18 replies to this topic

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

So I've been gluten-free for a year and a half, and my boyfriend of five and a half months is not. He is quite respectful of my dietary needs, and will often order gluten-free so I can try whatever it is, but he does eat bread, pizza and things with bread crumbs around me. That doesn't bother me at all, and he's quite supportive, but after he finishes eating, he will kiss me. I've never really noticed gluten symptoms afterwards, and I'm more adventurous than some as I'll eat foods that aren't labeled gluten free but don't have anything in them, or stuff made on shared lines. But I've read enough, and it seems there's a risk of even "invisible" glutening.

Should I have my boyfriend brush and floss after eating? I'd feel insane doing that, but if it kept me from damaging myself, I'd definitely ask him.

[kareng]

Its simple. No brushing, etc no loving.

Seriously, if you have been together 5 months, you should be able to talk about this. If he isn't willing, good to know that now. He can give you a hug or a kiss on the cheek or wherever else but not the mouth with gluten crumbs in there.

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

I definitely get that---the thing is, I don't seem to have any reaction whatsoever. My boyfriend has never made me sick. But what I wasn't sure about was if I could be harming myself without having a reaction?

At any rate, I brought it up to Boyfriend tonight and he said he'd just stop eating gluten around me if it was that big a deal.

[kareng]

I definitely get that---the thing is, I don't seem to have any reaction whatsoever. My boyfriend has never made me sick. But what I wasn't sure about was if I could be harming myself without having a reaction?

At any rate, I brought it up to Boyfriend tonight and he said he'd just stop eating gluten around me if it was that big a deal.

He sounds like a nice guy.

A crumb can be starting the antibodies flowing. Some people get an immediate & recognizable reaction. For me, I think its an acumulation of crumbs that get me.

http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/living-with-celiac/guide/treatment



The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage your intestine. This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms.

[Celtic Queen]

My husband is a beer drinker. He knows that I won't kiss him when he's been drinking beer until after he brushes. Your guy sounds like a good one since he's willing to accomodate your needs.

[CarolinaKip]

Has anone had problems even after their husband/bofriend brushes? I sometimes feel bad about a hour afterwards and he brushes his teeth. I believed his toothpaste to be gluten-free, I'll ask him again.

[Celtic Queen]

I haven't had a problem as of yet. But I find I'm becoming more and more sensitive each month I'm on the diet, so it may happen in the future.

I hope it's only the toothpaste. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't kiss my hubby

[gluten-enemy]

My boyfriend is sensitive too about my needs. As long as you communicate well about it, it should be good.

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

I definitely think Boyfriend would be willing to accommodate. My question is....is it really necessary? Am I really damaging myself internally, even if I don't get sick, just from him?

[cap6]

a kiss one the cheek is one thing, passion is off limits unless you brush. I don't like it but if I'm sick it's no fun for either of us. Sounbds to me like a guy worth keeping.

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

Boyfriend is totally awesome. I've been letting him keep on eating gluten with me (though he really doesn't do it thaaaat frequently anymore) because I'm going to be doing a gluten challenge/test in a few weeks, and there's no point in having him jump through hoops at this point to avoid it when I'm going to be eating it myself. After said test, I'm going to buy him a toothbrush and toothpaste as a way to inform him that he needs to brush after meals.

[~**caselynn**~]

I'm just going to throw this out there, as embarrassing as it is but here it goes....my ex started out drinking gluten-free beer around me, but when he realized it wasn't a big deal to me he swapped back to regular old gluten-full beer. On more than one occasion, we had eaten gluten-free meals together, that I made so I know they were gluten-free, I had reactions. Now I don't just mean gut pain, nausea, fatigue, I'm talking lips swelling along with the usual. The only thing with possible gluten I came in contact with was his lips that had been guzzling the regular old beer. Haha we laugh about it now....I didn't find it so funny back then, keep that in mind! 😘

[goblue2014]

This issue JUST occurred to me tonight. I’ve been gluten free now for about 7 months, but so far I’ve been single since I got diagnosed with my gluten intolerance. I’m very, very sensitive to gluten and the longer I am gluten free, the more intense my symptoms have become when I do come across it accidentally, so I’m pretty sure this would be an issue for me in any future relationship that I pursue. Any ideas on how to tell a future beau that he can’t kiss me unless he brushes/rinses/flosses?

[T.H.]

I definitely think Boyfriend would be willing to accommodate. My question is....is it really necessary? Am I really damaging myself internally, even if I don't get sick, just from him?

It's a possibility, yes. You're correct in that some people would get damage from this, and not everyone will show symptoms. It's a very frustrating situation, because some people don't seem to be affected by this - they do this, they feel fine, and their follow up tests are fine as well, as well. There's just no way to know which category you are in until test time.

I'd just make sure that if you allow this, you are being diligent in your follow up tests for the disease that checks if you are healing well, you know?

[T.H.]

Has anone had problems even after their husband/bofriend brushes? I sometimes feel bad about a hour afterwards and he brushes his teeth. I believed his toothpaste to be gluten-free, I'll ask him again.

Yeah, I have before. :-(

Toothpaste sounds like a good thing to check. Another you might want to check is if he uses chapstick or any other lip balm - that frequently has gluten and he might not be thinking about it.

There was a study on peanuts and kissing that had some interesting results. What they boiled down to is that how much protein remains in the mouth is rather individual. A few people had no detectable protein immediately after they ate, without even brushing. Just waiting an hour eliminated protein from almost all the rest in the study. But one person wasn't protein free for 4.5 hours. They also found that "no intervention really removed it from saliva uniformly." Intervention being brushing, chewing gum, etc...

If gluten is like peanuts in this respect, it sounds like sometimes, whether there's protein remaining in the mouth might have more to do with your spouse and how he digests proteins than with you, eh? (Article on the study http://www.webmd.com...lergy-dangerous )