Gluten episode again!

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm am so sick of being sick. Yet again I'm sick. Help me figure out the source.

 

Yesterday afternoon, by accident, I ate some honey roasted nuts that I then learned had wheat starch on them. I immediately made myself throw up (yes I know that's not medically recommended) and took digestive enzymes and probiotics. I only had a slight stomach ache and I was able to go to bed and sleep. I did have to get up and spend about an hour in the bathroom, but my stomach did not hurt.

 

Today, I have felt fine. I even worked out this morning. Over the course of the day I ate a banana, greek yogurt, GF crackers, GF cookies, some Kettle chips, and for dinner I had a GF Amy's frozen dinner. We spent the day at my in-laws and that's why the frozen dinner. I have never eaten one before. Now, the package said gluten free, yet, it also said that it was produced in a facility that also has wheat.

 

Has anyone had a problem eating an Amy's GF frozen meal? Is cross contamination with that company an issue?

 

Is this sick episode still from the gluten from yesterday's peanuts?

 

Or is this from possible gluten at my in-laws house? I didn't use their plate for my meal. I did use a fork and a glass. I made sure to wash and dry my hands on paper towels.

 

What do you think is the most likely source for me being so sick right now. This is two weekends this month. :mad:

[Misty]

I would say it's from the nuts.. Gluten ravages the gastrointestinal system for days before it lets up. We've never had a problem with Amy's, but then again we don't buy Amy's very often.

 

I keep having nightmares that I am eating gluten.. I'm so worried about it happening for real.. I hate gluten.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

[Slipper]

My daughter has never had a problem with Amy's. How sensitive are you to gluten? Some people are not that sensitive and some (like my daughter) are super sensitive.

 

If you are super sensitive, could it be possible to have an overload of gluten from the gluten free products? To receive a label of gf, it must have less than a certain amount (20 ppm I think?). But if you eat a lot of it (again, depending on sensitivity) you can possibly get enough to trigger a reaction.

 

Otherwise, I would check the yogurt and the kettle chips (I can't remember if they are gf or not).

 

My thoughts are that you are still sick from your previous glutening.

 

Feel better soon :)

[Mom-ninja.]

I keep having nightmares that I am eating gluten.. I'm so worried about it happening for real.. I hate gluten.

 

 

 

I seriously wish I could eradicate the world of gluten.

[Mesa]

Ive read where some people have reactions to the "gums" like guar gum and xanthan gum.

I was told by my doc that gluten can irritate your system for 2 full weeks after ingesting it. IDK if I buy into the 2 full week time frame but it certainly bugs me for a few days after eating gluten.

[texasmama]

During my research on gluten, I have heard repeatedly that Amy's, though they state gluten free on the package, cause glutening type symptoms for some folks. I love Amy's, but I think it was the Amy's. However, it could be a delayed reaction from the peanuts. Hope you feel better!

 

BTW, I joined a yahoogroup "Sillyyaks" (take off on "celiacs"), which I find very informative regarding stealth sources of gluten. I also like celiac.com for anecdotal information, including the fact that the flavored Rice Chex cause some people glutening symptoms.

[Mom-ninja.]

My daughter has never had a problem with Amy's. How sensitive are you to gluten? Some people are not that sensitive and some (like my daughter) are super sensitive.

 

If you are super sensitive, could it be possible to have an overload of gluten from the gluten free products? To receive a label of gf, it must have less than a certain amount (20 ppm I think?). But if you eat a lot of it (again, depending on sensitivity) you can possibly get enough to trigger a reaction.

 

Otherwise, I would check the yogurt and the kettle chips (I can't remember if they are gf or not).

 

My thoughts are that you are still sick from your previous glutening.

 

Feel better soon :)

 

I'm beginning to think I'm pretty darn sensitive. I actually had to stop using my hair products (that contained gluten) and once I did my constant headaches went away. Or is this normal sensitivity level? I don't know what is normal sensitivity or not as I was only diagnosed a month ago.

 

Both yogurt and chips state gf on the package and ingredients.

[texasmama]

I'm beginning to think I'm pretty darn sensitive. I actually had to stop using my hair products (that contained gluten) and once I did my constant headaches went away. Or is this normal sensitivity level? I don't know what is normal sensitivity or not as I was only diagnosed a month ago.

 

Both yogurt and chips state gf on the package and ingredients.

 

Since you have been diagnosed so recently, your system is still righting itself and healing. Are you avoiding oats (even gluten free ones) and dairy? That is recommended during the healing phase. Some folks with celiac can tolerate gluten free oats and some cannot. But your gut would most likely benefit from a break from the dairy and oats for a few months.

[Mom-ninja.]

BTW, I joined a yahoogroup "Sillyyaks" (take off on "celiacs"), which I find very informative regarding stealth sources of gluten. I also like celiac.com for anecdotal information, including the fact that the flavored Rice Chex cause some people glutening symptoms.

 

I'll look into that group, thanks. I have been to celiac.com but I get impatient with the forum. It's not as busy as here. :) It can take days to get one reply there. The Hive never let's me down and I guess I'm spoiled now.

[texasmama]

I'll look into that group, thanks. I have been to celiac.com but I get impatient with the forum. It's not as busy as here. :) It can take days to get one reply there. The Hive never let's me down and I guess I'm spoiled now.

 

It's pretty busy so I recommend digest form unless you like a lot of email traffic. I scan the digest and click on anything that interests me. It is mostly anecdotal, but it is a large group so the information is helpful.

 

Also, you might check out Katz, a gluten free bakery site. They had free shipping on orders over $30 not too long ago...I think it is still going. We like their products. They have a sampler pack which I ordered and added a few things to it to get the free shipping. If I recall correctly, it is a dedicated gluten free facility so cross contamination is theoretically reduced.

