Frozen Veggies

[ruthla]

Today I had some frozen spinach with dinner- I opened up a new package, a different brand than last time.

Then this evening I had what I call "toxic poops"- where it feels like my poops are burning my bowels and it hurts to come out and I'm still sore even though I've already "gone". This is the exact same symptom I had when I last tested wheat, before deciding to get serious about gluten-free and not just half-heartely avoid wheat.

I'm trying to think what else I ate today- powdered spices shouldn't be a problem if they're just plain spices, right? Breakfast was eggs and onions cooked in olive oil, dinner was chicken livers sauteed with onions and celery, followed by the frozen spinach, and I had several snacks of nuts and fresh veggies, and I had 2 small potato pancakes (homemade) for a bedtime snack.

Last night I took a bath, and I think there might have been remnants of oatmeal soap in the tub. (we finished the bar and I'm not putting another one in there.) I've been using different soap for showers but maybe the bath messed things up? Also, my 13yo made herself some wheat pasta last night and today, and I ended up washing some of the gluten dishes (in the dishwasher)- could I have gotten contaminated from handling the pasta pot?

[loco-ladi]

Well, while your trying to "figure out" where you got the CC do you use teflon pans? if you do and the D made the pasta in the same one you used for your spinich and it has scratches add that also.....

while your at it add plastic bowls, wooden utensils (including rolling pins... mine got me once) figuring out a CC issue some days just makes me want to toss the entire kitchen, lol

laughter asside, hope you figure it out soon and get back to feeling better quickly

[RiceGuy]

Well, I'm leaning towards the dish water. Spices can contain gluten though, and some brands of nuts may be processed in a facility that also processes wheat, or can actually contain wheat. Nuts in the shell would probably be the safest bet.

Also, additional food sensitivities can also show up after going gluten-free, so do watch for that too.

[ruthla]

Well, while your trying to "figure out" where you got the CC do you use teflon pans? if you do and the D made the pasta in the same one you used for your spinich and it has scratches add that also.....

while your at it add plastic bowls, wooden utensils (including rolling pins... mine got me once) figuring out a CC issue some days just makes me want to toss the entire kitchen, lol

laughter asside, hope you figure it out soon and get back to feeling better quickly

I got rid of my nonstick pans YEARS ago and I don't have any wooden spoons. I do have some bamboo chopsticks but I didn't use them last night.

The pasta pot was totally separate from anything I ate. I re-used the frying pan from the liver and onions to warm up my spinach.

We keep kosher, so we already have 2 sets of dishes, pots, and pans. Since I'm dairy free as well as gluten free right now, I decided to keep the meat set gluten free and only use gluten with the dairy dishes. Our dishwasher is also dairy- so I'm not sticking my hands in a dishpan filled with gluten- just handling the dishes to put into the dishwasher.

I figured out two things I ate yesterday that may have caused my tummy troubles:

1) I used red pepper as a flavoring on my liver and onions. Maybe this isn't a reaction but just an irritation from too much cayenne pepper?

2) I had a latke last night AFTER realizing that DD made the latkes in the same pan as her omelette earlier in the day (cooked with butter and with cheese in the center of the omelette) without thoroughly washing the pan first. So maybe I was reacting to the small amount of dairy in the latke, and not gluten? I still don't know for certain if I even react to gluten- there seems to be dairy involved every time I'm not sure about a reaction.

This is just so hard. I hate this! It's also possible that my tummy hurts just because my FMS/IBS is flaring up and it's nothing I did or ate! I'm super stressed right now about money (food stamps recertification is delayed so I don't have my usual $400+ that I get on the 7th of the month, my ex is being stingy with the child support, and even with my SSI payment I still have bills I can't pay right now and the measly $50 my ex gave me last week really should go into the bank so I don't bounce any checks but I need it for groceries.) Stress can cause flare-ups too.

I also need to explain to my 13yo how serious this is and how even a few crumbs of wheat can mess me up. We're going to have to establish clear rules about how she has to handle gluten if she insists on making wheat pasta. I should probably keep trying different kinds of gluten-free pasta- she doesn't like the Trader Joe's rice pasta, but she may like another kind.

[RiceGuy]

What caught my attention in your reply is the red pepper, as that's a nightshade. Then there's the potato pancakes - another nightshade. There are many including myself who have become sensitive to nightshade foods.

[num1habsfan]

Also, my 13yo made herself some wheat pasta last night and today, and I ended up washing some of the gluten dishes (in the dishwasher)- could I have gotten contaminated from handling the pasta pot?

My bet is on the dishes. I discovered it awhile ago. I have DH also and I used to notice that my hands were always burning and would break out in a rash. Once I started wearing rubber gloves though (gloves as in the industrial strength ones) the problem stopped. SO i know for sure that gluten in the water you're washing could affect you. The only time I will wash dishes without wearing gloves is if the sink is clean and I always wash the dishes I dirtied.

~ Lisa ~

[mommida]

I react to spinach. I can not handle most (all but one) iron supplements.

It is possible that you can have reactions to foods other than gluten.