Does anyone have or know of anyone who has Celiacs?

After several long conversations with my family this weekend I have come to find out some bad news. My cousin's oldest daughter (who is turning 15 this week) was just diagnosed with this in the fall. She was doing some research & found our that Celiac's is hereditary . She went to get checked & she came back negative. SO she just sent her husband to go get tested & asked him to take their youngest daughter (who just turned 9 in Sept) to get tested as well. WELL... sadly BOTH my cousin's DH AND her youngest daughter have it as well! So now she is struggling to figure out what to do. I know they have to be on gluten free diets now for the rest of their lives. But from what Ive been hearing - gluten free products are like triple the price of others. My next door neighbor to my parents has it & he said he pays like $30 for a gluten free pizza! WT eff?

Ok so now my ? is - does anyone have any experience with this? Is there a 'cheap' place to buy gluten free foods? My cousin was having a hard time taking care of 1 child with this issue, and now a 2nd & her DH...

Plus her youngest has had severe asthma since birth - she has to have a nebulizer with her at all times & she also has a severe allergy to nuts - so my cousin has to bring an epi pen with her all the times too (just in case).

Is there any advice I can pass on to her - I feel so bad & helpless b/c Ive never known anyone in this type of situation.

Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated! TIA my dear friends!

I was diagnosed 3 years ago (and my mom shortly after me)...and it's not as bad as it seems! Tell them it gets easier.

It's an adjustment, but it's worth it in the end. Celiac can lead to bigger health problems - so sticking to the diet is crucial.

Does your family live on the island? If so, there are PLENTY of places to shop and restaurants to eat at. And they're in luck, cause more and more main stream companies are making their products gluten free.
Betty Crocker has brownie, cake & chocolate chip cookie mixes that are out of this world! You cant tell the difference.
Progresso has a bunch of soups out that are GF.
This sort of stuff wasnt available 3 years ago when i was first diagnosed!!

While most supermarkets are starting to carry 'natural' foods. I find that Stop & Shop has a large selection...and there's always Uncle Giuseppe's, Whole Food Market & I'm told Fairway has some stuff too. (Wild by Nature as well)

I find that corn pasta tastes better than brown rice pasta...(I like Schar pasta or Sam Mills Pasta D'oro)

Some restaurants w/ a GF menu - Chilis, Outback, PF Changs, Wendys, Charlie Browns, Buona Sera (in Smithtown), Blackwells (Wading River), Smokin Sloes (Northport) (there are tons more.

Almost every spring they hold a convention in Suffolk County with tons & tons of vendors and free food to try.

I know this is really scattered, I'm kind of just going along with what comes to mind.
Please dont hesitate to FM me if you or ur family have any specific questions.

I'll post some more as i think of it (sorry im at work!)

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Posted by Dreemer107

I was diagnosed 3 years ago (and my mom shortly after me)...and it's not as bad as it seems! Tell them it gets easier.

It's an adjustment, but it's worth it in the end. Celiac can lead to bigger health problems - so sticking to the diet is crucial.

Does your family live on the island? If so, there are PLENTY of places to shop and restaurants to eat at. And they're in luck, cause more and more main stream companies are making their products gluten free.
Betty Crocker has brownie, cake & chocolate chip cookie mixes that are out of this world! You cant tell the difference.
Progresso has a bunch of soups out that are GF.
This sort of stuff wasnt available 3 years ago when i was first diagnosed!!

While most supermarkets are starting to carry 'natural' foods. I find that Stop & Shop has a large selection...and there's always Uncle Giuseppe's, Whole Food Market & I'm told Fairway has some stuff too. (Wild by Nature as well)

I find that corn pasta tastes better than brown rice pasta...(I like Schar pasta or Sam Mills Pasta D'oro)

Some restaurants w/ a GF menu - Chilis, Outback, PF Changs, Wendys, Charlie Browns, Buona Sera (in Smithtown), Blackwells (Wading River), Smokin Sloes (Northport) (there are tons more.

Almost every spring they hold a convention in Suffolk County with tons & tons of vendors and free food to try.

I know this is really scattered, I'm kind of just going along with what comes to mind.
Please dont hesitate to FM me if you or ur family have any specific questions.

I'll post some more as i think of it (sorry im at work!)

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Thanks so much - this definitely does help some. My cousin lives in Glen Head so I am not familiar with what stores are around in that area for her to go to. If you think of any that I can pass on to her I would be most grateful!