"La dolce vita, senza glutine"*
Thursday, January 31, 2008 *This post's title comes from Gluten-Free Girl's About page where the writer describes her joyful website. Thank you, Shauna James Ahern. I wonder if you know how many people you touch with your words, recipes and warmth.
Image: Buchteln by clada74 (part of the photographer's gluten-free series)
This morning's nutrition challenge was different from the usual tube feeding and dysphagia assessments: an inpatient with several food intolerances and possible Celiac Disease. I say "possible" because it was "diagnosed" by blood screen only, and not followed by a biopsy. Over the years, the patient has seen physicians, an allergist, a naturopath and numerous dietitians. From the way she told her story, I got the feeling she's more than a bit skeptical about whether medical professionals can help. And she's simply tired of the whole process. So I thought it wise not to push the need for a definitive diagnosis, although I may need to talk to her about this later.
OK, I thought in the moment, let's work with what we know for sure. She's unhappy about eating. Gloomy, bored and discouraged. What's the therapy for this? Gluten-Free Girl, of course, a sure cure for the I'm-so-sick-of-my-diet--I-can't-eat-anything-that-tastes-good blues. I provided a few sample recipes, and suggested to Ms. X she check out the website when she goes home. As we ended our session, Ms. X's daughter arrived with a care package for her Mom, containing a new-to-me variety of rice bread. How lovely: symbiotic learning.
I also thought I would use this morning's interaction as an opportunity to begin updating my Celiac Disease resources and share them here and on the Resources page. Here's the start:
Canadian Celiac Association (home page)
Review article (2007) on Celiac Disease (downloadable PDF document)
Background information
Gluten-Free Diet
Revised CCA Position Statement on Oats
Health Canada Statement on Oats
Reader Comments (4)
Even though I don't comment often, I read you all the time. I've saved these links.
Thanks, Gillian. I'm happy to know you're still reading. My blogging time has been limited by work activities but I hope to post at least a couple of times each week.
What a great idea! I don't think I would have thought about referring a Celiac's patient to Gluten Free Girl, but it makes a lot of sense. It probably not only gave her loads of recipes, but a sense of community too. Great job of integrating technology into our practice.
Jess
Thanks Jessica. Sorry for not responding to your comment sooner. I've been very blog-lite for the past week.
I recently purchased a copy of Shauna's book and am looking forward to reading it.