Glutening Symptoms

[slpinsd]

OK- I've been gluten-free for about 9 months now. I have made remarkable improvement in digestion and found that I can now handle dairy and many other things I previously reacted to. But sometimes, when I am doing really well- I go into denial- due to the neg. blood and biopsy- I wonder if this whole thing is all a big fluke and if it was something else causing my symptoms originally- like Candida, bacterial overgrowth- that has healed and I really CAN tolerate gluten.

I know you're all going to scream at me, but I was at a bridal shower the other day and managed to not eat hardly anything, because all the food was wheat based (can you say Chinese food?) But there were these tantillizing cupcakes and I thought, well- this could be an experiment to give me confirmation- so I ate a cupcake. It wasn't so bad. Some rumbles here and there but is was soon over. So then I got on this gluten binge. And I thought, I'd already ruined it today, so I would eat some more and see what happens. So on my way home I ate a gyro, and then 3 wheat-laden chocolate chip cookies. I got gut rumbles, some gas, and belching. Then I got the all-familiar stomach ache- like something is poking me inside- below the belly. A dull, pressureful constant pain that kind of feels like hunger, but I just ate. So it's confirmed for me again- I am gluten intolerant- I won't do it again.

That was 5 days ago. My question is- now when I eat anything (things that are Gluten-Free), I am getting the same symptoms. Last night, I ate some Pamela's Brownies that I made from a mix and I got a strong reaction- immediate rumbling, and stomach poking that I began to think I was glutened from them. These past few days, I react to ice cream again. My question is- what is actually happening that makes you react to everything you eat after getting glutened? Does the gluten have to be damaging your intestines? Or is the gluten just inflaming your gut which takes awhile to calm down? Can you get a leaky gut again that quickly after it has healed? For instance- my "lactose intolerance" appears to have vanished- (which leads me to believe my villi WERE previously damaged-but healed) but seemed to come back after one bad glutening. How long do your glutening symptoms last?

[celiacgirls]

I was recently glutened from cc at PF Chang's and noticed my stomach hurt after eating for a few days. It took me about 10 days to feel normal again. I'm as sure as I can be that everything else I ate was gluten-free. I'm thinking it just takes that long to get over it for me.

[eleep]

I suspect it's the gut inflammation -- it takes a while for things to calm down. My reactions seem to be delayed by a day or two in any case and they don't "calm" very rapidly -- the GI issues kind of clear up a bit with a does of Immodium, but it takes a couple of weeks for me to feel right again -- and the GI stuff will flare up again on and off -- I think this happens when I don't baby myself in the recovery phase and let myself go ahead and have that cup of coffee, glass of wine or something else that's going to irritate my stomach somewhat. Also, if you think in terms of the autoimmune response, the immune system doesn't just shut itself off automatically -- so it takes a while for your body to get back in balance.

[tarnalberry]

Takes me a full week to recover, and I'll have intestinal pain, on and off, that whole time.

[Budew]

I don't usually react to gluten but follow the diet very strictly. Like you I tested it. I ate vegetarian chicken nuggets. Gluten is the meat substitute. I miss those products. It is the only reaction I ever had and it lasted for days. I could not even drink water for a couple days afterward without being sick.

Mom's has had celiac disease for 50 years. I ask her what each exposer does. She thinks it is like picking a scab. Every exposer delays healing.

[kbtoyssni]

Well I guess you don't have to wonder if gluten is an issue now! I hope you feel better soon. It usually takes me two weeks to feel better after a glutening. During those two weeks everything upsets my stomach, and it looks like that's happening to you, too.