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Time For New Job? And Other Questions

StrongLikeBull

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StrongLikeBull Newbie
StrongLikeBull
Posted

Hello all,

Over the past 6 months or so, I was slammed with a bunch of symptoms, seemingly out of nowhere. Digestive, cognitive, visual, I mean, it was getting ridiculous. But after thousands of dollars in doctor bills and no answers, I think I finally may be on to something. I recenlty took the Enterolab test for gluten sensitivity and it came back positive. I've been on a gluten-free diet for about a month now. However, I'm wonder if I'm being "glutened" from my job.

I work at a bread bakery. The irony :D! There's wheat/rye flour all over the place. I'm wondering if touching/ breathing it is going to hinder the recovery process. I try to wear a particle mask and gloves when mixing the dough. This seems to be the most symptom-inducing part of the bread making process. If I don't take these precautions, my sinuses and lungs really pay for it. Kneading and baking the dough don't seem to cause any severe reactions. I don't wear the mask when doing those.

I'm just wondering if diet alone will be enough.

My tests also showed that I'm sensitive to casein. How important is this to recovery? Would it have separate symptoms from gluten or would the symptoms be intertwined (e.g can you get rid of symptom "x" without eliminating both)?

How exactly does a gluten "slip up" affect your body? Does it set healing back a week or something like that?

I've already seen some symptoms diminish since eating gluten free, but to make a full recovery, should I start paging through the want ads?

Any insight is welcome :).

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lcarter Contributor
lcarter
Posted

Contemplating a possible career change because of a health issue is a REALLY HARD decision to make, especially if you love your career. I had to make that decision years ago after having carpel tunnel surgery on both hands as a Dental Hygienist. It probably was related to Celiac and Hypothyroid, though no medical person at the time associated it with either of those, since no one thought of either disease as a diagnosis. Anyway, I did eventually change to teaching. As for the gluten and casein combination...yes, symptoms can overlap. I have found that I need to eliminate all dairy [it seems to be more than just lactose intolerance] in everything I eat along with the gluten. I seldom get sick from mistakes anymore. But when I do, it can be anywhere from mild symptoms, only lasting a day or two, to a sever reaction, lasting over a week or more. At it's worst, I find the best thing to do is to stop eating solid food for a couple of days, and only consume liquids. The liquids seem to give the intestines a chance to rest and heal. I follow this for a day or two with white rice and applesauce. Then, I gently go back to a regular diet. Hope this helps you.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

I would consider trying wearing the mask the whole day, and make sure to isolate your clothing and shower (before going home, if possible).

Flour is going to be in the air (and settle in your nasal passages and mouth when you talk) and will stick on your clothing (unless you're in a bunny suit, but I expect they don't treat it like a clean room ;) ) and on your skin.

Impossible to do? No. But I'd treat it like you were working in a hazardous biology lab - very strict precautions.

ranger Enthusiast
ranger
Posted

I worked as a chef for years. Thank God I'm retired now, because there's no way I could work in a restaurant kitchen where any flour was involved - and most of the good ones do in-house baking. I don't know what I'd do if I was younger and had to work, but I suspect a carreer change would be in order! Hope you figure this one out.

StrongLikeBull Newbie
StrongLikeBull
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the responses guys.

It's bit of a tough decision, but I'm already looking for other jobs and considering going back to school. It's gonna be rough in this economy, but we'll see what happens. I'm almost positive that I need to get out of that wheat-swamped environment before I can make any real advances in good health.

Man, it is amazing how suddenly your life can change. A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I were talking about opening a European-style bakery of our own. I suppose I'll have to reconsider this as well :(. Ah well, much to think about. Thanks again for the advice.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted
Man, it is amazing how suddenly your life can change. A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I were talking about opening a European-style bakery of our own. I suppose I'll have to reconsider this as well :(. Ah well, much to think about. Thanks again for the advice.

Depending on your area, you might find success opening a gluten-free bakery of your own. :)

StrongLikeBull Newbie
StrongLikeBull
Posted
  • Author
Depending on your area, you might find success opening a gluten-free bakery of your own. :)

Yeah I've been thinking about that :). Though I don't know how successful these tend to be. Definitely worth looking into though.

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
Yeah I've been thinking about that :). Though I don't know how successful these tend to be. Definitely worth looking into though.

Even if it isn't really popular at first if you do open one an internet site would help increase your sales. One thing you could do is check and see if any of your local health food stores or grocery stores would be interested in carrying your products. You could also consider making some gluten free take and bake items, things like pizzas, soups, casseroles etc might increase sales and make you the place to stop for those who need the diet and don't want to go to restaurants.

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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