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What is y'all's reaction time when you eat gluten?

Zachm

By Zachm
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted

As for the past year or so, I have been diagnosed, by only a blood test (insurance problems for the past year because I cannot find rates for under $600 a month and I am a college student, but that's not what this is about) I am obviously still waiting to get a definitive answer from a colonoscopy. Anyways, last week I got super excited because I had seen Merci chocolate and did the stupidest thing. I did not check the label and ended up eating 4 or 5 bars (I'm a pig lol) I was all anxious about how hard it was going to hit me, but I went about 48 hours until I got diarrhea, but even then it wasn't as violent as it can be, and usually is. Does it normally take that long? I had always assumed it'd be a thing to happen within 12 hours. I mean, it wasn't a breadstick, but I wont even eat at a restaurant that serves gluten (I actually only eat at home) Thanks guys :)

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chocominties Rookie
chocominties
Posted

I would say that for me it can be 24-48 hours before I have a reaction, and its proportionate to the exposure.  (More exposure is a faster, more violent reaction.)   There needs to be time for the food to digest.

But you could also get diarrhea from eating too much of something that doesn't sit well (too fatty, too sugary, too much of something, etc.).  I sometimes get it just from drinking kombucha or eating a lot of vegetables.  The kombucha is usually within a few hours and the veggies accumulate over a week.  But obviously neither one is a source of gluten.  

 

flowerqueen Community Regular
flowerqueen
Posted

I agree with Chocominties, eating 4/5 bars of chocolate is enough to cause your symptoms, even if you don't have coeliac disease. 

One thing that puzzles me, why are you eating gluten free if you are still waiting for a colonoscopy? You need to be eating gluten a regular basis (daily) until after your colonoscopy because your body will not produce the antibodies when not exposed to gluten. 

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted

Depends on what kind and how I was exposed. I can get the initial tightening under the neck within 30seconds if I eat straight bread or inhale flour. Small cross contamination and mixed foods can take 30min to 2 hours before the gut pains and vomiting start. Mental fog and confusion can vary from the initial 20min mark to the next day depending on how much and how I was exposed. And the D always hits with straight exposure 8-24hours later. The hand and feet numbnesss can start within hours and last 1-2 weeks.........the timing is quite random but seems to be based on form, how it was blending, amount consumed, and if on empty stomach or full.

PS you should be consuming gluten daily for about 7 days before getting testing done. Small amounts (couple of wheat crackers, or piece of bread) should do fine, commonly refereed to as the gluten challenge.

plumbago Experienced
plumbago
Posted
10 hours ago, Zachm said:

s for the past year or so, I have been diagnosed, by only a blood test (insurance problems for the past year because I cannot find rates for under $600 a month and I am a college student, but that's not what this is about) I am obviously still waiting to get a definitive answer from a colonoscopy. Anyways, last week I got super excited because I had seen Merci chocolate and did the stupidest thing. I did not check the label and ended up eating 4 or 5 bars (I'm a pig lol) I was all anxious about how hard it was going to hit me, but I went about 48 hours until I got diarrhea, but even then it wasn't as violent as it can be, and usually is. Does it normally take that long? I had always assumed it'd be a thing to happen within 12 hours. I mean, it wasn't a breadstick, but I wont even eat at a restaurant that serves gluten (I actually only eat at home) Thanks guys

Hey,

Do you qualify for Medicaid?

Getting a definitive answer from a colonoscopy is news to me. Usually the gold standard for a diagnosis of Celiac is biopsy with an endoscopy.

As I understand it, Celiac is not the same thing as an allergy, meaning you may or may not expect a fast reaction to gluten. I would guess it varies by person. Further, it is possible that the quantity of gluten in what you ate is not that much. I can't really speak much about this, since 1) understanding the pathophysiology of D in celiac disease is still challenging for me; 2) the variability between people; and 3) I am still struggling to put my own story together when I eat gluten - it's hard. It was easier pre-diagnosis when I ate it every day. Those reaction often felt like a stomach bug, with warmth and flushing, and D. And then the left-sided pain. Short answer, there's probably no one answer, and it's complicated because it varies by person (their own unique state of the intestines), transit time (which varies by person) and other things probably as well.

Plumbago

Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
1 hour ago, plumbago said:

Hey,

Do you qualify for Medicaid?

Getting a definitive answer from a colonoscopy is news to me. Usually the gold standard for a diagnosis of Celiac is biopsy with an endoscopy.

As I understand it, Celiac is not the same thing as an allergy, meaning you may or may not expect a fast reaction to gluten. I would guess it varies by person. Further, it is possible that the quantity of gluten in what you ate is not that much. I can't really speak much about this, since 1) understanding the pathophysiology of D in celiac disease is still challenging for me; 2) the variability between people; and 3) I am still struggling to put my own story together when I eat gluten - it's hard. It was easier pre-diagnosis when I ate it every day. Those reaction often felt like a stomach bug, with warmth and flushing, and D. And then the left-sided pain. Short answer, there's probably no one answer, and it's complicated because it varies by person (their own unique state of the intestines), transit time (which varies by person) and other things probably as well.

Plumbago

The funny thing with me too is pre-diagnosis for me, when I ate EVERYTHING, my cramps werent so bad. It's weird. Sadly though, I got denied for medicaid. Thanks! 

Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
4 hours ago, flowerqueen said:

I agree with Chocominties, eating 4/5 bars of chocolate is enough to cause your symptoms, even if you don't have coeliac disease. 

One thing that puzzles me, why are you eating gluten free if you are still waiting for a colonoscopy? You need to be eating gluten a regular basis (daily) until after your colonoscopy because your body will not produce the antibodies when not exposed to gluten. 

My doctor told me to start eating gluten free after the blood test.

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plumbago Experienced
plumbago
Posted
3 hours ago, Zachm said:

My doctor told me to start eating gluten free after the blood test.

If you are going for an endoscopy (not a colonoscopy:) ) that was not good advice. You need to be continuing to eat gluten ahead of the endoscopy.

 

Edit to add: Sorry! I read your comment as "stop" instead of start. You should be eating gluten until after the scope and should've been eating it before during and after the blood tests.

Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
26 minutes ago, plumbago said:

If you are going for an endoscopy (not a colonoscopy:) ) that was not good advice. You need to be continuing to eat gluten ahead of the endoscopy.

 

Edit to add: Sorry! I read your comment as "stop" instead of start. You should be eating gluten until after the scope and should've been eating it before during and after the blood tests.

Hey, in his defense, he knew of my current insurance problem so I think he said to stop because the blood test gave him reason to think it was celiac and he knew I wouldnt be getting the tests in the near future. Thanks :)

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

HI Zachm,

Reaction times can vary quite a bit.  I used to have reactions within 30 minutes, but I am not sure how long it would take now.  I have not eaten gluten intentionally for years.  I think it would be an hour or so though.  My GI system is in much better shape and not as irritated all the time so it doesn't go haywire so fast.

You would want to get en endoscopy for celiac disease testing.  They insert and endoscope through the mouth and into the small intestine.  They should take 4 to 6 biopsy samples for microscopic testing.  At this point, you would need to do  a gluten challenge eating gluten every day for 2 weeks before the enodoscopy.

Open Original Shared Link

...

  • Prior to blood testing we recommend 12 weeks of eating gluten.
  • Prior to an endoscopic biopsy we recommend 2 weeks of eating gluten.

In the case of a severe reaction to gluten, a medical professional may opt to shorten the 12-week challenge and move immediately to an endoscopic biopsy. May, 2013

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