Tummy Aches And Diarrhea Help, It Can't Be Gluten

[SilverSlipper]

My daughter is 12 years old and has been gluten free since she was 6. She strictly follows her diet and with very few exceptions our household is gluten free. She's considered very sensitive but not super sensitive. The only thing she's ever had a problem with, other than gluten, has been pork products that are Publix brand (I have no clue why, but bacon, pork loin, etc make her sick). 

 

For the past week and a half, she has become sick with stomach cramping and some diarrhea nearly every day. I believe that I've read that people with celiac can develop other intolerances and I think this may be what is happening. 

 

She has always tolerated dairy and loves to drink milk. Can someone give me some tips on how to start an elimination diet? Do I start her on just rice morning, noon and night? Or just leave out one food group every few days? Or a food journal to look for patterns? What is the easiest and most efficient way to get to the problem?

 

Also, we have a family history of Crohn's. Should I take her to the doctor for more blood work? Thanks for any suggestions.  

[kareng]

Humans, celiac or not, sometimes lose their ability to digest lactose in milk. Maybe try eliminating that first. It is the most obvious suspect.

[SilverSlipper]

That was my first thought as well. She hasn't had any dairy today but is still sick with D and cramps. Today she had a banana and toast with water for breakfast. She had boarshead lunchmeat and grapes for lunch. She had Lucky Charms (no milk) for a snack. 

 

I'm not sure if it would take a few days of no dairy to stop her symptoms? We've stopped the dairy for now.

 

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.  

[emsimms]

I am no expert at all on this, but my son (with wheat and other intolerances) reacts extremely to all food additives, i.e., in bacon (even the natural, gluten-free type), pesticides in non-organic grapes, sulfites in raisins (organic, nothing added).

What about testing for intolerances by a naturopath? (The methods are not bullet-proof at all, but they will at least guide you along.)

 

Best of luck!

[kareng]

That was my first thought as well. She hasn't had any dairy today but is still sick with D and cramps. Today she had a banana and toast with water for breakfast. She had boarshead lunchmeat and grapes for lunch. She had Lucky Charms (no milk) for a snack.

I'm not sure if it would take a few days of no dairy to stop her symptoms? We've stopped the dairy for now.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

I would give the dairy free a few days. But .... I missed this the first time - this has only been happening coy less than 2 weeks? I wonder if she got a stomach bug. Some people take a long time to get back to normal. Removing dairy would help that. Except, she might need some probiotics, so maybe yogurt? If it continues much longer, I would go to the doctor.

I didn't realize Lucky Charms is gluten-free. Not a cereal I ever really liked.

Edit: Lucky Charms isn't Gluten free! Maybe you just need to check what she is eating and fix that before you hit the doctor office?

Open Original Shared Link

[SilverSlipper]

The Lucky Charms we only started eating today. But...we've always eaten them. She doesn't have problems with oats. Was there another ingredient that makes it not gluten free? (Regardless, I'm taking her off of them until I know for sure). 

 

Yes, the problems have only been for two weeks but they're incapacitating. She cries, moans in pain and usually can't get out of bed or off the couch. We homeschool, so school work is slow but still continuing. She ate a banana and water for breakfast this morning because she had a theatre audition. She did get the part she wants, but now we're under pressure to get her better, quickly, so she can attend rehearsals. And honestly, the pain is now at a point where we can't control it with her medicine for cramping. So, I think a doctor visit is quickly heading our direction. 

 

I'll try the probiotics and see if that helps any. 

[kareng]

The Lucky Charms we only started eating today. But...we've always eaten them. She doesn't have problems with oats. Was there another ingredient that makes it not gluten free? (Regardless, I'm taking her off of them until I know for sure).

Yes, the problems have only been for two weeks but they're incapacitating. She cries, moans in pain and usually can't get out of bed or off the couch. We homeschool, so school work is slow but still continuing. She ate a banana and water for breakfast this morning because she had a theatre audition. She did get the part she wants, but now we're under pressure to get her better, quickly, so she can attend rehearsals. And honestly, the pain is now at a point where we can't control it with her medicine for cramping. So, I think a doctor visit is quickly heading our direction.

I'll try the probiotics and see if that helps any.

Oats are not gluten free unless grown, harvested and processed to be. They are then " certified" gluten-free.

Open Original Shared Link

[Adalaide]

Oats are not safe unless they are listed as certified gluten free oats. So the oats are what make Lucky Charms unsafe. They aren't gluten free oats. If she has been eating any oatmeal at all over the past weeks that is not certified gluten free oatmeal that could make gluten the culprit. The only General Mills cereals that are advertised as gluten free are Chex. Some people say they have success with Trix and/or Kix. Nothing else they make is safe for a celiac.

