Friends will comment how extreme I am when checking ingredients, asking questions at restaurants, asking friends about cooking methods when they cook for me, so for this to happen to me makes it even more ironic.
I typically buy gluten-free waffles for Z for her to have a quick breakfast, it is not ideal, and full of empty carbs, but sometimes it is all I can get her to eat in the morning. I usually stay away from them, because I know in an hour I will be starving, and they are just not the best nutritional choice. And I buy gluten-free, because our house is gluten-free, end of story. So it is not like I grabbed the wrong one out of our own freezer.
The other day on my day of running errands...Target, Publix, Whole Foods, Old Navy, H&M, and finally Trader Joe's, before running home to eat quickly and pick up Z from school, I got to the frozen section at Trader Joe's and I just picked up the waffles quickly from where they always are, next to the gluten-free pancakes, I didn't even think about it. Typically, I look the box over to be sure I picked up gluten-free instead of gluten waffles, but this time, I just took it for granted.
M is the one who makes Z's breakfast and gets her lunch ready while I get her and I dressed and out the door to get her to school. I usually eat nothing, but this morning, since I was planning on going for a long walk, and am avoiding Starbucks, I knew I needed calories to get through the next hour or so. I yell at him, from the bedroom, to make me a waffle too.
I grab the waffle and my tea as I run out the door. I take a bite of the waffle in the car, and it has a strange texture, a bit drier and grainier, maybe flax seed. Maybe Trader Joe's is using a new waffle manufacturer? I call M to ask him to check to make sure I got the right waffles. He doesn't answer, so the idiot that I am, I eat the rest...thinking why in the world would I have bought gluten-filled waffles, when it is just second nature for me to check everything that comes into the house. He calls me back, and goes to check in the freezer....and I get the horrible news "they are not gluten-free". ARGH!!!!!! All the sudden I had major anxiety and wondered if I should hurl on the side of the road to get it out of me. The kids walking to school would love that! I felt extremely violated, and the worst part, I did it to myself! I was in tears. In almost three years I have not accidentally had more than a crumb, and I am pretty sensitive. And now I just had a full waffle!!
I got Z to class, raced home, and now I am on my 3rd cup of chamomile tea, and took 2 probiotics. I am full of anxiety, because I am not sure what to expect with ingesting this much. I usually feel sick within 30 minutes, but now it has been 2 hours, and I am waiting on pins and needles when it is going to hit. I mentally feel as if I swallowed poison.
I was joking that since I had this much gluten, I might as well go all the way and get that slice of Fellini's pizza that I drool over, or a baguette, or matzo ball soup, since I am getting sick anyway <-----but let me be clear, this is just a joke, I would NEVER intentionally eat gluten, this was purely a joke. I am full of such anxiety of how this is going to affect me, I am just trying to be humorous about it, or I will cry.
I thought since this is the first time I actually know when I ate the gluten, and it was such a large amount, relatively speaking, I would document it, for my knowledge as well as for others. I will come back periodically throughout the day to revise.
7:45 - ate offending gluten-filled waffle8:30 - took 2 probiotics, drink 2 cups of tea8:30 - perhaps the start of a headache way under the surface. very anxious, is it from the gluten or from my own nerves?9:20 - getting chills10:00 - feeling a bit nauseous, but it could be from the endless stream of tea that is getting hard to swallow now.10:20 - throwing up..so not fun :( Won't get into details here, let's just say nothing helped. Nothing stayed down. Continues for a good hour.11:30 - migraine.12:00 (noon) - nap1:00 - woke up groggy and had to start my day.Part 2: the waffle conclusion.
Oh no!!! Funny how you found the texture unagreeable. I have nightmares about eating gluten by accident like your such account. Sounds like your doing the right thing. Stay at home. Let your body do its job and expel the toxins out of your body. Bah. Get better! It's ok to feel terrible. As long as it does last too long. We're humans. {{hugs}}
ReplyDeleteOh no! I am so so sorry. I've done the same thing with rice crackers...bought the ONE flavor that was "multigrain" and thus full of wheat. Have you ever taken Gluten Freeze? I take it along with the probiotics and it seems to keep at the very least, the stomach symptoms at bay.
ReplyDeleteLove your writing style...
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope your experience is not as bad as mine. The only time I "knew" I got glutened, it took two days to hit me and then a full six months to feel better.
Don't beat yourself up too bad. There are celiacs who can't last three hours without cheating and you've gone three years.
I am so sorry because I know how awful it is to get even crumbs of gluten. After you've been off of it for a while the reaction tend to be more severe. Just stay as close the the bathroom as possible and rest as much as you can. I take Marazine, a seasick anti nausea pill, that I get from the pharmacy and that helps with the nausea a great deal. Also Lomital if the diahrrea gets too extreme. Drink
ReplyDeletelots of fluid too to prevent dhydration. Sending hugs, Hoby
Oh, Anne! I am so sorry!! We are human and we all make mistakes. I hope you are feeling better now!
ReplyDeleteKim
I have had nightmares such as this before....and then I wake up and am so happy it was only a dream. After I realized what I ate, I felt so claustrophobic, like I knew what was coming and couldn't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for everyone's comments, I am feeling much better.