What Happens If You Goof?

[sammie210]

I'm very new to this (within the last 4 weeks) so I'm trying my very best to eat gluten free. I seem to be feeling better (less reflux, less pain) but I'm wondering what happens now if I make a mistake and eat gluten. Does it hurt? Do I get sick? I never did have diarrhea, just a lot of pain and a lot of reflux, very severe anemia, cough, lots of odds and ends symptoms. So ... will I have the same reaction? If so, for how long and is there a way to stop it?

I'm mostly asking because 3 days ago, I ate some rotisserie chicken and within an hour, the stomach pain and burning was back. I just thought I was having a bout with the reflux. The next morning, the pain was there but less .. until I ate another piece of chicken. Since then, I called the store and they said there's MSG and wheat flour in the seasoning they use. So .... did I react that much and that quickly to that small amount? Is there a way to stop the pain if it does start or do I just have to wait it out?

Thanks so much for any help you can give!

Sammie

[Lisa]

Many people here go back to the BRAT Diet...Banana, rice, apple sauce and tea. Once the autoimmune reaction kicks in, alot of the time you just need to ride it out.

You can take Imodium for the diarrhea and something to settle your stomach.

Here is a listing of some gluten free meds:

Open Original Shared Link

[curlyfries]

There's no simple answers to your questions.....everyone is different. You obviously were glutened......it usually doesn't take much. And the next time it happens you may have a different and/or stronger reaction. By the way, it is my opinion that reflux is a symptom of gluten intolerance (and sometimes other food sensitivities).

[Gluten-Free Guy]

As stated by curlyfries, everyone is different. It is likely that you will react each time you are exposed to gluten. I've been on the gluten-free diet for six years and have been mostly successful at being 100% gluten-free. I think I was glutened only twice in the past six years and I reacted very painfully both times.

Eating out is probably the riskiest thing a celiac can do. Restaurants, delis at food markets, homes of family and friends, school cafeterias, snack days at work, etc., are all good sources of gluten. You have to ask a lot of questions and even try to read product labels, if they're available. There's a joke that illustrates the point: At a dinner party, do you know how to tell who the celiac is? It's the person in the kitchen digging through the trash to read labels.

For your first six months or longer, you need to consider letting your body heal. You may want to consider eating only what you prepare until you are better informed about safe and unsafe foods and products and how to ask the right questions. I still take my own food to parties and the homes of relatives and friends, even Thanksgiving Dinner. (I am one of the world's luckiest men. My wife actually prepares a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal for me to take. All I have to do is heat it in the microwave and I enjoy the same holiday food everyone else is having.)

It's important to be 100% gluten-free for the rest of your life. Continued exposure, even without symptoms, damages internal organs and, in the rare extreme, can lead to intestinal cancer.

One other bit of info for you. You must confirm that your prescription and over-the-counter medications are also gluten-free. Call the manufacturers or visit the website www.glutenfreedrugs.com.

Another thing to remember is that food and medicine manufacturers sometimes change the product formulations. A product that is gluten-free today may not be tomorrow, so you must be careful every time you make a purchase.

As one who is new to the gluten-free diet and lifestyle, you will find the "CSA Gluten-Free Product Listing" one of the most useful references available. It lists gluten-free foods and other products and it has a glossary of terms to watch for on product labels. You can purchase the book at www.csaceliacs.org for $30. It's published by the Celiac Sprue Association which has several support group chapters across the U.S. While this book is one of the best resources available, it is not fool proof. For example, it may list a product as gluten-free, but after publication, the manufacturer may have changed the formulation to one that contains gluten (this does not happen often, but it does happen). The book is updated periodically.

Cross contamination is also a concern. Utensils, pots and pans, cooking surfaces, etc., may harbor crumbs or other traces of gluten. For example, you need a separate toaster that is dedicated only to gluten-free. If you dip a knife into peanut butter or jelly and spread it on bread, the knife is contaminated and must not be placed back into the jar. A fork used to stir wheat-based spaghetti must not be placed in a pot containing gluten-free spaghetti (by the way, Tinkyada brand rice pastas are the closest in flavor and texture to wheat-based pastas).

Good luck. It's overwhelming at first, but once you learn the safe products, it gets a lot easier. Celiac disease is a lot better than diabetes, cancer, heart trouble, and most other ailments.