Slight Constant Pain In A Child

[Sverkat]

Hi, my 4 year old daughter was diagnosed as a celiac almost 2 years ago and since then she has been on a strict gluten free diet. She started growing much better, her personality improved, and her health clearly improved. For the past 2 months though, it has been bad again. First she started getting diarrhea 2-3 times a day for about a month. Then 2 weeks of feeling fine. And now - for the past 2 weeks she keeps complaining of stomach pain. Not serious - she goes to school, she plays, she laughs. But periodically she says - my tummy hurts. She is not constipated nor does she have diarreah. And she is not making it up - once or twice she ran to us saying "my tummy doesn't hurt anymore"!

 

I'm now terrified - could this be cancer?  The doctors told us that some cancers are related to celiac. What kind of tests do I even ask for now?  Help!

[shadowicewolf]

I don't think its cancer. I do think, however, that she may be developing an intolerance to something she is eating. Keep a food dairy of everything that she eats. This will help connect the dots, if you will.

 

Another thought is that she is somehow being CC'd at school.

[nvsmom]

I too doubt it's something serious. Is it possible that gluten has come into her diet somehow? I have been glutening myself, at low levels, with spicy McCain fries that I could have sworn I checked the label of... I've been having a few every week or so and after 2 months, my stomach aches were very frequent again. Maybe if you triple check the labels everytime you use it, you'll find something.

 

Good luck.

[mommida]

My daughter was diagnosed Celiac about 16 months old.  Went on a strict gluten free diet and everything was fine until she turned 6.  Then it seemed as if she was getting glutened.  "D" started back up and she complined her stomach hurt.  Made myself crazy trying to find hidden gluten.  The she started vomitting.  Made appointment went ped. gastro.  3 month waiting list.  She was vommitting up to 5 times a day, mostly right after eating.  She was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitus.  Younger patients just say they have a "tummy ache".  Symptoms match Celic.  There is now a known connection to Celiac.

 

With these symptoms there is a list of "usual suspects".  Some of these you can start testing for at the ped.

parasites (you can get the collection kit and lab orders from ped.)

H. Ployri

congenital defect

other food intolerances

hernia (more of a suspect with vommitting)

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder (eosinophils can be damaging different parts of GI track and would be diagnosed specifically to that area)

abdominal migraines (was also a possibility ~ but I did not follow up with nuerologist after diagnoses of EE)

 

A endoscopy with biopsy can rule out or diagnose at this point.  I also suggest a food journal.  What is consumed, where, activities, amounts, ingredients, symptoms, airborne allergy alerts,and BMs?