Do You Always Feel Bad When Glutened

[Chad Sines]

I will pre-assume the scolding, chastising, yelling, and spanking for eating gluten and freely admit you are right. I plead "male" stupidity and stubbornness. But I have a real question.

Do you always feel bad when you eat gluten. Ok. Here is what bad Chad did. I had a cheeseburger with bun yesterday, one for dinner today, and for lunch I had Taco Bell. I might have accidentally eaten a chocolate cookie too. There were some healthy things in between, but you can see that there was a large amount of gluten.

I had a little lower GI issues, sort of, but nothing major. Kinda like what a lot of Taco Bell people might have. No nausea or anything. No heartburn, no symptoms.

Ok, so already fully accepting that I was a dumba.. and that just because you do not feel it damage can be done, how normal is it to have no noticeable ill effects after a significant gluten experience that lasted two days?

[Katrala]

You may not get visibly ill.

If you have celiac disease the symptoms vary and it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be running to the bathroom just from walking into a Panera.

Some people have no outward symptoms (damage is still being done, but the symptoms aren't immediately noticeable.)

Some people have immediate, vicious symptoms that are debilitating.

And some people fall somewhere in between these two.

[rosetapper23]

If you keep dancing with the devil, you may discover that--out of the blue--you suddenly won't be able to absorb iron. You'll end up having to get weekly intravenous iron, since you'll be unable to absorb pills or even the liquid form. Or you'll be walking down the street when all of a sudden you fracture a bone in your foot. You stumble...and, by golly, a bone in the OTHER foot fractures. This is because your tendons became floppy from nutritional deficiencies, and they couldn't support your bones. Or you suddenly notice that more hair can found found in your hairbrush...and hair is clogging your shower drain. You then realize that you're beginning to go bald....and it's because of nutritional deficiencies.

I don't want to scare you, but the above scenario is very plausible. All three things happened to me. However, I wised up and stopped torturing my body with the occasional gluteny temptation. I've been extremely careful during the past six years--no more cheating for me! You're still young and able to protect your body from further damage--please don't feel as though you need to tempt fate. Sometimes we're able to heal our intestinal lining...and sometimes the damage is permanent. During my first year of going gluten free, I noticed that I didn't get terribly ill when I ate gluten (perhaps my body was "used" to it), but after that first year, the damage after each "accident" became more frightening. You've been given an opportunity to be healthy for the rest of your life--don't waste it.

[pricklypear1971]

Bad Chad...

No, I doubt I always get sick from gluten or break out in a rash...because I have been sick very few times and only broken out once and I seriously doubt I've really been THAT lucky not to get glutened in the last 5 and a half months.

That said, we went out Friday night and I ate from a gluten-free menu...and they didn't leave out the shrimp and I'm unsure if they left out the gluten...I felt like I was coming down with a flu the next day and am still off today. I'll never know, and that Bad Chad, is sometimes how it rolls.

If my "new" gluten symptom is feeling like I've got the flu then it sucks. But at least I didn't crap down my leg. Yet.

I'll probably get that symptom for Christmas NEXT year.

Oh, and another thing...if you're going to eat gluten can you please go to a good French bakery and eat a sinful chocolate croissant and stay OUT OF TACO BELL???

[Chad Sines]

That is interesting. I always find it interesting when you notice something that does not seem to fit and then you find it is common in others, ie waxing and waning celiac, no symptoms sometimes and near death the other.

But yep. back on the wagon. I good boy again starting....now.

[Ellie84]

In my case I won't touch a crumb because my symptoms are so severe. But two friends of mine hardly have any symptoms when they've made a mistake or "cheated". However, one of them got an endoscopy lately and still had Marsh 2 after 1 year on the diet. Even if you don't feel a thing, your body is getting ruined. If you're a celiac, taking your diet seriously is a matter of good or bad health. There's really no food in the world that's great enough to endanger your health for.

[Katrala]

  On 12/12/2011 at 5:39 AM, pricklypear1971 said:

Oh, and another thing...if you're going to eat gluten can you please go to a good French bakery and eat a sinful chocolate croissant and stay OUT OF TACO BELL???

I second this!

Taco Bell is like cheating on cheating!

[srall]

  On 12/12/2011 at 1:37 PM, Katrala said:

I second this!

Taco Bell is like cheating on cheating!

I third this. Yuck.

I sometimes wonder if my symptoms weren't so severe if I'd be tempted to cheat...but since it's flu symptoms, crippling arthritis, brain fog and a lovely all over blistery rash, I'm never really tempted. But OMG...at the very least I'd do a nice chicago style pizza. Taco Bell. Ewww.

[Chad Sines]

i did not eat croissants before I was celiac. They are just snobby pieces of bread. I always imagined them talking in a french accent

[pricklypear1971]

Yes, they whisper sweet nothings as they land on your hips...

[love2travel]

  On 12/12/2011 at 3:49 PM, Chad Sines said:

i did not eat croissants before I was celiac. They are just snobby pieces of bread. I always imagined them talking in a french accent

Then we will not bother explaining the virtues of great buttery croissants. That is one thing I miss most. Sure, you can make croissants, but they definitely do not resemble the real thing.

I did not have any outward symptoms when eating gluten, either. I loved gluten! My motivator to stay on the path is to remember what gluten does to my gut and the long-term implications and potential diseases. I think once you get into the habit it will help. Even though I did not get sick I have never ever cheated even once and I think that strictness right from the beginning did it for me. Cheating is not an option. So, for someone as passionate about food as I am, if I can do it, you certainly can. Think of Taco Bell as a poison factory or radiation plant or something.

[Katrala]

You also have to remember that "feeling bad" is different for everyone.

Especially the "when" part.

You may not have a reaction from the gluten itself (as in, it hits your stomach and you have an immediate outward reaction.) It may be issues caused by malabsorption, etc. Those issues can be the type to build up over time - the more damage, the more problems associated with that damage.

Also, some people have different thresholds regarding "feeling bad." I know people that will stay home from work with a mild headache and others who would try to go to work with an IV in their arm.