Mystery Gi Problems In 3 Year Old

[browniebite]

Is it possible to still have celiac disease after a negative TRANSGLUTAMINASE IGA AB and normal total IGA?   my 3 year old soon has had severe constipation, practically since birth (he was on formula), and we are down to giving him mineral oil enemas just about everyday because we can't figure out what is wrong with him. He is below the 3rd percentile for weight and isn't gaining the way he should be.  He has been at 26 lbs for about the last 8 months.  His stomach is always distended, even with the enemas, and he is very gassy.  He takes miralax, senna, and enemas.  He was been hospitalized twice for disimpactions.  They also found eosinophils in his colon.  We have cut out his other food allergies - milk,corn,cinammon,garlic,sesame,and peanuts, but have seen no improvement.  It seems like it's getting worse.  I am gluten sensitive but have a negative blood test for celiac.  If anyone can offer any advice I'd appreciate it!  Thank you    

[anand]

Please do a gene test for celiac...a negative means negative for celiac , while a positive means one has the gene and not necessarily the disease. The gene test can be done through a cheek swab....like from this lab....

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[Michael Briggs]

Has he been tested for low stomach acid, or low enzyme production? Low levels of those can slow digestion, as week as promoting small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which can cause the distention.

Have you tried giving him enzymes and betaine HCl, or digestive bitters to promote production of stomach acid and enzymes? See Open Original Shared Link

[greenbeanie]

Have you tried probiotics? My daughter has celiac and had positive blood tests and biopsy, but my celiac tests were negative, and probiotics have helped both of us tremendously. She's almost five and has been taking probiotics daily since her diagnosis last June. She had a very distended tummy before, and it still does stick out quite a bit after she eats dairy sometimes - but then she poops a lot and the tummy goes back down. I sometimes give her Cultrelle children's chewables and sometimes give her an adult flavorless powder packet that I mix with juice. Both are dairy free as well as gluten free. Within an hour she always poops - without fail! She was not constipated before, but her stools had always been mushy and sticky. Now they are firm and solid. Obviously a lot of that has to do with healing on a gluten free diet too, but if I stop the probiotics her stools get yucky again within a few days. So the probiotics definitely seem to be doing something powerful, over and above the diet.

I'll spare you the details, but my own experience with probiotics has been similarly positive. I am thin but used to look like I was six months pregnant after eating, and my bloating went away too. I have also been strictly gluten free since last summer, though i don't have a clear diagnosis myself - but, like my daughter, my stomach bloats right back up if I stop the probiotics. It's puzzling, too, because I've only had antibiotics a few times in my life, and I eat very little sugar, so there's no apparent reason my gut flora should be out of whack. Anyhow, it's worth a try.

Oh, and i just saw that this was your first post. Welcome to the forum!

[browniebite]

He is on creon enzyme and takes Florastor probiotics daily. He also takes fiber supplements. He has had two colonoscopies with biopsies and a barium enema. Next week he's seeing a surgeon for a full thickness rectal biopsy. No one can seem figure out what's wrong with him.