Three Days In And First Accidental Glutening

[laura1959]

I feel soooo stupid, after posting here about how to avoid cross contamination I managed to do it, anyway!  I live in a town that actually has a gluten free store.  My husband and I went there yesterday afternoon and bought some food then came home and he made dinner.  He made a pesto using basil from the farmer's market and we put that over the gluten free linguine that we bought there.  

 

Oh, it was so delicious, but within a couple of hours I was bloating and miserable, and I spent the rest of the evening running in and out of the bathroom.  I had been so happy that after only three days I was starting to feel better already.  

 

So, the cross contamination most likely happened in our kitchen.  Hubby used a plastic utensil to serve the noodles and had strained them in our stainless steel colander, so I figure these items were probably contaminated.  The colander, of course, is often used for pasta and the utensil he used was designed for that purpose.  So I'm groggy and foggy this morning and feel as though I am back to day one again.  

 

Today I am going to go out and buy a new colander and cutting board, so that we have something I can use that I know is not contaminated.  This diet is very frustrating.  

[HumanDecency]

Possible that you have another food sensitivity as well? I know I have a really rough time with alternative pastas. I had the corn pasta from Trader Joes and basically had the same reaction with it that I would with gluten. 

 

CC on your utensils is also a possibility. Are you doing a food elimination?

[bartfull]

I'm sure it was the collander. Don't beat yourself up over it, things like that are bound to happen at first. Replace any plastic or wooden kitchen implements and maybe reread the newbie 101 thread. I hope you feel better soon. ((((HUGS))))

[laura1959]

Thanks.  The only thing I'm eliminating is gluten right now.  I'll keep my eyes open for other reactions; this is the first time I had that particular brand of pasta so I suppose anything is possible.  I don't have another package of it but maybe next week I will buy more and see how it goes when I know everything is prepared cleanly.  

[cap6]

It's those pesky little holes in the colander.  If it was used for gluten that stickly stuff is next to impossible to get out of the little holes.

[GottaSki]

I vote for the colander...it was one of the first things to get me.

 

In my opinion it is way to early to be considering other intolerance.  You had some improvement during your first three days which is fantastic....focus on that if you can....accidents will happen in the early days and heck they can happen anytime, but will become rare as you master living gluten-free.  Just keep focused on getting all the gluten out of your life and try not to be to hard on yourself.  We have all been there, done that.

 

Hoping you feel much better again very soon

[laura1959]

Thanks!  I went out and bought a new colander that will only be used for my own foods, and also some of those thin cutting mats that can double as clean surfaces for resting my utensils while I cook.  Made a nice gluten-free meal this afternoon and am still feeling okay a couple hours after eating it.  Hopefully we continue to move forward and this will be a bump in the road rather than a huge setback.  

[HumanDecency]

Just curious why you think it's way too early to be considering other tolerances? Dairy seems to happen right off the bat for some. I had corn and nuts off the bat myself. I'm just curious if there is some kind of logical thinking along these lines like giving the body actually time to heal while eliminating gluten? I guess I don't see why it would be wise to suffer through other intolerances.... but I don't know all that much yet. I'm still learning.

 

 

I vote for the colander...it was one of the first things to get me.

 

In my opinion it is way to early to be considering other intolerance.  You had some improvement during your first three days which is fantastic....focus on that if you can....accidents will happen in the early days and heck they can happen anytime, but will become rare as you master living gluten-free.  Just keep focused on getting all the gluten out of your life and try not to be to hard on yourself.  We have all been there, done that.

 

Hoping you feel much better again very soon

[GottaSki]

Just curious why you think it's way too early to be considering other tolerances? Dairy seems to happen right off the bat for some. I had corn and nuts off the bat myself. I'm just curious if there is some kind of logical thinking along these lines like giving the body actually time to heal while eliminating gluten? I guess I don't see why it would be wise to suffer through other intolerances.... but I don't know all that much yet. I'm still learning.

 

So sorry...did not mean eat things you are obviously intolerant of.  Yes, dairy can be hard for some with Celiac Disease to process as can a lot of other things...if you remove too many items during the first weeks and sometimes months gluten-free you may be removing nutritious foods needlessly.  As time passes if there is not improvement...certainly one should keep a food log and look to other possible intolerances.

