Scrambled Eggs

[jackie4]

I am not sure that this goes in this section. My daughter has been gluten free since January except last week she ate two fries from a friendds lunch. She was out of school for two days. Since that we have been super careful and she was doing great until last night. I made her eggs for dinner which she has once a week. Two hours after that she had horrible stomach pains and woke up with them this morning. She is also due to get her period soon and everythng seems to get much worse at this time of the month. Is this normal and has anyone ever had a reaction to eggs? I just want her to go for a while without being in pain. Jackie4

[jerseyangel]

Jackie--Eggs can definately be a problem for some people. I am very sensitive (although not allergic) to them. About 4 hours after I eat eggs, I get the absolute worst nausea--and it will last for several hours. It's far worse than the nausea I get with a gluten reaction. I can handle say, an egg used as an ingredient in a recipe that makes multiple servings--the trouble happens when I eat them alone. Hope your daughter is feeling better

[cgilsing]

You mentioned that she was expecting her period....have you ruled out the possibility of endrometriosis? I had enrometriosis in H.S. and college and it causes sever cramps and abdominal pain. It can also cause D! In combination with celiac disease I used to have trouble distinguishing just what was was making me miserable at times. Endometriosis can present not only in your uterus and ovaries, but also in your intestines, and the walls of your body cavity. I'm not a doctor, so don't know for sure, but I know a lot of women on this board have had problems with endometriosis and I have wonered if the two are connected. If you think that could be the culprit she should really see someone about it. If not treated endometriosis is not only painful, but can cause perminate damage that can cause fertility problems. I hope you she feels better soon!

[GlutenFreeAl]

I have the same problem. I can handle eggs in say, muffins or cookies, but I absolutely cannot eat cooked eggs by themselves. I get intensely queasy...

It's a shame because I enjoy them and they're a good source of protein if (like me) your meat intake is very limited.

Has anybody tried Egg Beaters or the like? This may be a dumb question, I'm not even sure what they're made from. Are they real eggs? Do they bother you as much?

[jerseyangel]

I have read the label of Egg Beaters, and they say something like 99% real eggs...So, I have not tried them as I think I probably wouldn't do any better with them. I agree--I wish I could eat them. They are so versitile and would make a nice, quick meal. I hate my digestive system

[Guest cassidy]

If she usually eats eggs once a week and they don't bother her, I wouldn't think it is the eggs. I don't know if your entire house is gluten-free or not, but if it isn't I'm sure they are crumbs around. Is there anything else that she might have had? I would hate for you to think the reaction was caused by eggs when really there is some sort of cross contamination going on. I know I have gotten sick a few times and I can't figure out why.

[GlutenFreeAl]

Did you put cheese or anything different in the eggs?

Is it possible it's a reaction to dairy and not eggs?

[jerseyangel]

The thing is, sometimes the longer you are gluten-free, the more sensitive you become to things that you never thought bothered you. A good way to identify which foods may be causing a problem--go back to the basics, and add things in one at a time. It's a pain and takes time, but it works.

[kari]

i think there's also something to be said for the fact that everyone, even people who don't have celiac disease, gets sick sometimes. it seems like there are posts upon posts listing random foods asking if they caused a reaction - and every time i read one of them, i wonder if it's the food they are questioning at all? don't get me wrong at all, but i'm just offering up another possibility for advice - could it be a stomach bug? i'm guessing if your daughter lives at home with you and is old enough to have her period, she's probably in junior high or high school - schools are known to be the germiest places on earth. gluten reactions suck, and it's such a great relief to be able to know that gluten is the cause for the problems so many of us have had for so long - but that doesn't make us immune to all the other real life not feeling so good days that everybody has. i guess the important question is - if you make your daughter eggs every week for dinner, does she get sick every week after eating the egg dinner? if so, there's the problem. if not... it could be any number of a million things she may have eaten, or just an unrelated stomach ache which will pass. good luck!

