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Thanks to all who replied.  Below are the responses for those that asked for them.  I did try to go to my doctor, but the office was closed due to flooding in our area.  I spoke with the nurse who was fairly certain I was have an allergic reaction similar to what people that have a peanut allergy experience.  The constricting feeling is similar to the narrowing of the airway.  I have eliminated just the product with less than  20 ppm of gluten in it.  I am not changing anything else to be sure it was just from this product.  I would again like to say I am not against these products and am not automatically blaming this product because it could have up to 20 ppm of gluten in it.  Most of us know when we are having a gluten reaction and this is definitely a gluten reaction.
Thanks again for the responses.
Rita


--Thanks for your post. The sore throat could be general inflammation as part of the non-specific celiac reaction or it could be that you have a more acute allergy. Have you been tested for a food allergy to 
wheat? Might be worth doing. I have heard that many celiacs complain of throat irritation/inflammation and needing to clear the throat following gluten exposure.

--If you find that gluten is not the cause, you might want to consider a test for chronic EBV, epstein barr virus, the causative agent of  mononucleosis (mono). Prednisone is usually used at the time of diagnosis, then much rest and recuperation, and it is a slow recovery time usually (can last 6 mos - 7 yrs per one reference!). I went to the doc with chronic sore throat and fatigue, and this was what it  was.

--Just saw this on the list and it made me wonder if we will see a lot more of this once the gf definition is finalized. That is, will people start reporting symptoms because they know the food can have up to 20 pm. It would be ironic because right now it is possible to be eating foods that could have even more ppms but because someone might think they have zero they won't think they have symptoms.  Also, I almost wonder if she meant 200 ppm because that is still the Codex limit. Twenty is just the proposed limit. It is possible she does have a food with less than 20 ppm that is just ahead of the change in Codex. But symptoms at 200 would make more sense to me.  The other irony is that the companies in our survey said they think the upshot of the 20 ppm limit is actually going to make foods safer because everyone will have to meet it and you won't have any companies out there with 100, 200 who knows because they don't have to test to find out.  

 

--Our daughter will get this kind of thing with reflux if she is contaminated but it also happens with soy as she is highly soy intolerant.  There is a soy enteropathy that resembles celiac for gut damage. We also have to have zero gluten as she is very touchy about this.  We also have to deal with being highly milk sensitive and less to eggs and canola.  I am sure the European standard is why alot of people get half sick, so we only buy stuff made in a dedicated plant or I grind the alternative grain and make something approximating  what we want at home in a house that has been gluten free for 6 yrs.  Even on the packages that say gluten free you have to ask.  Arrowhead Mills sells rice flour but when I contacted them, they said it was packed in a plant where they also do wheat "but we clean the machinery".  Yeh,
uh huh.  So I bought a Whispermill (now available as Wonder Mill on the internet and have been happily
grinding my own flour for at least 5 yrs.  And we are doing ALOT better.

--I was eating Erewhon Brown Rice Crisps for three months that were not GF because I accidentally bought a case of NO SALT but didn't notice that they were also Wheat Free, not gluten free.  I didn't even know they made a wheat free version of the GF crisps.  My kids and I ate 11 boxes before my 9 year old said, "hey, these aren't GF" while eating her cereal and reading the 11th box.  What?  I was shocked and in disbelief but sure enough.  So, I had a severe cold, sinus infection, so did the kids, terrible coughs that lasted for 3 months...I just thought we were going through a bad cold season.  I had a terribly sore throat and would cough at night like my throat was dry and scratched, sometimes waking up choking and gasping for air.  My voice was hoarse for over a month afterward (we started eating the cereal around Christmas) and I still have trouble with throat clearing and the dry cough.  My course of therapy: I increased my acid intake in the form of either vinegar, lemon juice in water or more simply, Betaine Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) capsules with digestive enzymes.  The gluten seems to lower my stomach acid production (which then allows Candida overgrowth - yuck) so food seems to sit and "rot" rather than digest, so then begins the constipation, bloating, etc.  One night the pain of reflux -the lump below the sternum- was so bad I think I drank 1/4cup vinegar in 4oz water AND took 3 HCl tablets.  Sounds insane, but it worked and I finally went to bed with a gurgling tummy rather than that dead lump feeling in my gut. My husband had terrible reflux until he went GF and started taking HCl and got off Prevacid and stopped taking Tums, etc.  His grandmother died of esophogeal cancer very young so I begged him to go GF (his mom and brother are GF, too.)  Anyway, he is such a believer now that when I was in one of my coughing/choking fits he said he thought my esophagus was inflamed from the reflux from gluten.  So, long story short, since I've been very good about taking the probiotics, HCl and digestive enzymes my gut (and throat/esophagus) seems to be healing but it's been very slow.   I also take L-Glutamine with the Probiotics as it acts as a catalyst...or so I've read.  I also gargle with salt water to soothe my throat and make sure I drink some to get the iodine and sodium...I know salt soothes tissues....I also use the Netti Pot to irrigate the sinuses with saline water, which also helps my throat tissues.

--WOW !  -- I have the same problem and its definitely one of the ways I know for sure that I was glutenized.  I actually get what feels like a constricting feeling as if my body is not allowing any food intake and restricting. 

--Since its spring, is is possible you may be suffering from oral allergy syndrome ( also called "OAS"..this may have nothing to do with your flour mix)?  I have issues with oral allergy syndrome every spring about this time. Very annoying. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/79877.php  Mine is like having reflux up in the top of my throat, as you described. An allergist may be helpful if you wish to pursue diagnosis further. Hope this helps. There are many links to OAS online.

 

I get something like that when I get sinus problems.  I think the drainage is irritating or something. It's usually only on one side of the throat though. I use a Neti pot with a mix of xylitol, salt, and a teeny bit of oil of oregano and tea tree oil, which kills it.

 

What I have seen reported on here is what I also experienced: many people after going gluten free have noticed a relief in nasal congestion. If you had some inflammation that caused post-nasal drip, that might account for your sore throat in the area you describe.   I'm guessing that the immune system calms down so you aren't as hyper-allergic when on a GF diet, but I doubt there are any studies to substantiate this.

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