I Think I Got Glutened At Work. Yuck!

[mysecretcurse]

I mentioned before I work in a pizza place. Part of the job description is making the pizza dough. This involves dumping a flour-y mix into a big mixing machine and adding water, then taking the dough and making little balls out of it and rubbing flour all over them.

Now usually I don't do this part, I have one of my coworkers do it. But yesterday I had to be around it more than normal. I can TASTE the dough when they are doing it, its like the smell goes into my mouth. I'm worried I'm breathing in the flour. The guys I work with know about my condition and try to be understanding, like I said usually they take care of it for me without complaint and I do something they dont like (like chop onions, ew). But they don't understand how serious it is. Like yesterday, one of them tossed the empty bag that contains the dough mix across the room into the trash and when it hit the can a huge cloud of wheat flour dust flew up into the air. I know I must have breathed some of it in because after having clear skin for a week or so I woke up with a big DH style cyst on my cheek this morning.

Its crazy how sensitive Ive become to it. I already commented on another thread but I'll mention it here too, my sensitivity has gone NUTS. Is this a good sign of healing or something to be concerned about. I mean I dont think I have full blown celiac just a sensitivity, as I used to be able to eat the stuff and would always have skin and mood problems but my digestion was ok, I was just a little constipated. But I would be able to eat a small amount without too many symptoms.

And now breathing in a molecule of flour is causing reactions?

I wonder if this is something the body does, some type of defense mechanism to keep you from going back to where you were at. Or is it all in my head?

A similar thing: Many years ago, I was taking a prescription medicine for a long time and after being on it for quite awhile, I started having some negative reactions to it. They were not severe but bothersome, so I went off the med. Then, stupidly for whatever reason back then, I convinced myself I needed it again, after being off it a few weeks. I started taking it again and within a day I had a VIOLENT reaction to it, similar to the one I had the first time but a thousand times more intense. It was like my body was saying "NO! Damned if Im going to let you put this nasty stuff in me again! I'll show YOU!"

I wonder if this is whats happening with gluten.

Think wearing a mouth and nose mask like doctors wear at work would help?

[Sweetfudge]

A similar thing: Many years ago, I was taking a prescription medicine for a long time and after being on it for quite awhile, I started having some negative reactions to it. They were not severe but bothersome, so I went off the med. Then, stupidly for whatever reason back then, I convinced myself I needed it again, after being off it a few weeks. I started taking it again and within a day I had a VIOLENT reaction to it, similar to the one I had the first time but a thousand times more intense. It was like my body was saying "NO! Damned if Im going to let you put this nasty stuff in me again! I'll show YOU!"

I wonder if this is whats happening with gluten.

Yes, I think this is probably what's happening. Once you get all that toxic gluten out of your system, it becomes very sensitive to it, as it is healing. I went through the same thing when I first started the gluten-free diet. Unfortunately, it doesn't go away. You just get to learn all the tricks of living with this, and how to most effectively avoid all gluten. Hopefully it won't happen again

Think wearing a mouth and nose mask like doctors wear at work would help?

I was actually going to suggest that That is what I would do if I had to be around gluten. If you and your coworkers can support that.

Good luck

[MDRB]

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having a hard time.

I think your idea to wear a mask is a really good one, I would also wear gloves, take a hot shower after work to get rid of any traces of gluten in your hair and on your skin, also wash your clothes straight away so that you don't have any contamination issues there.

It sounds like a lot of trouble, but if you really are that sensitive it might help.

Also you mentioned in your post that you don't think that you have celiac disease because you did not have severe symptoms. I just wanted to mention that a lot of people who have celiac disease don't have ANY symptoms until it does enough damage to cause cancer. The severity of symptoms vary a lot between patients and if you may actually have celiac disease.

But if you are staying gluten-free anyway, none of this matters.

Good luck at work, I hope it improves for you.

[kenlove]

Breathing flour is a big problem for me and always causes a painful reaction within a fairly short time. if I accidently eat something I get a DH reaction rather than the gut pain from breathing in something. Short of getting a different job, I would try the mask. I wear them when I have to go in a kitchen within 24 hours after a bread class. Sometimes there is no choice since I lecture at a culinary school. I would look for masks that protect against pollen which may be finer than some of the other masks.

Good luck!

I mentioned before I work in a pizza place. Part of the job description is making the pizza dough. This involves dumping a flour-y mix into a big mixing machine and adding water, then taking the dough and making little balls out of it and rubbing flour all over them.

Now usually I don't do this part, I have one of my coworkers do it. But yesterday I had to be around it more than normal. I can TASTE the dough when they are doing it, its like the smell goes into my mouth. I'm worried I'm breathing in the flour. The guys I work with know about my condition and try to be understanding, like I said usually they take care of it for me without complaint and I do something they dont like (like chop onions, ew). But they don't understand how serious it is. Like yesterday, one of them tossed the empty bag that contains the dough mix across the room into the trash and when it hit the can a huge cloud of wheat flour dust flew up into the air. I know I must have breathed some of it in because after having clear skin for a week or so I woke up with a big DH style cyst on my cheek this morning.

Its crazy how sensitive Ive become to it. I already commented on another thread but I'll mention it here too, my sensitivity has gone NUTS. Is this a good sign of healing or something to be concerned about. I mean I dont think I have full blown celiac just a sensitivity, as I used to be able to eat the stuff and would always have skin and mood problems but my digestion was ok, I was just a little constipated. But I would be able to eat a small amount without too many symptoms.

And now breathing in a molecule of flour is causing reactions?

I wonder if this is something the body does, some type of defense mechanism to keep you from going back to where you were at. Or is it all in my head?

A similar thing: Many years ago, I was taking a prescription medicine for a long time and after being on it for quite awhile, I started having some negative reactions to it. They were not severe but bothersome, so I went off the med. Then, stupidly for whatever reason back then, I convinced myself I needed it again, after being off it a few weeks. I started taking it again and within a day I had a VIOLENT reaction to it, similar to the one I had the first time but a thousand times more intense. It was like my body was saying "NO! Damned if Im going to let you put this nasty stuff in me again! I'll show YOU!"

I wonder if this is whats happening with gluten.

Think wearing a mouth and nose mask like doctors wear at work would help?

[mysecretcurse]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I never even thought about the possibility of flour on my clothes. Thanks for alerting me to that. There have been a couple times when I brushed against something and got flour on my clothes and had to dust it off but there was probably still some there. Ew ew ew.

Also what I meant about not having the full intolerance was that I don't get digestional symptoms unless I eat a lot, like a plate of whole wheat pasta or something. Small amounts immediately break out my skin though.

Its possible I am a celiac, I really don't know. But yeah either way I never plan on eating the nasty stuff again so to me testing is costly and irrelevant.