also - you didn't specify that the fries were gluten-y fries, but it is my understanding that in general, fries do not contain gluten, since usually they are just fried potatoes - they may contain gluten if they are a frozen processed something or other that has gluten added for whatever reason, but that doesn't seem to be very common since most of the companies i have looked up have said that their fries are just potatoes, no gluten, and from restaurant working experience, i know that most places, (which is becoming increasingly common due to allergies, etc.) fry their fries in a separate fryolater than everything else, so they are not contaminated with meat, seafood, or flour. so if the fries are the only food in question, she probably has been gluten free since january.

also - was the pan you cooked the eggs in totally clean? i know my roomates sometimes prefer to wash pans by hand rather than put them in the dishwasher, because i'm always finding them with almost undetectable residue on them and rewashing them in the dishwasher. maybe something was left behind in the pan? or if you used butter, etc. as a non-stick, maybe there were crumbs in it?

[jackie4]

I never thought about the pan. I am not sure if I was the last one to use but now that I think about it it was drying on the counter so I guess it didn't go through the dishwsher. I will be more careful. I also think that I will just go gluten free in the whole house. I have gone through about 2 rolls of paper towels a day wipeing down the counters and the microwave.

The reason I think that the fries may have glutened her is because they were from the lunch room cafeteria and who knows how they are prepared.

I also question myself everytime she doesn't feel well. Could it be the celiac or is she just getting the stomach bug or the flu. I feel bad because I am constantly asking her how she feels and I know tht it must get annoying especially if you are 14. I will have to make an attempt to step back and let her tell me when she isn't feeling well.

I will also ask the doctor about the endometriosis. Sometimes it just seems so overwhelming. Thanks so much for the help and advice- it really, really helps to have somewhere to go with questions!

[Guest Robbin]

I agree about the endometriosis, even though she is young, it is a good idea to get her checked frequently. I was 17 when I first started having symptoms. Also, I bought some waffle-shaped fries that had wheat in them, so it is entirely possible. Sometimes the weirdest things have gluten. Just today, I was reading a can of split pea soup and it had wheat starch in it. Why?!! Take care & hope she gets straightened out soon.

[Guhlia]

Are you using a non-stick pan for her eggs? Even when run through the dishwasher it could take several washings to remove all the glutenous residue from a non-stick pan. I know it sounds far fetched, but that could be why she got sick. The same is true of any porous plastic like Rubbermade containers and plastic mixing bowls.

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

There are some foods that are naturally harder to digest than others. These foods can be particularly bothersome after being "glutenized".

Eggs are definitely one of them (fruits and raw veggies are another).

After being glutened, take it easy on her system -- Try rice, chicken soup, plain chicken, plenty of water and vitamins...

It helps me when I limit myself after being "glutened"...

[teankerbell]

I am not sure that this goes in this section. My daughter has been gluten free since January except last week she ate two fries from a friendds lunch. She was out of school for two days. Since that we have been super careful and she was doing great until last night. I made her eggs for dinner which she has once a week. Two hours after that she had horrible stomach pains and woke up with them this morning. She is also due to get her period soon and everythng seems to get much worse at this time of the month. Is this normal and has anyone ever had a reaction to eggs? I just want her to go for a while without being in pain. Jackie4

It is common for fries to have flour dusted on them so they don't stick together. She probably go sick on them. I have not had a reaction to eggs as long as there is no milk in them. I am casein intolerant (enzyme found in cow's milk, butter)

[tarnalberry]

Are you using a non-stick pan for her eggs? Even when run through the dishwasher it could take several washings to remove all the glutenous residue from a non-stick pan. I know it sounds far fetched, but that could be why she got sick. The same is true of any porous plastic like Rubbermade containers and plastic mixing bowls.

Eeek! Don't put non-stick pans through the dishwasher! Especially if you use a powdered detergent, but also because things can rub on the pan and scrape it too easily. It should be washed with a non-abrasive sponge, by hand, in the sink. If the non-stick pan was used for non-gluten-free stuff, and has scratches on it, don't use it for gluten-free food - it's not worth the bother. In generally, non-stick pans that have been scratched ought to be replaced. (Yes, this is why I baby the two non-stick cooking items I have, out of two dozen or so. Not to mention the face that non-non-stick stuff makes better food, so says the food-snob in me. :-P :-D)