Ate Gluten Last Night

[Buffheart]

Hello all! I'm hoping somebody here can help me figure out an answer to a perplexing problem I noticed last night.

What happened was I ate a cup of noodles and some fig newton type bars that I could have sworn were gluten free, but they weren't. The thing that I don't understand is that I didn't seem to have any sort of reaction. No extra joint pain, no sleep problems, no stomach problems, nothing of that sort. About an hour after I ate those foods I noticed slight neurological problems, what my doctor thinks are seizures, but nothing out of the ordinary because they happen every day. They may or may not have been triggered by the gluten.

But in the past I have been accidentally glutened and gotten congested, had stomach problems, etc. It seems to be a little different every time. I'm just really confused right now as to why sometimes I seem to react and sometimes I don't. Or maybe I just don't notice it.

I've been totally gluten free since February/March and only noticed a little bit of improvement with joint pain. Still have sleeping problems and neurological problems, though my skin and hair look and feel much better now without gluten. Like I said, my GP thinks I might have Epilepsy and I am going to see a neurologist at the end of May, and my old GI doc thinks I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome because I have most of the symptoms of type 3, plus some possible heart/circulatory stuff, so those would explain the continuing neurological and joint pain issues. Still, sometimes I feel like a faker, especially today.

[Bubba's Mom]

Hello all! I'm hoping somebody here can help me figure out an answer to a perplexing problem I noticed last night.

What happened was I ate a cup of noodles and some fig newton type bars that I could have sworn were gluten free, but they weren't. The thing that I don't understand is that I didn't seem to have any sort of reaction. No extra joint pain, no sleep problems, no stomach problems, nothing of that sort. About an hour after I ate those foods I noticed slight neurological problems, what my doctor thinks are seizures, but nothing out of the ordinary because they happen every day. They may or may not have been triggered by the gluten.

But in the past I have been accidentally glutened and gotten congested, had stomach problems, etc. It seems to be a little different every time. I'm just really confused right now as to why sometimes I seem to react and sometimes I don't. Or maybe I just don't notice it.

I've been totally gluten free since February/March and only noticed a little bit of improvement with joint pain. Still have sleeping problems and neurological problems, though my skin and hair look and feel much better now without gluten. Like I said, my GP thinks I might have Epilepsy and I am going to see a neurologist at the end of May, and my old GI doc thinks I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome because I have most of the symptoms of type 3, plus some possible heart/circulatory stuff, so those would explain the continuing neurological and joint pain issues. Still, sometimes I feel like a faker, especially today.

1)The neurological symptoms you got may have been caused by the gluten?

2)You haven't been truly gluten-free so your reactions aren't intensifying?

3)You may have an additional intolerance that you didn't consume with the gluten this time, so didn't get as strong of an effect?

It's hard to say. Our systems change from day to day and so our reactions change too. Other foods you've eaten combined with gluten could give you more of a response on some days? All sorts of things like hormones and various vitamin/minerals can effect your reaction. If you are supposed to be gluten-free though, going gluten lite won't help you.

You need to read labels and don't just grab things and eat. It's time to break old habits.

I'm glad you didn't get really sick..but damage could have been done internally and that isn't good. Please be more careful?

[JNBunnie1]

Also, it's only been a couple of months. It takes a while for your system to heal, especially if it's been damaged enough to cause neuro symptoms like you describe. There's plenty of Celiacs who don't have instant, drastic reactions to gluten. It takes me 48 hours plus to react, and my reaction runs through a cycle of different things that last for a month. Other people only feel sick for a day. Everyone is different, and sometimes things change from day to day.

I hope you'll be more careful with your labels from now on!

[love2travel]

I would never know if I were glutened (well, I've been gluten free for a year now and am not about to test that theory). When I used to ingest gluten nothing happened at all. But now that I have been gluten free for this long there is no way I am going to check to see! I just keep thinking about the internal damage that would be caused if I were to ingest it.

As mentioned above, every single body is different. Not only that, reactions in our bodies can change. If you are lucky and do not become sick that is excellent. However, it is prudent to be as careful as you possibly can be even if you do not get sick.

[Buffheart]

If you are supposed to be gluten-free though, going gluten lite won't help you.

You need to read labels and don't just grab things and eat. It's time to break old habits.

I'm glad you didn't get really sick..but damage could have been done internally and that isn't good. Please be more careful?

Also, it's only been a couple of months. It takes a while for your system to heal, especially if it's been damaged enough to cause neuro symptoms like you describe. There's plenty of Celiacs who don't have instant, drastic reactions to gluten. It takes me 48 hours plus to react, and my reaction runs through a cycle of different things that last for a month. Other people only feel sick for a day. Everyone is different, and sometimes things change from day to day.

I hope you'll be more careful with your labels from now on!

Yes, it is my own fault I know. I was at a new grocery store and in a rush and I have a terrible habit of grabbing things without reading the label, though I am MUCH better at reading labels than I was, but I still slip sometimes. And thank you for responding. I feel like less of a fraud now.