Length Of Post Glutening Suffering...one Week Or More

[melie]

Just wondering if anyone can reassure me this can be normal for a single exposure to gluten. It's like my innards are going haywire trying to cope with it and it sets off some kind of inflamed response and my body can't return to its normal state. I never used to have D pre diagnosis, and in fact this never happened until 1 year after being gluten-free that I started getting these week long bouts of D in response to a glutening. It seems that I am hyper sensitive now. Will it get better, or will I now always react like this...does anyone have similar experiences. I'm pretty freaked out by it all. And I now sympathize with all the people who have suffered for years with D without a proper diagnosis, it is truly a nightmare! At least I do know what's causing mine.

Thanks for any help, I'm feeling sad and drained at this point. The diet is hard enough but then when you suffer for over a week from a tiny amount of unintended gluten, it sucks.

[jerseyangel]

Hi melie,

All of us are going to experience reactions differently. I find that as time goes by, and I'm not glutened very often anymore, my reaction is different than it used to be.

For example, 12 days ago I ate something I thought was made in a gluten-free facility (it wasn't), and I had a reaction. I had body aches, nausea and D for 2-3 days, then terrible brain fog for the rest of the week. I was ok for a couple of days, but my stomach remained touchy and I had D once yesterday after dinner. I'm also still a bit anxious.

It's not unusual for a gluten reaction to last for a week or more, and some can take up to a month to completely get over it.

Even in the absence of symptoms, I believe the reaction takes that long to end--that's why ingesting gluten even once a month is like not being on the diet at all--the intestine never gets a chance to heal completely.

[rh4]

In my opinion there is no "norm" for celiac disease, but in my experience your body's response is not unusual. My reaction to gluten is similiar and became much more severe after going gluten-free, also developed several other food allergies. Depression is also one of the reactions I experience during/after a gluten poisoning. I've got about a two week recovery period and have found that lots of sleep assists me in recovery after an accidental poisoning - it might help you too. Hang in there.

[little d]

Melie,

Yes everybodies reactions are different, mine not that extreme as others. I know I get gluten when as I am eating I get the stomach burn when the food goes down, then I feel the gas build up and eventually pass loud gas, with the stomach making loud popping gassy noises that sometime hurt as well, sometimes I immiedately feel very lathargic and want to go to sleep. Then the next day my husband has to force me out of bed and I just might have a headach that is bad enough to take Tylenol, if it is one of my trigger foods the D all day at least 5 times and If I go anywhere I will go to where i know where the bathrooms are. And I am still tired like I worked a 3 night shift with 3hours of sleep inbetween work nights. After that first day of D I may have another D or two followed by C almost to the point where nothing will pass but for a few little pepples, for the rest of the week along with heartburn and occational stomach burn sometimes I wish I would just vomit to get it over with but that never happens. And I will contiune to have headachs off and on for that week. Week two is better especially if I am eating gluten-free.

Donna

[2ofus2kids2dogs]

Hey Donna -

I know we all react differently - but that was a very good description of what happens to me when I get glutened now! Very, very similar.

To the original poster - sorry you're having problems. A week is about normal for me. I've been gluten free for 9 months - and its happens very infrequently now. However, I did eat something last week and am just getting over it. I think it was the movie popcorn.

Melissa

[Mtndog]

Melie- I have long reactions too- I go the other way (constipation, nausea, night sweats and all sorts of fun stuff!).

Hope you feel better soon.