Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Why Am I Sick?


kathleenp

Recommended Posts

kathleenp Apprentice

This is day 27 of being gluten-free. I am not diagnosed Celiac, but decided to go gluten-free due to bipolar symptoms that do not really respond to meds. I am thrilled to say that bipolar symptoms are improving, although I still have a long way to go.

On day 5 I had what I thought was mild food poisening, but then I realized that my sister had eaten everything that I had and was not sick and it left after a few hours, so I decided it was something else. Then on day 19 I got a lot sicker and thought it was the flu that lasted for 5 days. I am not so sure it was the flu now since I have not been around anyone with the flu and have not passed it on to anyone either. My symptoms were fairly intense stomach pain and watery D, a little nausea, but no vomiting. Eating increased the pain, so I cut back on that. It went away for 2 days and last night the pain came back, although not really bad, but I did vomit rather violently. Still neausious this morning.

Yesterday was also a wierd, 'hungry' day for me. Everytime I ate, afterwards, I was absolutely starving. I had low blood sugar in the evening and I think I overate to compensate for that and I think that may have triggered the stomach pain. Overeating does seem to bring it on.

I have been very careful about what I am eating, but I did eat at El Pollo Loco last night-just chicken, pinto beans, corn and corn tortillas though. I thought that would be safe.

I had started taking enzymes around day 13 to help in case I got CC, so I don't know if they are affecting me or not.

Anyway, I don't know if I got glutened (isn't it too early to have such a bad reaction if it was glutening?), have the flu, am still withdrawing or am just in the healing process? Anyone care to share their thoughts on this?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

It is not too early to have a bad reaction to a glutening. Does the restaurant you ate at have a gluten free menu? If not then they may not be taking the proper precautions to prevent it at the restaurant.

In the beginning it is best to go with whole unprocessed foods that you prepare yourself in a kitchen that has been purged of gluten risks. You need a new dedicated toaster, to replace scratched non stick pans, strainers and wooden utensils. You also should get new condiments and don't share them with gluten eaters. That includes stuff like butter, nut butters, jellies etc.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star

The last time that I checked El Pollo loco's chicken was NOT gluten free. It sounds like you got glutened from it. Sorry you're sick now. If you didn't ask any questions that was mistake number one. You can't go by what "looks safe". You'll learn in time how to eat out at some places safely. El Pollo Loco is not one I would risk, personally--even their rice has gluten in it. They also put gluten in the chipotle salsa which is on the "salsa bar" making the rest of the salsa's unsafe from the bar.

As to you other incidences of feeling sick--have you eliminated cc rtisks in your home? Did you get a new gluten-free-dedicated toaster? Get rid of old non-stick pans, wooden spoons, wooden or plastic cutting boards? Don't underestimate the power of small amounts of gluten to make you sick.

kathleenp Apprentice

We don't use wooden utensils, most of my pans are stainless and the only thing we cut up on the cutting board is vegetables and occasionally meat, so I think I'm good there. I'll have to check the couple of pans that have a non-stick coating and see what condition they are in. As for the toaster-we use a toaster oven and I did toast a piece of gluten-free bread last night, but I put a piece of foil down first. Is this enough to prevent CC?

As for El Pollo Loco, they don't have a strictly gluten-free menu, but I had looked it up on the internet first and saw a list of foods that were gluten-free. I also saw a post here where someone eats what I had last night on a regular basis and doesn't get sick, so I thought it was safe. I did see where their food may be prepared on the same surfaces as gluten containing foods, so that may have been what happened.

It's funny, I never had gastrointestinal issues before going gluten-free, but now I sure do.

GFinDC Veteran

It seems funny to not have symptoms. But there are many people with celiac who don't know they have it. If fact there are probably around 2.7 million people in the USA right now who have celiac and don't know it. There should be about 3 million of us on this board, but there ain't.

