Sensitivity

[sunblazed]

Hello

 

I was diagnosed Celiac (biopsy + blood) last Wednesday. Apologies if this has been raised before.

One question I have is with regards to what many posters call being 'glutened'..

I have been a silent sufferer of celiac I assume for a long time, since my symptoms  (nausea, loose pale stools, tiredness) only became chronic in th past few months.

Anyway, I cannot remember a time ever of feeling ill directly after eating any gluten products. My symptoms are chronic so whether I ate gluten or not was largely irrelevant.

Now, I have been gluten free only since Saturday and of course plan to stay that way, but one question that bugs me and which I'd like some opinions on is should I accidentally become glutened could I become ill or is this really something which affects all of us differently?

I did ask the gastro specialist the same question and he gave me a clear NO but it would set me back and cause probable intestinal damage again temporarily.

A bit of my concern around this comes due to the fact I am travelling to Cyprus in 3 weeks for a summer vacation which we booked months before all of this kicked off and we have an all inclusive arrangement so I will need to be extra vigilant for cross contamination etc.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

 

[ravenwoodglass]

You were no longer a silent celiac when you went for testing. Chances are good, IMHO, that if you get glutened those symptoms will return. Do be aware that symptoms can be delayed and it isn't always the last thing we ate that makes us ill. It could be something from as long as a few days before. 

Try and stay as safe as you can on your trip and perhaps take some Immodium with you just in case. That may at least help the D.

[cyclinglady]

I had no noticeable symptoms at the time of my diagnosis. I was in for a routine colonoscopy and during my GI consult my doctor said that he thought I had celiac disease based on my life-long anemia (I already had a genetic anemia). I was shocked! I had no tummy issues. Three months after my diagnosis, I was dealing with fractures due to osteoporosis (silent symptom of celiac disease). I also developed some intestinal issues because during the time between my blood test and endoscopy, I ate a loaf of sourdough daily! Along with everything gluteny thing possible (a fond farewell but I would not recommend doing that based on what I know now).

I had moderate to severe damage per my biopsy reports.

But...you do have that vacation coming up. It is up to you. By eating gluten free for the next three weeks, if you ingest gluten, you just might get a pretty severe reaction -- or not. Everyone is different. So, you might put off the gluten-free diet until after your vacation or follow the advice of your doctor and avoid gluten staring NOW! Print off gluten-free restaurant cards (available in most languages). It can be done!

Best wishes!

[sunblazed]

I had no noticeable symptoms at the time of my diagnosis. I was in for a routine colonoscopy and during my GI consult my doctor said that he thought I had celiac disease based on my life-long anemia (I already had a genetic anemia). I was shocked! I had no tummy issues. Three months after my diagnosis, I was dealing with fractures due to osteoporosis (silent symptom of celiac disease). I also developed some intestinal issues because during the time between my blood test and endoscopy, I ate a loaf of sourdough daily! Along with everything gluteny thing possible (a fond farewell but I would not recommend doing that based on what I know now).

I had moderate to severe damage per my biopsy reports.

But...you do have that vacation coming up. It is up to you. By eating gluten free for the next three weeks, if you ingest gluten, you just might get a pretty severe reaction -- or not. Everyone is different. So, you might put off the gluten-free diet until after your vacation or follow the advice of your doctor and avoid gluten staring NOW! Print off gluten-free restaurant cards (available in most languages). It can be done!

Best wishes!

Thanks! I started in fact Saturday and don't want to stop now. I'll just have to deal with it. I called the hotel in advance and they said they will let me speak with the chef on arrival. Their should be enough to choose from, I figured it's probably necessary to confront this head on. I cannot eat at home every day for the rest of my life.

[bartfull]

And do read the newbie 101 thread in the coping section so you will know how to avoid cross-contamination - AND be able to explain it to those chefs.

[nvsmom]

Bring some snacks along too.  Lara bars and the like are nice to have in your bag if you are out and about and miss a meal.

 

Everyone reacts differently.  Some silent celiacs keep their silent symptoms only, and they need to be EXTRA careful because their bodies won't tell them when they have been exposed.  Others find that the symptoms of being glutened become more noticeable once their state of chronic poor health is gone... It's hard to notice feeling sick when you are sick all of the time, right?  

 

have a great trip!