Yet Another "gluten Or Sickness?" Thread

[Strawberry-Jam]

Okay, here's the scoop. On Sunday I was at a church potluck with my boyfriend and he brought me some injera with veggies on top. He swore up and down that the injera (Ethiopian flatbread) was made from teff only, which is gluten-free. It looked like teff and the girl who made it was there, so I believe it. However, it was sitting with all the other injera, which looked like they had wheat in. So I said I couldn't eat it. Then he asked about the other injera and told me it was made from rice, so I ate the teff stuff... felt fine for the rest of that day and the next.

48 hours later, almost exactly, I come down with a fever, sore throat, aching muscles, pounding headache, throbbing eyes, chills, and the lot. No resperatory problems or excess mucus or coughing. Just a whole-body ache and very sensitive skin that feels like fever. (Unfortunately, I don't have a thermometer, so I couldn't check my temp when it was at its worst, but the important thing is it FEELS like a fever.)

I haven't gotten sick with a fever in years and years. I don't think I've been exposed to any super sick people.

Boyfriend said it was rice, but I think it's possible they said self-rising flour and he heard rice when it's actually wheat.

Please help. Could it be gluten? If so, I'm pissed because if my reaction takes 48 hours, boyfriend is not going to believe me that it's gluten. He doesn't take my celiac seriously enough as it is. He gave up drinking beer for me (if he wants to kiss me) and will wash out his mouth after eating bread or whatever, and he respects me when I say, "no, I won't eat that", but he always makes little comments like, don't be that way, as if it's just all in my head.

I feel absolutely terrible right now. my muscles are all just like ARGH. my lymph nodes are sore to the touch, swallowing hurts, I'm at work right now and I can't concentrate...

okay, rant over. infection or gluten? what do y'all think?

[beebs]

It sounds like you have the flu or a virus or something, you tick every box if you know what I mean? Aching, sensitive skin, fever - all at the same time. Its influenza or something or a virus I reckon!

[Strawberry-Jam]

I can't help but think it's gluten though, since one of my main gluten/casein symptoms is horrible headaches and muscle aches?

[beebs]

Give it another couple of days - either way there isn't much you can do - but if you still feel bad in the next few days- like fluey then you probably have your answer ya know?

[Strawberry-Jam]

true enough. GERD is a huge gluten symptom for me and I'm curious why it's missing and then I remember that I'm not really eating anything right now... just liquids today, very little yesterday.

I keep seeing people say that gluten makes them feel like they have the flu. I don't know what my gluten symptoms are because I strongly suspect I have a delayed reaction (even though my reaction to soya happens within hours). Why does this have to be so confusing?

[UKGail]

Sorry, but I am with Strawberry Jam. This is exactly how I feel after exposure to gluten. My main, and first, symptoms are extreme fatigue, migraine and joint/muscle aches, plus my body thermometer seems to go dodgy for a day or two. However my reaction is fast, and gastro symptoms follow after 24 hrs (and are quite mild by the standards of this board).

Strawberry, I would trust your instincts, and keep observing your reactions to possible/probable ingestion or cross-contamination. This is what I am doing, as I am still quite new to this. Maybe we are both barking up the wrong tree? By the way, I haven't had a virus in 5 months since going gluten free, despite working in a school, having school-age children bringing all manner of nasty bugs home, and a husband who had a stinking cold over Christmas. I used to suffer regularly, particularly in winter.

[Strawberry-Jam]

yeah, me too. I used to get fever-sick at LEAST twice a year, if not more. I also had a chronic winter cough. After celiac, no more fevers, no more sicknesses. Until now.

I was sick with a sinus infection about a month ago, which I did not attribute to gluten, as it was pretty clear that it was some bug I caught, prolly from a coworker.

One of these days I need to just, when I'm feeling healthy, sit down and eat a wheat biscuit or something. For science.

interestingly enough, I'm not having gastro symptoms at the moment, except for extremely smelly gas yesterday and the day before.

[ravenwoodglass]

interestingly enough, I'm not having gastro symptoms at the moment, except for extremely smelly gas yesterday and the day before.

