Gluten Intolerance Symptoms

Something sneaky has gluten in it. I don’t know what I was eating, but the reaction was definitely gluten related and it was rotten. More than likely it was some Halloween candy I ‘borrowed’ out of my kids’ stash; as they say, karma is a bitch. Anyway, this is exactly how it unfolds for me but everyone is different. For one thing I usually do not have an instant reaction. If I do, it is a headache, but not a stomach issues like a lot of people have. The headache will start at some point between bite and a day later. Then my skin turns into an adolescent nightmare with one or two or more(!) ‘blemishes’ as the magazines like to call them. The brain fog comes in thickly and quickly, as does the bad mood, and the fatigue is horrible. It lasts about 3 days, then it all lifts, the headache and brain fog leave bit by bit, and the skin returns to normal, the tiredness lifts and best of all the bad mood goes away and I suddenly feel so good again that I am actually really happy and energetic for a few days. Like, oh yeah, this is how normal feels and it feels good! Weeee! So that’s where I am now, on the upswing of normal, thank goodness, but it makes me nervous for the holidays~all the sharing of foods and such. That just reminded me that I did eat some unknown treat that a new Thai friend offered me and I ate it b/c trying to explain I don’t eat wheat seemed strange, like I was being offensive by not eating what she offered. (“Meat? It’s not meat.” “No, well, yes meat but I mean wheat, like the flour.” “Flower? No flower.”) Anyway, I guess it is good to have these reminders of what gluten does to me when I have those moments of, “man, I just want a slice of big, crusty French bread. Just one slice. It can’t hurt…” It does. And it isn’t worth it.