- TikTok Chloe Chapdelaine said she had a bad reaction after an airline gave her a croissant with gluten in it.
- The travel influencer said she hasn't eaten gluten in 10 years and has celiac disease.
A travel influencer says she had the worst flight of her life after her gluten-free in-flight meal accidentally came with a gluten-rich croissant.
"So I've been gluten-free for almost ten years," Chloe Chapdelaine said in her June 5 TikTok. "I haven't eaten any. I was told I was given a gluten-free croissant with my gluten-free airplane meal. And it turns out it wasn't."
Chapdelaine recorded herself near tears in the bathroom of her Emirates flight from Dubai to Los Angeles. She was trying to make herself vomit, she said, so she could "mitigate the symptoms" of a reaction to the gluten.
"I'm just trying not to have a panic attack," she added.
Her video about the incident has been viewed more than 2 million times.
The 24-year-old, from Alberta, Canada, said she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an intolerance to gluten, around 1- years ago. Her sensitivity is so strong that even eating something cross-contaminated or with "trace-amounts" could set her off, she added.
Commenters were largely sympathetic to Chapdelaine's plight, noting that they'd also struggled to get airlines and restaurants to honor their gluten-free requests. "I'm celiac too, and the minute I eat gluten, I can feel it. It's days, if not a week before I feel normal again," wrote one commenter.
Others chided Chapdelaine, saying she was overreacting. "The fact you are crying about it is crazy to me," said one.
Chapdelaine and Insider did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
What happens if someone with celiac disease accidentally eats gluten
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects one in 100 people worldwide, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. (This is different from non-celiac gluten or wheat sensitivity, which has similar symptoms.)
People who have celiac disease cannot properly digest gluten, a protein found in wheat and rye. When they eat gluten, their small intestine mounts an immune response, as if fighting a poison. That immune response can cause uncomfortable physical reactions.
People who've had a "glutening" (the act of accidentally eating gluten) may experience symptoms such as:
- Stomach pain
- Bloating
- Gas
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Cold hands
- Mouth sores
- An itchy rash called dermatitis herpetiformis
To alleviate the symptoms from glutening, Cleveland Clinic recommends drinking plenty of water, eating small meals that aren't spicy and are low in fat, and drinking peppermint or ginger tea.