It may not be the case for you but for me it takes 3 to 4 days for the D to hit. Until you mentioned this I was also thinking flu but the other symptoms you are describing also hit me before the D sets in.

One thing you may want to do is pick up a cheap thermometer. I will feel like I have a fever, hot one minute, cold the next but when I take my temp it will be normal. Don't know if that will be the case for you.

We all seem to have a symptom progression that may be different from the symptom progression of others but it does take some time and a few accidental glutenings to figure out what our progression may be.

Whether it is the flu or a glutening I hope you are feeling better soon.

[Strawberry-Jam]

I'll drop by a chemist and get a thermometer on my way home today.

I only ever have had this sensitive skin when I have a fever of 99 + (my normal temp is around 97).

if I do not have a fever, then it must be gluten. if I do have a fever, then it could be either way.

[Strawberry-Jam]

update: boyfriend still swears up and down that it was made from rice. they told him in Amharic and not English like I thought so it's unlikely he misheard. There is a possibility they used some other flour as well, but I really don't know, and boyfriend says they didn't. There was other bread on the table too though. the CC risk is still considerable, but not as clear-cut as I thought it was is all.

[Bubba's Mom]

Well..you don't know if the kitchen where the bread was made had gluten cc? It's possible the bread wasn't made with gluten ingredients..but could have had a bit of contamination from the counter where it was made..or the pans?

It could also be a bug? If you were with a big group of people..there's always a chance that you could have been exposed to something?

I've had sweats and alternating chills, and I'm sure I have a fever. When I take my temp it's usually around 97*, which is normal for me. Get yourself a thermometer. They aren't too expensive and a good thing to have.

I hope this passes quickly and you feel better.

[Strawberry-Jam]

temp is 99.8.

[Katrala]

Fever and sore throat?

And you were at a party with other people who could have touched food?

Strep throat?

[Strawberry-Jam]

Temperature is now 101.8.

It's definitely not gluten. I have some kind of sickness, like the flu. dang my body hurts right now...

[beebs]

No good. I hope you feel better soon. Flu sucks!

[UKGail]

Get well soon. I guess at least you know now!

[Strawberry-Jam]

thanks for all your well-wishes. boyfriend brought me some tylenol and vitamin C, and I have a chicken boiling right now so I can have some chicken stock to drink (maybe I'll put rice noodles in). I had to call in to work this morning and I HATE that... hopefully the tylenol will allow me to go to work tomorrow (I only have to work for 4 hours) and then I'll have a nice weekend to recuperate.

[Strawberry-Jam]

haha, my fever went to 102.5 this morning. doctor said I need one week of bed rest.

I have one more question. the doc gave me antibiotics. usually when they give them to me, I don't take them, since they're over-prescribed, but in this case it is to prevent pneumonia, which I've had 3-5 times as a youngster (I forget) and DO NOT want again. So I'm taking them.

Should I take probiotics at the same time with the antibiotics, or should I wait until after the full course and then take them??

[lynnelise]

haha, my fever went to 102.5 this morning. doctor said I need one week of bed rest.

I have one more question. the doc gave me antibiotics. usually when they give them to me, I don't take them, since they're over-prescribed, but in this case it is to prevent pneumonia, which I've had 3-5 times as a youngster (I forget) and DO NOT want again. So I'm taking them.

Should I take probiotics at the same time with the antibiotics, or should I wait until after the full course and then take them??

My doctor always advises I take it with the antibiotic!

[alex11602]

haha, my fever went to 102.5 this morning. doctor said I need one week of bed rest.

I have one more question. the doc gave me antibiotics. usually when they give them to me, I don't take them, since they're over-prescribed, but in this case it is to prevent pneumonia, which I've had 3-5 times as a youngster (I forget) and DO NOT want again. So I'm taking them.

Should I take probiotics at the same time with the antibiotics, or should I wait until after the full course and then take them??

With since the antibiotic will be killing off all the bacteria, you need to add back in good bacteria. Feel better!

[Roda]

Make sure you don't take the probiotic at the same time as the antibiotic otherwise it will just kill it off too. Try to take it at least 4 hrs before or after you take the antibiotic if you can.