Not Sure If This Is Normal

[happyaps]

i started gluten-free 2 months ago due to terrible skin issues for the last year or so. Went to many drs, said it was stress, acne etc. Finally i found a derm who patch tested me for topical allergies. I also have many seasonal allergies and bad asthma. I removed most of the allergens that i thought were plaguing me, but my skin was still having issues. The dermatologist suggested gluten free/dairy free to see if i had any success.

Once I went gluten-free, my skin cleared up from the annoying blistering rashes that appear on my face, forehead, around my mouth, chin, jaw line, neck etc. Hives cleared up too. I am not 100% better, but i can see a considerable difference. From time to time, I do have an occasional flare up.

Well, last night, i went to this wedding at a beautiful place, known for fabulous food. I ate gluten-free at dinner, but at the cocktail hour, i wasn't watching myself. I had a bite of my husbands pasta and I had scallops in some amazing sauce, probably had gluten in it.

At the end of the evening, I wasn't feeling too hot. I tried to go to sleep, but my stomach was so unsettled. I have had severe stomach issues for the past 12 hours. I don't feel sick, like throwing up, but I am suffering from severe cramping and constant trips to the bathroom. I did manage to have a gluten-free waffle for lunch, and some gluten-free pretzels and I am seeing some improvement.

Is this normal when you have gluten? the food was yummy, but it wasnot worth it at all. I am trying to figure out if i have a stomach bug or maybe this is how most people react when gluten shocks their system. I don't have the chills, i just feel bloated and my stomach is just upset.

thanks!

[IrishHeart]

Sure sounds like a gluten reaction to me.

You felt better off gluten, then you ate a food with gluten in it and you felt lousy.

That's what happens to most of us--only some have worse reactions than those--lasting for many days, sometimes weeks. Hope you feel better soon.

Drink a lot of water.

Guess you should stick with gluten-free living!

[ravenwoodglass]

Yes it is normal. You got glutened. It is likely that your skin issues will flare up also. I hope your feeling better soon.

[rosetapper23]

You get DH exactly where I do, and it's so distressing to have blisters covering one's face. I agree that your cramps and trips to the bathroom were caused by eating gluten. Once we remove gluten from our systems, we tend to get very sensitive to accidental ingestions of it. When I eat gluten, I have trouble sleeping and I wake up with my eyes puffy, my head hurting, my nose stuffed up, my mind feeling foggy, and there are multiple trips to the bathroom for about 36 hours. Since your DH hasn't completely cleared up, you might try eliminating iodine from your diet. For many people, DH needs BOTH gluten and iodine to cause a rash. You can find iodine in iodized salt (so think potato chips, crackers, french fries, and processed foods), seafood, dairy products (except organic), and asparagus. I went for years without knowing I had celiac, but I discovered that if I eliminated the iodine from my diet, the blisters went away.

You mentioned eating gluten-free processed foods, and that concerns me since you've only been gluten free for a few months. Generally, in the beginning it's best to eat natural foods only. This decreases your chances of contamination and helps provide the nutrition you need to get better. You'll see that after you've eaten natural foods for a while, you no longer crave or desire processed foods. When I eat processed foods now, they don't seem to taste like real food--they taste "funny" with all those chemicals in them.

I hope you start feeling better soon!