I was glutened on my very first day of vacation.
I’m always ridiculously careful in what I eat, but I refuse to isolate myself to my hotel room, eating only food from grocery stores. Naturally, I get glutened from time to time.
This time was particularly bad. We were waiting in line to see Dr Drew and Adam Carolla’s Loveline Tour. Doors hadn’t opened yet, and my stomach was starting to really feel uncomfortable. Since I’m vacation, I didn’t have access to my entire emergency kit for accidental gluten ingestion. I did have some Pepto Bismol chewables, however, and took a couple. I also had picked up some Gin Gins Ginger Chews.
Nothing was helping. There was still 5 minutes before doors even opened, and I have an unfortunate aversion to public restrooms anyway.
Food baby from ingesting gluten
I had a food baby but that was not the worst of it. I was starting to feel like I wouldn’t even be able to wait until the doors opened. Normally, I would never do what I was about to do, but it was an emergency.
I abandoned my boyfriend without even letting him know what was going on and frantically knocked on the door of the theater. Someone opened the door.
I begged him: “I swear I have tickets to this event but I have an emergency and can I PLEASE use the restroom?”
Luckily, he took pity on me, printed my tickets, gave the other one to my boyfriend outside and let me use the restroom before the theater filled.
The rest of the night was similar. I had my boyfriend get me some gingerale to soothe my stomach and eventually it settled a little.
I’ve been taking Pepto off and on for the rest of the trip to avoid emergencies like that because I don’t want to be chained to my hotel room. My stomach has still been in a lot of pain and I’ve still been extremely bloated. I’ve been trying to be even more careful than usual but it’s difficult to avoid eating out.
How do you handle it when you’re glutened on vacation?
Oh no!!! Your vacation was supposed to be fun, not painful!!!
So sorry to hear that you got ‘glutened’! Do you know what you ate at whatever restaurant that did it? I hope you’re continuing to feel better and that you can hopefully enjoy the rest of your vacation NOT bloated and NOT in pain!
No clue. I ate at four different places, but immediately before, I had gelato. The person serving it assured me it was gluten free, and his celiac brother even eats it, but who knows!!
That really stinks Amanda…sorry to hear. Going away adds a level of stress that non-celiacs will never understand. Happy healing and I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation.
Thanks, Gluten Dude!
Hi Amanda! I’m sorry that happened to you! I am in a gluten free group. Not everyone in the group has celiac–some are just gluten intolerant. The ones who are gluten intolerant swear by a product called Glutenease. They say when they take it before eating out, it prevents symptoms in case they are accidentally glutened. It doesn’t prevent damage to your small intestine if you are glutened, but it supposedly prevents you from feeling sick if you are glutened. Hope this helps! If you try it, let us know how it works. I hope the rest of your trip is a lot better!
I feel like if I “liked” this post it would be mean…I cannot believe the amount of swelling that happens when you get glutened! I hope you are feeling much much better now.
I know! That’s actually a fairly small food baby for me
Well I “liked” this but I don’t like this! SO sorry you got glutened!!! What a buzzkill. I hope it’s a quick recovery!
Yikes! I am sorry that happened on your first day of vacation (or any day, for that matter).
What a horrible way to start your vacation. I am so sorry.
Oh no!! that sucks!
I usually go underground (I.e. back to my room), pull out a blanket and add out on some “comfy pants”.
I was really nervous when I travelled to Mexico in 2011 as it was my first time travelling since going gluten-free. I brought with me a translation of what gluten is and what things to avoid. The consierge drafted up a letter and sent to the kitchen staff at each of the 4 restaurants on the resort. I didn’t get sick until the last night when we were having dinner at the Japanese restaurant there. I think the issue was that I had tasted the soup that my husband had (the waiter said it was gluten free but I’m thinking that its perhaps only if you specify GF. I ordered something different so it’s possible that something containing gluten was added in it. Not sure). My belly blew up like I was 6 months pregnant and I spent the evening waddling around before going back to our room. I was still in discomfort the next day as we travelled back to Canada.
*put on some comfy pants.
I SUFFER FROM MCS– MULTI CHEMICAL SENSITIVIY & SO WE ONLY TRAVEL IN OUR RV– OUR MCS SAFE HOME ON WHEELS– ONLY WAY WE CAN CONTROL OUR ENVIRONMENT– AS CHEMCIAL & FRAGRANCE & SCENT FREE AS POSSIBLE– WE ALSO ARE SUGAR FREE– MEAT FREE & GLUTEN FREE–WE EAT AS LITTLE PROCESSED FOODS AS POSSIBLE & EAT AS MUCH ORGANIC & CHEMCIAL FREE FOOD AS POSSBLE– & THIS MAKES IT REALLY HARD TO EAT OUT— SO WE ONLY TRAVEL IN OUR RV– & PREPARE ALL OF OUR OWN FOOD!!! I KNOW THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE– BUT HAVE FOUND BY EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN CONTROL OUR ENVIRONMENT AT ALL & HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO HEAL– NOT IF- BUT WHEN I AM EXPOSED TO FRAGRANCES & TOXIC CHEMCIALS– & ALSO THE ONLY WAY WE CAN TOTALLY KNOW WHAT WE ARE EATING– I KNOW THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE– BUT WE NO LONGER TRAVEL IF WE CAN’T TRAVEL IN OUR MCS SAFE HOME– MOTOR HOME!! SORRY ABOUT YOU GETTING ILL– ON VACATION!!!
