Can I Eat Regular Oats?

[Sage122]

Im lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant...maybe celiac. I'm not too exactly sure. I couldn't get tested for celiac cause I had already gone gluten free and felt better. The doctor said to assume I was gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive. My dad just found out he had celiac, but he doesn't have a lot of symptoms. So I COULD have celiac.

When I eat gluten, nothing really serious happens. I just get a stomach ache, and I feel all bloated. If I were to consume a large quantity of gluten (say a slice of bread), I get a couple of hives on my arms, and a couple rashes that go away in like 2 or 3 hours.

My friend has celiac and doesn't have many symptoms. I've seen her eat honey nut Cheerios, and nature valley oats and honey granola bars. She has no problem with it and doesnt feel sick after.

When I eat normal oatmeal, or normal oats, I have no problems

2 questions:

1) is it ok for me to eat normal oats, or do I still have to buy my not as good gluten free pure oat oatmeal?

2) How bad is cross contamination? Like if a product says "processed in a facility with wheat," do you still eat it? Can I still eat it????

I'm 14...

[tarnalberry]

1) about 10% of celiacs react to oats. if you are bloated or get a stomach ache after eating gluten free oats, you will need to avoid ALL oats. if you don't, you can safely have GLUTEN FREE oats, but not regular ones as they have (most) all tested out at too high of a level of contamination. your friend is playing with fire and likely doing internal damage that she doesn't feel.

2) I can't entirely answer that question for you, as it depends on your level of sensitivity. I eat many things made in shared facilities, and sometimes shared equipment, without problem. Heck, if there is gluten in the house you live in, everything you eat at home is made in a shared facility. Some people find they can't tolerate this. But being made in a shared facility doesn't guarantee there is contamination.

[eatmeat4good]

Hi Sage,

Welcome!

Unfortunately all regular oats are contaminated with wheat due to the way they process them, so the only thing safe for Celiacs is Gluten Free Oatmeal. Your friend is getting a lot of gluten eating those products, they are not safe for Celiac/Gluten Intolerance. The rash you get may come and go quickly now, but it could be DH which is Dermatitis Herpetiformis and it is the skin form of Celiac. It is very sensitive to cross contamination. If you are going to assume you have Celiac based on your reactions and the fact that your dad has it, then you would want to be careful of cross contamination also.

Sorry, it's a bummer not to be able to eat regular oatmeal. Some with Celiac cannot eat oats either, even if they are certified gluten free, but it doesn't sound like that is the case for you.

Whether or not you have symptoms, if you are Celiac, then even trace amounts of gluten will be doing damage to your intestines. The bloating and the rash are consistent with Celiac. I hope you do some reading here and keep asking questions anytime! Tell your Celiac friend about us too, it sounds like she might want to do some reading about Celiac before she ends up with more damage and symptoms. I'm not trying to lecture...just concerned and we are willing to answer any questions you guys may have. Hope this helps.

Oh! And the question about shared facility where they also process wheat. Some of us react to those products and cannot eat them either.

[Sage122]

I might not have Celiac though. I mean based on the fact that my dad has it, do you think i have it? If im only gluten sensitive (non celiac), does eating oats still cause damage? (regular oats).

Oh and ps, I can handle normal gluten-free oats

[squirmingitch]

Sage, without being tested it's hard to say if you are celiac or gluten intolerant. BUT your dad having celiac is a big clue. And just b/c you don't have big reactions doesn't mean you are not celiac --- just like your friend who is celiac & doesn't have big reactions. There are even what are called "silent celiacs" who have no reactions at all. But any celiac who eats gluten even cross contaminated oats is doing damage to their intestines & this is a very serious disease. There are many serious illnesses which can develop from this if one keeps eating gluten. Things like insulin dependent diabetes, lupus, lymphoma (cancer) & the list goes on & on; plus there are neurological things that can & often do happen. Celiac is a genetically inherited disease. Your dad has it. The odds are that you do too considering the reactions you are having at this stage of the game. I remember your posting before & most of what you told us then & about how much better you feel off of gluten. You said your family (parents) weren't really on board with you not eating gluten & that you had to buy your own gluten-free foods. This is very interesting that your dad has now tested positive for celiac. I hope that now the situation at home has changed somewhat.

And I want to add too that celiac, especially in someone your age, can go into "remission" at times which means you could eat gluten a year from now & have absolutely no reaction at all --- but that does not mean that damage is not being done to a celiacs guts & the rest of the body.

There are a couple ways you could go with this if you want to find out if you are or are not celiac.

1) You can do a gluten challenge which means eating gluten for a specified time & get the blood work done & an endoscopy.

