6 Year Old With Upcoming Gi Appt.

[Emsstacey]

My dd has complained of stomach aches for a couple of years. She never complains for long, tends to forget and continue with whatever she was doing without any issue. I haven't kept a strict food diary but have not been able to attribute it to any particular food. I have tested positive for deamidated gliadin a couple of years ago and have worried that I might be projecting my fears onto her, but her ped finally agreed that she needed to go be evaluated by a GI.

It seems that her symptoms have gotten worse. She had terrible constipation a couple of weeks ago followed by almost a full week of diarrhea. Now, she is complaining of stomach aches several times per day. Just this afternoon, she ate a carrot with dip and within 2 hours... she went to the bathroom with obviously orange, floating poop. It was bizarre to see it go through her so quickly!

She also has dark circles under her eyes very often, is on the thin side, has nosebleeds and mouth sores. To me, she seems very likely to have Celiac disease.

Does this sound like like Celiac to you guys?? What should I expect at her GI appt? I am really not interested in having her scoped although I know that is a real possibility.

Thanks!

[Cara in Boston]

We just went through the testing process with my 6 year old son. The most annoying part was the waiting (first blood test in December, final diagnosis in April) and the fact that I had to continue feeding him a regular diet even though we were pretty sure what the outcome would be.

I also didn't really want to do the scope with him but I'm glad we did. It was truely no big deal, he even said he had a great time (thank you Children's Hospital Boston!). Now we have an undisputed diagnosis should he ever need it in the future (high school, college, summer camp, military? who knows?) He will never have to go through a gluten challenge.

Just make sure your GI knows what he/she is doing. We switched doctors mid-way (one of the reasons it took so long) when it became clear the doctor wasn't up to speed on some of the latest findings.

Good luck.

Cara

[Emsstacey]

Thank you! I am hopeful that they will be up to speed on current research. Our ped wanted us to go to this doctor who is almost 2 hours away instead of a closer GI. She seems to think they are better and worth the drive. I just wish it didn't take so long to get in. She has went to the bathroom every time she has eaten today and complained off and on all day with her belly hurting.

[T.H.]

Now we have an undisputed diagnosis should he ever need it in the future (high school, college, summer camp, military? who knows?)

I was kind of saddened over the whole military thing, actually. If you are a diagnosed Celiac, at least in the USA, you are not allowed into the military. It is something that you will get a medical discharge for, if you are diagnosed while in the military, even.

My brother, myself, and my children were diagnosed at the same time, and I had suddenly realized that my generation will be the first in my family in over 100 years to not have anyone in the military. It was really depressing to realize that, even if I had only fleetingly thought of joining up. :-(

[Emsstacey]

Oddly, my daughter has worsened since we made the appointment. She is going to the bathroom an average of 5 times/day and often within 30 minutes of eating. There is also undigested food visible most of the time as well as being loose and floaty.

Does this still sound celiac? I am thinking she is sounding more celiac each passing day. She is also so easily upset and her eyes just look pitiful... dark circles and puffy.

I am going to call Monday morning to see if they can put us on a cancellation list to see her sooner.