So, the Tom Tits, then

[diggedy derek]

Chin up, mate.

I have a good friend who is a coeliac, and being diagnosed for her was a relief, as her symptoms made her think it could well be more serious.

Of course being coeliac is no picnic. She has given up beer, bread, and many other things (she dabbles in gluten free ones). She used to love all these things, although as she puts it, “I drank enough beer in my twenties.”

She’s had to change a lot of things, including, I think, not being able to have normal bread in the house now.

But she does does different stuff now. She is still the best cook I know, and one of the best drinking partners I know. It’s just all different stuff, and she’s now fine with it a couple of years down the line. There’s been a lot of changes in her life but on a fundamental level no changes at all.

[Patrick Thistle]

Echoing what Derek says there, I know a lot of people with coeliac and it's often hard to get used to, but manageable after that. The Coeliac Society produce a lot of helpful materials. I know the guy who runs their Welsh office and could ask whether they'd send info to an expat if you'd like. He might also know some local support organisations.

It's an autoimmune condition so it might be worth asking to get checked for other conditions as well.

[treibeis]

Thanks for the words of support.

Like diggedy derek's friend, I'm happy that, as your German would say, "the baby has a name". (Although my GP only has a "very, very strong suspicion" that it's coeliac and wants me to go and see one of her specialist mates. However, I've been avoiding the stuff that you're supposed to avoid if you have coeliac disease and things have been considerably better, so I'm assuming my GP's suspicions will be confirmed.)

I like beer and all the rest of it as much as anybody else, but not drinking it isn't going to kill me. And, as my mates say, I talk as much crap when I'm sober as when I've had a few anyway.

[Sits]

Hard luck treibeis*. My daughter was diagnosed coeliac a year ago and I do think it's the bread and pasta that's been hardest. I don't know what it's like in Germany but, while the supermarkets do sell a small range of GF products, they are smaller than usual and twice the price. Which seems harsh. Then there's working out which ones actually taste OK; pasta has improved even in this year.

*and about wrecking your crapper, obviously.

[treibeis]

I saw a packet of gluten-free spaghetti in the supermarket last week. Half the size of a packet of normal spaghetti and three times the price. Bollocks to that.

[Patrick Thistle]

Fwiw this is what the Daily Mail / Taxpayer Alliance rants about the NHS buying gluten free doughnuts and stuff are actually all about. A lot of people can't afford gluten free food.

Treibeis, the Coeliac Society produces its "bible" that lists all mainstream brands that are safe to eat. My friend with coeliac only eats stuff listed in the bible regardless of whether it's labelled gluten free.