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Could My Library Books Be Causing Cc Issues?

jackay

By jackay
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

I'm still trying to figure out CC issues here and don't know if this has been addressed.

It seems highly likely that used books could very easily cause cc. I like to lie down when I read and hold books pretty close to my face. It just dawned on me that flour or crumbs could be falling out onto my face. Could this be the source of my mystery CC issues? I have been doing this since going gluten free and it hasn't been a problem before (that I know of). I've had minor cc issues but nothing like the spell I'm going through now.

I know I use to sit and eat cookies while reading and have already dropped crumbs in books. Also, I store my library books on my back kitchen cupboard. If others do that they could very easily get covered with a dusting of flour.

I am going to have to break my habit of this which is going to be very difficult. I have severe insomnia and anxiety and read at night when I can't sleep. It is the only thing that keeps me from going completely insane. If I slept decent, it wouldn't be so hard to break this habit. With the winter months coming up, it is going to be hard to get out of nice warm bed on a cold winter night to read.

I can't afford to buy new books and reading is a big part of my life.

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T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

I honestly don't know, but I have wondered the same thing. We get a lot of used books as well, and my daughter was getting some CC periodically from unknown sources, so we started looking at the book possibility too.

What I do know is that the gluten can definitely exist on the book if someone was eating while reading and a crumb spilled, etc... I was talking to an allergist about allergens and what could get gluten on it that could get passed on. It will eventually run OUT of gluten to pass on, since it doesn't multiple like a germ or anything, but since we don't know how much was on there....yeah, problem.

I know what you mean about adjusting. I always liked to read in a certain way, often at the kitchen table while cooking on the stove, and I've had to change that to keep the books away from the food. I can't really offer any real information, I know, just a lot of sympathy from someone going through the same thing. :(

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I have thought about this issue also. What I do is to shake the book over my trash can incase there are crumbs inside and run a damp paper towel over the cover. I also make sure that I wash my hands after reading before I touch my face, rub my eyes or eat anything. I also take a good look at the pages before I purchase a used book and if I see what looks like pizza smudges etc I pass on it.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I have thought about that too. I am very sensitive. I have such things lying around too, and I used to read at the table all the time. So far I haven't seemed to get glutened by that source. I don't read such things every day so I can keep track better than someone who does it every day. I have gotten glutened by cleaning our kitchen cupboards and the garage. A lot of dirty stuff built up while I was sick. I do try to read suspicious items at a spot where I don't eat, and to wash carefully after. I also don't hold it over my head. I hope you get things figured out. I'm guessing that it's cc in something that you are eating. How about kissing a gluten eater?

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted
  • Author

I have thought about that too. I am very sensitive. I have such things lying around too, and I used to read at the table all the time. So far I haven't seemed to get glutened by that source. I don't read such things every day so I can keep track better than someone who does it every day. I have gotten glutened by cleaning our kitchen cupboards and the garage. A lot of dirty stuff built up while I was sick. I do try to read suspicious items at a spot where I don't eat, and to wash carefully after. I also don't hold it over my head. I hope you get things figured out. I'm guessing that it's cc in something that you are eating. How about kissing a gluten eater?

I guess I don't really hold a book over my head but close to it. I wear bifocals but can read better by holding a book close and not wearing glasses. I know lots of other people that do that, too. My eye doctor thinks this is ridiculous but one of his employees told me she does the same thing.

However, gluten could be getting on my sheets, blankets and comforter. I trained myself not to touch my face but I pull up the blankets and often sleep with my head covered with just a small opening to breath. This is something that I have been doing for a couple of years. I actually can't get to sleep without doing it. I doubt I can break that habit as I actually sleep better in a cooler room. I think I need a separate small blanket for covering my head. I can keep that out of the way while I read. And...I definitely need to watch for CC in reading materials.

Kissing a gluten eater only gets done after flossing, brushing and using a gluten free mouth wash. DH is O.K. with that because he knows how sick I get and his life isn't normal either when I am sick.

K8ling Enthusiast
K8ling
Posted

You know, I didn't think about this but all week I have had an upset stomach- feels like gluten not hormones- and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. The only new things I had all week were some Mi-Del Ginger snaps, a few pieces of Cadbury Dark Chocolate, and lots of library research. I thought it might be the dark chocolate or CC from the snaps but the massive quantity of college kids eating while studying definitely ups my chances of cc.

BenVenit Newbie
BenVenit
Posted

I wonder! I think it is very possible.

I could go nuts on this..... I am a reader, too.

Francis Bacon: "When I get paid I buy books. If there is anything left over I buy food, and if necessary, clothes."

That is my motto.

I do buy from used book stores and sometimes rub them down with rubbing alcohol. Library books? Eeeck.

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K8ling Enthusiast
K8ling
Posted

Yeah I got a bleach wipe and wiped down everything when I got off my laptop LOL

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted
  • Author

I wonder! I think it is very possible.

I could go nuts on this..... I am a reader, too.

Francis Bacon: "When I get paid I buy books. If there is anything left over I buy food, and if necessary, clothes."

That is my motto.

I do buy from used book stores and sometimes rub them down with rubbing alcohol. Library books? Eeeck.

