How Soon Is One Affected By Cross-Contamination?

[llama3]

I suspect I may have gluten intolerance and I'm on Day 6 of being gluten-free and Day 4 of being dairy-free. Today I was pressured into going out to eat at a restaurant (would have preferred to avoid it because I don't want it to mess me up while I'm trying to figure out what's going on) and I had only some herbal tea and some vegan soup which the cook and server told me was gluten-free. Within ten minutes of eating it my stomach was as bloated as it can possibly go and then I started to get the worst digestive pains I've had in probably a month, which are still going on two hours later. So now I'm wondering ... could this be cross-contamination?? It's true there were a lot of crumbs all over the table and I don't know how careful the servers in the kitchen were, but I was under the impression that one would have to be gluten-free for a while to respond to such small amounts? Is it even possible it could have been gluten or would it have to be something else?

[Bubba's Mom]

It sure sounds like you were glutened? A spice or thickener in the soup may have had gluten? You'd be surprised how many people don't even know what gluten is. They may think if there's no bread in the soup it's safe? OR it could be MSG? A lot of people react badly to it, and if your system is under stress right now that could be the cause?

Restaurants are tricky. There are SO many ways that cc could happen. It could be as simple as they used a cutting board for veggies for the soup that had a sandwhich cut on it.

Drink lots of water to help flush your system. I hope you feel better soon.

[heidi g.]

thats what happens to me everytime i eat!

[llama3]

It sure sounds like you were glutened? A spice or thickener in the soup may have had gluten? You'd be surprised how many people don't even know what gluten is. They may think if there's no bread in the soup it's safe? OR it could be MSG? A lot of people react badly to it, and if your system is under stress right now that could be the cause?

Restaurants are tricky. There are SO many ways that cc could happen. It could be as simple as they used a cutting board for veggies for the soup that had a sandwhich cut on it.

Drink lots of water to help flush your system. I hope you feel better soon.

When I first told the waitress I could not eat gluten, she suggested something with barley in it ... that's not what I ate, though. Thanks for reminding me to drink fluids.

thats what happens to me everytime i eat!

Yeah, it happens to me on a daily basis, sometimes a lot worse than this, but this is the worst it's been in a while. It has been a little better the last couple days, even though I still get bloated every time I eat, it's not as much and I'm not in pain.

Five hours later ... still hurting. Ugh. (I know. It could be worse.)

[Di2011]

Watch out for cornflour! In my early days of gluten-free I had a chef tell me it is "only cornflour". And I could tell with in minutes that the cornflour was not just from corn. I reacted badly and was itchy for nearly three weeks.

Since that incident I have been super-diligent about what I eat, drink and put on my skin and it is paying off. Not so itchy, fairly regular digestive system, no more nerve strikes in my torso and left foot middle toe.

I don't really eat out anymore! ((Yesterday at the mall I had a banana and berry yogurt for lunch ))

Stick with it!