Oh Hell, I Just Got Glutened

[Mack the Knife]

Tonight I went out to dinner with a friend. We went to a restaurant where I often eat and have never had a problem. The owners really look after Coeliacs, they consulted with a Coeliac specialist when they set up their business, they have a whole separate gluten free menu, bake their own bread and cakes, are aware of cc issues with deep fryers etc. I always feel really safe eating there.

So we arrive and the owner bustles out, gives me a gluten free menu and talks me through the specials board saying you can have this, you can't have that and I'll check with the chef, etc. Then she tells me that there's a lentil soup that's just been made that's not on the specials board yet and I can have that with gluten free bread. I love lentil soup so I order it.

The soup comes out and I tuck in. It's pretty good soup but there's an odd taste.... a famililiar taste. While I'm sitting there trying to place it, I look more closely at my soup and realise that some of the lentils don't look like lentils - they look like grains. In fact they look like..... and then I stopped eating.

Yep. My lentil soup was full of barley. The owner turned white when I asked her about it (desperately hoping I was mistaken) and whisked it away. She was really, profoundly apologetic, gave me another meal and didn't charge me for anything. She was very upset. She actually knew it had barley in it but didn't connect it to gluten for some reason. I guess we all have days when we miss the obvious. But damn...

So now I'm sitting here feeling like a ticking time bomb wondering when I'm going to get sick. Or even if. I was only diagnosed five months ago and have been super careful. This is the first time I have definitely eaten gluten so I really don't know how I am going to react.

Anyway, I guess the moral is that you have to look after yourself. Even though I was at a place that really caters for Coeliacs, I should have questioned the specials more carefully. It's best to treat everything suspiciously.

I'll let you know how I go. Sigh.

[tictax707]

ooooh I am so so sorry to hear about this. But here are two thoughts for you: 1. I had a similar experience once before but the offending ingredient was soy sauce. I flipped the hell out. i was not as calm seeming as you. I did not take it out on the staff but was in my own private panic. Tried to induce vomiting, (have no idea how bulemics do it) no such luck. Ultimately though, nothing really happened. 2. At the celiac conference here in LA a few weeks ago, one of the speakers (a leading doctor specializing in celiac disease) mentioned that often times when we ingest gluten we actually don't get any symptoms. Very surprising to me, but maybe it will give you a ray of hope/optimism that this will pass with few bumps... I'll cross my fingers for you!!

[Ahorsesoul]

This place is trying so hard I certainly would not me mad at them. Upset, that I was going to get sick but not mad. They are probably still having nightmares about a lawsuit. I would eat there again. But it does show that even people who have been educated in what has gluten will forgot something once in awhile.

[Skylark]

I hope you don't get too sick. It's so frustrating when you ask all the right questions, and something still goes wrong. I'm glad to hear the owner was apologetic and has some understanding of what she has done to you.

[LoraW76]

Sorry to hear about this. I have eaten at a local mexican restaurant where I live and no matter what, I always question the waiter as to whether or not my corn tortillas are actually corn. It'll give me a panic attack to eat out at times. I have had an extensive conversation w/ the pwner about celiac and a manager has a wife w/ celiac. I also find that I have dreams where I am eating gluten and I freak out! I try to vomit in my dreams as well. No one understand like we do.

[Mack the Knife]

Well, it hasn't been too bad. About 18 hours after eating the soup I developed a headache (very unusual for me) which continued all night. I completely lost my appetite, got really tired and couldn't keep my eyes open. So I went to bed but couldn't sleep. So I lay awake for hours feeling simultaneously exhausted and wired.

This morning I still have a slight headache and no appetite. I'm very constipated but that's really normal for me these days. Otherwise my stomach is ok.

So that's good but I'm a bit concerned that I don't have clearer cut symptoms of being glutened. I get symtoms like these very regularly despite being strictly gluten free.

I was diagnosed five months ago and the exhaustion and constant low grade digestive issues haven't improved much. So now I'm wondering if I'm still being exposed to gluten somewhere. I'm getting the Coeliac serology tests redone and another biopsy so I should know soon.

[modiddly16]

SOOO many people are going to jump on me for doing/saying this...but...when I knowingly get glutened, sometimes I take a laxative to work it more quickly out of my system. Mind you, I've been gluten free for almost 7 years so I rarely get glutened but it does happen. I wouldn't recommend you taking a laxative every time you get glutened if it happens once a week. This probably isn't the most health conscious thing to do, however, my doctor said its not damaging in moderation and helps lessen the reaction to the gluten. Not to say I always know when I get glutened or that it helps the reaction at all but it does push everything out of your system in a more timely fashion.

I'm prepared for the onslaught of horrors coming my way from the board members, but I stand by my methods