Being Glutened?

[Motorboater]

Yesterday my husband & I went to Costco and he wanted a hotdog so we both had one, I ordered mine with no bun. Within 4 hours my stomach hurt so bad I thought about going to the ER. This hasn't happened to me as I've just been diagnosed in July '07. I also had diareaha and a headache and couldn't sleep well. I crawled into a ball at 8:00 PM trying to make the pain stop.........is this being "glutened"??? Anyone with suggestions I'm listening as I never want to feel so miserable again.

[blueeyedmanda]

I want to say I read somewhere here that Nathan's hotdogs are not gluten free, but I could be wrong. It could be anything from CC to the actual brand of hotdog. Do you happen to know what brand you had gotten there?

[Guest j_mommy]

Yup I agree...not all brands of hotddogs are gluten-free!!! You could have been glutened or they could have just touched a bun with their hand and picked up your hotdog right after!!!!

[Motorboater]

I want to say I read somewhere here that Nathan's hotdogs are not gluten free, but I could be wrong. It could be anything from CC to the actual brand of hotdog. Do you happen to know what brand you had gotten there?

I called Costco this morning and they said Siani, which according to a site I found they are gluten-free, but how does a Celiac know if they've been glutened or possibly just the stomach flu..........? Very frustrating today.

[blueeyedmanda]

Thats the thing, sometimes there is no way to tell. Quite possibly you could have the stomach flu...where we are it's going around.

[The Lovebug]

Yesterday my husband & I went to Costco and he wanted a hotdog so we both had one, I ordered mine with no bun. Within 4 hours my stomach hurt so bad I thought about going to the ER. ...is this being "glutened"??? Anyone with suggestions I'm listening as I never want to feel so miserable again.

M

Dear Motorboater,

It sure does sound like what I go through periodically, and I've been as gluten-free as I can get for 4 years! Yesterday, within 5 minutes of finishing breakfast, I began cramping and bloating and, eventually vomiting. I spent the rest of the day, in a weakened state, trying to sit or lie still so the symptoms wouldn't return. Today, I'm trying to trace what it was that caused my reaction. Mine was not the flu -- I now know the symptoms of being glutened and can usually trace it to something I've eaten without checking ingredients. It's just so hard to be on-guard ALL THE TIME!

Did you eat any condiments with the hot dog? Mustard, catsup, relish, kraut, etc.? Maybe that was the source of your glutening. I recently had a "duh" moment when I realized that the mints which I pop into my mouth all the time (Mentos), because they were soothing to my tummy, were actually glutening me! It never occurred to me to check the ingredients because they aren't "food." But I can now attribute several bouts of hanging over the toilet bowl directly to my consumption of Mentos.

Welcome to being a member of the celiac community. This board is a wonderful source of information and support.

[blueeyedmanda]

M

Dear Motorboater,

It sure does sound like what I go through periodically, and I've been as gluten-free as I can get for 4 years! Yesterday, within 5 minutes of finishing breakfast, I began cramping and bloating and, eventually vomiting. I spent the rest of the day, in a weakened state, trying to sit or lie still so the symptoms wouldn't return. Today, I'm trying to trace what it was that caused my reaction. Mine was not the flu -- I now know the symptoms of being glutened and can usually trace it to something I've eaten without checking ingredients. It's just so hard to be on-guard ALL THE TIME!

Did you eat any condiments with the hot dog? Mustard, catsup, relish, kraut, etc.? Maybe that was the source of your glutening. I recently had a "duh" moment when I realized that the mints which I pop into my mouth all the time (Mentos), because they were soothing to my tummy, were actually glutening me! It never occurred to me to check the ingredients because they aren't "food." But I can now attribute several bouts of hanging over the toilet bowl directly to my consumption of Mentos.

Welcome to being a member of the celiac community. This board is a wonderful source of information and support.

Thanks for the heads up on the Mento's although I do not use them often I will keep this in the back of my mind.

[kali-mist]

I too have a problem with knowing whether or not I have been glutened. I have knowingly eaten gluten containing food just to see what would happen and nothing did. Maybe at the most I feel tired or rundown for a couple of days but that could be due to any number of things and it's not severe where I'd actually notice it. This scares me because on my quest to become completely gluten-free I could be eating things that are doing damage to me on the inside but there is no outward sign. I try my best by sticking with the basics (rice, potatoes, salad, meat) but it's so tempting to eat a big fat juicy burger or a piece of cake, especially when I know I will not get sick on the outside. I just have to keep telling myself that it's doing long term damage on the inside.