2 Yr. Old With Celiac?

[happy4dolphins]

Hello,

I have several questions. I went to a Rheumatologist this summer and she put me on a Celiac diet, things are better, even though all test came back negative. I was having numberous pains.

So, now I have a son who will be 2 on April 2. HE isn't gaining weight like he should be and the doc is looking into it. I told her about the Rheumy putting me on a Celiac Diet, so she wanted some blood work from Josh for Celiac things. Is it possible he could be celiac? Can you tell when they are two?

I also wonder about my daughter who's 6. She's pretty much had a stomach ache since she could talk and has always had trouble with constipation since 3 months old, when we switched her over to formula.

Hubby's going to flip if this is the case. It's hard enough with me, but two more kids with it. EEK!

What are the signs/symptoms in kids with Celiac?

Nicole

[MallysMama]

I think one of the major signs in children with celiac is malnutrition. They don't gain weight easily and they Look malnourished. My mom tells me that I wouldn't have any energy and she'd just have to hold me all the time. From a picture I have after a bath - I looked like an ethiopian child that you'd see in a National Geographic magazine. I was really bad off though. There are many levels of severity and so there are many different signs and symptoms. Good luck - I hope everything turns out well for your kids.

[Tony'sMom]

My son was diagnosed just after his 3rd birthday. Some of his symptoms were no growth ( height or weight), stomach pains after every meal, diarrhea. Since our son has diabetes, his endo sent us to the GI doc right away.

I hope you get some answers soon. Good luck.

[DonnaD]

My daughter (11 at dx) went from 50th to 3rd centile after 3 months old when I started mixed feeding. Really terrible nappy rash. Odd feeding , would live on pretty much bananas only for a few weeks, baked beans only etc, looking back all the foods were gluten-free and DF.

Obvious milk intolerance (caused asthma, asthma went away within 2 days of DF) tummay aches, hyperactivity. Poor concentration. As she got older, about 2 years behind her peers height/weight but actually looked pretty healthy most of the time as we have organic food and I was wheat free. had tons of energy, irritable at times. Headaches (realised they were migrane post dx) She never slept much, always and early bird, now sleeping in past alarm.

age 10+ got a lot of UTI's had lots of anitbiotics, then bad heartburn, nausia after every meal. got very pale and had sore cracked lips and corners of her mouth (vit B def) also she always had a lot of mouth ulcers. Poo pale in colour and floated, not much D, had 'gastro interitis' lots of times, ear infections. She seemed to stop growing all together for the last year. She has gone up 2 whole shoe sized and 2 inches post dx.

A lot of these I only realised were symptoms after dx when I found this site. her bloods were all negative ('cos of almost gluten-free household) dx by biopsy after 3 months back on gluten, she was really, really ill doing that.

Good luck

Donna

[Guest nini]

my daughter looked like "a little ethiopian" she had been dx'ed with GERD, Anemia, Hypoglycemia and Failure to Thrive by the time she was three. She constantly had projectile vomiting and severe diaper rashes and diarrhea... she did occassionally have constipation too which is probably why the ped. GI insisted that she "just" had IBS... her blood tests were "negative" or inconclusive, but she had such a tremendous positive response to the diet.

I think the testing is not always accurate in children. Only if the child is in the most severe stages of the disease. (Like Mally'smamma was...) My daughter also had terrible violent outbursts that she could not control (and she is the sweetest most well behaved child around) where I thought my child was possessed by demons.

Go ahead with the testing, (just the bloodwork first) if it's positive I don't think you need to do a biopsy (just my humble opinion even though the biopsy is still considered by archaic standards to be the "gold standard" of dx.) But even if the bloodwork is negative, you may want to consider trying the diet. Based on your positive dietary response, that's a good enough reason to try it. You do not need a Dr.s permission to try the diet, and if the diet does work, you can request that your pediatrician support a dx of gluten intolerance based on positive dietary response, that way you can have notes for school and such. Thats what we did. And so far it works for us.

[TCA]

Both my kids have it. Both had terrible rashes and diaper rash, failure to thrive, listlessness, trouble sleeping

My daughter(11 mos) had projectile vomiting and my son had diarrhea. My son (3) also had geometric patterns and sores on his toungue. He would also be an angel sometimes and then just explode over nothing. It really affects his moods. He was also around 50th percentile and dropped off the charts at around 9-12 mos. He had 2 negative biopsies, but positive bloodwork. The diet has been the proof for both of them. It's so hard to get accurate testing in the little ones. If the diet works, stick with it.

