Ok...I feel a little embarassed asking this but I'm sure many of you have thought about this too. I was recently diagnosed with celiac. It's hard enough to get a handle on all the foods I can and can't eat...and not eating out because of risk of cross contamination. But, even when I know I have not had any wheat, I am still having some of the symptoms.

I started thinking about my boyfriend who is not celiac. He drinks beer and eats wheat products. Should I have him brush his teeth after eating or drinking these products before kissing him...each time????? This seems obsessive but I'm wondering if he is my source of cross contamination. It seems to make sense to me. Then I wonder....well, what if he doesn't brush well enough...LOL!

Have any of you dealt with this???? Grrrr....I hate this!

Hi! Pastor Dave's nonceliac wife here. There is a whole thread on this topic in the friends and loved ones area. There is also another somewhere else, but I can't remember where off of the top of my head. Some have recommended brushing, some mouthwash, etc. I personally just make sure that if I have eaten anything with wheat that I keep kisses superficial until I have rinsed at least (or had had a glass of water or something to drink.) David has never seemed to have any problems with this, but he has never had bad reactions anyway. Hope this helps.

Yep, my husband and I deal with it. If he's been eating wheat recently, he'll let me know and there will be no kissing beyond a quick, dry-lipped, closed-mouth peck. Other than that, "it's to the toothbrush we go!" :-)

Ditto - if my husband is drinking beer then no kissing until he has switched to water for the evening. If he hasn't brushed his teeth after eating/drinking, I keep it quick and mouth closed.

-Kate

Wow ~ I have never thought of that aspect of cross contamination. What about facial hair?? Wouldn't it be possible for bread crumbs to get in there & get contaminated that way?? Hmmm... I guess I need to start inspecting my hubby better! LOL

It just keeps getting more and more complicated. Well, my boyfriend is in the Navy and comes home tomorrow after being gone for a while so I will pack his toothbrush and toothpaste and try to convince him to switch to martinis instead of beer for the Seattle Seahawk's game...LOL. Nothing like a good challenge, eh?

My non-Celiac boyfriend eats a gluten-free diet with me in the home. But when we're out in a restaurant, or if he's just returned from a day at work, he'll automatically brush his teeth before kissing me. Better to be safe...

angel

I am getting so sensitive, that I have actually gotten sick from kissing. I knew I had been %100 safe, but suddenly felt crummy. My boyfriend had gone out to lunch a little earlier, and had bear and a chimichanga for lunch!

I don't worry about it if he just had something with natural flavors or something, but bread pasta, etc. we have to be really careful. Oh well, his dental hygiene habits are going to be so good!

Lib

My boyfriend doesn't think it causes any reaction...any advice for persuading him?

~wAvE WeT sAnD~, there was an article on it in an issue of Living Without magazine. . .and that's where I first heard about kissing causing reactions.

wave.... ok, I'm a bit... "strong" on the issue but I say "he doesn't have to believe". if you say 'not until you've brushed', and stick with it, he may not believe, but it doesn't much matter. (of course, I take it you've already tried to talk to him about it, and tried to get him to understand. I wouldn't suggest that if you hadn't already talked to him about it.) it's just a matter of respect for your efforts to keep yourself gluten-free. (there are other things I'm excessively pendantic about that my husband thinks could be over the top, but I'm going to do them, he knows that, and respects that I've made that decision for myself, even if he wouldn't make the same decision for himself.)

wow this will be a great conversation to have on a first date.

If anything, my husband's celiac has forced me to be a regular flosser (more than I used to in the past). I haven't explained this to my dentist, but he's impressed that I now floss very well at least once a day. Prior to celiac, I'd floss when I thought about it...

A kiss has made me sick before. My husband ate a chocolate chip cookie then kissed me, I knew I was in trouble when the kiss tasted so sweet.
Laura

hey jill-
My boyfriend used to take it personally when I asked him to brush his teeth, but after the chimichanga episode, he is as convinced as I am that the threat is real. Not to mention, my gluten attaacks are no fun for him either, since they nearly always involve me being sad and crying...

Lib

I have been dating himfor years, though, not sure how I would approach this dating

Speaking of kissing... I am a new Celiac and I am doing a science project of testing the transfer of gluten from saliva to saliva (AKA kissing). Apparently there's no research on this topic. Does anyone know if there are test strips or something to test if a liquid (saliva) has gluten in it?
Camila