Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Joining Your Group...

africanqueen99

Recommended Posts

africanqueen99 Contributor
africanqueen99
Posted

Hello all.  I'm a regular old midwestern mom that is joining in for help and support.  Last week I found out why my 1.5 year old dropped from 25% weight to 3% weight at 12 months...and hasn't really grown since.  The Ped ran bloodwork *again* and she was 100+ for her celiac test.  I am taking her to the dietician tomorrow and my husband and I take her to the GI on Monday.  Due to her age it sounds as if they won't do a biopsy, but I'll find out next week.

 

There has been so much to read and digest in the last week - and I can only imagine so much more to learn!

 

First, I'm so, so grateful to have a diagnosis.  How cool that my baby girl is finally going to grow (!!).

 

Second, I'm mentally putting together a list of working through this with my family (we also have a 7 y/o girl and 3.5 y/o boy).  After meeting with the dietician and GI we're going 100% on the diet.  The whole house is going to be gluten-free.  I think I know what to take out, what to buy new, how to keep the house gluten-free, but there are a few other things that I'm already mulling over:

1. Do I keep my car (which also carries other peoples' kids regularly) gluten-free?

2. Do I make sure that nobody ever brings food into our house?  We are the "entertaining" house and do a ton of pot-lucks, shared snacks, etc.  Providing all the food/drink for so many all the time sounds remarkably scary!

3. Do you have your older kids wash hands upon entering the house every single time?

4. She is still nursing so I'll obviously be on the diet, too, but will things like my beauty products harm her via my milk?  If so, suggestions on products to use would be highly appreciated.

 

Also:

5. What do you wish you would have known then when dealing with your little kid?

6. How did you bill this to your older kids so they don't feel "slighted" by the changes?

7. Did you also get tested, along with the other members of the family?

8. Something hit me earlier today - it would be so easy to fall into this weird disordered eating issue.  How to avoid this?

 

So many questions. :)  Thanks for any help you can give.  Just reading this particular forum has been so incredibly helpful to get my thoughts focused.

 

Angela

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Because Celiac disease is genetic and you must be eating gluten to get a positive result - get all the kids and you and the dad tested before eliminating gluten.  Good to know right now how many of you actually have Celiac at this point. 

africanqueen99 Contributor
africanqueen99
Posted
  • Author

Yes, thank you for that.  We haven't altered our diets yet - waiting to see the doctors first to see about additional testing.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Hi, I have celiac disease and my husband has been gluten free for 12 years (no formal diagnosis).  

 

Here's a few answers to some of your questions.  I'm sure others will follow!

 

  • Gluten free cars
  • Daughter (not gluten free) must wash her hands when entering the house (gets rid of the germs too!)
  • All playdate snacks are gluten free (homemade popcorn (cheap), fruit, potato/corn chips, ice cream, yogurt, gluten-free cookies (they don't even notice)
  • I'm the cook, so most family parties have always been  at our house.  I made most everything but have them bring drinks, potato and corn chips, gluten-free salsa, uncut fruit like grapes or I cut up when they arrive, salad fixings that I throw together, paper goods.  They  admit that they like lettuce wrapped burgers!

 

I don't think my daughter has ever felt slighted by our going gluten free.  I pack up her lunch with pre-packaged gluten foods (e.g. goldfish, cookies, frozen P & B sandwiches).  She's learned to eat a BLT on gluten-free bread and spaghetti on gluten-free pasta and as long as I bake homemade gluten-free baked goods, she's happy.   Our dinners have always been gluten-free her entire life!  

 

She does eat Cheerios but she uses her own bowl and I pour the cereal and be sure to clean the counter (we use a separate area).  She like rice porridge and eats Rice or Corn Chex.  My friends bake gluten goodies for her and I freeze them for her lunches.  

 

She goes out for meals with family and friends -- a nice time to bond. 

 

I would be more diligent about keeping gluten safely away from your baby.  They put everything in their mouths!  

 

Hope this helps!

africanqueen99 Contributor
africanqueen99
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for your reply!  I'm going to start keeping lists of appropriate snacks - love your suggestions!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to Mark Conway's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Have I got coeliac disease

      And I agree with Wheatwacked. When a physician tells you that you can't have celiac disease because you're not losing weight, you can be certain that doctor is operating on a dated understanding of celiac disease. I assume you are in the UK by the way you spelled "coeliac". So, I'm not sure what your options are when it comes to healthcare, but I might suggest...
    2. trents
      - trents replied to Mark Conway's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Have I got coeliac disease

      @Mark Conway, here is an article outlining the various tests that can be used to diagnose celiac disease. By far, the most popular one ordered by physicians is the tTG-IGA. But almost all of these tests are known by different names so the terminology will vary from place to place and lab to lab. The article gives common variant names for each test. In...
    3. JudyLou
      - JudyLou replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty! My feet aren’t dry or ashy and I don’t have a rash that gets scaly. It’s like very itchy/burning vesicles that are symmetrical - on both arms, both legs, etc. They actually feel better in direct sunlight as long as it isn’t really hot or I’m not exercising outside, but gets worse if I sweat (especially if the area is covere...
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      Welcome, @JudyLou, Your rash sounds very similar to the one I experienced. Mine was due to a deficiency in Niacin B3, although I had deficiencies in other nutrients as well. Celiac disease causes malabsorption of all the essential nutrients, but eating a poor diet, taking certain medications, or drinking alcohol can result in deficiency diseases outside...
    5. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Mark Conway's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Have I got coeliac disease

      This doctor is obviously under educated about Celiac Disease. Deficiencies that can cause oral thrush (Candidiasis) mouth ulcers: Thiamine B1 B12 Folate Zinc Vitamin C B2 B6 Iron Malabsorption Syndrome is often co-morbid with Celiac Disease causing multiple deficiencies of the essential vitamins...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,152
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    SinnamonToasty
    Newest Member
    SinnamonToasty
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Have I got coeliac disease

