Recovering From A Gluten Accident

[YankeeDB]

OK, I've been (theoretically) gluten-free for 3 months but on Easter I went to a buffet with some friends and something zapped me but good (I suspect the very delicious ham). I'm sure I've had gluten exposures before but they were mild compared to this! I've learned firsthand that after being gluten-free for a while, an accidental ingestion can be a nightmare. I had cramps and diarrhea like never before for about a day and a half.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to cope with this other than rest and strict gluten-free eating?

I did find that taking Advil helped with the cramping quite a bit.

[plantime]

Lots of water and tuning out the world. I always get a sore throat with mine, so I use throat lozenges. Waiting it out takes up to a week for me, but it is all I can do. Just lots of rest!

[jen-schall]

yes, lots of water (or specially made beverages to help replace electrolytes if you've been throwing up or going to the bathroom all day!) and rest up. things like gluten-free crackers (glutano makes some good ones) or pretzels (glutino, Ener-G) kind of help my nausea if I have them around to nibble - that, or gluten-free cereals like corn flakes, things that aren't sweet.

good luck!

[Guest aramgard]

Yes, I got zapped by a burger that was cooked on a grill where buns were cooked. Never again will I be so gullible as to assume that this was not possible. This was yesterday. This afternoon I am feeling much better. For me it takes about 24 hours and I feel much better, but it takes a couple of days to feel good. Such is the life of a Celiac. My husband took me out to lunch and regretted it after I became sick that evening. Ye Gads we need all need an intermediary to watch out for us, even after several years of gluten free.

Shirley

[shirlane]

I had the misfortune of being served the wrong meal at my nephew's bar mitzvah even after going over my dietary restrictions with them! I fortunately ate only four bites before they realized their mistake, but I was ill for two days. When I asked my celiac group what I should do if confronted with a similiar situation, they suggested eating bananas because the potassium helps if you've accidentally ingested gluten. Our leader also recommended papaya seed tablets for the same reason.

Shirlane

[cousinolive]

Hi,

I hope your feeling better. I recently had a series of gluten accidents, and have been sick for several weeks as a result. I am 59 years old and I think it takes a little longer to heal. I found the thing that helped the most was to eat a very mild diet. I had broth, bananas, sweet potatoes, and applesauce I also drank lots of water. My doctor also put me on L-Glutamine, which I think really helped. I couldn

[YankeeDB]

Thank you all for your input!

I had another setback last Friday night. INCREDIBLE lower back pain, cramps, and diarrhea. I tried to eat to alleviate the weak feeling but that was a mistake--I ended up vomiting as my body simply did not want to deal with food, no way, no how! The worst of it is, I don't know what caused it. I'm going to get back to keeping a strict food diary--I had been slacking off, tired of the discipline of writing everything down.

It seems each time this happens, it's worse than the last time. I mentioned this to my doctor but I don't think he believed me. I wonder if there's any research that supports the notion that after being gluten-free for a while, exposure results in a severe and painful reaction.

I'm tired today, but at least not in pain any more.

I wonder again if fasting would be of benefit....

I've been using L-glutamine for a while--can't tell if it helps or not.

[murda]

When I get sick from an accidental dose of gluten I am down for a few days. My doctor recommended that I get this stuff called VERATRUM ALBUM 30. I found it in my health food store. It's a vial of little tiny pills, it helps with the diarrhea, vomiting, and sweating (i get severe fevers). When I get sick I take a dose of these pills and it helps the symptoms go away quicker. Granted they are still there, this is not a cure all drug, but a I will live through this drug. My doctor made sure that I understood that just because this eases my pain some I still have the physical damage done.

I don't know if this will help, but it might be worth asking your doctors about.

Besides that I try to sleep and I usually eat some chicken soup that I keep frozen for occassions such as those.

MURDA

[Ashley462]

Hi, I'm new to the boards I am 14 years old and in the last 3 weeks I have discovered that I am gluten-intolerant. My mom and I have been learning more each day(sometimes learning the hard way ) But anyways, The other day we bought Soy cookies that were labeled WHEAT-FREE and I had 4 cookies within 2 days! My stomach has been slightly messed up! Yesterday I read the ingredients througoughly and it had Barley AND oats!!

I think when I eat prunes( which make you go to the bathroom) helps get gluten out of your system! Maybe you should try that sometime!

[murda]

Ashley462

Make sure that when you pick up food it says "gluten-free". I learned the hard way at first that wheat-free does not mean gluten-free.

Good luck with your learning. This site is the best for finding out answers to any questions you might have. I learn more and more everyday on this site, and after almost two years you would think I had it all figured out.

Everyday gets easier, and with time you have less accidents.

MURDA

[Ashley462]

THanks murda!

[starlight]

I am so glad to find this thread today. I am 57 and was a silent ( non symptomatic) celiac until last fall. A very wise nutritionist had me test for it and Lo and Behold, Celiac and caseine positive. Anyway, I have worked to get and stay on the diet and having been feeling pretty well, certainly better. The biggest difficulty for me is that now when I unintentionally get some gluten, I get really violently ill, and each oops is worse than the one before. It's like the more pure my system becomes, the more violently it reacts if exposed. I have great difficulty eating in any restaurant, and yesterday ate a half steak from Longhorn ( that was verified gluten free after long discussions with mangement and cooks, etc.). When I woke up this morning I knew I was in very big trouble. I have been in agony all day, can only lay down and rest, reminds me of a migraine, just want the world to go away. It began to ease up about an hour ago, good thing because I needed to get up and go to the bathroom and so did my dogs. I have found it very frightening to have such strong episodes when I had none when I was not diagnosed. However, where I take this lesson to is, Thank God someone recognized it and helped me to know it, Thank God I can eat wholly healthy foods and feel pretty great, Thank God I can learn from my lessons and become ever more vigilant in protecting myself. I am so grateful for all of your voices. I have been reading for several months and it is so supportive to listen to others walking the same road. Each of you/us sends out many gifts to others in our posts. Stay well and care for yourself.

Starlight

[Guest aramgard]

Starlight, I am nearly 70 years old and discovered I had Celiac 3 years ago after a lifetime of problems. At first my gluten accidents were terrible. Now, they last about 2-3 days, at least with the intestinal part. Unfortunatley, I also have dermatitis herpetiformis and it takes about 3-4 days to develop. Then that part takes about 5-6 days to subside. The good news is, the accidents are now beginning to subside faster. Even the dermatitis subsides faster than before and now it subsides with only an over the counter 1% coritizone ointment instead of a steroid shot or internal steroids (which I can no longer tolerate). I think this will all get better for you, just be patient. I agree, eating out really presents a problem. Right now I only eat at El Pollo Loco, Outback and In and out and not that often. I really hate it when I have a gluten accident. I hope you can learn to adjust. It really seems to take a long time and a lot of patience. Good Luck, Shirley