How Long Until You Can Tell If You Have Been Glutened?

[Mom2-2girls]

My daughter had her scope yesterday so we are one day in to being gluten-free. Right now she has had intermiten stomach aches etc. She gets very agitated too.

I am wondering how long after going gluten-free is it before you started really being able to notice if you ate something with gluten.

I have read about some people being sensitive to Chex (even though they are supposedly gluten-free), or to gluten-free oats. I guess I am wondering when we will be able to see if those are an issue for my daughter.

Thanks!

[Takala]

It depends on the person. I could tell right from the beginning, but I am a adult and not on a whole slew of medications which might mask any reactions, and I went on a pretty strict diet initially. A child isn't as likely to be able to tell what is bothering them, even though they can feel it.

In the beginning, it is best to keep things as simple as possible, then after things have settled down, slowly add in one category of new food at a time, to see what the result will be. You would want to avoid gluten free oats in the beginning, anyway, until you see if she's in the minority which react to them. I got the surprise of my life years into this, when I finally figured out that I had an oat cross contamination problem, as I ate a lot of oats when I was on a normal diet, and I thought I could tolerate them, I just had not bothered to try them out. Other really common things that might cause difficulties in the beginning are cow dairy lactose (the milk sugars) because the celiac damage also damaged the part of the intestine that helps digest that, this may go away after a while on a gluten free diet, or it may lessen, so yogurt and cheese can be tolerated. Others discover that they have a casein (milk protein) problem as well, and they either switch to non dairy substitutes or goat products. Soy flours can be another iffy thing. A lot of people think they have corn problems, but the easiest way to test that is to get some fresh sweet corn, shuck it yourself, and try that and see if there is a reaction, if not, then it's a cross contamination problem.

If you have indoor pets, you may want to switch them to a gluten free food and accessories, especially if they lick you or drool a lot. For the very sensitive, you may also want to switch to gluten free lotions and hair conditioners, as a lot of the regular ones can be loaded with wheat or oat proteins. The goal is to get the total exposure down to minimal, so it's easier to see when a problem crops up. Don't forget to check vitamins and medications, both over the counter and prescription, for gluten free status.

[Darn210]

My daughter was diagnosed at the age of 6. She's now 11. This summer was the first time she ever said . . . "It's a gluten stomach ache." Prior to that, we were always guessing. She does get other stomach aches . . . when she eats too much, when she eats something extremely rich, when she has too much "junk" in a short amount of time (like Halloween). I will also say that her GI symptoms improved pretty quickly at first but still flared every so often for the first 10 months. I kept chasing ghosts trying to figure out what she had that triggered it but in hind sight, I think it was just the fact that she hadn't fully healed and maybe the spaghetti sauce (or whatever) just didn't sit that well that particular night.

You just have to do what you can and don't worry about the issues that haven't happened yet. Make sure she has her own clean (no gluten crumbs) butter/peanut butter/jelly/cream cheese/etc. She needs her own dedicated gluten free toaster and strainer and cutting board. Make sure all meds and supplements are gluten free. I recommend a digestive enzyme. We didn't start using one until a couple of years ago . . . my daughter takes it no matter what kind of stomach ache she has and it seems to help. I think if she had been on one from the get-go, her recovery time/flares might not have been quite so long.

If after a couple of months you feel like you are still have a lot of problems, then you might want to start a food journal and see if you notice a food that keeps popping up at the same time symptoms do.

[mommyto2kids]

I ate a hot dog during the summer and hoped that it was gluten free. It must not have been. It took about 2 hours to have a big blow out in the bathroom. So the hot dog must not have been gluten free. So are you asking how long after we eat some gluten do we have a reaction? That was my nonfun experience.

[MitziG]

A lot of variance from person to person. For me, it was several months before I started having a noticeable reaction to gluten- and probably 6 mos before that reaction became sudden and violent! For my DD, within 2-3 wks of going gluten-free, she would react to even tiny amounts of cc with vomiting. For my son, who was the one with the noticeable stomach issues before dx, his reaction stayed consistent- any exposure brought about severe belly aches, panic attacks and mood swings.

[Mom2-2girls]

THis is exactly the kind of information I was interested in. Thank you so much for your help. I am so thankful to have this board as a resource.

[nvsmom]

I'll just add after 1 month gluten-free I had a obvious stomach ache within 30 minutes of being glutened, followed by bloat and an overall down feeling and a migraine that lasted a few days. My gluten stomach ache is pretty clear too. It just hurts where as if I eat too much I feel too full, and if I eat a bunch of junk my stomach will be turning. They're very different.

I had a phantom gluten reaction a week or so ago. I had bloat and a migraine but not the initial stomach ache but I know I wasn't glutened. I think it was my immune system throwing some type of tantrum for attention (LOL) or another sensitivity.

[Mom-of-Two]

I have been gluten free for 7 months and have not had any episodes of glutening that I am aware of. My daughter has been gluten free about 2 months and not a problem yet. We are super careful though and the only food we eat out is Chipotle which I've had 20 or more times since being gluten-free with never an issue, they are super accomadating.

I think that my signs are similar to the feelings I had prior to diagnosis, bloating/fullness in upper abdomen. I have had a couple icky nights after a picnic, etc but in general we eat prior, or take our own food. I have not had any obvious "glutenings".

I am becoming more open to trying to eat out on occasion, my hubby would love a date night

[b-snyder414]

My daughter had her scope yesterday so we are one day in to being gluten-free. Right now she has had intermiten stomach aches etc. She gets very agitated too.

I am wondering how long after going gluten-free is it before you started really being able to notice if you ate something with gluten.

I have read about some people being sensitive to Chex (even though they are supposedly gluten-free), or to gluten-free oats. I guess I am wondering when we will be able to see if those are an issue for my daughter.

Thanks!

My daughter is 15 and was diagnosed in March of this year. For her, her reaction is immediate, she throws up when she is glutened. I give my children Papaya enzymes (from Walmart in green bottle/yellow cap by Spring Valley--they taste the best) it seems to help with the stomach aches. It is a digestive enzyme. I know what you mean "she gets very agitated". Before we know my daughter had celiac disease, she would always snap at us!!! It has gotten much better, she still has her moments, but they aren't as bad. She has become much happier since gluten-free. I myself am gluten intolerant and I usually get a stomach ache right away or sometimes hours later. Everyone reacts differently to gluten.

As far as the Chex cereal, she has be ok with that so far. I just don't like the fact that they have GMO's in them. Maybe Chex will wake up and use non-GMO's.

FYI...your daughter qualifies for a Celiac Care package from The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. My daughter just got hers yesterday and was so excited!! It was filled with a lot of different products and info. I was amazed how much they put in it!!!

Good luck!

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[shadowicewolf]

Gluten free oats give me a belly ache.

Normally now i just get a major bout of "C" that very little can get moving. It normally starts a few hours afterward.

Also, I react fine to chex. That is the rice kind. I haven't tried the others. Perhaps over the next break i will.