Monday, November 8, 2010

A Gluten Nightmare

"gluten hell", acrylic on canvas, 16x20, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I was at business holiday party. Working the crowded room, chatting, laughing, sipping my wine – enjoying myself.
A caterer breezed by with a lovely platter of cheeses on crackers. He assured me this tray had only rice crackers. Terrific!
I chose a yummy looking cheese and popped it in my mouth. One bite and I knew. Yes. It-was-a-wheat-cracker.
A wheat cracker!
Panic.

How could I get it out of my mouth - and fast. Too many people around to spit it out in my hand. Bathrooms were on another floor. At that moment the owner of my company came by to introduce me to an important client.
I had to swallow it!?!?!  Knowing what havoc it would wreak in my body. I had to swallow it!?!?… nothing could stop it now.

I woke up shaking and sweating. Worst nightmare I've had in ages, and I've had my share of nightmares.  
And - my very first gluten nightmare.
Laying in bed I felt like I was being suffocated.
And a migraine was beginning. Migraine means I actually did get gluten the day before. Where? I have no idea.

Is my subconscious trying to send a message? Questioning whether I will still put politeness before my health. If so, it has to stop.

It took me most of a week to shake the awful feeling of that nightmare, but I won’t soon forget it.


Have you ever had a gluten involved nightmare? 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, I have! In my dream I was at a pizza restaurant with all of my friends and everyone was having a great time, but I suddenly got that sinking feeling when I realized (in my dream) that I had eaten a WHOLE cheesy, greasy, yummy pizza and that it wouldn't be long before I would feel the after effects for many months to come. It was a horrible! I was so relieved when I woke up and realized it wasn't true! And I certainly didn't crave pizza either, which is a good thing.

erin rogers pickering said...

Wow - yes, it is truly a relief when you wake up. Amazing what the fear of eating it accidentally can do to us.

Anonymous said...

hey! I just had another nightmare last night! Weird.... anyway I was at some kind of institutional cafeteria like on a college campus or something and I took a bite of broccoli with cheese sauce. But I immediately spit it out, because I did not know if there was flour in the sauce. Not only that, I suspect that I may now be lactose intolerant, too. So this was a double-duty nightmare. I hope you haven't 'glutanimated' my sleep with your post, now. :)

erin rogers pickering said...

Oh no! I'm afraid I have encouraged your gluten nightmares! The power of suggestion. Hope that's it for a while!!! wishing you happy dreams!

MusicFoodLife said...

YES. Scary. Me too. I've been GF for two years and I get them less often now. Mine usually revolve around somehow forgetting for a few moments that I'm gluten free... eating a few bites of pizza (or the last one... a twix candy bar!), and then remembering in a panic!

Last night, I dreamt that someone offered me something forbidden and I said no. They very calmly asked, "Oh, are you gluten intolerant?" Why yes I am! Much better than a nighmare.