[SilverSlipper]

argh! Six years on the diet and I'm STILL trying to figure things out. After some googling, yeah, the Lucky Charms aren't okay. I guess I became too relaxed because she had no problems with oats (we purchase the ones that are certified gluten free). We don't eat Lucky Charms often (actually I bought them for me, lol) so that's not what's caused her problems in the past two weeks, but that can be what's caused her problems today. So, dairy may still be the culprit. 

[kareng]

argh! Six years on the diet and I'm STILL trying to figure things out. After some googling, yeah, the Lucky Charms aren't okay. I guess I became too relaxed because she had no problems with oats (we purchase the ones that are certified gluten free). We don't eat Lucky Charms often (actually I bought them for me, lol) so that's not what's caused her problems in the past two weeks, but that can be what's caused her problems today. So, dairy may still be the culprit.

I'm am saying this for the child's sake - check what else you are feeding her. You missed a big one. What else are you feeding her?

I don't expect an answer....its a question for you and her father to ponder. And, at her age, make sure she REALLY knows what is safe.

[Adalaide]

But that sort of slipping may be what caused it. Again, go over the past few weeks with a fine tooth comb. Sure, could be a medical issue so seeing the doctor is probably a good idea. And it could be milk. Or it could just be being too comfortable and a few things slipped at once. She wouldn't be the first person it happened to.

 

At her age though she is plenty old enough to understand what things on food labels she should be looking for and to manage her diet at least in part. I'm sure she has to outside the home when she's with friends and such. So making sure she is able to do that and having her double check everything isn't a bad idea and two sets of eyes will prevent future slip ups.

[SilverSlipper]

We are all actually really good at this diet. Lucky Charms is something that years ago I was told was okay. (And it's not something any of the kids get on a regular basis, we don't typically use cereal).  When she was learning to read, gluten was one of the first words she learned. We told her if it said gluten free she could eat without checking with us. At her age, she educates others on what she can eat. Mostly, we eat meats, vegetables and fruits. My husband and I do the shopping and check. She double-checks. 

 

We buy gluten free bread and noodles. We make most of our own sauces and jellies. We have dedicated toasters. There's not much to err on with her food. We've been double-checking for the past week to see what we could have missed, but I'm coming up blank. I'm still going through our pantry and I can't find anything. Her foods are the same as they've always been. 

[kareng]

We are all actually really good at this diet. Lucky Charms is something that years ago I was told was okay. (And it's not something any of the kids get on a regular basis, we don't typically use cereal). When she was learning to read, gluten was one of the first words she learned. We told her if it said gluten free she could eat without checking with us. At her age, she educates others on what she can eat. Mostly, we eat meats, vegetables and fruits. My husband and I do the shopping and check. She double-checks.

We buy gluten free bread and noodles. We make most of our own sauces and jellies. We have dedicated toasters. There's not much to err on with her food. We've been double-checking for the past week to see what we could have missed, but I'm coming up blank. I'm still going through our pantry and I can't find anything. Her foods are the same as they've always been.

But that isn't really true, is it? You have missed things like cereal. You likely have missed something else. Gluten is not an ingredient listed. The fact that she double checks doesn't mean anything if you haven't taught her correctly. I personally don't care if you think I'm a b$&$&. I only care that the child is OK .

All I hope for, is that you really look at what you are feeding her. You don't have to answer to me.

[SilverSlipper]

No, actually it is true. I suppose it shouldn't matter whether or not you believe me, but my original question is about elimination diets. She has a gluten reaction, maybe once or twice a year, and that's typically not my fault. That's really good for the past six years so obviously I've been doing something right with her diet. For her to be sick daily for the past week and a half is odd. My understanding has always been that celiac disease is due to an intolerance from wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats. She has never had a problem with oats so believing that Lucky Charms is okay is not a huge mistake on my part. I have pulled it since we're not sure what is going on, but she had one bowl today, not daily for the past week and a half. 

 

She has received a great education in her diet. She googles if she's not sure, reads books about her diet and attends camps for kids with celiac disease. If anything we are overly picky. She is capable of making mistakes, and so are we, but after the first day of being ill, we were double-checking. Nothing has changed with what we feed her. 

[shadowicewolf]

No, actually it is true. I suppose it shouldn't matter whether or not you believe me, but my original question is about elimination diets. She has a gluten reaction, maybe once or twice a year, and that's typically not my fault. That's really good for the past six years so obviously I've been doing something right with her diet. For her to be sick daily for the past week and a half is odd. My understanding has always been that celiac disease is due to an intolerance from wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats. She has never had a problem with oats so believing that Lucky Charms is okay is not a huge mistake on my part. I have pulled it since we're not sure what is going on, but she had one bowl today, not daily for the past week and a half. 

