Serious meltdown!!

[Ellie's mum]

Any advice welcome!!
Not only has my daughter only very recently been diagnosed with T1, I've now had a call from the doctor to say she has coeliac disease!

Anyone else out there that has both or that can offer words of wisdom??

 

[ewelina]

Sorry to hear that. Its a lot to take in but I'm sure it gets better with time. I will tag @robert72 as he knows how to deal with both.

 

[robert72]

Hi @Ellie's mum

Sorry to hear that your daughter has both T1 and coeliac disease. I think coeliac disease is easier to deal with as you just have to avoid anything with gluten in - even in tiny amounts - but it gets easier once you become more familiar with what's safe to eat. Eating out is probably the most difficult. Always a good idea to ask the staff for help. I was diagnosed as T1 at 14 so can't really offer much advice on that from a parent's perspective. I took full control myself from day one. Other than to say it's OK to manage both conditions together one you are more familiar with things. It must seem overwhelming to start with.

I will also tag @CarbsRok @Robinredbreast and @Engineer88 as other Type 1's with coeliac disease.

 

[Ellie's mum]

Thank you so much it seems so much to take in at the min!

 

[CarbsRok]

Yes I have both as well, It's not that bad honest. Have a good ol one to one with her in the kitchen making gluten free goodies so more fun for her. Pretend to be mad scientists as you try out different recipes

 

[mentat]

Here's my five cents...

When I went on a low-carbohydrate diet (LOTS of meat and veg), I quickly stopped craving processed foods and diabetes was much easier to manage. Craving foods you can't have really wears you down. So consider trying the low-carb approach.

 

[MammaLucy]

My son was diagnosed with type 1then three months later coeliac, two months after that my daughter was diagnosed with coeliac and two months after that so was I!!
I won't pretend it was easy in the beginning, however with the amount of choice out there in supermarkets, online and via prescription it's not too bad, initially you will experiment with new tastes and build up a repertoire of foods she likes, eg we prefer warbutons bread to genius, etc. , but you will find that you will spend more time in the kitchen together, eat more freshly prepared food and even eat foods that your daughter may have not liked before as the GF alternatives are much nicer (pizza in our case).
The biggest problems I have found are price and their peers. It's an expensive diet, so you will need to shop around and do some research, and others who don't have coeliac disease do nor always understand the gravity of the slightest bit of contamination, ( my children become very ill indeed). So it's a learning curve for everyone.
Our small rural village primary school has been amazing and their friends are very thoughtful, you will just need to be vigilant when she goes out to restaurents etc, phone ahead to check their GF availability, plus you will become a great packed lunch maker.
Another tip is get rid of all wooden utensils from the kitchen and buy a toaster for her, so she can always have toast safely.
A warning, be careful if she ever needs to spend time in hospital!! I am battling with this at the moment. If she needs to spend any length of time in hospital take all her food in with you and don't rely on the NHS to be able to supply you with anything suitable for a type 1 coeliac. We learnt that the hard way.
We'll end of lecture! ,
I hope this has been of some help to you and I hope your daughter begins to feel better on her GF diet.
Lucy x

 

[ewelina]

Most of my recipes on www.diabeticgoodbaking.com are gluten free (as baked with almonds and soy flour) if you would like a cake. You just need to check on baking powder and other ingredients if they don't contain any gluten

 

[Ellie's mum]

My son was diagnosed with type 1then three months later coeliac, two months after that my daughter was diagnosed with coeliac and two months after that so was I!!
I won't pretend it was easy in the beginning, however with the amount of choice out there in supermarkets, online and via prescription it's not too bad, initially you will experiment with new tastes and build up a repertoire of foods she likes, eg we prefer warbutons bread to genius, etc. , but you will find that you will spend more time in the kitchen together, eat more freshly prepared food and even eat foods that your daughter may have not liked before as the GF alternatives are much nicer (pizza in our case).
The biggest problems I have found are price and their peers. It's an expensive diet, so you will need to shop around and do some research, and others who don't have coeliac disease do nor always understand the gravity of the slightest bit of contamination, ( my children become very ill indeed). So it's a learning curve for everyone.
Our small rural village primary school has been amazing and their friends are very thoughtful, you will just need to be vigilant when she goes out to restaurents etc, phone ahead to check their GF availability, plus you will become a great packed lunch maker.
Another tip is get rid of all wooden utensils from the kitchen and buy a toaster for her, so she can always have toast safely.
A warning, be careful if she ever needs to spend time in hospital!! I am battling with this at the moment. If she needs to spend any length of time in hospital take all her food in with you and don't rely on the NHS to be able to supply you with anything suitable for a type 1 coeliac. We learnt that the hard way.
We'll end of lecture! ,
I hope this has been of some help to you and I hope your daughter begins to feel better on her GF diet.
Lucy x

Thank you ever so much for this advice! It's been really helpful x