Ibs And Celiac

[Nic]

My son has been diagnosed with Celiac for a year now. He is 5. Before he was diagnosed, his primary symptoms were severe and chronic constipation, distended stomach, dark circles, etc. Since being gluten free, he still goes through bouts with his stomach. It happens at least once a month and lasts from anywhere from 3 days to 1 week or so. Right now it has been on going for about 2.5 weeks. During these periods he goes back and forth between not being able to poop, pooping just a little, then having loose poop. And throughout this, his stomach and butt hurts, he runs to the bathroom thinking he had an accident. At the end of each episode, he usually has one or two tremendous bowel movements and then things go back to normal. His behavior throughout though can be very difficult. The doctor's have said that it sounds like it could be an IBS kind of disfunction. I believe in children this young they call it disfunctional bowel. Has anyone else ever heard of this? His blood was recently tested and was negative for gluten antibodies so I don't believe it is celiac related. If anyone has dealt with this, any advice on how to work him through all the discomfort and to teach him that the discomfort is not a liscense to misbehave (especially in school). Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Nicole

I forgot to mention that he is on a daily stool softener and on fiber supplements.

[Rae]

Hi Nicole,,,

Sorry your son going through this, especially at such a young age. I was first diagnosed with IBS, then later on gluten intolerance (biopsy was neg for celiac but blood says yes) Still on the gluten-free diet, i go through stomach problems. I get bouts of constipation, bloating & distention almost everyday, some days still black circle around my eyes....i dont have any great advice,,,but perhaps a different diet...there is one for ibs,,,,my doctor told me that there is really nothing people with ibs can do except see what foods are related to this triggers/symptoms...and you son is too young for ibs meds...i hope your son finds relief soon.

[lonewolf]

Could he have problems with other foods, like dairy, eggs or soy? All of these can cause stomach upset too. Just a thought...

[Laura]

The thing about IBS is, it's a diagnosis that usually means "gosh, there sure is something wrong with your GI system, but we don't really know what it is." For some people, that's the lifelong diagnosis - no explanation ever gets uncovered, and the fact that they can't explain it doesn't make it any less miserable. But it's definitely worth looking for other explanations. Things like other allergies or intolerances or what have you.

[kabowman]

I have IBS - meaning, I have problems but they can't really figure out why.

My oldest son has IBS--ditto and he tested negative for celiac disease. He also has to avoid nitrates and cinnamon.

My step-daughter had IBS (the mom didn't believe it so when they went back, the doc told her it was nervous stomach, not IBS - well same thing) but eats so much junk most of the time, it really is no small wonder she has so many problems and is ALWAYS feeling sick - well, this from the person who gets a slight sore throat and they rush her to the doc. We also have identified that she is lactose intolerant but continues to eat stuff with milk without taking the pills.

My youngest son is lactose intolerant but I think he might have additional tummy problems, probably get the IBS label too at some point.

[Guest nini]

my first thought would be to look into additional food intolerances... do a food journal and see if you notice a pattern.

my daughter gets more gi symptoms when she has too much sugar in her diet. (especially after holidays and parties) I try to limit her sugar intake, but I also don't want her to feel deprived either.

I agree that IBS is just a way of saying they don't have a clue what is wrong... IBS is not a diagnosis, it is simply a compilation of symptoms. Look for the underlying cause, most likely another food intolerance.

[danikali]

I would suggest anyone who gets the 'IBS' diagnosis from their doctor to not accept that and figure out exactly what certain types of foods bother you. Also, I would suggest that you eat only natural things. After going gluten free, so many things cleared up, but it seemed like my IBS got worse! Well, after all my doctors told me to on meds. and I refused because I knew it had to be something else I was eating, I realized that I had to take anything processed, anything with any preservatives, and anything derived from corn out of my diet. (That's a lot of things). Now I'm living on fruit, (peeled or in a peel like banana only), fresh veggies washed EXTREMELY WELL, ONE AT A TIME WITH BOILING HOT WATER, organic meat and fish, rice and potatoes. Guess what, my IBS and digestive problems are allllllllll gone. ALL OF THEM. Therefore, I KNOW it's something in your diet that is creating a problem, and you shouldn't have to live like that. I'm not saying it's corn like it was for me, but processed foods are never good for a sensitive system, almost ALWAYS WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS, and you should figure out what you are eating that makes you sick. It takes a while and gets frustrating sometimes, but it's so worth it and DON'T BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS FOREVER! It's not true! IBS = hidden food intolerances, ALWAYS!