 

She has received a great education in her diet. She googles if she's not sure, reads books about her diet and attends camps for kids with celiac disease. If anything we are overly picky. She is capable of making mistakes, and so are we, but after the first day of being ill, we were double-checking. Nothing has changed with what we feed her. 

just to point out, celiac is not an intolerence. It is an autoimmune reaction. While an intolerence is similar, it is not the same.

[Adalaide]

I know you say you've been super careful. We all are. And yes, we are all capable of mistakes. That doesn't change the fact that when something like this happens it means check, check and re-checking everything. Especially when something so blatent comes up. That and seeing a doctor since there is a family history of Crohn's is important. Unless you pinpoint something additional in your house that could be the culprit, waiting things out to see if an elimination diet helps while it could be a very serious disease could be dangerous.

 

No one is saying you're a bad parent. We're saying that people make mistakes. We've all done something stupid. Bought the wrong soy sauce and used it for a month. Grabbed the wrong loaf of Rudi's bread out of the freezer. Simply missed a change in the way a brand labels something because we're so used to buying it we didn't bother to read the label and didn't notice it isn't safe any more. Something happens, we get bit in the butt and when that happens we all end up going through our entire pantry/freezer/fridge to make sure everything is safe. It's part of our lives we have to deal with, and it's a part you're dealing with now.

[weluvgators]

I would review any changes in routine that happened a couple of weeks ago. Are there any new products, like soap, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, etc. in addition to foods. Also routines of other family members that could introduce contamination. My initial focus would be gluten review since her symptoms are typical of celiac reactions. Is she going to new locations? One of our subtle symptom flare ups was related to a school project that was using gluten contaminated supplies.

As for exploring other foods through elimination diets, we eliminated foods one at a time with additional foods getting eliminated if symptoms remained. Moving to whole, unprocessed foods was necessary for us during those investigations. Reviewing the basics of ample hydration and sufficient fiber is good as well. Involving the doctor and having things checked out has also helped us sort through chronic issues as well. Good luck getting it sorted.

[dilettantesteph]

From your title, it would seem that you have ruled out gluten as a possibility.  Then, it seems like that might not be the case with the Lucky Charms.  This diet can be challenging sometimes.  I believe you that you are very good with the diet.  Sometimes things change.  It isn't even always a change that we make.  Sometimes a manufacturer will make a formulation change and something that had been safe will not longer be safe.  Some of us become sensitive to lower levels of gluten after more time on the diet.  It is important to keep careful track of what is eaten and look at what might have changed if symptoms arise.  I think that a change to the diet is more likely than the development of an intolerance.  That has been the case for my son and I many times.  I'm sure that you will be able to figure it out.  I hope that your child will feel better soon.

[notme]

she is 12 - is she experimenting with make-up or using her friend's make-up?  the first thing my girls started wearing was lip gloss.  i use all gluten-free stuff except my eye makeup (which i take off separately)

 

there isn't anyone bullying her, is there?  seems common lately especially girls her age   sad to say   my daughter was bullied in school and at first she didn't tell me.  she was 'sick' quite a bit and i had to pick her up from school many times before she told me what was going on.  (lolz - i gave her permission to whoop 'em.  she got in-school suspension, but the bullies were magically gone   )

[notme]

oops - almost forgot - she isn't kissing one of those gluteny boys, is she??!!  lolz 

[1desperateladysaved]

My daughter is 12 years old and has been gluten free since she was 6. She strictly follows her diet and with very few exceptions our household is gluten free. She's considered very sensitive but not super sensitive. The only thing she's ever had a problem with, other than gluten, has been pork products that are Publix brand (I have no clue why, but bacon, pork loin, etc make her sick). 

 

For the past week and a half, she has become sick with stomach cramping and some diarrhea nearly every day. I believe that I've read that people with celiac can develop other intolerances and I think this may be what is happening. 

 

She has always tolerated dairy and loves to drink milk. Can someone give me some tips on how to start an elimination diet? Do I start her on just rice morning, noon and night? Or just leave out one food group every few days? Or a food journal to look for patterns? What is the easiest and most efficient way to get to the problem?

 

Also, we have a family history of Crohn's. Should I take her to the doctor for more blood work? Thanks for any suggestions.

Reactions can take 4 days to surface after eating a food that isn't tolerated.  My functional medicine nurse says that I needed to wait at least 4 days between trying a different food.  You will need to wait longer than 2 days to see if milk is a problem.   If you have a record of what you are eating daily, you may be able to figure out any foods that cause a problem.  I would eliminate any foods that you are the least bit suspicious of and concentrate on protein, vegetables, and fruit.  Hopefully the pain will end.  If it does from there you could try the eliminated foods one at a time and look for a reaction.

 

Blood work might help to know if the diet has been stringent enough.  I agree with the idea that you can become more sensitive, because I seem to be doing just that.  Perhaps nutrient levels could be assessed to be sure that the small intestine is absorbing well.  Some also check antibody levels which should be very low for those not eating gluten.

 

D