Ankle Injury And Gluten?

[Feeneyja]

My 9 year old daughter went through testing and was not diagnosed with celiac disease. Unfortunately, they did not do the full battery of tests, but that boat has sailed. Gluten free now since Easter.

Problem is eating at the grandparents. They try to do gluten-free, but they just don't understand CC. Over Father's Day we are there and I think she was glutened. The terrible gas, stomach pain, headache, fatigue. Now today she, out of the blue injured her ankle. It looks like a sprain to me. But she didn't do anything that would cause a sprain. I think it is related to her gluten exposure on Sunday. Does this make sense? Has anyone seen easier injury related to glutening.

i really feel like I'm going crazy here. NCGS is so vague. How careful do we have to be? How do we get others to understand this glutening thing? My husband pointed out that no one is going to believe me that her ankle injury is related to a tiny speck of something she ate two days ago. Especially since she does not have celiac.

Many thanks in advance for input.

Jennifer

[nvsmom]

Joint pain can be related to celiac disease but it really is hard to pin point the cause in children.  Sometimes it is growing pains, sometimes it is an injury, and sometimes it is gluten.  Since you were pretty sure she was glutened, just remember the possibility of joint pain for future reference (since there is nothing you can do for it if it is caused by gluten).  Hopefully she won't get that symptom again.

 

It sounds like your daughter either has celiac disease or NCGS with strong symptoms.  In either case, you should strive for her to be 100% gluten-free.  Both problems can cause many symptoms and other health problems through inflammation.  The main difference between the symptoms is that those with celiac disease get the intestinal villi damage and those with NCGS do not... I personally think they two "diseases" have much more in common than people think.

 

Your daughter is being affected by tiny amounts of gluten so you need to treat her like a celiac. Be as careful as humanly possible.  Feeling poorly for a few weeks isn't worth relaxing your guard for one meal.  If others can't feed her safely then you need to feed her.  There is no other option if you don't want to risk her health.

 

There is no way to "make" others understand the glutening thing.  You can educate them and help them understand cross contamination, but if you explained it, it does not mean you can trust them.  My MIL brings bread when she comes to visit - she is just never ever going to get it.  On the other hand, my mother does not even cook with wheat flour any more so she can keep her house safe for us (me and my boys) when we eat over once a month - I am very very lucky though since most people will not go that far, nor should we expect them too.

 

Consider if you had a family member who was deathly allergic to dairy.  Think of those small places dairy can hide (a pan seasoned with butter, jam with butter in it, sauces, salad dressings, bread), it would be tough to make your home completely safe for them without changing how you eat or buying new supplies when you cook.  KWIM?  If your parents aren't eating gluten-free or know the diet well, there is a chance she will get glutened there... You may want to encourage potlucks when you eat at their home in the future.

 

And I wouldn't bother telling people about the ankle since you can't be sure of the cause.  If it happens again, then you can be sure.... Hopefully it won't  

[Feeneyja]

The reason I think it is gluten related is because prior to going gluten free and then again during her gluten challenge she had intense heel pain. Pain that would come on during regular activity, but made worse with running /sports. Since going completely gluten free, she has been fine. Just now with this exposure she injured her ankle just by standing up and pivoting her foot slightly to get out of a chair. Nothing strenuous at all.. It's not the same heel pain, but it is unexplained foot pain.

I have seen that gluten can cause joint issues. Does this include connective tissue? I'm curious if others have had increases in injury when glutened.