I've been glutened.

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I've been gluten-free for over five years, and added casein and eggs to the list a little over six months ago. I've also been extremely vigilant in cross-contamination hazards, and hadn't been "glutened," as I call it, in months. I have been feeling remarkably better. Two nights ago, I made a salad with dressing that looked harmless. All of the other dressings by the same brand had warnings for allergen contents, so I assumed that since this one had none, it should be safe.

I was very wrong. Due to being in the store by myself for the first time in months, I was feeling so overwhelmed and pressured to leave that I had a lapse in judgement and erred on the side of "I really want this salad dressing." Sad part is, it wasn't even that good.

Possibly due to how hyper-vigilant I've become about my food and the kitchen I prepare it in, my reaction to it was one of the worst I've had in at least a year. My stomach was so hugely distended that it looked like I had eaten a basketball - my pants barely fit. I've been experiencing dramatic mood swings for the past two days (fuming anger to weeping tears to nearly maniacally happy) and my mind fog has my brain moving at a snail's pace. Add in horrible intestinal pain, migraines amplifying my sensory overload, a horribly itchy rash all over my torso and arms, and an ever-present battle between feeling like I'm starving and so full that the mere thought of food makes me sick (and the less than pleasant details I'll intentionally leave out,) it's been interesting.

For those of you with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance, how does coming in contact with gluten (whether by eating it, touching it, etc.) affect you in different amounts? Do you experience different symptoms when presented with a small amount as opposed to a larger one, or do your symptoms just become more exaggerated with increased exposure? What are your preferred ways of comforting yourself during the aftermath?

For me, the best I can do tonight is start my Star Wars marathon early and drink some herbal tea in bed, not that I'm complaining about that.

Oh, I feel for you. I got glutened over Easter at a family dinner when a family member somehow 'forgot' to tell me a sauce had wheat flour in it. They don't understand that even a small amount counts. Sad thing is that I don't think I'll be able to come over the next time she is cooking dinner and everyone will be mad at me. They seem to think that I'm just being picky by avoiding gluten, rather than treating a medical condition.

Anyhow, I had headaches and felt foggy for a while afterwards, plus had a bout of joint pain (I have some other medical conditions that seem to flare up when I eat foods that cause inflammation), but just tried to let it run it's course. I don't think there is really that much else you can do. I know it's easier said than done and I am a hypocrite for saying this, lol, but you should try your best not to stress out over it. It'll only make things worse.

Hope you bounce back soon!

ouchh, hope you're feeling better now.

i get the brain fog, bloating, sharp cramps, muscle soreness/inflammation, and really tired, which can all lead to feeling grumpy/sad. also what you said about feeling hungry but not wanting to eat.

i agree w/ blueroses about trying not to stress and just getting back to trying to feel good. i usually just lie down if i can and try to relax/distract myself while the stomach pain is bad. tea sounds like a winner!! i still feel residual effects for up to a week after consuming gluten. but i'm not sure if the amount of gluten makes any difference to me..

@blueroses, maybe for a get-together you can make something that's safe for you to eat but make enough for everyone to have some. hopefully your family will understand and if they're the type to get offended at you not eating their food, maybe being able to try some of yours will cancel that out, haha.

also, i like to make my own salad dressings with olive oil and either balsamic or apple cider vinegar. add some salt/pepper, maybe lemon juice, a little honey, some herbs/spices like basil or ginger.. haha. its like a mini science experiment.
when it comes to shopping, i just dont like to have to stress about reading ingredient labels, so i usually end up eating really basic stuff, and know what you mean about being like a kitchen nazi. ps, im not diagnosed w/ celiac but a slice of pizza will make me feel like i just got hit by a train, so...

I'm feeling much better today, thank you! At least, my physical symptoms are lessening (five to seven days of misery is pretty typical,) so I figure I've got another two or three days of noticeable brain fog, then I should be mostly in the clear. So happy that May the 4th happened to land in the midst of my self-confinement in bed. Though, coincidentally, I realized I was also under the effects of gluten during Star Wars Day last year. Hmm.

