Toaster oven >>> Weeping on the floor

[mykalis]

Here is my morning:  My roommate toasts a bagel (which is now a gluten free bagel, but in a toaster that hasn't always been) , I twinge a little at the smell but am fine.  Two hours later, I notice my skincrawling/arthritic sensations that I get in my arms, 30 minutes later I am annoyed that my bag is too heavy and that my cell phone is not charged- bam! trigger:  I smash my bag on the ground, and begin The Weeping.  Big giant weeping, like a woman who has just found out that her only son has been killed.  5 minutes later- I am complete, I clean up the mess I made, and head to work, perfectly fine.

It ALWAYS happens like this:  smell of bakery/toaster oven/conversing with someone eating a bagel,  then 2-3 hours later I get the creepycrawlies  in my arms and/or the really intense weeping fit with no reason.  IF I have the chance to weep fully (it's actually helpful to have a trigger event), it clears in a few minutes and I am suddenly even free of the brain fog I hadn't even noticed before.   if I don't weep fully, and IF I can hold it back (like when I have to work)  I will wrestle with it uncomfortably for hours until I do.  But I Don't Always smash my bag on the ground....that's why I am writing today....I've gotten mad, physically a few times, but not often- But It's happened twice in the last few weeks.   I'm also travelling soon...I am going to be exposed to lots of things....I won't have the safety of roommates and co-workers who have gotten used to my "episodes".   A nurse in the past suggested benadryl because of its mild muscle relaxants, and I am so grateful!  It helps with the arm stuff. (I have to type and all that at work so it has made my job in less jeopardy and reduced the added stress of my hand shaking when I give someone's card back, that's already enough to make one want to cry),   But it doesn't prevent the weeping.....anyone have any emergency tips?

My history:  Depression for a very long time, discovered going gluten free about 5 years ago, it helped pull me back from chronic depression and suicidal thoughts.  Went through SIBO diet, and got even better,  been strict at gluten free for last two years.    Ever since the SIBO diet, my gut issues are fairly negligible ( I used to experience extreme bloating)  My gluten sensitivity manifests itself through emotion and the creepy crawlies only (which includes a sensitivity to touch, I can sometimes know that I have been glutened even before the emotions set in, by observing my reactions to my partners touch).  

In the last year I have been noticing this smell phenomenon, that seems distinct, and because of it's intensity and brevity, really noticeable.   I can't sit in coffee shops anymore, I avoid group gatherings because someone might have just eaten a bagel, I can't go into the grocery store because of the bakery, ----I will start to get emotionally jagged, arms hurting,  until Bam! the weeping kicks in.  I don't know if I am getting more sensitive to gluten, or if it's just more noticable because I am no longer in constant mood disfunction.

Does anyone have any tips for people with largely neurological symptoms?

Does anyone have any tips for what to take if I smell that smell?

[GFinDC]

Hi Mykalis,

Welcome to the forum!

I suggest getting your vitamin and mineral levels tested in case you have a deficiency in something.  Then you can supplement that item or eat more foods that contain it.

Another thing that comes to mind is your symptoms sound a little like an epilepsy attack?  Maybe a test for epilepsy could show something.

I hope you figure it out soon! 

[Ennis-TX]

I have no clue of the cause, if actual gluten symptoms, withdrawal, or a form of gluten ataxia like what I get. But I found supplementing was a HUGE help. Also look at foods to increase serotonin levels and melatonin levels. I go to pumpkin seeds and pumpkin protein often and cocoa nibs help GREATLY. Many issues are related to nutrient deficiencies. Look into Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin D as some of the huge issues. And yeas these can effect the mood hugely. I might suggest a ketogenic or low carb diet, in extreme cases also for managing feeling of well being, bloat, gut, sugar, and mood. My life improved tremendously doing so.
I take Liquid Health Stress and Energy and Liquid Health Neurological support 1 tbsp each 3 times a day for B-vitamins to help with stress and mood, I also take a rotation of either Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium Citrate or Doctors Best Magnesium Glycinate. They effect the body and mood differently so  I rotate by what I need.

[knitty kitty]

Hi!  I understand.  I reacted that way to the bakery aisle, seafood restaurants (crustacean allergy), and anything dairy (wicked allergy).

I had lots of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, so I encourage you to get your nutritional status tested.  

I find calcium supplements and Passion Flower extract helps tremendously for sudden attacks. 

Calcium is very calming.  It's one of the minerals Celiacs are often low in especially if they've had to eliminate dairy from their diets. 

Passion Flower has been used as a natural treatment for insomnia, depression, and anxiety.  I use the extract so it will be absorbed quickly.  

Deficiencies in certain B vitamins, thiamine, niacin, and B 12, and vitamin D can cause...altered thinking, inability to control emotions, and skin sensation changes.  It can get pretty scary when deficient in B vitamins because they are vital to brain cell function.  B vitamin deficiencies can cause madness.  I know.  The methylation forms of the B vitamins are most easily utilized by the brain.  The B vitamins need to be replenished every day because the body can't store them long.  They all work together, so they need to be taken all together.  

I encourage you to get checked for deficiencies.  Celiac Disease causes malabsorption which results in malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies.  

Oh, crying releases natural endorphins (feel good chemicals) in the brain, sort of like an emergency sprinkler system, so go ahead and cry.  

Hope this helps!

Knitty Kitty

 

 

 

[mcbphd1]

Ditto the ketogenic diet recommendation.  My husband, who does not have celiac disease, was having odd mood swings and anxiety after his heart attack.  The keto diet has made him a different person.  Actually, it has returned him to his "old" self!

 

[lyfan]

I know how hard it can be to pin down root causes. It took me several years before the light bulb went off and "Celiac!" lit up, and there were a lot of misleading steps in between.

But really, objectively? Any gluten or other "flour" products in a toaster should be routinely combusting and turning into charcoal in a short time. The crumbs always get burnt up, and then they are NOT GLUTEN. If you really think your symptoms are being caused by gluten residue in the toaster, and you can't either a) figure out how to clean it (unplug first) or  figure out how to burn it all out or c)buy a cheap new toaster for some double-blind testing...then the problem has nothing to do with a real gluten reaction. Which could be verified by blood tests or other objective testing. (You could have a doctor take the blood samples for serological testing, after you used a toaster brought to their office.)

Yes, it can be that simple. Whatever the cause of the problem is, and since you are getting "sick" you are having a real problem, you need to go at it objectively, not randomly asking the internet what might have any causal connection.

Even a placebo effect is documented to have physical results in 1/3 of the cases. That's real results, from...nothing.