[Mom-ninja.]

Since you have been diagnosed so recently, your system is still righting itself and healing. Are you avoiding oats (even gluten free ones) and dairy? That is recommended during the healing phase. Some folks with celiac can tolerate gluten free oats and some cannot. But your gut would most likely benefit from a break from the dairy and oats for a few months.

 

Yes, I'm avoiding oats. I'm somewhat avoiding dairy. I've had a couple greek yogurts this past few weeks. I haven't felt sick from it. I did have one early today for breakfast. Wouldn't it have made me feel sick before 9 p.m. if it was the yogurt?

 

I ate the Amy's dinner around 6:30ish, and felt fine until 9.

[texasmama]

Yes, I'm avoiding oats. I'm somewhat avoiding dairy. I've had a couple greek yogurts this past few weeks. I haven't felt sick from it. I did have one early today for breakfast. Wouldn't it have made me feel sick before 9 p.m. if it was the yogurt?

 

I ate the Amy's dinner around 6:30ish, and felt fine until 9.

 

I think everyone is different. If the yogurt hasn't made you feel badly and you aren't loading up on other dairy, it is probably fine. It sounds like your body is giving you a lot of feedback, which is a mixed blessing. That way, you know when you are being affected, but the flip side is that you feel rotten. My kids don't react immediately, and some of the symptoms are more subtle, so it is hard to determine if they have been glutened.

[Slipper]

It sounds like you might be quite sensitive (my daughter reacts with a blistery rash to shampoos and conditioner with gluten, although medically it shouldn't happen). If you are new to this, you probably won't know how long your reactions can last. For my daughter, the reactions have become increasingly more severe.

 

I forget the poster's name who said that two weeks seemed a bit long...my daughter once ate a piece of candy that had gluten in it. She was sick for nearly two weeks, missing eight days of school. It's unbelievable.

 

I also wanted to mention that if you have bad stomach cramps when you ingest gluten, you may want to ask your gastro for anti-spasm medication. My daughter's cramps are so bad, she cannot walk or straighten up. The medication is the only thing that makes her feel better though the vomiting/diarrhea/brain fog stuff continues on....

 

I hope you're better soon.

[ElizaG]

FWIW, I've found that digestive enzymes seem to make my gluten reactions worse. :tongue_smilie: I also tend to feel yucky after Amy's products, and no longer buy them. Not sure if it's traces of wheat or some additive that doesn't agree with me. Frankly, I do best when I stay away from processed foods with mysterious or engineered ingredients, even if they're made in dedicated gluten-free facilities.

 

On a curmudgeonly note: I've been GF since the 1990's, and while there are more ready-made products and mixes available now, many of them aren't very healthy or tasty IMO. On the up side, it's much easier to find alternative grains and flours, and there are a lot more good recipes. Any time I'm feeling short-changed, I remember the ghastly things I've seen in special diet cookbooks from the 70's. It's hard to believe people survived on those leaden soy biscuits and stuff... blech.

 

My suggestion for the early stages would be to stick with basic foods and not use any gums. IMO, gums are way overused in commercial products and don't improve the texture of most baked goods. Homemade pancakes, waffles, cookies, cakes, and muffins are fine without them. For everyday meals, we find it easiest to have mostly rice and potatoes. We also use pasta (Tinkyada), rice cakes (store brand), and crackers (Edward & Sons), which don't seem to cause problems.

 

I've tried going without dairy for months at a time, and haven't noticed any difference except the lack of dairy. ;) If you don't have any reason to suspect the yogurt, I wouldn't cut it out. It's a convenient, tasty, easily digested food with a lot of nutritional value. We have few enough of those as it is.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I agree that it could be the nuts from yesterday still causing problems. Also, as a previous poster mentioned, you could be reacting to something else in some of the gluten-free products. My son has a big problem with many "bought" gluten-free products because he reacts to the various gums (guar, Arabic, locust bean, etc.). He also reacts to annatto, which is found in a lot of Amy's products and other organic and "natural" products. It doesn't help that he's allergic to most legumes, too, and many GF products are cross-contaminated with legumes.

[Mama Geek]

My dh got a good dose of gluten after being told at a hole in the wall restaurant that the breading was just cornmeal. He was not able to eat anything for 10 days. For most of those days he wasn't able to keep more than 1/2 cup of water down in a day. He was as sick as a dog and refused to go to the hospital. But yes it can stay in your system for at least close to 2 weeks.

 

Have you thought about trying to eat just meats, veggies, fruit, rice and potatoes for a month or 2 and then add back in one thing at a time to see which causes you problems. I know it isn't very exciting, but if you feel better, it is probably worth it.

[nowimscrappin]

I think I would still with naturally gluten-free foods for a while to give your digestive system a rest - since you've been glutenized for two weeks straight now.

 

Fruits, Vegetables, Proteins, Potatoes. No breads, crackers, pastas, anything. If you have to read a label to see if its gluten-free, don't eat it. Give your body a chance to recover from two episodes and then add GF products back in gently. If you are that sensitive, I might recommend sticking mostly with naturally gluten-free products, so there isn't even a chance of cross contamination.

[JeneralMom]

For some people, the reaction isn't immediate. For me, it is and I know within a very short time that I will be sick. For my DD4, her reaction is very subtle the first two days (black eyes, extreme lethargy) but after about 36 hours she begins to have profuse bloody diarrhea. It is terrifying for her.

 

I am really worried that we got glutened yesterday at a party. This friend's house is one of the few I feel comfy eating in because her daughter has extreme allergies including gluten, but there was a veggie tray and I didn't even think about the dip. Needless to say I have been having major intestinal pains and issues since last night, and DD4 slept 14 hours so I think I need to prepare her for the bloody diarrhea to show up.