Anxiety Issues In 10 Year Old Celiac Daughter

[Christine0125]

My daughter has been diagnosed about a year and half.  She's had some continued ups and downs related to the celiac and is currently on miralax as she was getting a lot of stomach cramping/constipation.  That seems to have helped a lot with the frequent tummy pain however we're now dealing with a lot of anxiety.  She is nervous in any situation where she may not be near a bathroom and gets a bit panicky.  In turn, I think the nerves cause some digestion distress (nervous tummy) and I feel we're in a bit of a vicious cycle.  We've tried to cut back on the miralax thinking maybe it was working too well but then the stomach cramping comes back.  It seems like it's actually keeping her quite regular but the anxiety is now what is causing her tummy distress but I've been unsuccessful trying to settle her down and not worry in these situations that are outside her normal routine. I'd love to hear suggestions as to how to help her feel better!  I don't want her to start holding back on activities due to this new anxiety. 

[beth01]

Has she had her antibody levels checked lately?  Maybe she is getting cc'd from somewhere.

[LauraTX]

Getting diagnosis of a serious, life changing condition like Celiac and coping with it on a daily basis can be stressful, especially for a kid.  When unchecked anxiety gets in the way of living your life, a talk with a professional can help.  It is better to do counseling for it now than let it grow into a greater issue.

[user001]

I was like that as a kid, very strange looking back because kids shouldn't have to worry about those things. I have had anxiety my whole life but it is much better since March when I stopped eating gluten. There is a learning curve and I have made mistakes but I have still seen a huge improvement with my anxiety. I think discontinuing the miralax might be a good idea, maybe her constipation issues are improving and shes feeling alot of urgency with her bowels because of the miralax?

[dilettantesteph]

Don't tell the school.  In the future they might treat any missed days as due to anxiety rather than illness.  I shared my son's anxiety with the school when he was first diagnosed at age 10.  Then 5 years later my son's school put him in a special 2 hour a day (only) program to reduce stress after he missed school due to a glutening.  They would not understand despite doctor's notes.  We had removed the gluten contamination from his diet and he was better an could have attended full time at that point.  He had been an A student in an accelerated program.  He wasn't allowed to even bring home any work or continue with his advanced courses.  His teachers had been told to only give him the work required to just pass.  How on earth you are supposed to learn enough to do well on exams this way?