Anxiously Anticipating Side Effects Of First Real Glutening In 29 Months

[Raywuwei]

I have been gluten free post dx for 29 months. In this time I have had some weird instances of vomiting, mostly after making poor food choices while drinking, but I can never quite say what the culprit was. It would always be a cross contamination issue because I NEVER straight up eat gluten. 

 

But tonight I was eating pumpkin talenti ice cream with my family (after they meticulously prepared a dinner I would be sage to eat) when I encountered a chunk of pie crust. I had bitten right into it but not swallowed. My eyes darted over to the ice cream container and I saw it said "pumpkin pie" flavor. I panicked and spit everything out. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and seriously contemplated throwing up. But I didn't. 

 

I already suffer from anxiety, and because this was my first time ever really eating gluten (you know that the rest of that ice cream I ate was not safe if it is made with pie crust chunks) I didn't know what was going to happen. I took a half of an anti-anxiety pill and now I am trying to not think of what might happen. It has been about an two hours and so far nothing strange has happened. 

 

The frustrating thing is I have only been at my current job for three weeks and I have already called in sick for a celiac related issue. I told my manager it was a "complication of my celiac" because I didn't know how to say "I have an anal fissure from a horrible bout of constipation, which was caused by my inability to keep a healthy diet while underemployed." So, I have already called in sick once and I am afraid I will have to again tomorrow, and that they might think I am lying or using this dx as an excuse. 

 

How did you all get through that first encounter with, "Oh f$#%, I just ate a bunch of gluten and I have no idea how my body is going to react!"
 

[Raywuwei]

Pretty disappointed to not have any feedback on this. Though I have an update: I have not had any symptoms yet. This is almost more disconcerting than what I was afraid of going through. I have spent the last 2.5 years avoiding even the most microscopic amounts of gluten like it is the plague. And last night I ate it. I had a chunk of pice crust in my mouth for a good 10 seconds. And NOTHING has happened? I know I have celiac. How is this possible?

[BlessedMommy]

Glutening is such a variable thing. 

 

There's some celiacs who get no symptoms at all after glutening.

 

I'm glad that you're not sick!

[1desperateladysaved]

Did you check the label on the ice cream?  It seems to me a regular gluten crust would not be palatable in ice cream.  Instead of crispy it would be soggy.  I think you just had everyone holding their breath!  Possibly it didn't actually have gluten, or somehow you didn't ingest any.  I hope you will be able to go to work and the boss will never need to know about it.

 

Dee

[kareng]

I think you might not have gotten a lot of answers because for most of us you asked the question in the middle of the night?  We don't knowingly eat bites of gluten?

 

 If it didn't list wheat on the ingredients when you read them, maybe the crust was made with rice flour?

 

It seems that for most people (from reading experiences on this site) that they don't feel the effects of gluten for 6-24 hours.  So maybe you haven't hit it yet?  Maybe you got lucky and didn't actually swallow much and it swam by, unnoticed?  Who knows?  Next time you might not be so lucky....so remember the firs rule rule of Celiac Club:  "If you don't know the ingredients - don't eat it!"  

[BlessedMommy]

I checked Talenti's website and the majority of their flavors are gluten free, but I couldn't find the pumpkin pie one listed on there.

[julissa]

I hope you are still feeling ok and will continue to do so. it's a crap shoot, hoping you dodged the bullet. 

[notme]

holidays = mine field.....

 

part of the pumpkin spice overload season.  why would you put *pie crust* in gelato - and why anyone would eat any other flavor besides sea salt and caramel is beyond me it is da bomb dot com

 

[Solandra]

I think you're freaking yourself out. You spit it out. I have anxiety, too, so I understand that we can go full on hypochondriac.. which is what I think you're doing. I think a lot of Celiac people freak themselves out, though. Sometimes, stomachs just get upset from other things, but everyone always assumes they got glutened. Just relax, and remind yourself that worrying about something doesn't actually help.. you'll probably make yourself sicker from worrying than the tiny spec of gluten will.

 

Also, I don't get sick at all from eating it.. I'm pretty asymptomatic, digestively. My symptoms have pretty much been mild neurological ones and vitamin deficiencies.

[Raywuwei]

I'm sure most people were sleeping, I was just freaking out... Thanks for your support!

[Raywuwei]

Also, I don't get sick at all from eating it.. I'm pretty asymptomatic, digestively. My symptoms have pretty much been mild neurological ones and vitamin deficiencies.

Is that frustrating for you? I feel like if I am asymptomatic then it will be harder to know if I am eating properly, and harder to explain to people why I have to be so freakishly strict about avoiding gluten...

[Solandra]

Yeah, it's pretty annoying, but I just remind myself that it can cause long term neurological issues as well as osteoporosis. Most doctors don't even know that, they just think it gives you a stomach ache and that's it.

[nvsmom]

I didn't get sick every time I ate gluten before diagnosis, so I doubt I would feel it every time I got glutened (which is rare).  The last time I glutened myself it was repeatedly in small amounts (on french fries which label I did not read) over a few weeks.  I would eat a fry or two off my kids' plates.  I slowly felt ill over time until it became bad enough that I figured it out.  

 

Maybe you got lucky or maybe you need a larger amount in your system for your body to punish you for it.  Think or gluten like arsenic - a little won't kill you (just makes you a bit sick) but you'll be in big trouble if you eat a lot.

 

...And for the newbies out there, I am NOT saying it is okay to eat a little gluten once in a while, just that the small amount of gluten may not have created an obvious symptom.  Even if you aren't feeling it, the antibodies are still damaging your health.

 

Hope you stay well.

[SMRI]

You didn't actually swallow the crust that may or may not have had gluten in it.  10 seconds in your mouth, spitting it out and then brushing your teeth was probably good enough to not actually get gluten into your system to get it into your stomach to then move to your intestines where it could cause damage or a reaction.  I think you will be fine.

[rrmac]

I think you're freaking yourself out. You spit it out. I have anxiety, too, so I understand that we can go full on hypochondriac.. which is what I think you're doing. I think a lot of Celiac people freak themselves out, though. Sometimes, stomachs just get upset from other things, but everyone always assumes they got glutened. Just relax, and remind yourself that worrying about something doesn't actually help.. you'll probably make yourself sicker from worrying than the tiny spec of gluten will.

 

Also, I don't get sick at all from eating it.. I'm pretty asymptomatic, digestively. My symptoms have pretty much been mild neurological ones and vitamin deficiencies.

HI Solandra

Can you tell me about your Neuro side effects, I'm new here and there is so much to learn the more I read the more questions I have.

right now I have really bad sciatica  down my right leg and all my pain relivers contain gluten can't wait to get to target.

thanks Diane