Wife Just Fainted

[sandhun]

My wife was diagnosed recently and has been following the gluten free diet for around 2 months now. She's also a vegetarian. Whilst out at dinner this evening she suddenly began to feel unwell and ended up passing out twice in succession.

This has never happened before even when she ate a 'regular' diet (inc gluten) for all those years.

We suspect one of the sauces at dinner may have contained gluten. Could this sudden intake of gluten after a period of not ingesting gluten have caused this fainting epsiode? Or could it be down to something else? Afterwards she felt a pain in both temples.

She had also consumed a small quantity of alcohol.

Thanks in advance.

[mushroom]

Did she have any other symptoms at the time she fainted? I used to faint from excessive bloating from gluten putting pressure on the vagus nerve.

[jerseyangel]

sandhun, Is there a chance she could be anemic?

[domesticactivist]

How is her blood pressure? Too low? Has she been getting protein regularly? I've always tended to pass out easily - blood sugar spikes and crashes are often the culprit.

[missy'smom]

I have a long history of fainting and second all the suggestions above. Twice in a row is concerning and suggests that something is really out of balance(at the very least, at that time), her body is very weak etc. I would have gone to the ER to be tested for all the above-blood pressure, blood sugar, anemia. She should go in to her doc. and report it and be possibly be tested to rule some things out. She surely doesn't want it to happen again.

[starrytrekchic]

Any chance she's pregnant?

[Cypressmyst]

When did she start feeling faint and what restaurant were you eating in? Did she have any complaints prior to passing out? How about since she came back to you? Itchiness/rash? Muscle spasms? Brain Fog? Joint Pain? Flu like symptoms? Depression? Anxiety? Does any of that ring a bell?

Also, for what it is worth, my Doctor says that alcohol intensifies the gluten reaction.

[ElseB]

She needs to get her iron levels tested. I went through a 6 month period of almost fainting at least once a week (luckily I never did faint because I was able to sit or lie down in time). When I finally went to the doctor I found out that I my iron was dangerously low. The funny thing was that before I was diagnosed I was vegetarian and never had problems with my iron. After I was diagnosed I started eating red meat again (too difficult to juggle multiple food restrictions!) and my iron was so low! I still can't get enough iron just through food no matter what I eat. My doctor said some people, women especially, just have trouble with iron. So now I"m on iron supplements.

[sandhun]

Thanks for the replies.

She said she is borderline anemic and her B12 levels are low. Blood pressure is sometimes low.

We

[lovegrov]

I doubt this has anything to do with gluten. Unexplained fainting is definitely something to get checked out.

richard

[MsCurious]

My wife was diagnosed recently and has been following the gluten free diet for around 2 months now. She's also a vegetarian. Whilst out at dinner this evening she suddenly began to feel unwell and ended up passing out twice in succession.

This has never happened before even when she ate a 'regular' diet (inc gluten) for all those years.

We suspect one of the sauces at dinner may have contained gluten. Could this sudden intake of gluten after a period of not ingesting gluten have caused this fainting epsiode? Or could it be down to something else? Afterwards she felt a pain in both temples.

She had also consumed a small quantity of alcohol.

Thanks in advance.

I know how you feel. I have had unexplained fainting many times, once slicing tomatoes with a very sharp knife. Thank goodness when I crumpled to the floor the knife went one way and I went the other. Another time I fainted in church and my face hit the pew in front of me and my tooth went through my lip.

Another time I was showering... and felt the "greyness" coming on so I grabbed the bar on the sliding glass door just as I blacked out... and the weight of my body pulled the door open and I fell and I hit my face on the track and broke my nose. It was soooo odd when I started coming to.. I was thinking ... Oh, I've never been so comfortable... like sleeping on a cloud in heaven... soooo comfortable... then I heard water running and thought... that's odd why is water running when I'm sleeping... then I heard my six year old son saying, "Mommy why are you sleeping in the bathtub?" and opened my eyes, and saw blood everywhere.

Sorry...so graphic, but that's what happened. I was afraid to move, because I knew I fainted at that point, but when you don't have control of your body, things can bend in the wrong directions and I didn't know if I had broken anything in the fall. I was terrified that he had called 911... and they'd find me naked in the shower! LOL ... Okay, I'm getting off track here. I'm just really surprised to see how many others here have had unexplained fainting. I wonder if Doctors and researchers ever paid attention to that being a common thread. Oh, just for the record...nothing else was broken.. just my nose...and the lovely track marks across my cheeks. Those were a few of my fainting experiences... with no explanation.

[Pac]

I doubt this has anything to do with gluten. Unexplained fainting is definitely something to get checked out.

richard

I passed out many time pre-gluten-free, mostly after breakfast. Even now it is one of the telltale signs there was too much gluten in my food. So from my point of view, it is quite possible it was gluten. My family has a history of low blood pressure so "unexplained fainting" was always explained as low blood pressure, no need to go to the ER. (I sometimes wonder how would things be in my life if at least once my parents took me to the ER when I fainted or when I got so sick after breakfast that I had to lie down in bed and sleep it off instead of going to school.)

[Momomags]

My wife was diagnosed recently and has been following the gluten free diet for around 2 months now. She's also a vegetarian. Whilst out at dinner this evening she suddenly began to feel unwell and ended up passing out twice in succession.

This has never happened before even when she ate a 'regular' diet (inc gluten) for all those years.

We suspect one of the sauces at dinner may have contained gluten. Could this sudden intake of gluten after a period of not ingesting gluten have caused this fainting epsiode? Or could it be down to something else? Afterwards she felt a pain in both temples.

She had also consumed a small quantity of alcohol.

Thanks in advance.

So glad to hear someone else write this - I thought I was the only one! Last night I fainted 4-5 times (my husband lost count) between the car and bathroom after dinner at a Mexican restaurant (where I thought I was being safe in only ordering corn chips, enchilada made with corn tortilla, etc.) This has not happened to me since I went gluten-free 4 years ago, and it scared the heck out of my husband. Last time it happened, I only fainted once, and it was before I was gluten-free. After I come to, I always need to go to the bathroom, pronto, and well, there's just no way to put this delicately - diarhhea ensues, accompanied by a cold sweat. As this only happens after I've ingested gluten, I am positive that it is related to gluten sensitivity. Also, I was at my primary care physician last week, and blood work was typical for me.

I think you are right about sudden intake of gluten after not eating it. And like your wife, I also have had pain in temples (although I did hit my head once or twice when I went down) and had a single drink (12-oz frozen marguerita).

Like you, I suspect that one of the sauces (or dips) contained gluten. In the future, will be certain to ask before I order.

I'm sorry about your wife's experience - I'm sure it scared you as much as mine did my husband - but thank you for sharing it.

[WhenDee]

Is she watching for her protein intake?

A really excellent way to make sure she completes her diet is quinoa. I haven't found a lot of different ways to prepare it, so I mostly chill it and add it to salads. It is a complete protein source & has B12 in it. The only other (edible) source of B12 in vegetables is bean sprouts.

W