Not knowing is the norm, not the unusual thing.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,188
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Leeila
    Newest Member
    Leeila
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Ginger38
      So I recently had allergy testing for IGE antibodies in response to foods. My test results came back positive to corn, white potatoes, egg whites. Tomatoes, almonds and peanuts to name a few.  I have had obvious reactions to a few of these - particularly tomatoes and corn- both GI issues. I don’t really understand all this allergy versus celiac stuff. If the food allergies are mild do I have to avoid these foods entirely? I don’t know what I will eat if I can’t  have corn based gluten free products 
    • Kris2093u4
      Geography makes a difference.  I'm in the West and Trader Joe's gluten-free bread tastes great and is a better price than most gluten-free breads sold elsewhere in my area.  
    • JForman
      We have four children (7-14 yo), and our 7 year old was diagnosed with NCGS (though all Celiac labs were positive, her scope at 4 years old was negative so docs in the US won't call it celiac). We have started her on a Gluten Free diet after 3 years of major digestive issues and ruling out just about everything under the sun. Our home and kitchen and myself are all gluten-free. But I have not asked my husband/her dad or her other siblings to go completely gluten-free with us. They are at home, but not out of the home. This has led to situations when we are eating out where she has to consistently see others eating things she can't have and she has begun to say "Well, I can't have <fill in the blank>...stupid gluten."  How have you supported your gluten-free kiddos in the mental health space of this journey, especially young ones like her. I know it's hard for me as an adult sometimes to miss out, so I can't imagine being 7 and dealing with it! Any tips or ideas to help with this? 
    • Jane878
      By the time I was 5 I had my first auto0immune disorder, Migraine headaches, with auras to blind me, and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. I was 5 years old, and my stepfather would have pizza night, milling his own flour, making thick cheesy gluten pizza, that I would eat and the next day, I would have serious migraines, and my mother & stepfather did nothing about my medical problems. When I was 17 in my first year at college, I was diagnosed with my 2nd known auto-immune disorder, Meniere's disease. I was a elite athlete, a swimmer, and soccer player. And once again my parents didn't think anything of understanding why I had a disorder only older people get. Now after my mother passed from Alzheimer's disease she also suffered with living with gluten. She had a rash for 30 years that nobody could diagnose. She was itchy for 45 years total. My brother had a encapsulated virus explodes in his spleen and when this happened his entire intestines were covered with adhesions, scar tissue and he almost lost his life. He has 5 daughters, and when I finally was diagnosed after being pregnant and my body went into a cytokine storm, I lost my chance to have children, I ended up having Hashimoto's disease, Degenerative Disc disease, and my body started to shut down during my first trimester. I am 6ft tall and got down to 119lbs. My husband and I went to a special immunologist in Terrace, California. They took 17 vials of blood as we flew there for a day and returned home that evening. In 3 weeks, we had the answer, I have Celiac disease. Once this was known, only my father and husband made efforts to change their way of feeding me. At the family cabin, my stepfather & mother were more worried that I would ruin Thanksgiving Dinner. It wasn't until one of my cousins was diagnosed with Celiac disease. They finally looked into getting Gluten Free flour and taking measures to limit "gluten" in meals. He did nothing but ask for me to pay for my own food and wi-fi when I came to the cabin to stay after our house burned down. When he informed my mother, they proceeding to get into a physical fight and she ended up with a black eye. The is just more trauma for me. Sam had no interest in telling the truth about what he wanted. He lied to my mother that he had asked my husband if I could pay for "food" when he asked Geoffrey if I had money to pay for my wi-fi. My mother hates when he spends so much time on the computer so he lied and said I could pay for my own food. I will remind you I weighed 119lbs at this time. (At 6ft) that is a very sick looking person. Neither parent was worried about my weight, they just fought about how cheap my stepfather was. As my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. He had her sign over the will to a trust and added his children. He had no testimonial capacity at the time, so she signed without proper papers. Making this Trust null and void. When I gave my brother my childhood home, my mother stated I would be getting an equal part of inheritance to the house on Race. It currently worth 2.0 million $. I got nothing, and my stepfather has since disowned me b/c of my claim and he knows that my mother would never have left it uneven between my biological brother and myself. She sat me and my husband down, as we lived at the Race Street house and treated and took care of it as our own. My brother took over b/c he was going through a horrific divorce and needed a home so he could get a better custody deal with his soon to be ex-wife who was a Assist DA for Denver. She used the girls against him, and he & I were the primary caregivers. We, Judd and I spent the most time with them pre the divorce. Once Judd moved into the house, he threw all of my mother, grandmother and my family heirlooms out to the Goodwill. Nobody told my mother about this as she was going through cancer treatment and had Alzheimer's disease in her mother and her sister. My stepfather and biological brother took advantage of this matter, as I called a "family council" that my brother just never could make it to at the last moment. All of the furnishing, kitchen ware, everything was in the house my brother just moved into. He had had 2 weddings, I chose to elope b/c my stepfather ruined my brother's first wedding by talking about his relationship with my brother in front of my dad and his entire family, insulting him and having my grandfather leave the ceremony. It was a disaster. My stepfather just plays dumb and blames my father for the slight. I was the only child not to have a wedding. So, my mother and stepfather never had to pay for a thing. My mother had had an agreement with my father he'd pay for college and all medical issues with their kids, myself and Judd. So truly my mother never had to pay for anything big for me in her entire life. I am looking for anyone that has had a similar story, where they grew up in a household that had a baker that regularly milled flour and ate gluten. What happened to you? DId you suffer from different auto-immune diseases b/c of living with a baker using "gluten" Please let me know. I have been looking into legal ways to get my stepfather to give me what my mother had promised, and he erased. Thank you for listening to my story. Jane Donnelly  
    • trents
      Possibly gluten withdrawal. Lot's of info on the internet about it. Somewhat controversial but apparently gluten plugs into the same neuro sensors as opiates do and some people get a similar type withdrawal as they do when quitting opiates. Another issue is that gluten-free facsimile flours are not fortified with vitamins and minerals as is wheat flour (in the U.S. at least) so when the switch is made to gluten-free facsimile foods, especially if a lot of processed gluten-free foods are being used as substitutes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can result. There is also the possibility that she has picked up a virus or some but that is totally unrelated to going gluten-free.
×
×
  • Create New...