How Long For Recovery In Toddler?

[shorebird]

I suspect my 15 month old has Celiac like I do. After months of barely growing, falling off the chart in weight, sandy stools, frequent BM, and rectal bleeding, I decided to put him on a trial gluten free diet. I saw an improvement in his symptoms in just a few days and over time, he started putting on a little weight so I've kept him gluten free (he's been gluten-free for a few months now). The thing is, he's still small for his age. Everyone thinks he's only 8 or 9 months old and are even surprised he can walk. He weighs 19 pounds (6th percentile) and is 29 inches tall (2nd percentile). I'm even still breastfeeding him in hopes it will help his growth. I know children tend to recover more quickly than adults but how long can I reasonably expect him to "catch up" in growth after going gluten free?

 

 

 

*note: yes I do plan on speaking with his pediatrician about this at his appointment in a couple of weeks. I just wanted to hear what others with experience thought about it.

[nvsmom]

It can take months to a couple of years for the autoantibody levels to drop to normal.  Until that time, his body will still be under attack so symptoms like nutritional deficiencies, anemia and slow growth may take some time to improve.

 

My guess is that he'll improve in a couple of month to 15 months from now.  

 

Sometimes growth doesn't improve much; my son has celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity and going gluten-free didn't help his growth much.  He is still slowly dropping down the growth chart, and his 2 year younger brother is a good inch taller than him now..... Not very helpful, am I?