Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    GliadinX

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
    GliadinX

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

First time EVER accidentally eating gluten

MrsPeterson17

Recommended Posts

MrsPeterson17 Rookie
MrsPeterson17
Posted

Hello!

This is only my second post on this forum. My first post was introducing myself as I am a "newbie" because I was just diagnosed celiac a few weeks ago.

Last night was the very first time since transitioning into a gluten-free diet that I chose to eat out at a restaurant with my family. I had major anxiety about getting sick, but ordered a salad off of a gluten-free menu and a gluten-free dressing to go with it. I thoroughly enjoyed having something different for the first time in a couple months!

But later last night  I could NOT sleep because I was itching terribly all over my legs and arms. I have eczema outbreaks that occur as a result of eating gluten, which was what lead my doctor into testing me for it in the first place. This morning I woke up with eczema all over, and I was nauseated with vomiting and very intense stomach pain. I am absolutely exhausted. I feel like i'm hungover. That's the only way I can think of to describe this. I have only eaten a couple grapes and a few sips of water because I am too nauseated. Should I be contacting my doctor at this point? Or is this normal, and it will pass?

I have read about cross contamination being a possibility. But I have never experienced that yet since this is so new for me. I'm thinking maybe that's what happened?? If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know. 

I was finally feeling so good! This setback has me worried. Hopefully this is all normal, and I can get back to feeling great again soon. For those of you that are more experienced, how long does this usually last? Are there any vitamins, foods, or other resources that will help ease the discomfort?

Thanks for your help!

-Makenzee

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
NutHouse! Granola Co.
Tierra Farm

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):
GliadinX

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

So sorry to hear that you were most likely glutened.  Unfortunately, there is not much you can do, but ride it out.  Rest, stay hydrated,  and consider comfort foods that are easy to digest.   Remember celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder.  An exposure to gluten can cause an AI flare-up that can last a few days, weeks, or months!  Yikes!  

I recommend reading our Newbie 101 thread pinned at the top of the Coping section of the forum.   Next, do not eat out until you have mastered  the diet.   There is a huge learning curve and you are going to make mistakes.  Best for you to make them and not a restaurant.  Each time you eat out it is like playing Russia  Roulette.  When you are feeling better, find sites like "Find Me Gluten Free" and read reviews written by celiacs.  Just because the restaurant offers gluten free does not mean you will be safe.  The only restaurants that I can let my guard down completely are 100% gluten free.  Want to hang with family?   Eat before you go, stash snacks in your purse and just order a drink.  You stay safe and the family gets to eat out.  

I hope you recover fast!  Everyone heals differently.  Many celiacs actually have symptoms that become more severe after a glutening while others do not get sick at all.    This is a crazy disease!

 

 

MrsPeterson17 Rookie
MrsPeterson17
Posted
  • Author
1 hour ago, cyclinglady said:

So sorry to hear that you were most likely glutened.  Unfortunately, there is not much you can do, but ride it out.  Rest, stay hydrated,  and consider comfort foods that are easy to digest.   Remember celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder.  An exposure to gluten can cause an AI flare-up that can last a few days, weeks, or months!  Yikes!  

I recommend reading our Newbie 101 thread pinned at the top of the Coping section of the forum.   Next, do not eat out until you have mastered  the diet.   There is a huge learning curve and you are going to make mistakes.  Best for you to make them and not a restaurant.  Each time you eat out it is like playing Russia  Roulette.  When you are feeling better, find sites like "Find Me Gluten Free" and read reviews written by celiacs.  Just because the restaurant offers gluten free does not mean you will be safe.  The only restaurants that I can let my guard down completely are 100% gluten free.  Want to hang with family?   Eat before you go, stash snacks in your purse and just order a drink.  You stay safe and the family gets to eat out.  

I hope you recover fast!  Everyone heals differently.  Many celiacs actually have symptoms that become more severe after a glutening while others do not get sick at all.    This is a crazy disease!

 

 

Thank you for the advice! I am so shocked at how awful this feels... definitely almost worse than before I was diagnosed. Hopefully this only lasts a few days... not months!

I'll read through the Newbie 101 thread for sure. I learned a huge lesson that I cannot be eating out until this diet is completely mastered. I don't think I'll feel comfortable eating out for a while after this experience. It will definitely be worth eating before social situations, and not having these awful side effects afterwards. That's an adjustment I will have to be making and getting used to.

