Getting Glutened

[mandigirl1]

Once again fellow Celiacs, thank you for your concern and advice. It really makes me feel better to know there are nice people out there, experiencing the same thing as myself.

I'm finally feeling better now. Ive stayed in bed and rested. When I did have a BM, it wasnt diarrea. I was surprised because I thought that when someone has a stomach bug, or gluten, they'd definitely have diarrea with it. I guess thats not always the case.

The feeling I have after being glutened and/or having a stomach bug, is so painful. It feels like your stomach is lashing out at you and erupting like a volcano. LOL.

Seriously though, it feels like a purging! It feels like my stomach is violently and viciously vomiting!!!!! Its not just a normal BM like people with normal stomaches have.

And, furthermore, I have this BM, without even having any diarrea!!!!

PS. Not to gross anyone out here but, its the most horrible, vile odor, that if any plants were in my bathroom, they'd immediately be wilted and dead!!!! No living thing could survive the smell, no industrialized strength spray helps. My poor little puppy runs for cover when I go in.........actually, so does my fiance!!!! LOL

After BM, not right away, maybe a few hours later, I feel swollen, sore and ready to pass out and never look at food again. My stomach now feels like its been used as a punching bag in a gym. Then, I also develop weird cravings for sugar/junk food. Does anyone else have this?

And, one last telltale sign for me that its gluten and nothing else........my stomach is distended like Im 3 months pregnant. That, for me, was always a celiac disease symptom my whole life. So, I suspect I had a gluten attack, because my stomach was swollen. What does anyone else think?

[RBC]

Thanks for the feedback.

Its so hard to say when a gluten attack will come on. Usually for me, its anywhere between 24 hours and one week.

As a matter of fact, Im sick right now as I type this. I cant move out of bed, Im weak with body/muscle aches, exhaustion, excessive yawning, and a horrible queasy feeling in my stomach, with severe nausea, dizziness with a feeling like Im going to black out. My stomach is making noises and iI havent had any diarrea (yet), just some BM celiacish.

Now, heres my problem----Im not sure if this is a celiac reaction to something I ate last night and again for work this morning (I usually eat this gluten-free chicken cutlet parm with rice pasta....its prepared in a local diner which caters to Celiacs and has a nice gluten-free menu) Right after I ate it, today, I felt lousy, with above-mentioned symptoms. I am aslo a 4th grade teacher and surrounded by germs every minute of the day. I know theres a stomach virus going around, some teachers and students have had it in past weeks.

If you saw my original post, it was about this very topic. In a way I feel like its similar to the attack I had while away cuz I did eat questionable foods. But, with this, people are telling me it sounds more like a stomach bug.......HELP!!!!

BIG QUESTION HERE IS: HOW DO I KNOW IF ITS GLUTEN AND NOT A STOMACH VIRUS??????? CAN ANYONE HELP ME DISTINGUISH THE 2, SO I CAN AT LEAST KNOW WHAT I AM DEALING WITH???????? PLEASE IF ANYONE CAN SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS, OR OFFER REMEDIES, ID BE SOOOOO GRATEFUL. I HAVE TO GO TO WORK AT 6 AM AND IM NOT SURE IF I SHOULD BE GOING.......THIS FEELING IS SO BAD ALL I CAN DO IS STAY IN BED.

EVERYONE ON HERE HAS BEEN SO WONDERFUL AND KIND.

THANK YOU.......AND I EXTEND MY SYMPATHIES TO YOU AS WELL FOR HAVING GLUTEN ATTACKS!

[RBC]

Sorry, for the other post that simply copied a previous post...I am new at this. Anyway, I have had Celiac for about a year now and have seen numerous doctors who seem to disagree and agree with one another about whether or not I actually have Celiac. The final conclusion is that I do have it (blood test positive, biopsy positive, and DNA test positive), and I also have IBS. Therefore, there is not much that I can eat. I felt so much better after reading the numerous posts this morning, as I thought I was dying last night. My husband and I attended a Cinco de Mayo party where I had one margarita,(of which the bartender made from scratch and not from a pre-mixed bottle) and a few corn chips and cheese. My nutritionist told me that most liquors are ok and many people show no response from them. Being that I do not drink often, this is something that I really have not looked into as far as what is ok and what is not. Shortly after being home for a few hours, my heart began racing so violently that I was sure it would just kill me. My chest hurt, and my body ached all over. This morning the bowel movements proved that I had been glutened. Anyway, just wanted to say how comforting this was to read about similar experiences this morning and to know that I am not having a heart attack! Look forward to learning more from you guys.

[mandigirl1]

Based on what you described, it sounds like maybe the chips/cheese was contaminated.

As a "veteran" Celiac (living 7 years gluten-free), I am very, very careful when eating chips/cheese in a restaurant.

Question for you.....did you ask anyone in the kitchen if the chips were gluten-free???? You must ask the waiter/chef/preparer about the ingredients. If theyre not sure, dont risk it.....as the saying goes...."WHEN IN DOUBT DO WITHOUT". Most likely the chips/cheese are not gluten-free.

Maybe it was a combination of the achohol and chips????

I usually have Greygoose vodka, with a splash of cranberry juice, and Ive never, ever been sick. Theres a celiac disease list of allowed alcohols.....check out the celiac websites, I dont remember which one had it.

Hope youre feeling better!

[elye]

hey, mandigrl1,

Sorry I've taken so long to get back to this post!

Gravol is the brand name for dimenhydrinate, quite an amazing drug for nausea, particularly motion sickness. I've taken it in suppository form to stop the nausea/vomiting when I've had the flu, and it really works. It also whacks you out, so you will sleep. It's available over the counter, in adult and child dosages. Sidenote: I also take it before I fly, as I'm quite sensitive to turbulence. It really helps, and it zones me out a bit so I'm not as nervous while I'm up there...I hate flying!

[mandigirl1]

thanks! I think Ill try it.

Question,

do you or anyone else know about taking ginger in pill form to ease nausea? More specifically, one thats gluten-free?

[elye]

Yep, I've taken ginger (mind you, it was before my celiac was diagnosed so I'm not sure which brands are gluten-free) for nausea, particularly when I had morning sickness during pregnancy. It never worked very well for me, at least not nearly like the Gravol always has. I have heard many times that if you can manage to get some real ginger root down, raw is best, you can guarantee that nausea will dissipate. Not an easy thing to consume, though!...