Long Reaction To Being Glutened Or More Hidden Gluten?

[RobynJ]

My cousin made gluten free cupcakes for him on Halloween. The next day he was sick. I think residue flour in her sugar or in her flour sifter is what made him sick. Last Sunday he seemed aggressive and a little sick. Monday he told me his tummy hurt and seemed really off. He still isn't himself and his bloated tummy is back. That was Saturday and he is still having watery stools.

So my question- how long does a reaction from being glutened usually last? How can I tell if he is getting sick from something else or if this is one long reaction? Is there anything I can do to help ease the symptoms (beyond making sure he gets enough water and no more gluten)? I have been going through his food and I don't see anything that should be causing a problem- unless it is CC or he is getting something I don't know about...

Sorry if this is a dumb or unanswerable question we are still pretty new at this...

[gfp]

My cousin made gluten free cupcakes for him on Halloween. The next day he was sick. I think residue flour in her sugar or in her flour sifter is what made him sick. Last Sunday he seemed aggressive and a little sick. Monday he told me his tummy hurt and seemed really off. He still isn't himself and his bloated tummy is back. That was Saturday and he is still having watery stools.

So my question- how long does a reaction from being glutened usually last? How can I tell if he is getting sick from something else or if this is one long reaction? Is there anything I can do to help ease the symptoms (beyond making sure he gets enough water and no more gluten)? I have been going through his food and I don't see anything that should be causing a problem- unless it is CC or he is getting something I don't know about...

Sorry if this is a dumb or unanswerable question we are still pretty new at this...

It certainly isn't dumb but it is unanswerable.

As an adult, or more precisely as someone who is extremely analytical I cannot ever say for sure.

How long is for me about 4-6 weeks but with decreasing severity and frequency SO LONG AS I DON'T MESS UP IN THE MEANTIME.

The only way I can tell myself is by being 100% gluten-free which means NO (and I mean NO) possible foods which may have CC or hidden gluten. (including CODEX gluten)

4-6 weeks seems an age but I have at times been able to be 100% guaranteed gluten-free by not having ANY gluten in my home and not eating anything outside my home. I have under these circumstances found that the last possible gluten (excepting airborne or hands) and still had mild symptoms infrequently after weeks.

Honestly, if you're frustrated then I sympathise but if a child is going to school, using public transport etc. then things will happen. Like a lot of parenting you will feel it is somehow your fault... and it isn't... s**t happens!

He will also get colds and from time to time Flu ... and as parents we can do what we can but we cannot avoid every possible danger. Somewhere you have to find a life balance!

What you can do and will be the hardest part is explain this to your cousin!

The more you can do this without blame or guilt the better! (In other words your cousin might get defensive instead of listening). These are the hardest situations, even with an adult! When someone makes an effort but you still get ill. They also lead to pressure and being put in situations where you are not comfortable but find it hard to be polite and refuse when someone says 'But it is gluten free'.

Simply put: If your cousin usually bakes or uses flour then pretty much the whole kitchen is a CC zone.

The sifter and the sugar are spot on for possibilities but so are dish cloths, towels and cutlery.

[RobynJ]

Okay. I just we will just have to keep an eye out and wait it out then. Thanks!

[shayesmom]

My cousin made gluten free cupcakes for him on Halloween. The next day he was sick. I think residue flour in her sugar or in her flour sifter is what made him sick. Last Sunday he seemed aggressive and a little sick. Monday he told me his tummy hurt and seemed really off. He still isn't himself and his bloated tummy is back. That was Saturday and he is still having watery stools.

So my question- how long does a reaction from being glutened usually last? How can I tell if he is getting sick from something else or if this is one long reaction? Is there anything I can do to help ease the symptoms (beyond making sure he gets enough water and no more gluten)? I have been going through his food and I don't see anything that should be causing a problem- unless it is CC or he is getting something I don't know about...

Sorry if this is a dumb or unanswerable question we are still pretty new at this...

Unfortunately, it can be really difficult to find the culprit in all of this. The cupcakes could definitely be an issue. If your son went trick-or-treating, you may also want to double check his candy.

Besides that, if your son is in school, I'd talk to the teachers about thoroughly wiping down his work areas in class to make sure Halloween party items didn't contaminate his area.

Reactions differ with each individual. But generally speaking, the reaction time doesn't differ all that much in regards to the individual. You've seen reactions before. Is this "normal" for him?

My daughter is off for about 3 days after an exposure (small CC issues last about 6-8 hours). The worst is the first 24 hours. I do give her a probiotics supplement and go to a 100% no chance for accidental gluten type of diet (that means no eating out, no pre-packaged gluten-free products....just meat, veggies, fruits and things I've baked/cooked myself from scratch).

Keep digging to see if you can find the culprit (though it may be a fruitless endeavor). I hope your son feels better soon!

[gfp]

Okay. I just we will just have to keep an eye out and wait it out then. Thanks!

All that and more ... more being learn and move on!

It is so easy to beat ourselves up over this when really S**t Happens ...

At one point I obsessed over finding the offending cup-cake/CC etc. but really it's only useful as a learning experience and what you can avoid in the future.

Sometimes you will be quite certain but mostly you have multiple possibilities ... and often it might be a random event you didn't even notice... like a relative or friend sitting on the furniture with a bread crumb on their clothes...

Many of these are so unlikely they don't happen but they are also very common so once in a while a really unlikely set of events conspires and ... poop happens.

As a parent we feel a natural guilt that something happened we think we should have controlled but the truth is we can't control everything for our children, we can't even control it for ourselves.

HUGS are the best remedy ... depending on age then immodium (loperamide) can stop the poop and also help the spasms ... and purely theoretically and in my experience also help with the neurological effects such as mood.

You can search this forum for 'brain fog' and 'exorphin' if you wish to explore this side.

Loperamide hydrochloride is not recommended in infants below 24 months of age.

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[RobynJ]

Reactions differ with each individual. But generally speaking, the reaction time doesn't differ all that much in regards to the individual. You've seen reactions before. Is this "normal" for him?

My daughter is off for about 3 days after an exposure (small CC issues last about 6-8 hours). The worst is the first 24 hours. I do give her a probiotics supplement and go to a 100% no chance for accidental gluten type of diet (that means no eating out, no pre-packaged gluten-free products....just meat, veggies, fruits and things I've baked/cooked myself from scratch).

This is the first time he has gotten sick. So I don't know if it is normal or not. He still has loose stools. He is on probiotics- so maybe I will call the naturopath and see if it is okay if I up the dose or if she has something else that helps.

All that and more ... more being learn and move on!

It is so easy to beat ourselves up over this when really S**t Happens ...

At one point I obsessed over finding the offending cup-cake/CC etc. but really it's only useful as a learning experience and what you can avoid in the future.

Sometimes you will be quite certain but mostly you have multiple possibilities ... and often it might be a random event you didn't even notice... like a relative or friend sitting on the furniture with a bread crumb on their clothes...

Many of these are so unlikely they don't happen but they are also very common so once in a while a really unlikely set of events conspires and ... poop happens.

As a parent we feel a natural guilt that something happened we think we should have controlled but the truth is we can't control everything for our children, we can't even control it for ourselves.

HUGS are the best remedy ... depending on age then immodium (loperamide) can stop the poop and also help the spasms ... and purely theoretically and in my experience also help with the neurological effects such as mood.

You can search this forum for 'brain fog' and 'exorphin' if you wish to explore this side.

Loperamide hydrochloride is not recommended in infants below 24 months of age.

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He is over 2 so I will look this up! Thanks for the advice. I do feel bad- but I guess you are right- there is no way for me to protect him from everything. Thank you again.