Pain Question From Being Glutened

[ToddZ]

After being glutened, what type of pain does everyone experience?

I am still new at gluten avoidance and thought I would be ok eating some crab cakes at a friends wedding. I am getting very severe pain in the small intestinal area right above my private parts.. It feels like a heating pad has been placed on the problem areas. It also feels like it's burning internally or as if I'm being microwaved from the inside out. Is this type of pain common after being glutened?

[oceangirl]

I think all kinds of pains are possible. I'm assuming the crab cakes were rolled in some flour or some gluten. It is best to eat only what you make while you are healing. Drink a lot of water and it will eventually pass. I have horrible abdominal pain from gluten amongst other symptoms.

Feel better,

lisa

[ToddZ]

I think all kinds of pains are possible. I'm assuming the crab cakes were rolled in some flour or some gluten. It is best to eat only what you make while you are healing. Drink a lot of water and it will eventually pass. I have horrible abdominal pain from gluten amongst other symptoms.

Feel better,

lisa

Yeah, from now on out I am not eating anything unless I make it. I have a another party I am going to this coming September... Looks like I am going to have to seriously restrain myself. This sucks so bad.. I guess the good thing is that I'm learning how to cook and eat right.

[oceangirl]

It seems overwhelming at first, but it really isn't the worst diagnosis. It takes time but eventually eating right for you will become second nature. It is inconvenient, but it's not a death sentence. If you were very sick before diagnosis you must know the relief of finding out you can do something about this. For me it only took 35 years for them to correctly diagnose and by that time I was VERY, VERY sick.

Hang in there; it will get easier with time. This board has lots of good info.

lisa

[HeartofGlass224]

I was just coming on here to ask this!

A little back story on me - I went gluten-free in January after having a blood test tell me I had a wheat allergy. I wasn't exactly great with it, and I blamed it all on my Crohn's flaring. I went back to a normal diet in May so I could have an endoscopy, and later, a capsule endoscopy. I got a positive diagnosis of Celiac from the capsule, but wanted to misbehave and eat poorly for awhile before I went gluten-free forever. My Crohn's is thankfully in remission (thanks to Humira), so it's all gluten and egg related.

So back to the present.....I went gluten-free again a week and a half ago, when I was admitted to the hospital for 5 days because I was passing out. I figured it was the best time, I wouldn't experience as much pain from the change with the pain meds I was on! I felt phenomenal when I left the hospital, as far as my stomach went, and the rest of me felt pretty good too!

Saturday night I was stupid enough to eat at McDonald's with my family, and boy, was that a mistake! Even without a bun, I got glutened. About a half hour later in the middle of WalMart, the pain hit me....horrible abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomitting, sweating, etc. I went home and straight to the bathroom and bed. The next morning, I was sore, but I got up feeling a little better. I think on Sunday, I got it a few times....with flavored coffee and by making flour tortillas for the rest of my family while having my corn tortillas sitting in a bad spot and probably not being careful enough about washing my hands. The same thing happened - intense abdominal pain (which also likes to rear it's ugly head in the area of the Crohn's, not just the area of the Celiac), diarrhea, vomitting, the whole nine. I felt horrendous all over.

My question is, is it normal to feel really, really nasty for a few days afterward? I hadn't really noticed that my joint pain had decreased with being gluten-free until it kicked into high gear today, with every joint aching, burning, and sore as anything. My tummy feels like it's in a vice in the aforementioned areas. My head has been pounding since Saturday, and I have absolutely no energy whatsoever. Is this what happens to others too, or is it just my imagination? I have so many issues....I never know what all this stuff is from, but it would be nice to put it all together under the Celiac label!

Todd, hope you're feeling better soon!!!

[Beth in NC]

I was just coming on here to ask this!

A little back story on me - I went gluten-free in January after having a blood test tell me I had a wheat allergy. I wasn't exactly great with it, and I blamed it all on my Crohn's flaring. I went back to a normal diet in May so I could have an endoscopy, and later, a capsule endoscopy. I got a positive diagnosis of Celiac from the capsule, but wanted to misbehave and eat poorly for awhile before I went gluten-free forever. My Crohn's is thankfully in remission (thanks to Humira), so it's all gluten and egg related.

So back to the present.....I went gluten-free again a week and a half ago, when I was admitted to the hospital for 5 days because I was passing out. I figured it was the best time, I wouldn't experience as much pain from the change with the pain meds I was on! I felt phenomenal when I left the hospital, as far as my stomach went, and the rest of me felt pretty good too!

Saturday night I was stupid enough to eat at McDonald's with my family, and boy, was that a mistake! Even without a bun, I got glutened. About a half hour later in the middle of WalMart, the pain hit me....horrible abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomitting, sweating, etc. I went home and straight to the bathroom and bed. The next morning, I was sore, but I got up feeling a little better. I think on Sunday, I got it a few times....with flavored coffee and by making flour tortillas for the rest of my family while having my corn tortillas sitting in a bad spot and probably not being careful enough about washing my hands. The same thing happened - intense abdominal pain (which also likes to rear it's ugly head in the area of the Crohn's, not just the area of the Celiac), diarrhea, vomitting, the whole nine. I felt horrendous all over.

