Am I Really Being Gluten-Free?

[june27]

I have been gluten free for 5 months (starting with my celiac diagnosis). The first thing that I did was to clean out my kitchen (including replaced cutting boards, and plastic/wooden spoons with new ones, and getting rid of any food that either had gluten, or was unknown). I also went through all of my medicines, and cosmetic products.

For the first few months, I ate exclusively at home (or meals I had prepared at home) - so I think I have pretty good control of those meals. I have recently started to eat out occasionally (not more than once a week, unless I am away from home for the weekend, and even then I try to choose wisely). I do try to do my homework and choose the places that I eat at wisely, but I am not good about giving cross-contamination instructions to restaurant staff.

Unlike many people in this forum that suffered with digestive issues for a long time, I was diagnosed after going to a naturopathic doctor for allergies. I did have one 'issue' a couple of months into being gluten-free where I think I may have glutened myself. (I used a bottle topper on a soda that may not have been washed well after the previous use on a beer bottle - after 3 sips of soda on day 2 (day 1 had no issues), it went right through me and my stomach was off for 2 or 3 days. Nothing debilitating, but lots of belching and my stomach generally was just not happy. I am guessing that I glutened myself, but am not 100% sure)

My question is - how do I know if I am being good enough (relative to gluten-free) when I am eating something that I did not prepare myself? If I am not reacting, can I assume that I am not having CC issues?

[GottaSki]

If you were not having digestive symptoms prior to diagnosis, you may not have reactions. Perhaps you have/or will become more sensitive to gluten the longer it has been removed from your diet and will be able to identify when you accidentally ingest.

Were you diagnosed via bloodwork? If your tTG IgA was positive, repeating it could be helpful in monitoring for unwanted gluten.

Good Luck!

[Adalaide]

I react swiftly, violently, and in a way that screams "this restaurant staff is never to be trusted again!" It is horribly painful and I am quite lucky has only happened to me once away from home. At first I felt sorry for myself over this, I now consider myself lucky and feel bad for you and those like you who have little or no reaction who are left wondering.

Saying things like, "no croutons, don't put them on and be like right, she didn't want any and take them back off. That isn't safe for me. Just don't put them on. And try not to be a moron." is probably not a good explanation of how to do my salad. Frankly though, if that's how I feel that I need to speak to my waitress I just leave because she sure as heck won't understand CC. When I go out to eat, whenever possible I always try to be the one to choose where to go and usually choose the same few places that have been safe for me. When I can't pick where to go, if it is somewhere I know I can't eat safely I will simply bring my own food. I did this for my best friend's graduation and used it as an excuse to stop by my favorite gluten free bakery for a sandwich. Never be embarrassed by this. Never. If questioned simply look the server straight in the eye and say "multiple food allergies" and keep eating. Yes, it's a lie but they'll shut up fast so you can all enjoy your meal.

I can't tell you that yes, if you aren't seeing a reaction then you aren't having any CC problems. You may be one of the unfortunate few who will not know. But it's possible that the bloating you saw was a reaction and that you aren't having problems and are doing everything just right also. I don't eat out at "real" restaurants particularly frequently but I do happen to eat at Wendy's pretty often and they've never made me sick.

[june27]

I think I jinxed myself by posting this thread a few days ago...

I went out for dinner last night, to a place I have been before a few times. (I don't go out more than 3 or 4 times a month, so I wouldn't say that I have been any one place "a lot"). Anyway, I ordered off the gluten-free menu, but got steak tips instead of the salmon that I have gotten in the past. Tummy felt a little off after eating, but nothing terrible. Woke up at 4am with C, which quickly changed to D. When I got up at 7, had bloating/belching, and 5 hours later things are still not back to normal.

Here's my question -

I forgot to say no butter on the tips with mushrooms/onions/peppers that I ordered. I have given up dairy for the past 5 months as well as gluten. I have never noticed any issues with dairy or lactose in the past. I am curious if there is any way to distinguish based on my symptoms if I was glutened, or if it was just some dairy doing bad things. I did do a dairy 'challenge' 2-3 months ago, and ate hard cheese/yogurt for a week. I had no digestive issues, but my allergies were terrible, so decided to remain dairy free for longer.

Any thoughts?

GottaSki - I was diagnosed via bloodwork. I had read before that it sometimes takes a while for the gluten/antibodies to get out of your system, but maybe I will ask for the bloodwork again the next time I see my doc.