Also - be aware that heath and beauty supplies can have it too. This cause major problems for my super sensitive daughter.

I went on the gluten-free diet because of nursing my daughter and my joint pains are gone for the first time in my life. I also think I have DH now. I never thought gluten could cause all these things, but it can!

Good luck!

[ladyx]

Hello,

I have several questions. I went to a Rheumatologist this summer and she put me on a Celiac diet, things are better, even though all test came back negative. I was having numberous pains.

So, now I have a son who will be 2 on April 2. HE isn't gaining weight like he should be and the doc is looking into it. I told her about the Rheumy putting me on a Celiac Diet, so she wanted some blood work from Josh for Celiac things. Is it possible he could be celiac? Can you tell when they are two?

I also wonder about my daughter who's 6. She's pretty much had a stomach ache since she could talk and has always had trouble with constipation since 3 months old, when we switched her over to formula.

Hubby's going to flip if this is the case. It's hard enough with me, but two more kids with it. EEK!

What are the signs/symptoms in kids with Celiac?

Nicole

All kids are different...sometimes there is no visable symtoms at all...me and all three of my kids have it... ages 5, 3, and 2. My oldest had very few symtoms...she was always just chubby enough for the doctors not to worry about her but she was about the same size from 6-18months...but she still had that important fat roll on her wrists and ankles. Now she is taller than most 6 year olds. All my kids stopped being able to have bowel movements at a very young age...my son never could have bowel movements on his own. But they all started having bowel movements when they were put on solid food. My 5 year old doesn't really have any more symtoms...my son(the 3 year old) had seizers when he was four days old everytime he nursed...he started vometing at 16 months and was diagnosed 13 months later after much fighting to find out the truth. Mia my daughter that just turned 2 had no symtoms until she was about a year when she started throwing up every now and then. My son and Mia were both huge babies....My 2 year old wasn't even on the chart because she was such a big baby. I guess what I am trying to say is that symtoms are all different. When you do get them tested make sure that you get a good GI prefrably a pediatric GI and that the tests are sent to a reputable lab. It is hard with us all having celiac at times (even harder because we are vegetarians and almost all mock meats have gluten in them) but think of a diagnosis as a blessing...I do after being diagnosed just before my 30th birthday...with something I have suffered with since I was born...like my son. I am just grateful that my children will never, ever have to go through the hell I went through for the past 29 years. I thank God every day for our diagnosis....they thought I might have a brain tumor or heart failure.....celiac cured all my symtoms....a true blessing considering the alternitives....and the supposed genetic back trouble that I have has dissappeared and my children will probably never have to have back surgery like me. My supposed ADD is gone...my lactose intolarance is gone and most of my allergies are almost gone. My son who use to not be able to run across the yard without having an asthma attack can take a two mile hike with us and not even breath hard...the blessings are so numorous. The trouble to make gluten free dinners is worth it for the benefits.

[2Boys4Me]

My son (diagnosed at 5 1/2) was always skinny, but with a tiny pot belly (not big like malnourished African babies) and other than that...extremely low iron levels which we discovered at age five. He never ever complained of a stomach ache. Looking back he never ate bread, but did eat buns and tons of pasta and pizza. No vomiting, no diarrhea, no constipation, just low iron.

I must be the only parent who had/has NO idea of my son's bathroom experiences. At our first meeting, the GI doc asked how often Ty goes to the bathroom. I shrugged and said that I wasn't involved. He's been toilet trained since before he was three, it's none of my business. I did say that I would probably know about it if he had diarrhea, though. So the GI doc asked Ty who shrugged. They decided that he went to the bathroom whenever he needed to.

[JakeARoosMommy]

My son is only 20 months old and has tested positive for gluten intolerance through blood and stool samples. We see the GI next week for the official dx of Celiac Disease. He has had diarrehea nonstop since his surgery in November (5 months ago). Lots of people come down with sxs for the first time after a surgery or babies that are just new to solids. Stressors on the body, such as surgeries, brings on the autoimmune disease. My son's stomach is also puffed out. He is listless (from anemia) a lot of the time or just plain moody. He had a heavy appetite, b/c his body wasn't receiving the nutrition it needed, so he would eat everything in sight. He has horrible diaper rashes, some of which also make blisters on contact, no matter how quick you change his diaper. Whenever he is exposed to gluten by accident, he has projectile vomit with gastiric disturbances. I have changed to a gluten free diet for him, but he is still going through the diarrehea, b/c sometimes it can take a month before a Celiac feels better. He is slowly gaining back some of his weight. Often the sxs are confused with rotovirus or juvenile diabetes.