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Bowling - Are You Kidding Me?

Katrala

By Katrala
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Katrala Contributor
Katrala
Posted

First day back at school for teachers today.

Our principal always has some type of activity for this day back and during the afternoon the entire faculty was taken to the bowling alley / arcade / laser tag for team building and, along with it, they had pizza and soft drinks.

Even though the event was a surprise, I saw that it would include lunch and knew ahead of time I'd need to pack my own, which I did.

We start bowling and then we eat during. I clean the table area and have my own napkins, wash my hands, etc. All the normal precautions. A little bit after we finish eating my stomach is killing me and I can't figure out why until it hits me - the bowling balls!

UGH!

All I can think is that, since we didn't really have our own bowling balls and were all sharing, every time I would bowl I would put my fingers in the same place someone before me that had just eaten pizza was putting their fingers. And in between my turns, I would eat.

I've been so careful the last few months and never even considered this.

Anyone else been glutened by "strange" things they didn't think of?

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GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

Yep sounds like the bowling balls got you! Sorry! Bowling allies aren't exactly very clean anyway (at least the ones I've been in) and seem to be popular places for people to drink a bunch of beer and eat pizza. So even if your group had not had pizza there's no telling what the people that touched the balls and the sink handles in the restroom and the rental shoes, etc, etc. before you had on their hands. :blink:

Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

So very sorry that happened, I think you an gluten-free Manna are dead on right. Thank you for sharing your story, it may prevent others from the same dreadful outcome. And watch out for hand rails and gas pumps, even door knobs if you're sensitive. Hope I don't sound like Howard Hughes!

PadmeMaster Apprentice
PadmeMaster
Posted

ohh I would never have thought of balls!

One thing to help with bathroom trips, door knobs, etc, is the song "The Perfect Bathroom Trip" on youtube.. it's catchy (Thinking the title, I've got it in my head). It's also handy.. keeps you from ever getting anything on your hands after washing ;) (Also prevents the door knobs, too :) )

Jenniferxgfx Contributor
Jenniferxgfx
Posted

Oh man, gluten has made me rethink where I put my hands now. If there's gluten, there's also germs, and both are bad. Shudder. I'm sorry you were glutened!!!

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

Anyone else been glutened by "strange" things they didn't think of?

Ugh, yes.

My car was a big one. The door handle, steering wheel, gear shift, windshield wiper knob - anything that my husband touched after he stopped for fast food somewhere. Argh.

Arms of a couch at a friends house - her hubby used to always eat his sandwiches there and lay his hand on the arm rest and gluten it. She had to really smack him for that one, because they have a 2 year old celiac who was getting glutened because of all the places his daddy would spread gluten to. <_<

My laptop keyboard - a friend asked if she could google something, and turned out to have gluten all over her hands before she touched the keyboard. I keep it unglutened, so I didn't think to wash my hands after using it.

Oven knobs at a relative's house, we're pretty sure. Didn't wash them after in-laws had cooked their meal that same night. :(

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

Yep sounds like the bowling balls got you! Sorry! Bowling allies aren't exactly very clean anyway (at least the ones I've been in) and seem to be popular places for people to drink a bunch of beer and eat pizza. So even if your group had not had pizza there's no telling what the people that touched the balls and the sink handles in the restroom and the rental shoes, etc, etc. before you had on their hands. :blink:

Come on now, I bowl in league every week and the house I go to is quite clean. I wouldn't bowl there otherwise.

The place I go to doesn't serve pizza but most of its food is indeed off limits for us. I have my own ball (three of them, actually) that nobody else uses so that's not a problem. The only solution I know of for a person who does not have his or her own ball is to pick out a house ball, clean it, and then set it aside for your use and your use only.

richard

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Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

Come on now, I bowl in league every week and the house I go to is quite clean. I wouldn't bowl there otherwise.

The place I go to doesn't serve pizza but most of its food is indeed off limits for us. I have my own ball (three of them, actually) that nobody else uses so that's not a problem. The only solution I know of for a person who does not have his or her own ball is to pick out a house ball, clean it, and then set it aside for your use and your use only.

richard

I think what stood out for me was the fact that someone would eat between bowling activity. Even if you don't have Celiac, the thought of touching a universally used bowling ball and then eating in between is not very sanitary to begin with. I think if you ate separately and then continued your game, there shouldn't be a problem....as long as you don't put your fingers in your mouth. Then, wash your hands after the game is over. Not only will you avoid a gluten hit, the odds of getting the flu or other communicable disease goes way down.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

I think what stood out for me was the fact that someone would eat between bowling activity. Even if you don't have Celiac, the thought of touching a universally used bowling ball and then eating in between is not very sanitary to begin with. I think if you ate separately and then continued your game, there shouldn't be a problem....as long as you don't put your fingers in your mouth. Then, wash your hands after the game is over. Not only will you avoid a gluten hit, the odds of getting the flu or other communicable disease goes way down.

Also true but I haven't used a house ball in so many years I hadn't thought of that. I also generally don't eat when I bowl because I don't want stuff on my hands.

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