makes it difficult to judge dosage too so I've been told that it is better to err on the high side than the low because frequent low blood sugars can damage the heart.

Again, I will be really interested to see what Dr. Clark has to say. Thanks for all of the [positive feedback an information. You guys are great.