Weird Symptom Questions

[WhimsiKay]

Hi, everyone! So, I had a major gluten episode last night that has carried over to tonight. I've been really careful of late, so it was a total surprise -- and so bad, too!

We had gluten-free pancakes for dinner, and bacon. Within ten minutes of eating my first bit of bacon, I got hit by symptoms. Within the hour, it was full-blown. I checked the package of bacon again, and it doesn't say anything about gluten or wheat. It does says "smoke", though, and I'm wondering, could it be the bacon? Are nitrates bad, for that matter?

That said, I did have a plate of fries for lunch at a restaurant, and while I've had success there before, I also don't know if something I ate hours before would cause symptoms at night? Of course, my symptoms have always been worse at night, which has always been really weird for me. I'd have bread or whatnot for lunch, be fine, then around 6pm, start feeling it. Is that normal?

And if that's the case, could I have gotten THAT sick from cross-contamination hours before?

As if that wasn't enough, I did realize that the pan I cooked the pancakes in was one I never used for anything more solid than eggs, but the pan I cooked the bacon in was one I'd used for years to cook all sorts of gluteny things. Could I have fallen victim to gluten stuck in the non-stick pan?

In the meantime, over the past couple of days, I've been feeling extremely dehydrated. (Sorry for the detail here...) My urine is a kind of dark, rich yellow, which I've always associated with needing more liquids, but I've been drinking a lot, so I'm not sure what's going on! For example, I had a full, very large bottle of water today plus my green tea, and I still feel like my saliva is all thick and my mouth is dry, and I feel like I need more. This concerns me. Is this feeling a symptom of gluten-issues? Or is this what normal people have to deal with and I'm just getting used to the real-world of being able to absorb stuff better, and so need more? ^^;

Any thoughts you have would be great, and thanks a lot in advance. I tell you what, now that I know what it's like to live without intestinal cramps and pain, I sure get wimpy when I'm hit by it again.

[babysteps]

ah, could even be what my hs history teacher called "multiple causation"

bacon - I am okay with "smoke", but "smoke flavor" or "natural flavors" (basically flavor is a codeword for highly processed, which may include wheat products as agents but not ingredients, don't you love how the labeling laws work) can affect me (once had a reaction to unsalted butter, then checked the ingredients - yup, "natural flavors")

fries - unless you double checked about that batch, it's possible that they could have used fryer for something with gluten before your fries this time around. trust but verify

pan - others have reported definite issues. I didn't replace my nonstick pans, but I do put them through the dishwasher, and haven't noticed an issue for me

while initially my reactions were immediate (while at a restaurant, or within 20 minutes of eating), now they can take up to a day and a half to occur, and some posters cite a 2-3 day lag

hope you feel better soon!

[Lisa16]

Bacon makes my ears turn red and itch-- in my case, I think it is the nitrates. I have noticed this only recently-- since going gluten-free. Most processed lunch meat seems to do this to me.

However, I had a bad hotel breakfast experience that is a similar story. I consumeed three things and got incredibly sick (it was a 12 episode within 1 hour kind sick and the effects lasted 5-6 days. I got DH blisters too.) I had a plate of fresh fruit. I had a side order of bacon (and the waitress looked at the ingredients-- no wheat listed. It was a hormel product.) And I had a glass of cranberry juice from the fountain.

I thought it was the cranberry juice. I was sure it was the cranberry juice. Maybe it was the bacon. Maybe it was cc, but it was so severe that I am sure I actually ate some more major gluten.

Hang in there! I no longer eat breakfast in hotels.

Lisa

[fedora]

hi,

About your urine, if it does not go back to normal, you may want to get your blood sugars checked. That was my friend's first signs of diabetes. He got really thirsty, was drinking tons of water, but his urine was still very yellow and thick. He went to the dr. and found out he was diabetic.

Not to scare you. I think we ( including me) have a tendency to blame everything on gluten. I hope things get better for you. Take care,

[aikiducky]

For me, increased thirst is a glutening symptom, and it goes away a few days later again. I just obey it and drink more after a glutening.

A reaction can come six hours after eating the glutened food, so it's quite possible that it was the fries. The time depends on how quick your immune system is to react I think, since the gluten reaction is actually a reaction of your immune system. With time and experience with the diet you start to learn what your individual time frame is.

Though it might be safer to retire the pan that you used to cook gluteny things in before, unless it's a stainless steel one and you can really scrub it clean.

If it was me I'd give the bacon the benefit of a doubt and try it again in a couple months time or so.

Pauliina

[WhimsiKay]

Hey, thanks everyone! Good to know!

I'll keep an eye on all such symptoms and call it good. I did check with the place I ate and their fries fryer is completely separate from the fryer they use for the breaded products, but that said, I guess it's true you can't be sure about CC.

I did have more fries today (before I checked these replies, heh), so we'll see how I feel tonight. If bad, I know that all I had was a burger with no bun and fries, and lots of water and green tea!

Cheers,everyone!