Delayed reaction

[RDB7918393]

I was diagnosed with Celiac about 10 months ago after having on and off morning stomach cramping and loose stool that only occurred like once a month. So I don’t get immediate reactions…more if build up reactions. I do my best to be gluten free but hard when on vacation and going to restaurants to fully trust cross contamination problems. I find that if I’m cross contaminated, I don’t get a reaction til about a week or two after. The reaction is stomach cramping morning only with flaky stool. Does anyone else have such a delayed reaction like a week or two after being glutened? Or should I go for more testing to see what’s going on.

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @RDB7918393!

For some folks, gluten reactions are delayed but I would not think symptoms delayed  of a week or more out would be due to a gluten reaction. Twenty four hours or so but not 7-14 days. I would suspect something else is going on.

Eating out is well-known to be the number one sabotaging activity of the gluten-free life style. 

[Scott Adams]

I agree with @trents, it's not typical for gluten exposure to cause symptoms as delayed as a week or two after ingestion. In most cases, reactions to gluten occur within hours to a few days, depending on individual sensitivity and how much gluten was consumed. The delayed symptoms you describe—stomach cramping in the mornings and flaky stool—might suggest that something else is contributing to your discomfort.

Cross-contamination is a common challenge, especially when dining out, and it's great that you're doing your best to stay gluten-free. However, the inconsistency of your symptoms and the long delay between exposure and reaction could warrant further investigation. It's possible that another gastrointestinal condition, such as IBS, a food intolerance, or a reaction to something else in your diet, might be contributing to your symptoms.

You might consider keeping a detailed food and symptom diary to identify potential patterns or triggers. Additionally, consulting your gastroenterologist could provide clarity. They may suggest testing to rule out other issues, such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), microscopic colitis, or other sensitivities. If you suspect cross-contamination is a significant issue, you could also ask for follow-up bloodwork (e.g., tTG-IgA) to check if your antibodies are elevated, which might indicate ongoing gluten exposure.