At least you’ve found a way that works for you and allows you to travel!
Ugh – the worst! I’ve totally been there…
Aw man!!!
Hope you’re feeling better. Love the vacation update, though 
And also, I love that you were going to the Loveline tour!! I used to listen to that alllllll the time in junior high and high school. I’d sneak it by putting on my headphones bc it was late at night
It was awesome!!
Your food baby looks like my food baby! It is the absolute worst when this happens and you’re not prepared. The best thing I can do is carry Pepto and sip on Sprite. Once in a great while I will get sick. Hope this doesn’t carry on too long for you!
That’s terrible! I was glutened on my honeymoon. We were on a cruise, and I had to see the ship’s doctor or they wouldn’t refund the excursion I had to miss. I had a print-out of my dietary restrictions, so I’m guessing it was cross-contamination. Or a lazy chef/server.
Ugh, on your honeymoon! how awful! When was this? I’ve heard some cruise lines are really great with gluten free food.
Almost two years ago. To be fair, they were really awesome and vigilant the rest of the time. It was Norwegian, which has a free dining arrangement, so you never have the same waitstaff at one meal as another. I’ve never had a problem with any dietary issues on cruises with assigned meal tables/times. I think someone didn’t quite get it and didn’t really that, yeah, it actually is a big deal.
Royal Caribbean was VERY accommodating. The only thing I didn’t like was the bread.
Sorry to hear you got glutened! I wasn’t terribly careful on the cruise and grabbed an innocent looking dessert only to discover 3 bites in that there was a very thin layer (like an 1/8 of an inch) on the bottom. Ooops. About an hour later my GI was grumbling but thankfully no food baby or emergency restroom visit; this was my first “public” glutening and I, too, had some Pepto Bismol chewables in my med pack.
Ugh the public aspect us the worst. That was the most urgent public situation I’ve had,. Where i haven’t been able to get home or to a hotel first. I was so mortified!
I’m sorry about what happened to you on your vacation. I’ve only glutened once and it was terrible. I’m nervous about my upcoming trip to Europe as well, because I was only recently diagnosed with Celiac so this trip will be my first since going gluten free. It’s gonna be a long long flight, 12 hours to Germany. Hopefully there won’t be any unfortunate incidents!
My first trip after being diagnosed was very nerve wracking, too. Definitely pack snacks for the flight! Good luck!
Hey sorry to hear this! Hope it was fun besides that!
Wow! So sad to hear. I hope by now you are feeling better and having fun on your vacation!
Aw! Seeing this a day late but just wanted to tack on my sympathy, too. I hope you’re feeling better!
How awful! I hope you get better soon! I vs e up being gf before I went to Paris. Luckily, I only have gluten intoleranceand not celiac, so I can handle the gluten. At least that’s what I tell myself. I also tellyself that it’s ok to eat wheat foods that ate processed in Europe. Apparently, they process their wheat differently than the US does which allegedly makes their wheat foods more digestable. At least, this is what I’ve been told.
Feel better and have agrest vacay!
You poor poor thing, I know exactly how you feel. I hate those painful, bloated, queasy, race to the toilet, gluten baby days. There’s nothing worse, unless of course it happens when you are on holiday, which I have had too. I also have an aversion to public toilets, I can’t imagine a more germ ridden place and there’s no privacy either for the occasional time when you happen to make the odd noise or smell. (Not that that ever happens to us ladies.) I don’t know if you have them in America but in New Zealand we have Leda gingernut cookies that are gluten free, dairy free and vegan and I find it is something I can eat which doesn’t weigh me down and the ginger is soothing. I also find tea soothing too. I also have gastrosoothe tablets (hyoscine butylbromide) that my doctor prescribes which help to slow the contractions of the digestive muscles and work really well taken 20 mins or so prior to eating. They also help with the pain and bloating. Hope this all helps and good luck next holiday, I know it is hard when you are away from your local well known “safe” establishments and home of course.
Bummer that happened. What do you carry in your glutened emergency kit? I usually take metamucil and tums with me when we go anywhere. Is there anything else that’s good to have? The tums help a bit, and so does the metamucil, but it takes until the next day to help. I also usually have some digestion tea that helps. I don’t know of anything else that’s helpful.
Usually I have access to these things: http://celiacandallergyadventures.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/my-i-got-glutened-emergency-kit/ but on vacation, I usually just have some Pepto Bismol chewable tablets, and some peppermint teabags (Celestial Seasoning is gluten-free, but if it’s pure peppermint, it should naturally be gluten-free). It’s a lot harder when traveling
What type of digestion tea do you drink?
I use Traditional Medicinals Eater’s Digest tea. It has peppermint, fennel, ginger, rose hips, papaya leaf, alfalfa leaf, and cinnamon in it. Thanks for the link.
I also drink Kombucha too, but I don’t use that when I travel, unless I’m in an area where I can buy it. I make my own kombucha, so I almost always have some around.
Oh nooo! I’m so sorry that happened.
I’m glad ginger is at least helping a little. Have you tried nausine? It’s the only effective stuff I’ve found that’s made to be taken AFTER you’ve already eaten stuff you shouldn’t have. Also – canned peach syrup can really help with nausea and bloating, plus it’s not icky like medicine can be. I hope you feel better now! 
I’ve never heard of nausine — or having canned peach syrup! I’ll have to try that. Where can you get nausine?
I got it at CVS – they’re chewables, if that helps!
Oh awesome, thanks!