Is There Anyone Here Who Doesn't Have Symptoms After Cross Contamination?

[StacyA]

I'm new to the diagnosis and have been reading A LOT. Some of the cross-contamination stories I've read are scary - a cooking utensil touching pasta, a crumb on a counter, a bun accidentally brushing a burger, not washing your hands before eating - and then days or weeks of pain afterwards. Is this the case for most people, or do people not post the times they accidentally take the wrong headache medicine and NOT get a gluten reaction?

[lovegrov]

If you don't react to a CC then it's pretty tough to say you actually had CC. I guess there are some situations where you might find out afterward even without a reaction, but I'd guess that would be rare.

richard

[ang1e0251]

We're a sensitive bunch but some are even more sensitive! You may not react to those things but others do. You have to find out through trial and error what you react to.

[StephanieM]

When I first went gluten free, I didn't react to CC either, I thought it was a joke.. Separate toasters, separate condiments, I honestly didn't believe it.. THe longer you are gluten-free, the more sensitive your body becomes to gluten. I actually believe that this means I'm healthier.. Before, our bodies were semi-immune to gluten in the way that we were all consuming it regularly, so it somewhat numbs your bodies ability to tell you something is wrong. NOw, I feel, that my immune system is working properly, so if I do get CC glutened, my body goes into hyper-drive... That isn't such a bad thing, because it is our bodies way of guaranteeing survival.. React heavily to teach us not to consume it.. DOes that make any sense?

Anyway, I used to even eat things that said "may contain traces of"... Now, I would NEVER put myself through that pain..

Steph

[Darn210]

We've been at this for almost 2 1/2 years. There was one time were my daughter had a true reaction and I found out later that she had recieved something with wheat in it (listed as an ingredient on the package) at school. A handful of times that she said her stomach was upset . . . didn't last long and no other symptoms. One of these times was after eating the Wellshire corn dogs where we found out afterwards that they (as a product in general - unknown for our actual package) had a significant amount of CC (gluten in the 100's ppm). The other instances I could not tell you if it was cc, or just something not sitting well (it doesn't always have to be about gluten), or the fact she was doing cartwheels 10 minutes after eating (yes, she does that sometimes). We live in a mixed household. She eats at other peoples houses. We go out to eat once in a while. We've gone to pitch-in dinners. We take precautions and will continue to take precautions even though she is not sensitive, but I've got to believe that she's run into some CC here or there.

[lovegrov]

BTW, from my experience I'd say that most people with celiac do NOT experience "days or weeks of pain" after CC. In my case, I feel crummy and sometimes have diarrhea, but it's certainly not painful and it rarely lasts more than a day. And while I

[Tim-n-VA]

From my perspective the question is backwards. I don't eat anything where I know there is cross-contamination. We all have to evaluate the risk of unknown cross-contamination. More often it is the symptom that tells me I need to re-evaluate the risk of something.

[StacyA]

BTW, from my experience I'd say that most people with celiac do NOT experience "days or weeks of pain" after CC. In my case, I feel crummy and sometimes have diarrhea, but it's certainly not painful and it rarely lasts more than a day. And while I

[StephanieM]

I think it could best be described as 'weeks of symptoms' rather than pain for some. For me, the "pain" is acute, only lasting that night, at max one day.. HOwever, the disruption to my digestive system does last anywhere from 5 days to weeks.. Every symptom is different in every person.. My hair even falls out in clumps now.. But I wouldn't use the word "pain" per se...