2)Or maybe you should talk to your parents about seeing your dad's doc who dx'd him. It might be that doc will consider your reactions to gluten along with your dad's dx & do an endoscopy on you to see if there is visible damage to your villi & dx you based on that.

Honestly, since your reactions are not all that bad yet it might be best for you to do the whole thing --- the gluten challenge, celiac blood panel, & endoscopy. Also, if you have siblings they should be tested.

As eatmeat said --- the rash & hives you get could be the early stages of dh which is the skin manifestation of celiac disease. This could also explain why you do not have such strong reactions b/c most of us with dh tend not to have many GI symptoms & even when we do they are not as severe. BUT that does not mean damage is not being done to our guts b/c it is!

Sage, we would welcome your friend as well as your dad if either should decide to join us here. We are always happy to help.

[Sage122]

Sage, without being tested it's hard to say if you are celiac or gluten intolerant. BUT your dad having celiac is a big clue. And just b/c you don't have big reactions doesn't mean you are not celiac --- just like your friend who is celiac & doesn't have big reactions. There are even what are called "silent celiacs" who have no reactions at all. But any celiac who eats gluten even cross contaminated oats is doing damage to their intestines & this is a very serious disease. There are many serious illnesses which can develop from this if one keeps eating gluten. Things like insulin dependent diabetes, lupus, lymphoma (cancer) & the list goes on & on; plus there are neurological things that can & often do happen. Celiac is a genetically inherited disease. Your dad has it. The odds are that you do too considering the reactions you are having at this stage of the game. I remember your posting before & most of what you told us then & about how much better you feel off of gluten. You said your family (parents) weren't really on board with you not eating gluten & that you had to buy your own gluten-free foods. This is very interesting that your dad has now tested positive for celiac. I hope that now the situation at home has changed somewhat.

And I want to add too that celiac, especially in someone your age, can go into "remission" at times which means you could eat gluten a year from now & have absolutely no reaction at all --- but that does not mean that damage is not being done to a celiacs guts & the rest of the body.

There are a couple ways you could go with this if you want to find out if you are or are not celiac.

1) You can do a gluten challenge which means eating gluten for a specified time & get the blood work done & an endoscopy.

2)Or maybe you should talk to your parents about seeing your dad's doc who dx'd him. It might be that doc will consider your reactions to gluten along with your dad's dx & do an endoscopy on you to see if there is visible damage to your villi & dx you based on that.

Honestly, since your reactions are not all that bad yet it might be best for you to do the whole thing --- the gluten challenge, celiac blood panel, & endoscopy. Also, if you have siblings they should be tested.

As eatmeat said --- the rash & hives you get could be the early stages of dh which is the skin manifestation of celiac disease. This could also explain why you do not have such strong reactions b/c most of us with dh tend not to have many GI symptoms & even when we do they are not as severe. BUT that does not mean damage is not being done to our guts b/c it is!

Sage, we would welcome your friend as well as your dad if either should decide to join us here. We are always happy to help.

Thanks

[squirmingitch]

Thanks

YVW sweets!

[justlisa]

I might not have Celiac though. I mean based on the fact that my dad has it, do you think i have it? If im only gluten sensitive (non celiac), does eating oats still cause damage? (regular oats).

Oh and ps, I can handle normal gluten-free oats

The truth is... "gluten intolerance" or "celiac" is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. If you have either one, gluten can harm you...in many, many ways. In fact, MANY people do not experience immediate symptoms, BUT they develop some devastating symptoms and/or diseases... And, you MUST UNDERSTAND that some things will not "get better" or "go away" just because you've realized, by the time you have those problems, and go gluten free.

There is mounting evidence and personal experience to be found (start researching) that supports the thinking that the medical community has a very long way to go in testing, in understanding and treating gluten intolerance.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the only thing that "could" happen is just "a little discomfort".

Personally, I believe that the medical community will, finally, realize the seriousness of gluten intolerance AND how damaging it truly is... Sadly, it's not going to be soon...and there are a lot of people who are just going to get sicker and sicker...

Please learn! YOU are, ultimately, the one who is in charge of your health... your future.

[justlisa]

I would like to add this:

Because of what is currently known, many people think/believe that you will be doing damage to your intestines. This is absolutely true...for some.

For others...not...

You see, when you are gluten intolerant, your body's immune system kicks into overdrive. The immune system attacks the small intestine...hence, the damage.

But...how to explain the people who do not show this "damage"??? And, yet, they develop rashes, neurological problems, joint pain, thyroid diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc, etc, etc. There are some doctors/researchers who are, even, starting to connect diabetes, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, etc.

My point is... Gluten intolerance is autoimmune (triggers the immune system into hyperdrive and it attacks the body because it can't get rid of the real enemy). As a result, many autoimmune; diseases are triggered.

My opinion...based on a lot of reading...