Traveling with Celiac

If you're curious why there's been such a gap in the postings, it's because this GFCF mom has had an extended break from thinking about, planning, and living the gluten-free life. Princess Becca went on a week-long trip to Florida with her grandmother and great-grandparents. I used her vacation as a mini vacation for myself.

The amount of planning that went into the trip was extensive, and deserves some mention. Eating gluten free and dairy free while away from the home environment is complicated. Not only do you not have your pantry of supplies available, but you also may have limited knowledge about the stores and restaurants in the area. I'm providing the travel plans we made to ensure that PB was safe during her trip and came home without incident.

1) Research the natural grocers and health food stores at your destination, and along the route if traveling by car
2) Pack plenty of gluten free/dairy free snacks in carry-on luggage. Take a refillable water bottle.
3) Pack gluten-free cosmetics and lotions (like sunblock) in your checked luggage.
4) For an extended stay, have family do a "preview" shopping trip to see if they can find your favorite staple items
5) Educate everyone at your destination about the dietary restrictions, and make sure they know not to offer foods to your GFCF child

****OPTIONAL****
Ship a box of gluten free/dairy free meal and snack items ahead by USPS or other delivery company. This worked really well for us, as we did not have to send grandma shopping immediately after landing at the airport.

We are very happy to report that PB did not have any exposures or symptoms due to grandma's careful planning! We hope other families can experience similar success.

Gluten Free at Church

For a long while now, we've been accustomed to taking Becca's snacks along wherever we go, to make sure she receives only gluten free, dairy free foods. That includes taking her own snacks to Sunday School and Wednesday night classes at church. It's always been a relief to know how supportive and cooperative her teachers have been, and to know that from one week to the next they are able to remember her needs. The classes are not exactly small, so I'm sure it is no easy task keeping an eye on her around the other children and their animal crackers.

Even though I knew that our church was a community environment where I could feel safe taking my kids despite all of their food allergies and PB's celiac disease, I was still pleasantly surprised this past Sunday morning when we participated in the Communion service. As the volunteers prepared to pass around the communion wafers, the pastor kindly added, "And if anyone is in need of gluten-free wafers, please raise your hand and we'll make sure they get to you."

Wow! I'm so very proud of my church. Even though Becca was not present in the adult service, I still felt joy knowing that when she does move up, she'll be able to participate in this important observance with the rest of her family. Celiac disease does not have to mean exclusion from family and social life.

Here's good wishes for more gluten-free experiences we can all enjoy!

Antibiotic Allergies

I'm not sure what relationship antibiotic allergies may have to Becca's celiac disease, but we now know she is allergic to zithromax AND to penicillin. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant second day of antibiotic usage at our house. She had hives and itching that were barely relieved with Benadryl.

So they switched her to Cefdinir, and so far so good. I know I said that in the last post, but we're farther in this time. The Cefdinir is also being fairly kind to her tummy (big bonus there).

The symptoms of the strep throat are gone now too, so we are just finishing the round of antibiotics to be good little patients. PB would like to offer a big "thank you" to all her well wishers!

Updates to other posts

So PB has strep, the culture was "highly" positive (which seems to mean she had a whole lot of bacteria growing in that little petri dish). She's on penicillin, and is doing ok so far. We are letting her eat a lot of whatever she wants with each dose, as long as it's not a sugar based food. We are pushing the fluids too.

I've caught it as well. Not surprising for most families, but it's my first strep-throat infection and I'm thinking that my body is sending me an urgent message to slooooww down. I'm lying on the floor as I type. I think my head is going to fall off and I want to minimize the distance to impact.

Remember our gluten-free chicken nugget recipe? Here's a fun tip! Last time we made them, I shredded a beautiful zucchini fresh from the garden (unfortunately not my garden). Then we stirred a half-cup into the ground chicken before forming the patties and voila! The kids got veggies and were raving about the nuggets being good enough to start a restaurant around them. Also, I have discovered that Chinese 5-spice is the best seasoning for the breading--with a tiny pinch of sugar. Necessity really is the mother of invention.

Also, I've included a link to another GFCF mom who puts up lots of really good recipes on her blog. I want to try her grilled cheese! I also can't wait to try a pizza with this dairy-free and nut-free cheese.
GFCF Grilled Cheese

Antibiotics for Becca

Becca is sick. Not from the celiac this time, but from a viral/bacterial infection of some sort. She has puffy eyes, a sore throat, a fever, and loss of appetite. I wouldn't have jumped to take her to the doctor as quickly as I did, except for the call I got letting me know her playmate from this past weekend has now tested positive for strep.

Our dilemma is what to do if the throat swab they took on Becca today comes back positive. Strep is risky business if untreated...but so are antibiotics for our Princess Becca (PB). She is allergic to zithromax (gets that from me unfortunately). All other antibiotics leave her nauseated, with stomach cramping and diarrhea. And when you tell your family doctor that your gluten-intolerant child needs to have all her prescriptions include instructions that the formulation must be gluten-free, they tend to give you that look--the one reserved for uptight, paranoid, delusional, hippie parents.

Any time PB's tummy hurts, she stops eating. Since her celiac disease and hidden dairy problems have left her so tiny, I hate watching her on a self-enforced fast. Our family doctor has indicated that it is fairly safe to wait out the results of the test and to even see if Becca kicks the infection without antibiotics. On that advice, we have decided to delay beginning treatment until the results are in, which could be two days from now. I hope we are making the best decision.

Updates on the strep/not-strep and antibiotics/no antibiotics dilemma will be forthcoming.