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Airborne Gluten Causing Issues?

fughawzi

By fughawzi
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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fughawzi Rookie
fughawzi
Posted

I'm sorry if this is the wrong section to post this in, but I had no idea what this question would go under.

I've had this problem develop in the last few weeks and was wondering if it was normal.. I seem to have a reaction whenever I'm around a gluten containing item being cooked. An example: I was walking around a mall last week and passed a Mrs. Fields. I made the mistake of breathing in and promptly started choking. Sometimes my throat feels tight or tingles, other times I start feeling extremely light headed (these are only a couple of the symptoms). Could the airborne gluten be causing this or am I crazy? It's been causing a lot of issues as I'm eighteen and still living with my parents who cook with gluten quite frequently. I tested negative for a wheat allergy on top of the celiac last year.

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dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I have had problems with airborne flour. It gave me a gluten reaction.

There was a post about this here recently.

weluvgators Explorer
weluvgators
Posted

I also have problems with airborne gluten, and I find that it can be harder for me to deal with than ingestion in some ways. It is much easier to quit eating than it is to quit breathing for any length of time - KWIM??

It was only recently that I was reflecting on my personal history. I realized that when I had my worst case of ?? (total lethargy, severe allergies, exercise induced asthma - for which I took allergy meds, allergy shots and was allowed to sleep in school cause I just could NOT stay awake) that it coincided with the time when my mother started baking our bread at home!! :huh: She started doing that because my father became absolutely and horrifically intolerant to corn . . . which Mayo Clinic could not figure out WHY! Gee, I wonder!? That was back in the late 80's, and I am pretty certain that they never screened him for celiac. sigh . . .

Anyway, I am super sensitive to airborne exposure, as is my daughter (not our super duper silly girl!!). When my daughter was recently recovering from an episode that no one knows what it was, she started hiving at the grocery store that had a huge airborne gluten load - I think they must have just unloaded the ovens from bread baking or something - the smell was quite overpowering! She cleared as soon as we left the premises though - so that was good.

But you are not alone. And it is difficult (if not impossible) to find guidance for resolving the issues related to airborne gluten. The link that steph gives is good, and I especially enjoyed the last link in the post to Lorie's post.

So, what allergy testing did you have done? I am contemplating if patch testing may get us the positive "wheat allergy" diagnosis . . . I think that it *might*, but I am uncertain. We are being told to go to a research center (but not a celiac center . . . the celiac centers have been telling us that they cannot help us because we are not like "classic" celiacs!) so that they can observe us as guinea pigs. Unfortunately, I am rather reluctant to do so because I saw where that got my dad! Lots of money spent with no answers . . .other than, interesting . . . if you ever figure out what that is will you give us a call and let us know. So, now I feel that I have figured out so much of it, but they now want me to PROVE it in some UNDEFINED way. :rolleyes: And the whole idea of paying THEM so that I can PROVE it - HUH??

BTW - I survived the assault of living at my parents and improved significantly when I left home - without even beginning to understand that gluten was a huge contributor to my issues. I naturally consumed much less gluten and got far less gluten exposure when I left their house . . . simply because I felt better that way! And now when I smell gluten, I VACATE. Do not pause, just evacuate. I have paused enough times to know that it NEVER helps ME feel better!!

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I'm sorry if this is the wrong section to post this in, but I had no idea what this question would go under.

I've had this problem develop in the last few weeks and was wondering if it was normal.. I seem to have a reaction whenever I'm around a gluten containing item being cooked. An example: I was walking around a mall last week and passed a Mrs. Fields. I made the mistake of breathing in and promptly started choking. Sometimes my throat feels tight or tingles, other times I start feeling extremely light headed (these are only a couple of the symptoms). Could the airborne gluten be causing this or am I crazy? It's been causing a lot of issues as I'm eighteen and still living with my parents who cook with gluten quite frequently. I tested negative for a wheat allergy on top of the celiac last year.

It's unusual but allergies are odd things. Despite your tests, an immediate feeling of choking/tingling when you breathe something sure sounds allergic to me. I don't have a gluten allergy but I have others. I find a little Benedryl at bedtime quite helpful sometimes. You could also try one of the non-drowsy antihistamines ahead of time if you know gluten will be in the air.

It's also possible you are having a physical reaction to the stress of being stuck with the odor of something that makes you sick. This doesn't make it any less real or unpleasant, and it doesn't make you crazy as the body and mind are closely intertwined. My own reaction to cigarette smoke is half allergy, half psychological. If I'm closed up with cigarette smoke I get asthma, so I sometimes "think" myself into a reaction from even a whiff of smoke outside in fresh air. The smell tenses me up and I don't breathe as well. I find relaxation techniques more helpful than an inhaler in that sort of situation.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I'm sorry if this is the wrong section to post this in, but I had no idea what this question would go under.

I've had this problem develop in the last few weeks and was wondering if it was normal.. I seem to have a reaction whenever I'm around a gluten containing item being cooked. An example: I was walking around a mall last week and passed a Mrs. Fields. I made the mistake of breathing in and promptly started choking. Sometimes my throat feels tight or tingles, other times I start feeling extremely light headed (these are only a couple of the symptoms). Could the airborne gluten be causing this or am I crazy? It's been causing a lot of issues as I'm eighteen and still living with my parents who cook with gluten quite frequently. I tested negative for a wheat allergy on top of the celiac last year.

Airborne gluten, if in the form of flour or anything which is small particle and can be physically inhaled, can definitely cause a reaction. You have to ingest gluten for it to spark your autoimmune system. Your symptoms sound more like an allergic reaction to me. However, I know what you mean about smells and the effect they have. I cannot stand the smell of anything glutenous and it can sometimes make me a little nauseous until the offending odor is removed. This is more a psychosomatic reaction and I really feel it's my body's way of protecting me against food that makes me horribly ill....a protective mechanism. It's not a true Celiac reaction at all but it happens none-the-less. Bread in the bread aisle of the supermarket (really commercially produced bread with lots of crap in it but not the bread that Whole Foods bakes fresh everyday!) and any fast food stuff. All I smell is rancid fat!

You are not crazy at all and I am sorry you have to deal with the gluten cooked meals at home. How understanding are your parents on this issue?

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