 

Because I only had some digestive improvement during my first months gluten-free and my other symptoms all got worse -- I tried in vane to find what I was intolerant of for nearly two years -- one food or food group at a time -- with no clear intolerance identified, so I suggest to others that they give gluten-free living (preferably sticking to whole foods-leaving processed gluten-free items for down the road as well) a good three months and if they aren't improving keep a detailed food/symptom log and highly suggest a full elimination diet rather than the one group at a time method.

 

The OP is very new to gluten-free living....in my opinion...should take the time needed to fully understand how to remove ALL gluten from her life and see what improvement that brings before delving into other possible intolerances.

[bartfull]

Also, when first going gluten-free one usually goes through withdrawal which can be absolutely miserable. It's best to get that out of the way before trying to decide if one has further intolerances because withdrawal can mimic an intolerance.

[laura1959]

Thanks everyone.  I know how to do an elimination diet; had to put one of my dogs on one in order to keep him alive when he developed a malabsorption issue several years ago.  My personal opinion is that when stuff is working you don't mess with it.  

 

I'm five days into this now and doing pretty well.  The horrible withdrawal I had a few weeks ago when I tried this hasn't manifested yet, which is good.  I feel  a little bit brain fogged this morning, but that's not unusual for me.  My moods and energy are pretty good.  

 

On the downside, I just got a call from my doctor's office and the celiac panel they ran last week was normal, so no official confirmation of this problem is forthcoming.  That means I'll always feel like I'm stabbing in the dark a bit, especially since I have been through so many other theories and tests regarding my chronic fatigue through the years.  It would have been much easier to feel confident and hopeful and sustain that feeling if the tests had been positive, and now I am back to that sinking feeling of, "oh, this is just another dead end you'll pursue for a while which isn't going to make a bit of difference."  

 

That being said, I'm resolved to soldier on.  I do feel better.  Not a lot, but enough to feel like there's value in continuing this.  The doctor told me to expect that the test might be negative and to stay on the diet anyway for at least two months before making a decision about whether it's helping me.  That is the plan, and I'm sticking to it-- just with a heavier heart than I might have had, otherwise.  

[GottaSki]

 

That being said, I'm resolved to soldier on.  I do feel better.  Not a lot, but enough to feel like there's value in continuing this.  The doctor told me to expect that the test might be negative and to stay on the diet anyway for at least two months before making a decision about whether it's helping me.  That is the plan, and I'm sticking to it-- just with a heavier heart than I might have had, otherwise.  

 

Completely understand this as two of my kids had negative tests...yet all of their health issues improved or completely resolved gluten-free.  Confirmation does help when improvement doesn't come quickly, but given your history...I do think you'll find some improvement gluten-free and the accidental glutenings that inevitably happen will reinforce your need to be completely gluten-free.

 

You are not alone...you have a good plan....let us know when/if we can help!

[Pegleg84]

My bloodtests were negative as well, but I felt much better after even a week eating gluten-free. You could still get a biopsy done at this point if you want to go right back to eating gluten now, but if feeling better on the diet is enough for you, then don't bother. I've always considered myself Celiac despite no official diagnosis (half my family has it, on both sides. I'm genetically cursed).

And don't worry, if you beat the cross-contamination problem (at home at least) early, then you'll do even better.

(I'm even a little worried about what I'll do when I'm home for a visit next week, since even though my mom has been gluten-free for several years, I swear she's still using some of the same stuff we'd been putting gluteny things in for years before).

 

Happy healing and good luck!

[laura1959]

Unfortunately, I had an endoscopy about a month ago but it was prior to suspicion of celiac, so they didn't go far enough in to diagnose this.  I'm sure the insurance company won't pay for another one and it would be hard to talk my doctor into ordering it even if they would, as he seems to think the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  He is more concerned with the results from diet trials and whether I feel better than about test results.  

[Nikki2777]

One reason not to jump to conclusions about other intolerances is that, after a while, you're going to want as much variety as possible in your diet.  I'd take it slow and get the Celiac ironed out and eliminate as little as possible other than gluten.  Once the diet gets too constricted it will start to feel really difficult. 

[cap6]

This way of life can be very difficult at first.  As you work to get rid of places that could be cross contaiminators (like the colander, cutting boards etc) then you can move on to other food items.  Slow and steady and don't kick yourself (too hard!!) when you goof up.  I had been at this for quite awhile before it hit me that the can opener could be a source of cross contamination.  It's a learning curve for sure!  And good for you for figuring out the source so quickly!