Should I get tested for celiac disease? page

[TuppTupp]

My mother just informed me that the Norwegian government will give celiac sufferers approximately $300 each month to cover the cost of gluten free food stuffs (gluten free bread is easily 3-4 times more expensive than regular bread here).

I'm pretty sure I'm intolerant of gluten because of the insane bloating that happened the few times I slipped and had some pizza. Last summer I had a few mini tortillas and the stomach ache was so bad I had to spend three hours curled up in the fetal position on the couch because every other position hurt too much. At one point I even thought about going to the hospital because I was pretty sure that stomach ache would kill me. I have no idea why the tortillas tried to kill me when pizza only gives me a slight stomach ache..

My real dilemma is that I have to eat gluten for at least 2 months before I can get tested, and the government doesn't give money to those who are only intolerant to gluten.. The only real symptoms of celiac I had pre-primal were slight bloating, extreme fatigue and most likely a variety of vitamin deficiencies (never got tested).

I'm considering trying to eat approximately the same amount of gluten I used to pre-primal (bagel for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, pasta for dinner) for just one day to see what symptoms do or do not appear.

Do you guys think the 2-3 months of gluten eating is worth it for a possible $300 a month payout, even though I think I'm only intolerant and not allergic?

[Damiana]

Gluten-free foodstuff includes what, just normal food engineered to be gluten-free? If it includes only the gluten-free crap like snacks and bread and frozen convenience meals I wouldn't bother, since that's no better for you than SAD food besides the fact that it won't give you intestinal distress from the gluten. If the food allowance includes fresh produce and meat, go for it, otherwise I wouldn't bother. 2 months of discomfort for what sounds to me like intolerance and not celiac disease isn't worth it to me.

[Tribal Rob]

Morally I personally don't think it's ok to take money off the govenment to buy gluten free bread, when you can just eat primal and not have any grains or other failo foods.

That money has to come from taxes, which even though I'm a left wing hippy that belives in wealth re-distribution and benifits to catch you if you fall (hell I even think there should be a universal benifit that everone gets from birth to death as well as public services being run for the benifit of the public not the profits of share holders) EVEN being that much of a bleeding heart liberal I still don't think this is OK to claim. YMO.

[MprDoc]

I dont mind people taking money from the government, hell, I figure if your willing to put yourself through 3 months of abdominal cramping and poor nutrition more power to you. I think I would rather put the energy wasted from severe stomach issues into finding a better job that would let me earn 300 bucs more a month. That whole process doesn't sound worth it to me.

[cheekymonster]

Can you start by doing a genetic test first? Will the gov. accept it if you have the DQ2/8 pattern? You don't need to eat gluten for that.

[TuppTupp]

I was planning on using it on primal food and not gluten free bread. They just deposit the money into your account and don't actually look into what you spend it on, so it shouldn't be a problem. In any case I could probably argue that the lack of grains means I have to spend more on meat and produce and therefore spend more on food than the gluten eating people.
In Sweden they subsidize the gluten free food so it's cheaper for everyone, I have no idea why they don't do that here as well in stead of giving celiacs money.

And with property and wealth taxes on top of income tax around 50% of my income goes to the government, so I will quite happily take their money until they start taking less of mine.

[Neckhammer]

That is your decision alone, but to me no amount of money is worth my health. If I were gluten intolerant or celiac you couldn't pay me enough to cause intentional bodily harm.

[Warmbear]

I would say no, taxes drain everyone so you would be stealing form them. We know it aint healthy to eat grains, so dont. No Celiac no problem. And your karma wont get run over by someones dogma.

[eKatherine]

Consider the fact that the after all that suffering the test may come back negative. Many who are gluten intolerant have all the symptoms but celiac, which is just one of many debilitating symptoms of gluten intolerance.

Some experts differentiate between celiac and non-celiac gluten intolerance. But the only difference is whether celiac, intestinal villi atrophy, is a symptom or not.

If you go to celiac or gluten intolerance forums, you often run into people diagnosed with celiac who claim some sort of special status, as though those who have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance and those who have found out for themselves that eating gluten hurts them and given it up are the cause of bad medical treatment and lack of respect to diagnosed celiacs who must eat no grain.

[SleepyRoots]

I had fairly similar symptoms to you, and I got diagnosed as non celiac gluten intolerant. The time before the celiac test was horrendous. You can't stop eating gluten or you risk invalidating the test. Horrid cramps and too sick to eat? You'll still have to force down something, and you know it's making you feel horrible. That seriously messed with my head. And depending on the diagnostic process you have to wait another few weeks while eating gluten to get an endoscopy done.
Would I do that for $300/month? *bleep* no. Especially if it's to spend on gluten free junk only, as it is here.