tarnalberry

Unless you see a reason to assume that your LO has it, I would assume that he/she doesn't.  If you keep LO strictly gluten-free, you won't ever know if he/she has it - you can't find out without ingesting gluten.  If LO has gluten occasionally - at other people's houses, at preschool, with Dad, etc. - and has a negative reaction (more than one time), then you would want to go down the route of figuring out if you want to pursue testing.

 

My daughter hasn't been tested, and isn't strictly gluten free - we are 99% gluten free at home (she's had cheerios, and shares wheat-based bread with daddy when I'm not home sometimes), and she gets gluten if we share a snack with friends or when she's at preschool (though she usually opts not to eat the snack).  We've seen no symptoms, so I assume that she's not celiac at this point.  I don't know if she carries the genes; she hasn't been tested.  But we are aware of what to keep an eye out for, and will pursue testing if we feel it does become an issue.

Also, depending on your symptoms, it could simply be the increased caffeine. Look up the side effects of caffeine and see if anything sounds familiar,

Thank you everyone for your replies!  After more research, my husband decided against the testing.  He didn't want her to go through all of that for results that may not be correct, and especially since the only "cure" is a gluten free diet.  We don't need an official diagnosis for a school or special programs because we homeschool.
 
So far things are going amazing!  After three days of being gluten free she went from weighing 27.8# to weighing 28.2#!  Her stools are normal, her tummy hardness and bloating have decreased and the black "allergy" eyes have all but disappeared!  We are both so excited for her!  I haven't weighed her since Monday morning, but I know now that we are on the right track.
 
I love this forum and have found a wealth of information on it!  Thank you all so much for everything!

That's wonderful news!,

A regular cake can use eggs in a carton. Angel food cake is functionally different from a standard cake, and relies upon creating a matrix of egg protein and air to have its height and texture. If you've managed to whip carton egg whites into stiff peaks, well, more power to you, and congrats!

I appreciate all the suggestions and have put some to use. But, this is by far the most practical use/method ever!  Duh... Thank you so must for that suggestion Karichelle!    Some times we (or I) get too far into the forest to see the trees.

 

Egg whites in a carton won't work.  Carton egg whites (by law) must be pasteurized.  The process of heating them for pateurization prevents them from being able to form stiff peaks when beating them to incorporate air.  (And I have verified this by personal experience. It really doesn't work.)

 

There's chemistry for ya!