Does This Sound Like A Gluten Reaction?

[ryebaby0]

It happened again -- my 10 yr. old celiac ate something, and 10 minutes later, threw up. Has felt just fine ever since. He's also allergic to eggs and I wonder if he's developed some food allergy we don't know about. The food he ate right beforehand was a gluten-free brownie with pecans -- had one last night with no reaction.

Anyhow -- when you get glutenated, what happens? I expected him to get lower GI symptoms. I KNOW he is eating gluten-free, but of course that never rules out contamination (God help me when he returns to school....). And I really do know he's gluten-free -- he doesn't eat enough that it's hard to keep track. Today he had gluten-free blueberry pie, soy milk, a gluten-free grilled cheese, apples, and the evil brownie....

Thanks for the input. I'm so depressed with this one-step forward, two steps back feeling.....

joanna

(mom to a celiac/autoimmune enteropathy/immunosuppressed son)

[gf4life]

Joanna,

It could have been the brownie, but it also could have been something else he ate in the last 24-48 hours also. Not every person reacts immediately. It may have seemed to be the brownie, since that was the last thing he had, but look at his diet for the last few days also.

If you still think it was the brownie, was it homemade, store bought, or a box mix? If it was homemade from scratch then it probably was not contaminated. If it was a box mix or store bought-already prepared then there is a higher risk of contamination. Since he had a brownie last night without a problem I would first look at everything else. Like the soymilk. I assume it is a gluten-free brand, since you are a very consciencious mother and check those things, but does he normally drink the soy milk? Some people cannot tolerate soy and it can cause an upset stomach.

God bless,

Mariann

[judy04]

Hi,

What about the pecan in the brownie? Has he ever reacted to nuts

in the past?

[ryebaby0]

Thanks for the input. He has been on an extremely strict elimination diet and I'm confident it isn't the soy milk (Silk) but it did occur to me that maybe he's developed a nut allergy. I made the brownies myself from the gluten-free pantry mix, with his gluten-free dishes/implements. He had been RAST tested previously but i know some doctors/people don't find the results to be conclusive in all cases, and my son has a fairly seriously malfunctioning immune system so it tends to throw false results on occasion. He also drinks almond breeze and maybe yesterday --if he is intolerant of tree nuts -- he crossed a limit for his body. Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure would be to feed him some nuts or get another round of bloodwork done. I think maybe we'll just watch and wait. (In the hospital, they kept feeding him scrambled eggs, only to discover during testing that he's allergic to them! Which we figured out the day he threw up his ng tube!)

He's perfectly fine today -- although he has those dark circles under his eyes again. I feel better knowing that some celiacs do experience the "vomit and be done" (sorry!) reaction. We logged it in his food diary and we'll get on with life.

joanna

[celiac3270]

I feel better knowing that some celiacs do experience the "vomit and be done" (sorry!) reaction

Yep...the one other celiac that goes to my school has the vomit and be done" reaction.

[hapi2bgf]

I think everyone can have different types of reactions. Myself, I get so short tempered and it lasts for days. Irritable just does not come close to describing it. Everything bothers me touch, sight, sound, but the bowls are never that bad.

Please be forwarned about the possible nut allergy. He could be allergic to Peanuts OR Tree nuts. And the allergy can turn anaphylactic (Swells up and can't breath). If you suspect an allergy to nuts, please do not feed him and more nuts until you get him tested and keep Benedryl with you at all times. The Bendryl will slow down or stop a nut allergy.

My daughter has the peanut/tree nut allergy with anaphylactic shock reaction. The allergist even told us, when we first got her diagnoised, that each exposure to the peanut/tree nut will make her reaction faster and more severe. Her first reaction was gagging, coughing, and swelling. No exposure does not mean the allergy will go away.

Best of luck!

[lesliewatts]

I think it was something else, our daughter was diagnosed in January and it seems to take btwn 20 - 24 hours for her to react. Good luck, I know it is frustrating.