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Dear Listmates,
Thank you so much for the support and good ideas.  There seem to be three
basic approaches.

1.  It's a disability and I should go through the university disability
office.
        This is, of course, absolutely correct.  It also requires thinking ahead
- and guess what, I didn't.  I will do this for next semester.  The same
with the very sound idea of approaching the prof. with a note from my MD.

2.  Leaving the room seems sensible, engage the prof's sympathy.  Under
this idea (also a good one) people recommend not even trying to explain
celiac, but sticking to 'allergy' or even 'life threatening allergy'.

3.  Leaving creates a proctoring problem for the prof.  Try to establish
a safe corner of the room (the solution I'm going to try, since it occurs
to me that especially during finals, the hallways might not be much of an
improvement!  So I'll come in, clean off a section of desk, wash hands,
and then stake out the area.  I think I'll also warn the prof. that I am
doing this for health reasons.

One other person mentioned having a problem with environmental gluten.
Many observed the social nuisance of having to be wary without making a
scene.  All were extremely supportive and sensible.

The other person who had difficulty with environmental gluten asked me to
mention if other people did.  This has been hashed through on the
listserve, but I'm willing to do a survey over the next week (it closes
in a week, just to simplify my own life)

Question:  Do you have problems with gluten you have not consciously
ingested?  (I don't mean sleepwalkers, although if anyone does and has
eaten gluten I'll take that response.  I mean getting gluten symptoms
from being around gluten containing food that one didn't eat.)  Yes and
no responses both are welcome; that gives a better sample.

If yes, what was the situation?  The respondent and I both had trouble
when we'd cuddled a gluten-eating baby, and one person reported problems
after buttering toast for a non-celiac.  Others have mentioned flour
flying onto food in kitchens.  So - what was the form of the gluten, and
how might it have gotten into you?

Sample response.  Yes.  Gluten is a problem in bread, flour, pasta.  I
can handle non-gf liquids, such as salad dressing, for my children, but
have trouble if I eat out of a kitchen where non-gf pasta or bread has
been prepared.  Means of transmission seems to be hand-to-mouth like cold
germs; I can make my kids toaster waffles at my mom's with no problem,
because I do it then quickly wash my hands, but sitting next to a
sandwich eater in a class can be a problem.

Elizabeth