Glutening recovery time questions

[Arduaine]

Hi guys,

Hope your all good just looking for a bit of support and information..How long do you take to recover from a glutening through cc? 

been gluten free free for about 9 months awaiting a biopsy to confirm celiac. Have been recovering well so far but accidentally got glutened through cross contamination about 5 days ago. Brain fog and neurological symptoms have subsided but still having gi issues - mainly D and feeling pretty weak.

 

Just looking for some support that this will heal as when this happens I always have anxiety that I won't recover. 

 

I have been been eating whole foods, no dairy etc 

 

just want to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Fi 

 

xxx

[GFinDC]

Hi Arduaine,

Welcome to the forum!

Glutenings can cause different symptoms in people.  When you are new to the gluten-free diet and early in the recovery, they may cause more intense symptoms than later.  Most likely because your immune system is already in a heightened state of alert for gluten.  So symptoms can last for a variable amount of time, but 6 weeks to 3 months or more is a possibility.  It varies so much because our bodies are not all the same.  After a few years a minor glutening may cause different symptoms or shorter symptoms.  There is just no guarantee for how our bodies will react though, it is very individual.  Reactions at the beginning of the gluten-free diet can be stronger than we might expect.  Anxiety can be a symptom of vitamin deficiency which is also a problem with celiac disease.  B- vitamins are one possible culprit.

[cyclinglady]

There is light at the end of the tunnel.  Like GFinDC said, the recovery time after a gluten exposure can vary due to so many different variables.  I hope your recovery is fast!  ?

[pplewis3d]

After 3 years of being gluten-free, I am beginning to see less xcc and a shorter duration of symptoms after  gluten exposure. In the first year the DH outbreaks seemed nonstop (almost always on just one side for me!).  As I have became more educated and more vigilant, very, very gradually the severity of symptoms and duration are lessening. One thing that has made a difference for me is taking a high powered probiotic and a gluten enzyme after an accidental glutening. This was a suggestion that I read in the magazine "Gluten Free Living." I kind of blew it off when I first read it because I had never tried anything that made a difference. The next time I got glutened, I tried the advice with two products that I had samples of on hand (Probiotic VSL#3 and Glutenza). For me, there is a definite positive effect on the severity of the DH rash and the duration of the usual 2 weeks of flu-like symptoms. Since severity varies so much, I wanted to make sure the effect was valid for me before mentioning it on any of the forums. This was about a year ago and I make sure I always have these with me when I travel even though they have to be refrigerated. I am super sensitive and have not intentionally ingested gluten in over 3 years but have even had gluten symptoms without leaving my own gluten-free home! This is a very frustrating disease and trying to track done the "where and why" can be depressing. The good news for me is that my environmental allergies (pet dander especially) and frequent low blood sugar episodes have 90% disappeared with the gluten-free diet. Of all the maladies one can have in this world, I feel pretty blessed to have one that is managed with food choices. However, this time of year I do miss some of the holiday activities that revolve around gluten filled food but happy to have made it through Thanksgiving with out getting glutened! It sounds like you are on the right track.  Whole, non-processed foods as much as possible and elimination of dairy usually helps. This site is a wealth of information and wonderfully helpful people so just keep reading and experimenting to see what works for you. We all have same but different experiences!

[at1992]

Hi Arduaine! As you've been told, symptoms vary dramatically from person to person. I seem to have a slow-moving immune system - very delayed reactions and very long lasting symptoms. My symptoms flare at about 5-10 days post-ingestion and can last up to 2 months. It's just so different for each person! I do have NCGS and not classic Celiac, so that might make a difference. 

[Arduaine]

Thanks for all the replies everyone - its very useful to have the support, particularly as my gp today said 'a tiny but if gluten three times won't cause an upst stomach for weeks' 

 

I just wanted to print off the entire forum for him to read!!