awww im sorry to hear this samantha :(

but as for asafoetida (the indispensable spice imho) is easy to purchase in rock form from ur local indian grocery store. its in a large tin box as opposed to plastic. and there is NO wheat in it. i kno this for a fact, as we use that kind of asafoetida on ekadasi ( a twice monthly fast where devotees of visnu / krsna abstain from all beans, grains etc) and so we cant use any spice that has flour, on that day we use pure asafoetida.

if u buy it in rock form, u can use a blender / food processor or spice grinder to powder it. remember its a lot more pungent than the compounded version.

or u can just order it powdered (its mixed with coriander powder and is verrrrrry handy) from a company called uncle harry's - its called ekadasi hing. u can order it from krishna.culture.com or krishna.com

hope that helps

:)