Teenage son and symptoms

[Abby357]

I would really appreciate any opinions, I am at my wits end! A year ago I noticed my teenage son had thinning patches in his hair. The doctor didn’t really know what it was, it wasn’t typical alopecia arreata. It was more thinned out in spots but not completely hairless. He had a regular blood panel and the only thing that was slightly low was his neutrophil count. Fast forward to a month ago and I asked the doctor to test my son for vitamin deficiencies which he was reluctant to do because he didn’t think anything would show up. It came back low in Vitamin D and B12. This made me start to wonder if it could be celiac. My Aunt and Grandma both have it. My son doesnt typically complain about stomach issues, but when I asked him he says he is super gassy and does frequently have diarrhea. He’s 14 so I don’t think it’s something he really wants to talk to his mom about. I have taken him for the celiac blood panel, but it’s been almost a month and still says ‘pending’. This seems super long to me for results. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[plumbago]

10 minutes ago, Abby357 said:

I would really appreciate any opinions, I am at my wits end! A year ago I noticed my teenage son had thinning patches in his hair. The doctor didn’t really know what it was, it wasn’t typical alopecia arreata. It was more thinned out in spots but not completely hairless. He had a regular blood panel and the only thing that was slightly low was his neutrophil count. Fast forward to a month ago and I asked the doctor to test my son for vitamin deficiencies which he was reluctant to do because he didn’t think anything would show up. It came back low in Vitamin D and B12. This made me start to wonder if it could be celiac. My Aunt and Grandma both have it. My son doesnt typically complain about stomach issues, but when I asked him he says he is super gassy and does frequently have diarrhea. He’s 14 so I don’t think it’s something he really wants to talk to his mom about. I have taken him for the celiac blood panel, but it’s been almost a month and still says ‘pending’. This seems super long to me for results. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

A month is way too long for those tests to result. They should be back in days. There might have been a processing error or the blood might not have been sent. Who knows. Get another panel done, would be my advice.

[cristiana]

Hello Abby

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly, it does sound a long time to be waiting for results.  I don't know where you live - I'm in the UK - but I'm told it normally takes 4 days for our labs to get the results back so if I have an appointment on Tuesday, I make sure my blood is taken at the latest Thursday.  That said, there are some huge backlogs at the moment with Covid-19 and that may be the same where you live.  It's worth chasing the results if you can.

(Totally different scenario, but a couple of kids near us, one being my daughter, were waiting over nine months to see an orthopedic surgeon.  This was all during Covid "blowing up" last year, and so we assumed that it was down to that.  In actual fact, all that had actually happened is the computer system had failed to recall us automatically. Probably a problem caused by low staffing levels due to Covid.   So bearing that in mind, as I say, do chase it up.)

If your family have a history of celiac disease it could well be that your son has it too.  When you say you had his vitamins checked, did they also check for ferritin levels?  I have been told that can cause hair loss.   I have always had v. thin hair but mine is even worse when my ferritin is down.  Also, since taking vitamin D supplements I am convinced my hair has been thicker, so you may find that will help.  The only other thing I can think of is has his thyroid function also been checked - again, that can affect hair.

I do hope some of this helps and do come back to us if you have any more questions.

Cristiana

[trents]

Thyroid issues came to mind as well. 

[Scott Adams]

There are home test kits available for ~$100 and you get the results back in a few days, for example:
https://www.imaware.health/at-home-blood-test/celiac-disease-screening

You do need to keep eating gluten daily for at least 6-8 weeks before the test results will be valid, and this includes any follow up biopsy that the doctor may order.

[Abby357]

11 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

There are home test kits available for ~$100 and you get the results back in a few days, for example:
https://www.imaware.health/at-home-blood-test/celiac-disease-screening

You do need to keep eating gluten daily for at least 6-8 weeks before the test results will be valid, and this includes any follow up biopsy that the doctor may order.

Thanks for the reply! I was going to order from them but unfortunately they don’t ship to Canada. We don’t have many options in Canada for private testing. It’s so disappointing:( 

[Scott Adams]

That's funny because they are a Canadian company!

[Abby357]

2 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

That's funny because they are a Canadian company!

That’s crazy!! I just double checked but no luck! It says they only ship within the US. I wish our border wasn’t closed. I would’ve shipped it to a parcel pickup and shipped it back! Lol