      By trents · Posted

      And I agree with Wheatwacked. When a physician tells you that you can't have celiac disease because you're not losing weight, you can be certain that doctor is operating on a dated understanding of celiac disease. I assume you are in the UK by the way you spelled "coeliac". So, I'm not sure what your options are when it comes to healthcare, but I might suggest you look for another physician who is more up to date in this area and is willing to work with you to get an accurate diagnosis. If, in fact, you do not have celiac disease but you know that gluten causes you problems, you might have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). There is no test available yet for NCGS. Celiac must first be ruled out. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel. NCGS we is not autoimmune and we know less about it's true nature. But we do know it is considerably more common than celiac disease.
    • trents
      Have I got coeliac disease

      By trents · Posted

      @Mark Conway, here is an article outlining the various tests that can be used to diagnose celiac disease. By far, the most popular one ordered by physicians is the tTG-IGA. But almost all of these tests are known by different names so the terminology will vary from place to place and lab to lab. The article gives common variant names for each test.  In addition to IGA tests there are IGG tests which are particularly useful in the case of IGA deficiency.  
    • JudyLou
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By JudyLou · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty! My feet aren’t dry or ashy and I don’t have a rash that gets scaly. It’s like very itchy/burning vesicles that are symmetrical - on both arms, both legs, etc. They actually feel better in direct sunlight as long as it isn’t really hot or I’m not exercising outside, but gets worse if I sweat (especially if the area is covered up). It’s not usually on the outside of my elbows and knees which seems more typical of dermatitis herpetiformis (unless it spreads there). It tends to first hit the inside of those areas. Interestingly, twice the rash broke out soon after eating an unhealthy meal and having an alcoholic drink (I only drink a few times a year, no more alcohol content than a glass of wine).  So I wonder if there is a connection. I’m halfway considering doing a gluten challenge for a few months to see what happens, knowing I can stop if I have any symptoms, and asking for a full celiac disease panel at the end. I really appreciate your thoughts! 
    • knitty kitty
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Welcome, @JudyLou, Your rash sounds very similar to the one I experienced.  Mine was due to a deficiency in Niacin B3, although I had deficiencies in other nutrients as well.  Celiac disease causes malabsorption of all the essential nutrients, but eating a poor diet, taking certain medications, or drinking alcohol can result in deficiency diseases outside of Celiac, too.  Symptoms can wax and wane depending on dietary intake.  I knew an alcoholic who had the "boots" of Pellagra, which would get worse when he was drinking more heavily, and improve when he was drinking less.   Niacin deficiency is called Pellagra.  Symptoms consist of dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death (the four D's).  A scaly rash on the feet and hands and arms are called the "boots" and "gloves" of Pellagra.  Darkened skin around the neck exposed to the sun is Casal's necklace.  Poor farmers with niacin deficient diets were called "red necks" because of this.    Does your rash get worse if you're in the sun?  Mine did.  Any skin exposed to the sun got blistered and scaly.  Arms, legs, neck, head.  Do you have dry, ashy skin on your feet?  The itchiness was not only from the rash, but neuropathy.   My doctors were clueless.  They didn't put all my symptoms together into the three D's.  But I did.  I'd learned about Pellagra at university.  But there weren't supposed to be deficiency diseases anymore in the developed world.  Doubtful it could be that simple, I started supplementing with Niacin and other essential nutrients.  I got better.   One of Niacinamide functions is to help stop mast cells from releasing histamine.  Your allergist gave you doxepin, an antihistamine which stops mast cells from releasing histamine.   Since you do have a Celiac gene, staying on the gluten free diet can prevent Celiac disease from being triggered again.   Interesting Reading: These case studies have pictures... Pellgra revisited.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4228662/ Steroid-Resistant Rash With Neuropsychiatric Deterioration and Weight Loss: A Modern-Day Case of Pellagra https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12532421/#:~:text=Figure 2.,(right panel) upper limbs.&text=The distribution of the rash,patient's substantial response to treatment.   Cutaneous signs of nutritional disorders https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8721081/#:~:text=Additional causes of yellow skin,the clinical features of Kwashiorkor.   Hello, @Staticgypsy, I would not recommend cutting so many nutritious foods out of ones diet.  Oxalates can cause problems like kidney stones, but our bodies can process oxalates out of our systems with certain vitamins like Vitamins A and D and Pyridoxine B 6.   People with Celiac disease are often low in fat soluble vitamins A and D, as well as the water soluble B vitamins like Pyridoxine B 6.  Focus on serving your granddaughter nutrient dense meals to ensure she gets essential vitamins and minerals that will help her grow. Micronutrient inadequacy and urinary stone disease: an analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2018 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36976348/ Multivitamins co-intake can reduce the prevalence of kidney stones: a large-scale cross-sectional study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38564076/
    • Wheatwacked
      Have I got coeliac disease

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      This doctor is obviously under educated about Celiac Disease. Deficiencies that can cause oral thrush (Candidiasis) mouth ulcers: Thiamine B1 B12 Folate Zinc Vitamin C B2 B6 Iron Malabsorption Syndrome is often co-morbid with Celiac Disease causing multiple deficiencies of the essential vitamins and minerals.  Low or deficient  Vitamin D is almost always found in undiagnosed Celiac Disease. "Over 900 genes have been reported as regulated by vitamin D"  Possible Role of Vitamin D in Celiac Disease Onset  "The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency was 41.6%, with the highest rate seen in blacks (82.1%), followed by Hispanics (69.2%)."    Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adults
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.