My question is, is it normal to feel really, really nasty for a few days afterward? I hadn't really noticed that my joint pain had decreased with being gluten-free until it kicked into high gear today, with every joint aching, burning, and sore as anything. My tummy feels like it's in a vice in the aforementioned areas. My head has been pounding since Saturday, and I have absolutely no energy whatsoever. Is this what happens to others too, or is it just my imagination? I have so many issues....I never know what all this stuff is from, but it would be nice to put it all together under the Celiac label!

Todd, hope you're feeling better soon!!!

Shannon, I have heard of it taking DAYS to get over being glutened WAY more than it being a brief thing. The joint pain can DEFINITELY be from the gluten!

[GFinDC]

Last time I had the most pain in my LLBB (lower left side of belly button) area that kept me company for about a week. Other than that it was overall dull pain throughout the nether regions with clearing in a week. My related symptoms are heavy fog in the head zone with scattered D showers through-out the week. Heavy sleeplessness throughout due to related thyroid symptoms. Clearing towards the beginning of next week with another accidental glutening looming. Chances of repeated glutenings are high without a plan for eating. (Que thunder/lightening sounds) MY own plan is to slowly add things to my diet, and no more than 1 new thing a day if I am not real sure they are gluten-free items. By real sure I mean researching online for gluten status of the food before eating it.

[oceangirl]

May I say that it has been said by many members of this forum in the past that a "glutening" can last up to a week or more! Hopefully, others will chime in here. If I get really glutened, I can count on it not being completely resolved for a week. Hence, the paranoia surrounding the evil gluten.

lisa

[Rivka]

I am new here and this is my first week of gluten-free. I am in awe of the difference immediately in how I feel. I have spent the past 39 years of my life feeling like I'm dying! Anyway, yesterday I accidentally got some gluten in the seasoning of some guacamole I had and within an hour or two, I was in such abdominal pain I thought about going to the ER. The gas and D were awful as well as nausea. By the time I went to bed last night I looked like I was 7 or 8 months pregnant and my arthritis flared up bad. This morning I was terrified to eat anything afraid it might have some gluten in it. I guess I'm glad it happened early on because if I had any doubts about it before, I don't now! I am at least familiar with cross contamination as I have worked with autistic children on a gluten-free diet. Little did I know I would need it too!

Rivka

[IMWalt]

Jeez. After reading all of these I almost feel guilty about what happens to me. I usually get bad gas and cramps a few hours after getting glutened, and usually have D the next morning, followed by up to a week of loose and multiple stools and some intestinal discomfort. I guess I'm lucky. Although, it seems to take much less of an exposure these days. The other night I made waffles for my son using wheat flour, and got some of the batter on my fingers. I rinsed it off, but the next AM the D and everything else started. I think that is the only exposure I had.

Walt

[greeneyes33]

All of my pain is in my upper abdominal area. Almost under my rib cage. Most of the time it is on my left side under the ribcage, but sometimes its centered. I have never had D. I would have never guessed that I had Celiac disease. Now doing all the research that I have done and read the symptom list, I have had a lot of them, but I also have Hashimotos, and a lot of the symptoms are the same.

[HeartofGlass224]

That's where my Celiac pain is too, Green Eyes. I kept asking my GI what was there and why it hurt, she had no idea for the longest time....I've figured out that's where it is.

Thank you all for the answers....I'm finally feeling better today after almost a week! It's nice to know that it's all related.

[ToddZ]

If I get really glutened, I can count on it not being completely resolved for a week. Hence, the paranoia surrounding the evil gluten.

Yeah it's been about a week and my symptoms are finally going away. I'm a little sore down there but I'll live. The head/ear buzz symptom I get is barely audible so I know I am in the clear... And my feet aren't as achey.. I feel like I'm 125 years old or something when I'm glutened!!

Also, I also finally found a local store that sells gluten free foods. The selection is pretty good too. If it weren't for Pamela's Kitchen gluten free cookies and gluten free pasta I think I'd go mad!!!

[gfmolly]

As far as why people hurt in certain places, if you have D, then your pain can be located where the valves from the stomach and from each intestine and liver. That is what happens to me. The valves get inflamed from having multiple bouts of D, and they hurt and sometimes it feels like it is on fire! As for the glutening, it can take me a week to recover, the two hours to a day being the absolute worst with achiness and D and intestinal pain.You really do get better at not making mistakes. I found that I would make so many mistakes when I first started out, and now that I am more seasoned, I have only had one bad incident this summer, and I was told the item was gluten free at the store I was at. I shouldn't have listened!!

Best wishes to all!

Molly