Getting sick eating out

[Dpacman]

So I went to a restaurant that offered gluten free pasta. I told them I have celiac. They understood and brought my food.  About an hour later, my stomach started to hurt and I felt nauseous and faint.  I started throwing up and at one point blacked out. This lasted about an hour. Then I started to feel better.  This is the second time this happened. I’ve been gluten-free for 11 years and this reaction is something new. It scares me.  

[cyclinglady]

Welcome!  

If you are scared, you should see a doctor.  Make sure that everything is okay as your reaction might not all be blamed on an active flare up of celiac disease.  You could have something else going on.  

For me, I am the queen of passing out.  I have been this way since a kid, so my family is used to it.   My doctors think I have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome that becomes worse or acts up severely with a gluten exposure.  It falls under the umbrella of hypersensitivity.  I usually pass out first (blood pressure drops) and then I wake up to vomiting, but it can be the other way around.  Often I break out in hives or swell.   A doctor who witnessed me while in the process of an attack (without hives)  said it is a vasovagal response (yeah, happened on an airplane by doctor....so convenient).  

Again, get checked out by your doctor.  

[DontEatFrenchFries]

Hello!

Im sorry to hear this happened to you. I agree that you should see your doctor to see if it might be something other than a glutening.

That said, symptoms can get worse and weirder as we celiacs age. I’ve also been gluten free for about 13 years and I’m realizing that I was getting glutened frequently when I was younger but I just didn’t notice any symptoms then. Now I’m 25 and I get rashes, brain fog, and nausea in addition to gastro symptoms. (Actually, I experience these much more often now because I rarely get glutened severely enough for gastro symptoms.)

As we get older, we just can’t handle cross-contamination like we used to. I find that the more restaurants offer gluten-free options, the more I get glutened. It’s tough because nobody wants to stop eating out but unless the restaurant is so good about gluten free that either everything is gluten free or gluten free food is prepared in a separate kitchen space, eating out will always be a risk.

I haven’t given up on eating out yet, but I am very careful about cross-contamination and ask a lot of questions before I order any gluten free pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, etc. Sometimes even if they have those things, your best bet is still to stick to salads (watch the dressing) or bring your own food.

Good luck!