Celiac and emergency room visits

[RoxPet]

Hello- I was DX Celiac 2 years ago.  Last week I had a terrible accident, broke ankle and had to be taken to emergency. I was pumped full of drugs mostly Versed and Fentanal  via IV. After the usual couple days of constipation following these sort of drugs I began having GLUTENED intestinal issues.  I've had non stop bathroom runs for 2 days now and everything about it feels like I've been seriously glutened.  I've done some research but found no conclusive answers.  Did any of those things stir up my Celiac disease and cause me to have an autoimmune response? Has anyone had any similar experiences they can share with me?  This is my first post.  Thank you

[Ennis-TX]

Hospitals and the ER....will normally ignore your dietary requirements with celiac. If they gave you so called gluten-free food...it had gluten. You have to have your own brought in or ask for plain whole foods. I wear medical dog tags with emergency contact info, allergies, blood type, and medical info on them. And my emergency contacts have been told where I keep emergency room stashes...IE Julian Protein Bar, MRM meal shakes to take up there if I get stuck in the hospital.

[Victoria1234]

Your first post stated that it took you 7 days of continuously eating gluten to get symptoms. So maybe it's not related to gluten at the hospital at all? Maybe you picked up an illness from the hospital?

if I hadn't read your first post I'd say that the hospital food probably glutened you. Imho they don't do a great job at following dietary restrictions. Which may have still happened, and your symptoms kicked in faster this time.

fyi any gluten exposure, even a crumb, kicks in the autoimmune response for celiac.

[PinkyGurl]

Nothing the MDs give you via IV contains gluten.  Gluten is found in oral drugs because it's a binding agent or filler.  Since IV meds are liquid they don't need bindings agents.  So the versed and fentanyl yo received are not the issue. 

[ravenwoodglass]

If this continues for more than another day or so get to your doctor. Go now if you are showing signs of dehydration. Hospitals are full of nasty bacteria and viruses you need to make sure that you haven't picked up something.

I hope this resolves for you soon.

[RoxPet]

Thank you Victoria for reading my other post about getting sick a week after ingesting gluten. I've worked backwards in what I ate prior to the emergency stint and it occurred to me a few minutes ago that it's possible I got cross contaminated at Boston Market the night before. I didn't eat anything at the hospital I was wondering if they used gluten in IV meds.  The timing would be very accurate if that's the case.  Thanks everyone for your responses. 

[Victoria1234]

21 minutes ago, RoxPet said:

Thank you Victoria for reading my other post about getting sick a week after ingesting gluten. I've worked backwards in what I ate prior to the emergency stint and it occurred to me a few minutes ago that it's possible I got cross contaminated at Boston Market the night before. I didn't eat anything at the hospital I was wondering if they used gluten in IV meds.  The timing would be very accurate if that's the case.  Thanks everyone for your responses. 

Oh my, I tried something that was supposed to be ok from Boston market over a year ago, and it made me very, very ill. Just thinking about them makes me feel icky!

Happy to have helped you. It's really nice to have such a great community here to look at problems from all angles.

but you still might have picked up an illness from the hospital, so keep an eye on your symptoms.

[gilligan]

7 hours ago, Ennis_TX said:

Hospitals and the ER....will normally ignore your dietary requirements with celiac. If they gave you so called gluten-free food...it had gluten. You have to have your own brought in or ask for plain whole foods. I wear medical dog tags with emergency contact info, allergies, blood type, and medical info on them. And my emergency contacts have been told where I keep emergency room stashes...IE Julian Protein Bar, MRM meal shakes to take up there if I get stuck in the hospital.

It's unfair to make such a general statement about ER's and hospitals.  Unfortunately, I've been to the ER several times and hospitalized three times in the past few years.  The staff took me seriously when I told them I had celiac.  Popsicles and drinks were checked for gluten, and a good laugh took place when a nurse came in to remove the cheesecake that was brought to me when the staff found out it was our anniversary. Dietary services were called and Lucy's gluten free cookies were given to me instead. Once admitted to the hospital, a dietician was sent to my room to discuss meals and she checked back with me a couple of times.  The only mistake made was the dairy free protein shakes that were delivered daily and left untouched.  When dietary called my room to ask why I wasn't drinking them, my husband had to inform them to read the label as it was clearly labeled containing milk products.  

[Celiac4762]

Yes^, usually if you tell them about celiac, they know. Almost all nurses know what celiac is. If not, tell them what you can and can't consume. There is no such thing as gluten in IV. They always have fruits and juices at hospitals, you can ask for those. Staff in an ER, will always be very kind and helpful, as long as you are kind and respectful to them. I've noticed nurses are just about the best people in the world if you let them know how serious you are about something. As for medications, ask the physician or doctor what the medication is. See if it's diluted with anything. If either of you are unsure, look up the medication online before you take it. You can almost always find an answer. Besides, nowadays it's extremely rare to find gluten in prescribed medication because of how strict pharmaceutical companies have become on allergies and intolerances.