Bloooooooated

[color-me-confused]

Agh. I got glutened last Friday by a restaurant. I had thought I was doing better, but I think I slipped up at work and re-glutened myself by accidental cross contamination of my lunch in the company microwave. The timing for this afternoon's new round of reflux and stomach pain would fit that scenario. Now my stomach is swollen and blah I feel like crap. Except for the ravenous hunger pangs that have set in.

The bloating, gas, and massive appetite had vanished once I went gluten free about a year ago. I think I had forgotten how miserable I felt back then!

[YoloGx]

Agh. I got glutened last Friday by a restaurant. I had thought I was doing better, but I think I slipped up at work and re-glutened myself by accidental cross contamination of my lunch in the company microwave. The timing for this afternoon's new round of reflux and stomach pain would fit that scenario. Now my stomach is swollen and blah I feel like crap. Except for the ravenous hunger pangs that have set in.

The bloating, gas, and massive appetite had vanished once I went gluten free about a year ago. I think I had forgotten how miserable I felt back then!

Sorry to hear you are feeling so miserable. Both my bf and I are sensitive to microwaves used by others for their gluteny items.

I have found sometimes a homeopathic will help. They have several varieties for bloating and stomach pain. If you can handle the aspirin and mint, Pepto Bismol can provide relief.

My home made sauerkraut seems to help too, as does home made plain yogurt. Also eating blended veggies helps, like blended combo of parsley, celery and lettuce.

Good luck! Am betting you will be feeling better soon.

[joyjoy]

microwaves???? seriously? what if your food is covered?

[kareng]

microwaves???? seriously? what if your food is covered?

Unless someone's gluteny pizza exploded and is falling off the "ceiling" in the microwave, this is not a concern for most Celiacs.

[sa1937]

microwaves???? seriously? what if your food is covered?

I have a habit of covering my food in the microwave...as I don't want to clean up an explosion in mine either even though it is gluten-free.

[Darn210]

We have a shared kitchen so therefore our microwave is shared. I keep it wiped down but I also don't ever just put my daughters food on the glass turntable-thingy. It's always on a plate or paper plate. We haven't had any problems in this area.

[IrishHeart]

If you cover your food, it probably is not the microwave, hon. It is probably the glutening you mention still causing you grief.

I just came from my check up today and told my GI doc about my glutening in Dec. and how it caused me problems for weeks. I said, then I seemed to have a problem with more foods, I had really bad bowel stuff, head fog, blah blah blah.

and he said "I hate to say this, but the inflammatory process from a gluten hit can last a long time. It will subside, but it does not mean you suddenly have other intolerances or that you are being glutened again. It's just the inflammatory process taking it's time to die down."

I said "well I feel better today, so it took 8 weeks!?" He said "yup". I said "why so long?" He said "Just because you're special. No really, there is no answer. It's just how YOUR body responds. Sorry."

My guess is....you're still feeling the ramifications for whatever "got you" last Friday. Lots of water-- and it will pass.

[YoloGx]

Likely true about how long it sometimes takes to get better. My theory though is once glutened it makes one more sensitive for a while. That is what happens to me at any rate. I go back to square zero if it happens a lot. Eventually I build up more resistance, again. Meanwhile I just have to wade through it.

As far as microwaves go, I have gotten ill from CC from one of them from a seemingly clean microwave using my own gluten-free home made food at a motel. Of course I covered the food. I should have known better. I was sick for 5 weeks after. My bf just got weak and out of it for a day or two. He has however gotten migraines etc. from using the microwave at work. So this Fall he stopped using it and lo and behold the migraines went away unless he gets glutened from some other source.

So it just goes to show we are all different in how sensitive we are. I think for some of us who have had this condition for most of our lives (unaddressed of course!), we can more easily get set off once we do go seriously gluten free.

Bea

[lovegrov]

For the newbies reading this, I'm going out on a limb and guessing that if you cover your food and the microwave it, 99.99999 percent of us will be perfectly fine. If you made your own food using anything processed, I'd say the odds are much higher any contamination came from the processed food than the microwave.

richard

[Blue-eyed bandit]

I think cc is a concern for me too. I've got to share a kitchen with two men who slice and eat their bread on the tables and counters it's annoying! I feel like gluten is everywhere and it's impossible to not get the cc in the kitchen. I get very bloated and feel the reflux too with cc

[biancanera]

I'm definitely in the minority about shared microwaves. I have the same issue at work, and I keep my food covered. I still get stomach pain for hours after microwaving my steamed veggies at work - I did a test with the same batch of veggies at home in the same conditions and there was zero problems. The next day I heated up my broccoli at work again and BAM pain! It's irritating because I have to either eat cold salad or the broccoli my stomach badly needs for lunch. I'm trying to get a work from home job because this contamination thing makes the workday 2x as hard.

[IrishHeart]

I think cc is a concern for me too. I've got to share a kitchen with two men who slice and eat their bread on the tables and counters it's annoying! I feel like gluten is everywhere and it's impossible to not get the cc in the kitchen. I get very bloated and feel the reflux too with cc

Granted, this is a different scenario. CC in a shared kitchen would be hazardous for anyone. Obvious crumbs on shared tables and counter tops are more dangerous.

But that is not the same as using a clean microwave with covered food.

Honestly, a thoroughly clean microwave and COVERED food makes it highly unlikely that CC will occur.

Gluten CC just does not work that way.

