Just A Little Gluten?

[Nurse Belly Blues]

Sometimes I'm amazed at how sensitive I am. Been gluten free on and off for four years and I always feel better-way better off. Yesterday I came across some amazing ginger cookies at a farm stand and ate three! Oh so delicious and oh so stupid. Was up all night pooping what felt like glass coming out and the burning was nearly unbearable. Went on for about an hour every fifteen minutes then finally settled down. Do you think it was the cookies? It seems crazy that it would work like that, but I also have no colon, having lost it to ulcerative colitis 16 years ago, so everything goes through me at the speed of light. What do you think?

Belly Blues +++

[love2travel]

When all it takes is 1/100th of one peanut to cause a reaction and internal damage it would not be surprising for the cookies to cause that! Three cookies can contain a lot of gluten. Have you been diagnosed with celic or gluten intolerance? If so, you should be strictly off gluten for the rest of your life (sorry but it is true ).

Hope you feel better and heal quickly! Welcome here.

[kellynolan82]

When all it takes is 1/100th of one peanut to cause a reaction and internal damage it would not be surprising for the cookies to cause that! Three cookies can contain a lot of gluten. Have you been diagnosed with celic or gluten intolerance? If so, you should be strictly off gluten for the rest of your life (sorry but it is true ).

It usually (if not always) takes more than 1/100th of a peanut (from the beginning to the end of a normal day). Generally, it's best to not frequent more than 50mg of gluten a day (i.e. ~1/100th of a slice of bread). Let's do a calculation. Might help with the reasoning

A research study showed that well over 80% of celiacs can safely eat somewhere between 10-50 mg of gluten per day. The gluten tolerance threshold (in milligrams) is generally thought to be somewhere in the range of 0.6 to 150. Most have a threshold that probably exists somewhere between 50 and 100 mg. Let me illustrate it more closely:

mgg = milligrams gluten per day

Estimated Total Celiac Population Range of Threshold: 0.6 < mgg < 150

Estimated Range of Tolerance for most Celiacs: 50 < mgg < 100

Seeing as though wheat flour would most likely have been included as a primary ingredient, your daily dosage of gluten would have been at least several-hundered times well above the norm. Thus the damage caused by this could really take quite a while to heal, even once you *feel* better.

I empathise with you though. I had a friend who was tempted to eat a piece of cake despite being on the gluten free diet for 11 years. She wasn't particularly sensitive to *small amounts* of gluten but boy was this a real learning experience for her...

I recently posed a question about how many parts per million (ppm) of gluten would be in a typical piece of cake. Here's a link to the discussion we had.

All the best.

[RacerX35]

For me, as I've stated before. I don't get most of the symptoms of others. My tell of gluten intake is to have seizures (I'm also epileptic). I've eaten the pepproni off a pizza and ended up having mild seizures for at least a day or if I'm lucky, overnight while in bed. So all in all, I believe that the gluten sensitivity is more pronounced after being free of it for sometime.

Later,

Ray

[love2travel]

For me, as I've stated before. I don't get most of the symptoms of others. My tell of gluten intake is to have seizures (I'm also epileptic). I've eaten the pepproni off a pizza and ended up having mild seizures for at least a day or if I'm lucky, overnight while in bed. So all in all, I believe that the gluten sensitivity is more pronounced after being free of it for sometime.

Later,

Ray

Same here - I never have become ill from eating gluten so I found it extra hard going gluten-free! But am glad I did, of course, as damage was being done inside. I have never had seizures like you, though.

Part of me is curious about trying gluten now after being strictly gluten-free for six months but I won't. Wonder how I would react now?

[kellynolan82]

Part of me is curious about trying gluten now after being strictly gluten-free for six months but I won't. Wonder how I would react now?

I think after six months it could very well be quite a lot worse than you would have before going gluten free. Try going about four to five years being gluten free before 'cheating'! Many find that if their bowel and gut tissue is in perfect shape, the glutenning isn't nearly as bad.

But it is somewhat estimated, from what I've heard, to take up to 2 years for some before they're completely healed from the damage, so I think staying completely gluten free (and avoiding *all* traces) at least until then is CRITICAL!

[love2travel]

I think after six months it could very well be quite a lot worse than you would have before going gluten free. Try going about four to five years being gluten free before 'cheating'! Many find that if their bowel and gut tissue is in perfect shape, the glutenning isn't nearly as bad.

But it is somewhat estimated, from what I've heard, to take up to 2 years for some before they're completely healed from the damage, so I think staying completely gluten free (and avoiding *all* traces) at least until then is CRITICAL!

Oh, most definitely! No one need worry - I would be the last person to ever, EVER cheat. I have no need to. You should see how meticulous I am! My health care team members have told me that it takes 2-5 years to completely heal but I am not looking at it in terms of time as I must be super strict regardless. I am just a very curious person by nature so always wonder about things...

[PainfulSpaghetti]

I am extremely sensitive now after taking it all completely away, and my body is trying to heal, which is doesn't do well as I have multiple Auto Immune diseases, if I even have a tiny bit I sure do know it! A TINY bit. Which is why I get so frustrated at products that list "less than 20ppm" Even the tiniest bit makes me sick, and my mouth swells up, and I am holding my pour screaming stomach.

[moose07]

I think even the tiniest amount could make you sick let alone eating three cookies. I haven't purposely eaten something with gluten in it since diagnosis but the times where my food has been cross contaminated have ranged from horrible to only slightly sick. So I really think it depends on each person. But I know I can't even walk into certain restaurants without getting slightly sick so obviously just a little gluten has the potential to make someone sick.

[Nurse Belly Blues]

Well, that solves that. To answer some questions, yes, I have been diagnosed through biopsies and scope which showed the destroyed villi. That was a few years ago, and I have gone on and off gluten free. Most of my symptoms seemed to be related to muscle pain, aches, brain fog etc.

However I also have scleroderma, fibromyalgia and atherosclerosis so I attributed the symptoms to other problems as I hated giving up gluten and hoped it wasn't that making me feel so yuckky.

But now my belly is bloated to extremes, I've gained a lot of weight, I'm sluggish and now diarrhea and pain with BM's which I had totally conquered. I feel soooooooooooo much better off gluten but I seem to 'forget' when the cravings get too bad. I have found a few rally good items that satisfy and NEED to lose weight for multiple reasons, so my motivation is high now. I will check in here to keep myself honest. Thank you all for being here!!

Karen

[love2travel]

Well, that solves that. To answer some questions, yes, I have been diagnosed through biopsies and scope which showed the destroyed villi. That was a few years ago, and I have gone on and off gluten free. Most of my symptoms seemed to be related to muscle pain, aches, brain fog etc.

However I also have scleroderma, fibromyalgia and atherosclerosis so I attributed the symptoms to other problems as I hated giving up gluten and hoped it wasn't that making me feel so yuckky.

But now my belly is bloated to extremes, I've gained a lot of weight, I'm sluggish and now diarrhea and pain with BM's which I had totally conquered. I feel soooooooooooo much better off gluten but I seem to 'forget' when the cravings get too bad. I have found a few rally good items that satisfy and NEED to lose weight for multiple reasons, so my motivation is high now. I will check in here to keep myself honest. Thank you all for being here!!

Karen

My FMS is pretty severe so I understand your woes.

Glad you stopped by! Hope to "talk" to you later...