Thanks again for taking the time to offer some advice. This disease is crazier and crazier the more I am learning! 

Jmg Mentor
Jmg
Posted

I'm sorry this has happened the first time you've gone out :( It is a shock once you've been off gluten for awhile and find yourself reacting much more to what was probably a tiny amount than you ever seemed to before you went on the diet... Hopefully you can take some consolation in that at least now you know the cause and what to do and because of that you should soon be feeling better. 

1 hour ago, MrsPeterson17 said:

This disease is crazier and crazier the more I am learning! 

The first few weeks are difficult but it will get better! Both in your own knowledge and your confidence in speaking to restaurant staff, knowing the right questions to ask, finding places that understand the requirements of the diet. 

When I order a salad nowadays I ask for something very simple and instead of trusting their dressing I ask for it to be served plain with a small jar of olive oil alongside to pour over myself, if they have cider vinegar so much the better.

That way I can physically see the salad and as its very simple, usually just a green salad, also reduce the chances of them finding an existing one and picking croutons off it.  I make sure I speak to the waiter and also the maitre d if there is one and if I feel uncertain I'll ask again for reassurance. On my first trip abroad after the diet change I've actually had a chef pop out into the restaurant and assure me that it was safe! He was very nice about it!

Hope you're soon feeling better :)

 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
    Food for Life


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      129,913
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Hummer01
    Newest Member
    Hummer01
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
    Lakefront Brewery

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
    GliadinX


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
    Lakefront Brewery


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Waiting on biopsy after positive bloodwork, but also not really believing this is real

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Alibu, Migraines ran in my family as well.  Correcting my Thiamine insufficiency made a dramatic improvement in frequency and duration.   If you take Thiamine, B12 and B6 together, they have analgesic (pain relieving) properties.  Taking thiamine every day has cut down on their occurrence and severity for me.   Take Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine or TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide).  These forms get into the brain easily.  Magnesium Threonate gets into the brain easily, too, and helps thiamine work.  My gave a sigh of relief when I first took it, and no migraines. Yes, lowering histamine levels helps one feel better, too.  Vitamin C and B12 help reduce histamine.  A low histamine diet can help, too.  DAO supplements lower histamine, as well.  DOA is a digestive enzyme we can run short on.  
    • knitty kitty
      Refractory Celiac disease - what to do

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @ehb   Great you're going to start the AIP diet!  I know it's scary and stressful, but you'll soon start feeling better.  It's a challenge, but you can make it.  Do ask for a Erythrocyte Transketolace test which tests for Thiamine level.   I hope your Vitamin D level is between 70 and 100 nmol/L.  In this optimal range, Vitamin D can act like a hormone and regulate the immune system.  Vitamin D 3 is the form that the body can utilize well.  I was prescribed the synthetic firm D2 and my body didn't like it.  I know getting my Vitamin D up in the eighties made a world of difference to me.  My depression improved and I felt so much better at higher levels.   I prefer Life Extension brand for many vitamins.  The important thing is to read the label and watch out for fillers like rice flour.  This may help. Keep us posted on your progress!  
    • ehb
      Refractory Celiac disease - what to do

      By ehb · Posted

      @knitty kitty I have an appointment to go over the results tomorrow. Vitamin D was in the normal range. I’ve decided to start the gluten contamination elimination diet, while avoiding nightshades as recommended by the AIP. I am still hoping to get support from a nutritionist or advice from the doctor about supplements to make sure I’m getting enough nutrients. I’m still having a hard time sorting through all of the different brands and possible combinations
    • cristiana
      confirmed via biopsy, quite depressed

      By cristiana · Posted

      We've definitely all had such thoughts.  But as Scott says, it does get easier with time.  I'm not sure where you are posting from but in England where I live, over the last ten years or so most things I missed at first now have gluten free substitutes.   I still miss Twix bars, and chocolate Penguins (a type of biscuit) but I'm hoping sooner or later someone will create a decent substitute for them! One thing that I remember my husband said to me when I was feeling down one day  was: "Why don't you try to think of all the things you can still eat, rather than the things you can't?"  The list is long, and it did help - sort of!  
    • Scott Adams
      Quaker Instant Grits, gluten-free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It looks like they are naturally gluten-free, but not labeled gluten-free. https://www.quakeroats.com/products/hot-cereals/grits/instant-grits-plain
×
×
  • Create New...