I feel like I've (sadly) become an old pro when it comes to being glutened. I have my set of protocol when it happens, typically including an avoidance of all people lest they be struck down by my gluten-y wrath, lying in bed with plans for movie marathons and hot tea, and trying to eat foods that are easier on my stomach. The only time I really stress out about it is when it interferes with something important I need to do (going to the doctor, family gatherings, etc.)

I do not want to sound patronising, but the placebo effect is VERY real. But it is IMPOSSIBLE a little gluten can have such dramatic effects like distending your stomach and crippling your mental capacity. This is dressing we are talking about! Even if you drank the whole bottle, the amount of gluten in it would be miniscule.

All people have gluten intolerance to some degree, but the biological mechanisms of how it works do not at all fit what you describe. The rapid and dramatic onset of symptoms with a small quantity of the offending substance you describe is more like a straight up ALLERGY.

Are you allergic to gluten? because that is a very different thing. The rash fits in with an allergy.

You're right, everyone is gluten intolerant to a degree. Gluten intolerance does vary in severity, some people have no digestive issues at all, but other symptoms may be present. There is a difference in gluten allergy, gluten sensitivity, and celiac, and there are even reactions classified in-between. I'll point you to a somewhat recent huff-post article, with several links to peer-reviewed studies, and over 100 anecdotal comments that have nothing to do with placebo. Whether it is an allergy or an autoimmune condition such as celiac really isn't the concern, in either case, many people have these kinds of reactions or worse, the symptoms are real and can and often do persist until gluten is eliminated from the diet.

gluten intolerance <-

When my youngest son was first put on his ADHD meds the doctor suggested cutting out wheat and dairy. I told her no. The boy only really ate orange, brown, or yellow foods back then and he would starve! By orange, brown, or yellow I mean things with bread, pizza crust, pasta, cheese, etc. Not vegetables. He said he wouldn't give it a try either. He's done ok on the Vyvanse only though.

I don't think I could stand being on a diet where I couldn't have a certain thing. I had allergies as a child and my mother went so far overboard on restricting my diet that it wasn't funny. I was always very much underweight. Now that I'm grown and can eat what I want I don't think I could stand cutting out a food I like.

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Well you certainly have my admiration that you are able to do that. You must be pretty strong willed. Congrats to you on keeping it up like this.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

So are you guys saying that after becoming strictly gluten free you have become much more sensitive to it?

It sounds like both of you used to eat pretty large amount of gluten once upon a time, but now you are saying that even some Dressing can legitimately cause these intense side effects? And eating some pizza can make you sick for several months?

- when once upon a time you used to eat these things all the time?

I actually have PI-IBS which is pretty severe. All food gives me cramps and promptly evacuates. So I obviously get discomfort, fatigue and weight loss. I have been struggling with this for the past 2-3 years, I know what its like to have disagreeable digestive system. Wheat based products create a stronger reaction and I often thought it was similar to what Coeliac's would feel.

Docs want to screen me for Coeliac Disease because of it.

I didn't eat it at all growing up (from 0 to 14) and as such never really had problems - I would eat it perhaps 3 times a year? It caused reactions, but I never figured out the pattern - all I knew was cake made me feel bad, so I used to avoid it except for 1 to 3 times a year.

When I moved here and suddenly most of the diet here is gluten is when the problems started. After feeling like crap for a year, switched to Cuban and Brazilian food (my native food) which contain no gluten and started feeling better. But after that, started eating it again due to convenience (it's hard to find a lot of the ingredients I need here for native food) - and got used to feeling like crap. Until it got to the point where I was hospitalised for it.

Celiac disease can be with you all your life without you realising - or it can be triggered by your immune system getting to low, the right genes, and you eating gluten, especially too much (the normal western diet being far, far too much, by the way).

If they want to test you, get it tested. You can develop other autoimmune disease, cancer and a host of other things that will make your life hell, if you're a celiac and keep eating gluten.