Thanks, all, for the replies. I cannot believe the difference just a few days can make. I've been gluten free since Tuesday, and today had no tummy cramps, little gas, and only 2, count 'em!, 2 bm's!!!! Mamma mia, so this is what life is! I'd forgot how wonderful it is to be normal. And not to be tied to a toilet!
Since I live in a small town, a lot of specialty ingredients, like the different flours that are permitted, are just not available. Unless some of them can be found at Walmart? But I chanced on some rice cereal for babies at the store, and noticed it is made from rice flour. I bought 2 boxes, figuring that with a blender or my food processor, surely I can make it back into rice flour. I've still got to check Walmart and the larger of our 2 groceries for plain corn meal. The cheap grocery has about 4 different kinds of corn meal mix (I live in the south, after all) but not a one that is free of flour. Of course, since we have a fairly large Hispanic community, masa harina is availble. It's corn flour, and I believe is wheat free. And I bought corn tortillas today, they're gluten free.
Now all I have to do is learn how to bake and make bread without wheat flour.
In your experience, how long will it take to get the results of the Celiac test back? All my doctor could tell me is that it is a rather specialized test, and takes longer.
Once I've been gluten free for while, I'm going to try reintroducing milk into my diet. I had cut it out over a year ago, and gone to soymilk, thinking I was lactose intolerant. I'm wondering now if it was the gluten all along, rather than the lactose. Or could I have both?
I've also got radiation proctitis, damage caused by radiation treatment for cancer, so my gut is not normal by a long stretch.
keep the good advice coming!
Hugs,