formally*, masks*

hey all thank you for your responses. RMJ: Yes I am going to go and buy some N95 masks for work, and I think my employer will reimburse me. I can't re-use them for the maximum 5 reuses unfortunately because I am very sensitive and when I get home I have to wash all my clothes and immediately take a shower. Thank you for your suggestion! Russ H: I have never been formerly diagnosed, and I completely understand the possibility of this being a mild viral infection. I went to get tested for Influenza/COVID and both came back negative, my Primary Care Manager told me it could be a cold. That is always a possibility, however, I have been glutened at restaurants before (5 known exposures within the last 7 years) and the way in which my body gets sick, I can kind of tell them apart from one another if that makes sense. For instance, being gluten-sick for some can be described as flu-like symptoms, and when I get sick with gluten it comes on slower than when I have the flu or COVID. Typically starts out with headache, brain fog, and since I believe I ingested it working with flour (airborne) postnasal drip was one of the first to come along after my exposure as well. Another thing is that I have not quite had a fever but elevated temp (99 Fahrenheit) which is typical for me when I get ill with gluten exposure, followed by aches, sore body, stomach Hell, etc. This is the first time I have ever dealt with it in an airborne setting, but the onset of symptoms are all familiar. I think it is also possible that I am more susceptible to a cold now having been exposed to gluten. I don't have/can't afford private insurance currently and the agency I get my healthcare from works in dubious ways to prevent themselves from having to provide disability payments to veterans, as Celiacs/NCGS is a service connected disability. Everything for the state. Thank you for your comment, it has not fallen on deaf ears. I wanted to thank you all for your concern and time in writing to me; I'm trying to make sense of this because I like this job a lot (very short commute too) and I don't want to quit but constantly exposing myself to gluten is making me more ill, and damaging my immune system. I am still sick writing this. Plan moving forward: I am going to see how the N95 mask work for me, and I will be looking for a job that does not involve handling or being exposed to gluten in the workplace. I truly didn't think this job would be an issue since I was not eating any of the gluten. Thanks again all! I'm happy that I found this forum.

Sorry but I have to dash for an appointment so little time just now. Your signs and symptoms and response to a gluten-free diet sound like seronegative coeliac disease. Seronegative coeliac disease, Coeliac UK.

Both the doctor and I are baffled by my test results. Wondering if anyone could shed some light on this situation! I've had celiac-like GI symptoms for years. I have a family history of celiac (great-grandma), Addison's (mom), and every other autoimmune disease you can think of with my aunts and cousins. I myself have hashimotos. Because of the strong family history of autoimmune disease my doctor ordered the full celiac panel of blood tests - all of which came back negative! (I was not gluten free fyi.) So the doctor did an endoscopy and took biopsies. Biopsies showed "villous blunting and lymphocytes greater than 30". Because it was indicative of "weak celiac disease" they sent me to get a genetic test. The test came back saying I'm only positive for HLA DQ A1*05 (half of the HLA DQ2 haplotype). The doctor said I could try going gluten free if I want to, but it likely isn't celiac disease. I have been gluten free for a month now and I feel like a new person! I've been suffering for so long and I feel amazing! No more diarrhea, stomach aches, reflux etc! My symptoms had been extremely severe and they are almost completely gone. I'm so thankful but... I'm so confused! Celiac? The doctor says it's probably NCGS but I keep reading that the first criteria for that diagnosis is a negative biopsy and mine very much showed damage. 

ohmichael, do you know that you've reacted to gluten? We all get ups and downs in health - a mild viral infection one week and maybe an unset stomach another time. It is easy to ascribe the symptoms to gluten exposure even when that is not the cause of the symptoms. I would wait and see if it happens again before giving up your job, especially if you don't have another one to go to.