Maybe I need to stick to the newer library books as they haven't been handled as much. Some used books could be just as bad.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Yeah I got a bleach wipe and wiped down everything when I got off my laptop LOL

B)

Bleach won't kill the gluten, maybe germs, but not gluten. :)

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted
  • Author

B)

Bleach won't kill the gluten, maybe germs, but not gluten. :)

However, just wiping them off may help no matter what you use.

K8ling Enthusiast
K8ling
Posted

However, just wiping them off may help no matter what you use.

It was just a wipe I had handy lol I know Gluten isn't a germ. Well, unless it's wheat germ lol

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted
  • Author

It was just a wipe I had handy lol I know Gluten isn't a germ. Well, unless it's wheat germ lol

Very funny! I love it!!!

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
;):lol:
kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

It was just a wipe I had handy lol I know Gluten isn't a germ. Well, unless it's wheat germ lol

:P:P:P

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

I get books and videos from the library and buy them at yard sales and I can honestly say this is not something I've ever given a second thought. And I won't start now.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

I get books and videos from the library and buy them at yard sales and I can honestly say this is not something I've ever given a second thought. And I won't start now.

Uh-Oh, videos! Good catch! I know some of those out-doorsey videos have wheat fields in them! Geez just can't get a way. :D

Just kidding. I hadn't thought of the possible book cc issue myself. Reminds me of the old joke about kicking her out for eatin' crackers in bed. :)

It does seem possible though, if you think about used cook books for instance that have probably been sitting around in gluten kitchens. And a used bread baking book would be very suspicious.

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted
  • Author

I get books and videos from the library and buy them at yard sales and I can honestly say this is not something I've ever given a second thought. And I won't start now.

I never thought too much of it either until I couldn't figure out where I was getting cc.

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted

This crossed my mind once over the summer when I was unemployed and going through a stack of library books each week. I found a lot of stains on a couple books and finally started to wonder where those books have been. I broke the habit of eating while reading (unless the book looked clean, but I would wash my hands and eat with one hand, holding the book with the other, not letting them come into contact).

One of my aunts is a nurse practitioner and refuses to borrow from the library or buy used because she knows what kind of germs can be transmitted. She has succeeded in making the rest of the family think about what we may be holding each time we borrow a book, but we haven't stopped. We have hand soap and Purell for a reason. I don't plan on letting the possibility of gluten CC stop me from reading library books.

  • 2 months later...
Fire Fairy Enthusiast
Fire Fairy
Posted

This may be really silly but the majority of the time when I go to any big bookstore I suddenly have to race to the bathroom. I used to think it was all in my head but since discovering I have a gluten problem I've started wondering if there is some sort of gluten in the air in these places. I thought maybe the glue in the older books but after reading this post maybe it was sticky fingers holding the books before I touched them. Any ideas?

bridgetm Enthusiast
bridgetm
Posted

This may be really silly but the majority of the time when I go to any big bookstore I suddenly have to race to the bathroom. I used to think it was all in my head but since discovering I have a gluten problem I've started wondering if there is some sort of gluten in the air in these places. I thought maybe the glue in the older books but after reading this post maybe it was sticky fingers holding the books before I touched them. Any ideas?

What bookstores? A lot of the bigger book stores have cafes inside (Barnes & Noble is partnered with Starbucks, Borders sells Seattle's Best). Usually they'll do most or all of their baking off-site but there's always something floating in the air and then there are the people who don't want to buy will read in the cafe and put the book back.

Just something to think about.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

What bookstores? A lot of the bigger book stores have cafes inside (Barnes & Noble is partnered with Starbucks, Borders sells Seattle's Best). Usually they'll do most or all of their baking off-site but there's always something floating in the air and then there are the people who don't want to buy will read in the cafe and put the book back.

Just something to think about.

As far as going anywhere in public places, wash you hands, for all sorts of reasons. There is no great - gluten - flour - dust flying around with a bull-eye on you, with intent to make you sick. Take precautions, use common sense and wash your hands.....nothing unusual here. Live your life. :)

gabby Enthusiast
gabby
Posted

I'm guessing that if there's any way to get glutened by a a book that's been handled by someone eating gluten... it is when you lick your finger to turn the page! Used books often have pages that are stuck together...and it is such a natural reaction to just lick your finger or thumb to get those pages apart. No licking=no glutening!

Hope that helps!

TPT Explorer
TPT
Posted

I have to admit, before this gluten issue came into my life, I would eat while reading my library books. :unsure: The thought about people with peanut allergies did cross my mind. (I used to eat lots of granola bars.)

I guess as far as gluten, it depends on whether or not you think it's a problem outside of eating it. Now I will try to be mindful of it, if only for the peanut people, whom really can get sick just from skin contact. Not saying that we can't get sick that way, just that we know for sure plenty of people that get sick from airborn and skin contact with peanuts.

My be time for you to get a kindle!

Fire Fairy Enthusiast
Fire Fairy
Posted

What bookstores? A lot of the bigger book stores have cafes inside (Barnes & Noble is partnered with Starbucks, Borders sells Seattle's Best). Usually they'll do most or all of their baking off-site but there's always something floating in the air and then there are the people who don't want to buy will read in the cafe and put the book back.

Just something to think about.

Barnes and Noble and the local used bookstore.

Thank you for your response. :)

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