Worse Before It Gets Better?

[7yrslater]

So we've just started trying a gluten free diet on Wednesday--of course the lovely child cheated on the very first day!-- but other than one slip we've been very careful about everything. About halfway through the morning I noticed, for the first time, she was not itching non-stop. She hadn't even noticed but said, hey, yeah! Tonight we go to a movie and part way through she's close to scratching her jaw off. And now she's rubbing herself all over to scratch. Sooo...does this kind of switch to gluten-free get worse before it gets better? I have researched everything she's eaten today thinking maybe something had something in it but came up with nothing.

[Takala]

Well, she could either be getting cross contaminated, or she has additional allergies or food intolerances, or it is a combination of both.

Also, with these reactions, they are not "cut-and-dried" for all people, they don't start up and then stop immediately. They may take several days to get over. AND, this is the worst part, especially if you have used something wonky in making a batch of food, you may keep getting the culprit several times before you figure it out.

I am on the verge of starting to pack soap in my purse again, because I get such skin reactions from some commercial "antibacterial" soaps in public rest rooms. And I have gotten this residue on a jacket sleeve cuff accidentally, have worn the jacket a few days later, and have come home with red rash rings around my wrists, and then I have to take off my jewelry/bracelet/watch and wash all of that, too. Fortunately it is a contact type of allergy that goes away quickly if I get it cleaned off fast. This isn't really a gluten reaction, but an additional thing I have had a problem with for nearly 40 years since soap manufacturers first thought to ruin soap by putting this triclocarban cr*p in it. Just going to the restroom, then absentmindedly touching my face if I have not rinsed my hands like a fanatic, can set off some acne, too. Bleah. Now, if I did not know the difference between my reactions, I might be mistaking one for another.

The learning curve continues for all of us.