Am I Being Glutened?

[Hydrokube]

I had two situations recently where I felt sick. I've only been gluten-free about 2 weeks, and I need to know if either of these could have caused me to feel ill. I seem to get stomach aches and gas/bloating whenever I'm glutened, but I'm still trying to accurately diagnose what my symptoms are when I get glutened.

1. I cooked eggs/potatoes/spinach with a wooden spoon/teflon pan and felt quite sick afterwards and throughout the evening. The teflon doesn't appear to be scratched. Could anything else have caused me to feel this way?

2. I accidently drank from my wife's water cup after she had cheerios/gluteny snacks. Can residue make me get sick?

It seems to hit me within minutes. I've always associated this stomach pain with ravenous hunger, but I'm noticing that when I'm gluten-free I don't feel it anymore. I would often get cranky when I felt this pain and only eating a lot would make it go away for a while (it came back once the food passed through).

I'm wondering if it's all in my head or if I'm actually reacting to gluten.

[lizajane]

from what i have read here and from my limited experience (been gluten-free since March 13) it was the wooden spoon because it is porous and can have gluten IN the spoon. and yes, drinking from someone's glass with gluten residue could cause the problem.

my only cross contamination experience so far has been using a pizza stone to make gluten free pizza. we have been using it for years for regular pizza. when you cook on it, the oils that are trapped in the stone come to the suffer and get gluten filled oil onto the new food. i even contacted the stoneware maker to see if i could get the gluten out of it and they said NO. after eating the pizza, i definitely felt very bloated and puffed up. i also got sick (cold) right after- i have a seriously sad immune system and desperately hope gluten-free fixes it!

[Hydrokube]

Thanks, it sounds like both of those made me have a reaction.

We used to cook pizzas directly on the oven rack, do you think that could have lingering gluten? A cleaning cycle would take care of that right?

It seems I'm lucky because my issues seem to go away after 3-6 hours. For example, despite the glutening yesterday I feel great today.

[lizajane]

Thanks, it sounds like both of those made me have a reaction.

We used to cook pizzas directly on the oven rack, do you think that could have lingering gluten? A cleaning cycle would take care of that right?

It seems I'm lucky because my issues seem to go away after 3-6 hours. For example, despite the glutening yesterday I feel great today.

i was thinking i'd put my toaster rack in the dishwasher just in case for the same reason. my husband has only 3 gluten items in the house- whole wheat bread, kashi cereal and multigrain crackers. i get nervous whenever i put a gluten-free english muffin in for me or a gluten-free waffle for my son (who was not dx as celiac, but seems to sleep better and be happier without it. we are taking my other son off gluten, too.)

i am so glad you are feeling better so quickly!

[Jayde]

I know exactally the stomach pain you are talking about.

For too long I thought it was all in my head too! I too associated it with hunger and only stuffing myself silly would make it go away for a little while, then it would shortly come back so I would stuff my self some more.

Interestingly enough, quitting smoking is what "triggerd" Celiac for me, so many of my symptoms I first associated with nicotine withdrawl (such as increased hunger). Months later, it was not going away so I went to my family doctor where I explained the stomach pains, not ever feeling full, and the fact that I thought it might be something I was eating that was making me sick.. I was told I had an eating disorder and prescribed Zoloft... sigh. Like many people here I self diagnosed myself. I went back to the doc, asked to be tested, he reluctently agreed, and sure enough I did not have an eating disorder!

The stomach pains for me are pretty much instant for as well.. even the smallest speck of gluten will throw me into this anoying spiral of not being able to get enough food.

Throw out your wooden spoons and buy new pans!