Help with "non-believing" spouse

[tcousins]

Believe it or not I am having trouble convincing my husband that celiac/gluten intolerance is a true entity. He thinks I am going totally overboard with all my precautions to avoid gluten and can't see how "a little gluten" could possibly be harmful. In this respect it is a little unfortunate that I didn't have more severe symptoms. All I had was a relatively minor rash on my hand and the inablility to lose weight, which have both improved, but I guess not enough to convince him. Does anyone know of a good article or resource for a layperson to explain the problem with gluten and why some people can't digest it and all the problems that can occur because of this. Also, a good source for explaining the contamination issue would be very helpful. He is really blown away by the contamination problelm and the fact that I won't kiss him for 7 hours after he has eaten any gluten. Thanks.

[nancw]

Send him here - we'll straighten him out!
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Nance

gluten, dairy, soy, rice, yeast and 99% grain-free

[tcousins]

I'll try.

[Gus's Mama]

Scientific American had a fantastic article on celiac disease a few months back that explained in great detail why celiac patients must avoid all traces of gluten in their diets. We actually sent copies to our families to help explain why I still bring Gus's food with us instead of letting his grammies cook for him (they are still feeling pretty insulted, but the article helped!). This link has a slice of the article, but they provide a link for purchasing the issue that contains the whole thing:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=celiac-disease-insights

aklap (another member here and mod extraordinaire) has some fantastic information on avoiding CC (cross contamination) as well. Let's see if I can find them for you.....

This one has a link to his PDF on living in a mixed household: http://forums.glutenfree.com/topic8611.html?highlight=cross%20contamination

Good info here:
http://forums.glutenfree.com/viewtopic.php?t=113&highlight=cross

This thread is a great starting point, too. Tons of good info:
http://forums.glutenfree.com/topic1309.html?highlight=cross%20contamination


Trying to live gluten free can be pretty overwhelming at first, and your spouse may just be feeling like he can't handle this huge of a change in his life. Honestly, once you get into the routine, it really isn't that bad. Once we got our brains wrapped around it, it actually became pretty easy. Our biggest issue right now is keeping other people from feeding our gluten-free two-and-a-half-year-old. We've got it totally under control in our own house! Even Gus's 7-year-old sister understands what is safe for him to eat, what he has to avoid, and is perfectly willing to "educate" anyone who looks to be in danger of crossing that line! She's even started keeping a "gluten-free hand" for helping Gus eat when we're in restaurants so she won't accidentally contaminate him (can you tell that she loves her little brother verrrrrry much??).

I wish you luck...he'll probably come around once he gets used to all this new information.
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Deb
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SPD Little Boy, Gus: Getting better by the day! Improved digestion, skin issues clearing, able to focus and follow instructions, talking (the boy is TALKING!!!)

[Gus's Mama]

Oh--another thing I forgot! You may find that your reaction to being glutened gets stronger the longer you've been off of it. It might be "just" a skin reaction at the moment, but that could change as time goes on.

Also, if Hubby brushes his teeth after he eats, go ahead and give him a smooch! He might be feeling a little bit rejected due to all of this, too.
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Deb
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SPD Little Boy, Gus: Getting better by the day! Improved digestion, skin issues clearing, able to focus and follow instructions, talking (the boy is TALKING!!!)

[cultureslayer]

Any chance you could take him to a nutritionist/dietitian consult with you? He might listen to a professional better than he listens to you. Thankfully I found out about the gluten intolerance before I found the boyfriend, so it's a non-issue for me with him, but my parents have been a challenge.
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[aklap]

Just make sure the RD or Nutritionist is familiar with CD and the GF diet. If you get a one that doesn't have the proper knowledge, it'll make matters worse...on several levels.
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[teacherpat]

I pm'd you the graphic, NSFW
"Dermatitis herpetiformis presenting as
intertriginous dermatitis" link.
That may make him, being a guy, think differently about dangers of gluten. Or at least make him feel slightly ill.

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Pat

[STZ]

Sorry your having trouble with your spouse understanding. He should be the one that would try his best to understand your situation. There are a lot of articles if you google it. I myself am a 40 yr old male that was DX with Celiac this spring. I have such a sensitivity to it that even breathing it at my work (kitchen area) caused me severe problems t the point I had to change carrers after 20 + yrs. It is a bit rare for someone to get sick from breathing in the particales but that is the way my luck goes. The thing that he needs to understand is that even if you do not show signa of being ill it is still doing damage to your body. I hope he comes around for you and I agree with Al if you decide to take him to someone for further explination you need to make sure first that the person you are seeing is fully aware of Celiac and it's problems. Good Luck!!!
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STZ
DX = Celiac
High ttg 3/2009
Biopsy positive 10/2009
GF since 3/2009
DX = Osteopenia
Bone Density Test 9/2009

[celiacmaine-iac]

[tcousins]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think he is beginning to come around on this issue and I even got him to agree to be tested himself. The easiest test I have come across (at least for the patient) is a saliva test from Metametrix. Has anyone else used this lab? Thanks.

[aklap]

According to some celiac experts the saliva tests are inaccurate & invalid. Myself, I can't say I know enough about them to comment.
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa