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Does More Gluten Consumed Mean Longer Duration Of Symptoms?

bridgetm

By bridgetm
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted

My mom bought me a new cereal on Monday which looked to be gluten-free (as in no gluten ingredients used), but I saw that it was not expressly labeled gluten-free and contained oat flour. Normally I avoid such things ("Mom, it's all yours; enjoy") but my choices were this cereal (Mother's Cocoa Bumpers), Corn Chex, or a hot breakfast from the stove. I do just fine with Chex so it's always in the house, but... it's always in the house and sometimes I just can't eat anymore. It was a hot and sticky morning so I did not want to stand at the stove for eggs or Udi's french toast. My choices were leftover rice or the cocoa cereal and in my infinite wisdom... Guess which I picked???

I ate that stuff for breakfast 3 days in a row and once for an afternoon snack. On the evening of day 2 I noticed some more inflammation that usual and some cramping-like abdominal pain. At first I assumed it to be connected to my looming period... no joy. Symptoms worsened. Morning of day 4 I take a closer look at the label (I looked at it everytime I poured but never noticed anything new) and finally caught the fine print; "Manufactured by Quaker Oats Co." Ah... oops... The words oats, CC, conveyor belt, etc spun through my head and I poured some Chex instead. By then of course it was too late.

I've been gluten-free for over 4 months (and now also dairy-, soy- and HFCS-free) and my glutening symptoms have been consistent: 2-3 days of D, followed by 2-3 days of C and noticable improvement of inflammation with each day. However, this time I'm on day 3 of diahrrea and the progression looks like it may be another day or two (or three or four) before I move on to C. I am hoping that this long process is due to the duration over which I consumed the cereal, but I also worry that there may be another food or two I could be reacting to. My food diary points to the cereal as the most likely factor though, unless after consuming so many bananas this summer my body is finally saying enough.

Has anyone else noticed a longer duration of symptoms after a few days of eating the same gluten-containing food???

I would swallow my rice and water and roll with it, taking the punishment for my idiocy, but I'm moving back to campus on Tuesday to help out with soccer training camp which means hours on the practice field or in the gym each day. I don't want to be in pain or worried about my bowels out there.

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lucia Enthusiast
lucia
Posted

Has anyone else noticed a longer duration of symptoms after a few days of eating the same gluten-containing food???

What an awful experience! I have noticed that consuming a higher quantity of gluten means that the symptoms are more intense, but not of a longer duration.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Sorry to hear you're sick. I'm different from Lucia. I do get longer-lasting symptoms with more gluten. The D lasts longer for me and the resulting stomachache lasts a few days.

I find Immodium very helpful for the D. Is that something you can take?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I get more violently ill if I happen to consume a large amount but the length of time I am sick is the same. If you have to take immodium because you have to be out of the house that will stop the D but I avoid it as I want gluten out of my system and hesitate to take anything that will slow it's progress out of my body. I do find Pepto Bismal liquid to help with stomach pain but it doesn't stop the D so that is what I use.

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted
  • Author

I considered Immodium this morning and found we were out; I will probably pick some up before going back to campus. I'll give Pepto a try too.

Another possibility I've been considering is GERD. Sorry if this is TMI but the D is usually very loose and yellowish and seems to occur shortly after eating. I read that this can be attributed to either GERD or a stomach virus; I have no idea where I would have picked up a virus (I ate Pad Thai from Noodles & Co the other day but my mom had the same thing and is having no problem) so I'm leaning towards GERD. I have also been getting heartburn more than usual.

Does anyone know if GERD can be exacerbated by gluten?

K8ling Enthusiast
K8ling
Posted

I'm sure if you have any kind of a food allergy, other digestive food problems can be aggravated by it. Loose and yellow also could be yOur gallbladder. I have found that I can tolerate very small amounts but it builds up in my system to a HUGE sick filled day :(

I hope you feel better!!

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Does anyone know if GERD can be exacerbated by gluten?

Yep. Just about anything related to your GI tract can be exacerbated by gluten.

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precious831 Contributor
precious831
Posted

More gluten for me equals much worse symptoms but the duration seems to be the same. Feel better soon!

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted
  • Author

Thank you all for your replies. I can always find some sanity here when nothing makes sense.

I am beginning to feel better. I was actually hungry for breakfast today for the first time this week so at least the glutening symptoms are receding. I think I'm going to go back to a morning preventative Prilosec for a while to calm down the reflux problems.

Thank you again :)

precious831 Contributor
precious831
Posted

I get heartburn if I get glutened.

Just thought I'd share before I was diagnosed I had severe GERD and was on Prilosec too. I was on it for a long time. If you're trying to quit, please don't do it cold turkey. Imagine a damn being shut down, but having removed the Prilosec it's just completely open and the water just rushes in. That's the analogy for the acid, so if you want to quit, try to taper it down, don't quit cold turkey. These drugs are very powerful. Trust me I tried many times before and couldn't quit, by the 3rd day I wanted to die, the reflux was so severe. However I tapered it down and by the 2nd month I felt everything was normal. BTW my GI says the same thing about the not quitting PPIs cold turkey.

HTH.

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted
  • Author

I get heartburn if I get glutened.

Just thought I'd share before I was diagnosed I had severe GERD and was on Prilosec too. I was on it for a long time. If you're trying to quit, please don't do it cold turkey. Imagine a damn being shut down, but having removed the Prilosec it's just completely open and the water just rushes in. That's the analogy for the acid, so if you want to quit, try to taper it down, don't quit cold turkey. These drugs are very powerful. Trust me I tried many times before and couldn't quit, by the 3rd day I wanted to die, the reflux was so severe. However I tapered it down and by the 2nd month I felt everything was normal. BTW my GI says the same thing about the not quitting PPIs cold turkey.

HTH.

That is good to know; thank you! My doctor didn't say anything about that. I'll be more careful next time.

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