If Someone Touches Bread & Touches The Fridge, Is That Enough To Get Me Sick?

[Guest cassidy]

I watched my husband make a sandwich last week. He touched his bread and wiped his fingers off but then touched the drawer with the knives and the fridge and got out mayo and mustard. I cringed and said that he was spreading gluten everywhere, and my first reaction was to wash everything that he touched. He said that he wipes the crumbs off his fingers and if that was enough to get me sick then I would always be sick because he does the same thing everyday.

So, I know that I'm very sensitive but I guess I've been thinking of gluten as being similar to a germ. I've seen things on 20/20 about public restroom door handles and how you might as well not wash your hands if you just reach for that door handle because there is all that bacteria on it. I also saw something about chicken and if you put raw chicken on a counter and use a sponge to wipe up after it and then sponge down other things, you have this chicken bacteria everywhere. I'm a bit of a germ-a-phob and I just picture gluten being the same way.

That being said, if he doesn't actually have a crumb on his finger when he touches the fridge, but just had gluten on his fingers ealier, is he depositing any amount of gluten on the fridge handle? Is that enough that if I touch it later and touch my food I could get sick? I very, very rarely get sick at home so I'm wondering if I even need to be worried about things like that, because if he always does stuff like that and I don't get sick, maybe it is an unneccesary concern.

I know I have gotten sick from products produced around gluten but I don't have any way to know exactly how much gluten was in those products.

[darlindeb25]

Cassidy--I would say the chances are very slim, but I will not say it could never happen. When I first went gluten free, I still had 2 kids at home and I was never glutened. There was bread in the house, all our dishes went into the dishwasher and I didn't do anything special with the dishes before washing them. I'm sure the kids touched the fridge without washing their hands after making a sandwich--it's human nature! I know I kept surfaces wiped clean and was very careful with my own food.

Kev will sit at the table and eat a sandwich now, of course he is very careful with crumbs--he does watch out for me. When he is done, I spray the table with Windex and clean it with a paper towel, throwing it away. Then I wash it off again with soapy water and I have never been glutened in this way.

Being very careful is the best we can do. I will not ask Kev to give up the food that pleases him only because I can't have it. He is a type 2 diabetic and he never asks me to not eat candy or such. I'm guessing some people may not think I am careful enough, but, just the fact that I can account for what caused me to be glutened each time it has happened, says it all to me. I might add, I have only been glutened a few times in the last 5 1/2 years, so I think I do very well.

[chrissy]

i agree with deb---i think it is highly unlikely that you will get glutened that way.

[marciab]

I'm apparently very sensitive to gluten. At this point, I have a 100 % gluten free house, never eat out and don't buy foods that could be contaminated. I'm feeling much better (no ataxia, ADHD, myoclonus, "D", "C", cramps, orthostatic hypotension, rash) , but still working on the fatigue and brain fog.

Last Friday nite, my daughter borrowed my car and ate donuts while driving. Saturday, when I drove the car I removed her wrappers from the car and handled the steering wheel not even thinking about it. And Saturday nite I was wide awake till 5 am Sunday morning and had "D" Sunday morning and again this morning. All my normal symptoms of being glutened ... I'm fine the rest of the time...

So, I completely understand why you would get creeped out from watching your husband in the kitchen.

It would be a good idea to watch to see if you react, then make your decision. We are all different as far as how much gluten it takes to get a reaction.

Marcia

[darlindeb25]

Marcia--I think you were glutened because you handled the donut wrappers, not because of the steering wheel. I am very sensitive too, and if I handle anything with gluten on it, I immediately wash my hands. I break out in hives in a very short time if wheat touches my skin. I clean up messes at work because I work with people who are slobs and I never handle their gluten unless I wash my hands.

[marciab]

Darlindeb,

Thanks. I sure hope you are right. I am still in the process of defining how much gluten it takes to nail me. My symptoms are clear, but the sources are still fuzzy ... Marcia

[chrissy]

deb, are you also allergic to gluten? just wondering because of the hives when you touch it. one of my kids used to get random hives before she was diagnosed with celiac, but she is not allergic to wheat.