Please Help Me Figure This One Out

[Deacon's Garden]

I have been sick for three days and I think I know the culprit, but would like some experienced opinions:

On Friday I ate leftover turkey with lettuce and Ranch dressing. Didn't seem to have any reaction. I normally don't react to the dairy in the Ranch.

An hour later I had a piece of Wrigley's Orbit gum. Within a minute of putting it in my mouth I had stomach pains. I spit it out. Too late. I had stomach pain, as if I'd swallowed glass, and then fatigue for the rest of the day. I went to bed and didn't eat anything for the rest of the day. Pain was worse than I'd ever had with gluten. Saturday morning I felt well enough to get up and eat a piece of bacon (protein!). Still felt okay. A couple hours later I was starving and grabbed a banana. Within a minute I had horrible stomach pains again. I ended up going to bed again for the rest of the day. Today my abdomen still hurts from top to bottom. I have eaten today (Sunday) with no worsening of the pain.

Since the first reaction was to the gum, which I found out has soy, should I assume I am sensitive to soy? I don't have any soy in my diet that I know of, so this is the first time in ??? long since I've encountered it. But why did I relapse with the banana? I figure it was just irritating. ???

I am so afraid to eat anything!

[kareng]

Some of the artificial sugars that are in sugarless gum & candy give me a stomach ache.

[mamaw]

I agree with Kareng, any artifical sweetners makes me ill, stomach pain, headache a cheap drunkl!!!

[Katrala]

Maybe something as simple as eating way too much on Thanksgiving and stomachache being coincidental?

Any chance any of your leftovers could have gone bad? Was the turkey sitting out for a long time before it was refrigerated as leftovers?

[armac1]

Was the turkey stuffed?

[Deacon's Garden]

I made the turkey myself with no stuffing. I don't think it was the turkey because it happened so fast after the gum. I hadn't thought about the artificial sugar, but I occasionally chew another Wrigley's and it has the artificial sugar and it doesn't bother me. Any other thoughts?

[sa1937]

Possibly your body is just wonky? Or you really are sick? When I was first diagnosed (well even later than that), I never could figure out why I had good days or bad days. Looking back on it now, I'd like to think I was just healing and it's going to take time. Just a thought...how do you do with other dairy products? I gave them up for awhile, including my favorite Kraft Ranch Dressing.

[Katrala]

Are your symptoms typically immediate or delayed?

If delayed - was there anything new you ate at Thanksgiving that you typically don't eat? Any different brands, etc?

[Di2011]

I am so afraid to eat anything!

I went through a long period feeling like this too. Man have I been hungry.

Open Original Shared Link

INGREDIENTS:SORBITOL, GUM BASE, GLYCEROL, MANNITOL, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS; LESS THAN 2% OF: HYDROGENATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE, SOY LECITHIN, CITRIC ACID, MALIC ACID, ASPARTAME, ACESULFAME K, ASPARTAME-ACESULFAME, COLORS (RED 40, RED 40 LAKE), BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS). PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE.

Nowdays these sorts of chemicals wouldn't come near my mouth.

I read elsewhere that "gum base" is often a trade secret - so I wonder what it is? And my biggest bug bear "FLAVOURS".

HYDROGENATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE (from wikipedia):

"Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are produced by the partial hydrolysis of starch

[sandsurfgirl]

Sorbitol and Mannitol both have reputations for causing tummy problems.

Hope you feel better soon.

[kwylee]

Seems like you perhaps reacted to the trace amounts of gluten in the gum and hadn't gotten over it before you ate the banana.

Here's an add'l thought: I can't chew gum either, especially if it is mint flavored, peppermint flavorings the worst - I'll get nauseous immediately but it's usually shortlived. But I've always been like that, even before being gluten-free. I always cringed when someone offered me a peppermint to settle my stomach, yuck! I've since read that peppermint is high in salicylates, but I think super ripe bananas are OK in that category. I wouldn't try that gum again soon, but when you're better maybe try another bit of banana and see what happens.