A gut wrenching feeling comes over you…
This ball of fear builds up inside and slowly fills you with dread.
That’s the sort of feeling I get when I (we) realize that my daughter got gluten.
For her, there is anxiety and fear…but it is her own experience that I cannot describe.
There’s sometimes a glimmer of hope that things will be different this time…maybe she didn’t get gluten after all? Maybe her body is tolerating it differently now?
That hope stems from the fact that it takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours before she starts feeling bad and then getting sick.
Reality always sets in though.
Over time, we’ve tried a variety of different remedies to ease the sickness…and here’s what we have found works.
Get comfortable
If you haven’t already, then start keeping track of how long between when your child gets gluten and when they start feeling the symptoms.
The knowledge of how this cycle works has helped us know there is going to be some time to kill. Also, if your child starts feeling ill like they got glutened, then you can also use this expected timeline to look back and identify the food / meal that might be the culprit (more on that later).
Anyway, this article is about what to do when you know they got gluten…so back to that.
Now is a great time to watch a movie or play a game together. Sit on the couch. Relax.
Also, hydrate!
Our daughter vomits a bunch after eating gluten. That is hard on her body and dehydrating too.
So drinking some water now helps her recover a little faster.
Stay calm
First thing is to realize this is not a time for pressure or making anyone feel bad.
Arguing with your child or between parents just adds to the anxiety your child is likely already feeling.
As a parent, your demeanor – how you act and feel about this – is a major factor in how your child is feeling. I know from experience! I get nervous and anxious too…and I still do to some extent but I’m working on being better.
This time between when your child gets gluten but before they start feeling symptoms is when most remedies can be considered.
We’ve tried pills and tea and some other remedies…none has changed the outcome in any noticeable way…
So, unfortunately, we don’t have a recommendation for a ‘magic bullet’ that makes everything better.
Several websites recommend activated charcoal for bloating and gas. We don’t have that issue so haven’t tried it.
Everyone is different! See if one of the many remedies works for your child.
Remember, the symptoms, the sickness, will not last forever. They go away usually in a few hours.
Last but not least, get some rest.
Identify the culprit
Finally, think about where the gluten came from.
Sometimes it’s obvious. Like the last time my daughter got gluten it was because we tried a new cauliflower crust pizza from the frozen pizza section at the store.
She had tried one before at a friends house and liked it.
Long story short…we picked up one from the same brand but the crust was made with cauliflower and regular flour.
Dumb mistake…but and easy one to make. We just missed it.
Anyway, sometimes it’s not so obvious. As I mentioned earlier, keeping track of the time between gluten and sickness is good to do because it helps identify the time your child ate something.
Anyway, once you know what the culprit was, then obviously avoid it in the future. And if you have other caregivers, make sure they know about it as well.
