Do We All Have Different Degrees Of Sensitivity?

[TGK112]

I have been gluten free for about 6 weeks now. I never had typical symptoms prior to going gluten free - except for osteoporosis and weight loss ( about 10 pounds in the past year). I eat out about 2 -3 times a week - and have been careful to explain to the servers that I am on a gluten free diet. I have never felt sick after eating out ( but I didn't feel sick prior to being gluten free) What I am wondering is - are some people more prone to issues with cross contamination than others?

I don't know if I am less sensitive to cross contamination or I just don't get that immediate reaction?

[GottaSki]

Without specific reaction to gluten it is hard to know if you are consuming small amounts of gluten and whether these small amounts of gluten are causing damage.

I can tell you that you may still develop reactions - I became much more sensitive at about three months gluten-free and super sensitive by six months.

If you don't develop any reaction, your follow up testing becomes very important. Often the DGP IgA and IgG are the most specific to accidental gluten ingestion. My Celiac Doc suggested full celiac blood tests as follow up at 3 months, 6 months then annually thereafter.

Time will give you a better idea if you need to be more careful.

[shadowicewolf]

oh yes. Before going gluten free i had massive "D" and vomiting. When i "Cheated" I got major "C" (No fun), and now, whenever i get it, i retrace back to the last thing i ate.

Not to mention the brain fog (uuuuugh so bad for a college student with homework!), cramps, mild headaches, and major tiredness.

[nvsmom]

I'm still pretty sensitive. I've been glutened twice by accident. Once was in a restaurant (still don't know what got me) and another was a gluten-free beer that was gluten-free to 3 parts per million. Both timesI was sure it was gluten. I have had two stomach issues that I think was not gluten related since it wasn't quite my typical reaction, although it was similar.

[TGK112]

I guess what I am asking is more about internally. I realize that we all have different reactions - from none - in my case - to severe. What I'm wondering is - do we all have different degrees of internal damage? Does one person get inflamed by a speck of gluten, while it may take another person a slice of bread to get the same amount of inflammation?

[mushroom]

Absolutely. Some celiacs with totally flattened villi can eat a slice of bread and not even notice it. For them,knowing they are conforming to the diet is very difficult because they don't know when they have been glutened. These are the so-called silent celiacs, often diagnosed by accident.

[MistyRG]

I have said since I was diagnosed that I don't have the "normal" symptoms. I only had the rash that started this whole ordeal.

Now, 4 months into gluten free, my slip ups or unknown gluten is known immediately. I get a heavy, bloated feeling in my stomach, and it cramps up a little. It isn't bad, but it has progressively gotten worse with every exposure.

On one hand, I'm glad because I can tell when I am eating something that could be contaminated. But I am really shocked at how much I have changed from zero symptoms to noticeable in that short time!!!

And when I had zero symptoms, my biopsy came back with severe damage to my intestine. So even with no symptoms, we are doing damage.