Cannot transfer full sized edited photos thru gmail or gmail link in original size file.

Files exported as original will export the actual original files with a xmp sidecar either as a separate file for raw files or as metadata in jpeg, tiff, psd etc. This metadata details the exact editing you did on the images and can only be read and interpreted by Adobe apps. This is why you will get the unedited images when these export as original files are opened in non-adobe apps. Non-adobe apps do not understand the instructions for camera raw and Lightroom included. If you want the files as edited, you need to have Lightroom render to new finished files such as tiff or jpeg. 

I'm trying to gmail or upload to a gmail link full sized photos that incorporate edits made  in Lightroom classic. It seems only unedited ones are trasferrerable. I also tried to transfer them to a flash drive and could not do it eith.  The exposure and other edits are not included. Is there something I'm missing or are only the original files transferable?

You have to export the photos from Lightroom Classic to some local disk to get the edited versions of the photos.