[IrishHeart]

I'm definitely in the minority about shared microwaves. I have the same issue at work, and I keep my food covered. I still get stomach pain for hours after microwaving my steamed veggies at work - I did a test with the same batch of veggies at home in the same conditions and there was zero problems. The next day I heated up my broccoli at work again and BAM pain! It's irritating because I have to either eat cold salad or the broccoli my stomach badly needs for lunch. I'm trying to get a work from home job because this contamination thing makes the workday 2x as hard.

I have 2 questions for you that may shed some light on this:

--just exactly how dirty is the microwave at work?

--how long have you been gluten free?

[heidi g.]

Maybe you touched something in the microwave and it stayed on your hands and you ingested while eating your food if you licked your fingers. Thats all i could think of on how you could get glutened by a microwave.

[biancanera]

I have 2 questions for you that may shed some light on this:

--just exactly how dirty is the microwave at work?

--how long have you been gluten free?

It's a pigsty! Nobody who uses it and explodes food in there is grown up enough to clean it. It's so bad.

Two months now, why?

[biancanera]

Maybe you touched something in the microwave and it stayed on your hands and you ingested while eating your food if you licked your fingers. Thats all i could think of on how you could get glutened by a microwave.

Uh, no, I eat my lunches with spoons and forks, and I don't touch any surface of the microwave. I even cover my food.

[IrishHeart]

It's a pigsty! Nobody who uses it and explodes food in there is grown up enough to clean it. It's so bad.

Two months now, why?

You said: "I have the same issue at work, and I keep my food covered. I still get stomach pain for hours after microwaving my steamed veggies at work - I did a test with the same batch of veggies at home in the same conditions and there was zero problems."

I am sure you do not mean "same conditions"--- as your micro is probably not a pigsty, right?

I asked because if there is obvious food stuck on the micro at work, YES, CC from residual food with gluten could be what is getting you. We are clarifying this so newbies understand that a clean microwave is not a problem.

Also, 2 months post-DX is still new, hon---you could just be still healing and that is why sometimes, you still get stomach pains.

IMHO

[IrishHeart]

Uh, no, I eat my lunches with spoons and forks, and I don't touch any surface of the microwave. I even cover my food.

I think heidi meant you may have accidentally touched the surface of the micro while reaching in to retrieve your food. It's possible. Unless you wear gloves? She was just offering a suggestion, not implying you eat with your hands.

[Jestgar]

Maybe you touched something in the microwave and it stayed on your hands and you ingested while eating your food if you licked your fingers. Thats all i could think of on how you could get glutened by a microwave.

I think the buttons and the handle of the microwave are completely contaminated. Covered food really shouldn't be a problem, but each person needs to decide how best to protect his or her health.

[kareng]

I think the buttons and the handle of the microwave are completely contaminated. Covered food really shouldn't be a problem, but each person needs to decide how best to protect his or her health.

I read Heidi's post & then had to fix dinner. My son & hub were microwaving some leftover chili. Because its thier own personal bowl, they stick thier finger in it to see if it's hot. It's not. So they use that finger with chili on it to close the door & touch the buttons. I am always cleaning food mess off the handle of the micro, oven & fridge.

I'm thinking you could be getting stuff on your fingers or the bottom of your bowl( outside).

[biancanera]

You said: "I have the same issue at work, and I keep my food covered. I still get stomach pain for hours after microwaving my steamed veggies at work - I did a test with the same batch of veggies at home in the same conditions and there was zero problems."

I am sure you do not mean "same conditions"--- as your micro is probably not a pigsty, right?

I asked because if there is obvious food stuck on the micro at work, YES, CC from residual food with gluten could be what is getting you. We are clarifying this so newbies understand that a clean microwave is not a problem.

Also, 2 months post-DX is still new, hon---you could just be still healing and that is why sometimes, you still get stomach pains.

IMHO

Well by same conditions I mean they're the same batch of veggies. Yeah it's the fact that they're pigs at work and they don't clean anything, that's the issue I was bringing up.

I've actually had a good healing time, I don't have any stomach pain at all as long as I stay free of any contamination. The fact that I get immediate pain right after I use the microwave every single time is more indicative of it actually being a problem. There are days when I bring salads instead and on those days nothing happens. And it's always right after, sometimes while I'm still eating my otherwise safe veggies or rice.

[biancanera]

As for the buttons and the bottom of the bowls, I use a paper towel with the buttons because they are disgusting in the first place. And the handle. And my tupperware I use have little handles on the side I use, I don't generally touch the bottom at all because it gets too hot.

[IrishHeart]

As for the buttons and the bottom of the bowls, I use a paper towel with the buttons because they are disgusting in the first place. And the handle. And my tupperware I use have little handles on the side I use, I don't generally touch the bottom at all because it gets too hot.

well, then --looks like we covered all the bases with our thoughts on how CC happens in YOUR case.

1 + 1 = 2

No using the micro at work, I am afraid. (sorry, kiddo)

From the way you describe it, I wouldn't have used it--CC gluten worries or not!! Yuck.

[biancanera]

well, then --looks like we covered all the bases with our thoughts on how CC happens in YOUR case.

1 + 1 = 2

No using the micro at work, I am afraid. (sorry, kiddo)

From the way you describe it, I wouldn't have used it--CC gluten worries or not!! Yuck.

I know, it's just awful! I don't want to eat cold salad three times a day

[kareng]

What about a thermos? Or the lunch bags that insulate and you get the little "ice" packs that you microwave to keep them warm?

Maybe an anonymous call to the health department or OSHA?