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Immediate Reaction?

samuella

By samuella
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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samuella Apprentice
samuella
Posted

Is it possible to have an immediate reaction to gluten as a celiac, not an allergy? As in, you are eating something and feeling it right then?

Tonight I was at a friend's house and she had bought gluten-free cookies for me - very sweet of her. The package said gluten-free, the ingredients looked fine, but I didn't recognise the brand. It was an unopened box. But as I was eating it I started feeling really, really weird - a bit faint, my face felt heavy, my head felt foggy. It went away after a few minutes. I'm now (about four hours later) having some digestive disturbances, but that could be a coincidence. I've never been glutened so I don't know how I react.

Could I have been glutened? Or was it just a weird fluke?

Thanks!

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beebs Enthusiast
beebs
Posted

I have read that it is not possible for you to feel it immediately because it takes a little for the immune response, the paed GI also said the same thing the other day, but I also know from this site that there are lots that don't match up with what the medical community say and believe. So maybe they are wrong on this too? I personally have reactions start around 2-3 hours after eating.

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

It's possible to have a fairly quick reaction, yeah. However, if this is a new reaction for you, I would write down what the ingredients you were eating and pay attention for the future, just in case it's a new allergy. A couple of my allergies (which I didn't know about until after going gluten-free) make me react similar to what you describe. These also tend to cause internal inflammation and gastro disturbances in many people.

For myself, I reacting to gluten within 20 minutes, and if it's bad, it happens in 1-2 minutes after eating. However, I believe that my own early reaction is gluten ataxia. I know of a little girl who reacts within minutes as well, although here reactions are gastro related. It just all comes back up or goes through her as soon as it hits her tummy.

kwylee Apprentice
kwylee
Posted

I react with the wierd lightheaded feeling within 5 to 10 minutes of ingesting gluten, dairy or soy. It subsides within 30 minutes to an hour. All neuro, I've not had much intestinal disturbance, perhaps because I always test new foods by eating a few bites and waiting. Or perhaps because gluten doesn't affect me that way.

bigbird16 Apprentice
bigbird16
Posted

I get a pretty quick reaction -- under 10 minutes, starting with a hazy feeling and ataxia and moving on to other fun stuff.

samuella Apprentice
samuella
Posted
  • Author

Thanks everyone. I feel fine today and I looked up the brand of the cookies and they seem to be well regarded, so I think it was probably just a fluke. It sounds like quick reactions can happen but not *so* quick I'd feel it while eating it, and the dodgy guts a few hours later was probably just a coincidence. It's so easy to see celiac/gluten in everything that happens! :)

lovesaceliac Newbie
lovesaceliac
Posted

My husband can usually tell within minutes of eating the offending food (always cross contamination only, he never intentionally eats gluten and we are very careful.) His first symptom is "brain fog" which goes away after a while. His worst symptoms appear the next day: severe joint pain, extreme fatigue (usally spends an entire day asleep in bed), followed by crushing depression/anger. Not real fun to live through or live with.

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lemontree1 Rookie
lemontree1
Posted

Is it possible to have an immediate reaction to gluten as a celiac, not an allergy? As in, you are eating something and feeling it right then?

Tonight I was at a friend's house and she had bought gluten-free cookies for me - very sweet of her. The package said gluten-free, the ingredients looked fine, but I didn't recognise the brand. It was an unopened box. But as I was eating it I started feeling really, really weird - a bit faint, my face felt heavy, my head felt foggy. It went away after a few minutes. I'm now (about four hours later) having some digestive disturbances, but that could be a coincidence. I've never been glutened so I don't know how I react.

Could I have been glutened? Or was it just a weird fluke?

Thanks!

There has been a time or two that I felt exactly like this while eating something.

Korwyn Explorer
Korwyn
Posted

I have reactions while I'm in the middle of eating something. The first time this happened I was about 1/3 of the way through a bowl of chili, and I noticed both my ankles and knees were aching and hurting. I didn't make the connection at that time, so I finished the bowl. By the time we were done with lunch I felt like I had the flu in all my joints and I could barely think my brain was so fogged.

Leper Messiah Apprentice
Leper Messiah
Posted

Initial reaction with brain fog, feeling spacey etc. This lasts max 24 hours then brief respite for a day or so before the fatigue sets in and doesn't leave me for 2 weeks, almost exactly to the day.

aeraen Apprentice
aeraen
Posted

Within the hour for me, sometimes closer to 15 minutes. Mad dash to the bathroom. :o

My niece was diagnosed as an infant, and she throws up within 5 minutes. My SIL considered it an easy way to train babysitters who thought "One little cracker won't hurt."

TB4me2000 Newbie
TB4me2000
Posted

If it's gluten, I know in about 20 minutes. Something that just doesn't sit well in my sensitive, healing stomach/intestines usually takes a few hours for me to realize something's not quite right.

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      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Years  ago a friend and I drove north into Canada hoping to find a ski resort open in late spring,We were in my VW and found a small ski area near a small town and started up this gravelled road up a mountain. We  got about halfway up and got stuck in the mud. We tried everything we could think of but an hour later we were still stuck. Finally a pickup came down the road, laughed at our situation, then pulled the VW free of the mud. We followed him back to the ski area where where he started up the rope ski lift and we had an enjoyable hour of skiing and gave us a shot of aquavit  before we left.It was a great rescue.  In some ways this reminds me of your situation. You are waiting for a rescue and you have chosen medical practitioners to do it now or as soon as possible. As you have found out the med. experts have not learned how to help you. You face years of continuing to feel horrible, frustrated searching for your rescuer to save you. You can break away from from this pattern of thinking and you have begun breaking  away by using some herbs and supplements from doTerra. Now you can start trying some of the suggestions thatother Celiacs have written to your original posts.  You live with other people who eat gluten foods. Cross contamination is very possible. Are you sure that their food is completely separate from their food. It  is not only the gluten grains you need to avoid (wheat, barley, rye) but possibly oats, cows milk also. Whenever you fall back into that angry and frustrated way of thinking get up and walk around for a whild. You will learn ways to break that way of thinking about your problems.  Best wishes for your future. May you enjpy a better life.  
    • marion wheaton
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By marion wheaton · Posted

      Thanks for responding. I researched further and Lindt Lindor chocolate balls do contain barely malt powder which contains gluten. I was surprised at all of the conflicting information I found when I checked online.
    • trents
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

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      @BlessedinBoston, it is possible that in Canada the product in question is formulated differently than in the USA or at least processed in in a facility that precludes cross contamination. I assume from your user name that you are in the USA. And it is also possible that the product meets the FDA requirement of not more than 20ppm of gluten but you are a super sensitive celiac for whom that standard is insufficient. 
    • BlessedinBoston
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By BlessedinBoston · Posted

      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to checking them and was heartbroken when I saw they were absolutely not gluten free 😔. Felt the same when I realized Twizzlers weren't either. Took me a while to get my diet on order after being diagnosed. I was diagnosed with small bowel non Hodgkins lymphoma at the same time. So it was a very stressful time to say the least. Hope this helps 😁.
    • knitty kitty
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