19 Month Old W/ Failure To Thrive

[mom2fiveblueyebabes]

Hi.

I am so happy I found this board.

I am a mom to 5 children. My concern is with my 19 month old. Over the last year he has not gained much weight. He currently weighs 20 pounds. Up a whole 7 ounces since his 15 month visit. He also did not grow in height. At 9 months he weighed 16.5 pounds. At the last visit he had fallen off his curve. He was diagnosed with failure to thrive somewhere around 12 months. We kept him on formula (soy) until he was 15 months old and was switched to Duocal. Obviousl, the Duocal has not worked since he only gained 7 ounces in three months.

At 15 months he had a metabolic screening done, his thyroid was fine. At 18 months he was tested for CF and had a bone age study performed. Both normal. I have an appointment with a dietician at a children's hospital at the end of the month. To see if he is getting enough calories. I am sure he is. He is an excellent eater. He eats mostly "healthy" foods. He does not like sweets. If the dietician feels that he is getting adequate calories, than his pediatrician will look into Celiac.

Zachary does not have chronic diarrhea or constipation, no mouth sores or eczema. He does have very foul smelling BMs and has since he was an infant. I blamed it on the soy, but he no longer drinks formula and it still smells. He is very thin looking with a big belly. He has dark circles under his eyes. He is very irritable. Some days more than others. He was a little slow in sitting up and walking. But, currently he is developing fine. He beginning to talk and following simple instructions. Also, his soft spot has not closed. It is still very large and deep.

I hate to have to wait to find out some answers. I feel like every time I feed him now I am in some way possibly poisoning him. I just read on your board that the blood test is not always accurate in children under 5. Should I even have it done? What about the biopsy?

My family has a lot of issues with gastrointestinal problems. I was told that I probably suffer from IBS. My dad has ulcers, his brother and sister both have Crohns and colitis. My oldest son seems to suffer from IBS but being 20 and a guy he will not seek treatment. My daughter who is 15 was diagnosed with ADD at 11. She is and has always been extremely irritable and moody and does suffer from occasional stomach problems. I also have a son that is almost 3 and a 4 month old daughter. Both who do not suffer from any stomach issues and have always weighted in the 90th percentile.

Is there any certain test I should request? Could my son have Celiac w/o the diarrhea and constipation? Sorry this is so long. I am just very worried and concerned for him. I just want some answers one way or the other.

Thank you!

[TCA]

I don't think there is anything wrong with doing the tests, just know that they might not be conclusive. My son had 2 negative biopsies and inconclusive bloodwork, but the diet trial was our answer. Each parent has to make their own decsions. If you do blood work, make sure they test for:

EMA-IgA

tTg-IgA

Total serum IgA

AGA-IgA

AGA-IgG

It's also a good idea to do a CBC to test for anemia and possibly some other vitamin deficiency testing.

Premetheus labs is who we used. I think you can search for them online. You can also order a genetic test that can rule out celiac. If a person has the genes, though, it's not 100% sure they have celiac, just possible. With symptoms and dietary responce, it can lead to a diagnosis. It did with my kids.

I hope you find your answers soon and welcome to the board

[lovegrov]

I would request the tests but do NOT stop gluten yet. I agree about also doing a test for anemia.

THE most common symptom among adults is not diarrhea but fatigue, and among children failure to thrive is a biggie. Do NOT let a doctor tell you your child can't have celiac disease because he doesn't have diarrhea. The distended belly and dark circles are also common.

richard

[mommida]

I agree with both of the previous posts. I would like to add, after the testing is done -especially if the testing is inconclusive- please try the gluten free diet. The body's reaction to the diet can be the most positive test result. A book by Danna Korn, Kids with Celiac Disease, may be helpful to you through testing and early diagnoses and adjusting to the diet.

L.

[2Boys4Me]

Ditto to the other comments. My 6 year old son's symptom was anemia. He was on a growth curve of his own, it was below the charts, but he had a consistent curve. He could also be very irritable, never complained of stomach aches, never had diarrhea, but did have a little belly.

After the first week on the diet both my husband and I mentioned how much happier he seemed. He's gained about 6 or 7 pounds and he's taller, but I don't know how much offhand. He's been on the diet for 10 months.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I would agree with above posts-and would like to warn you that, if he has celiac or not, you need to research vaccines as well. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE HIM UP-TO-DATE ON VACCINES--YOU CAN SPREAD THEM OUT ON WHATEVER SCHEDULE YOU WANT. There are a couple of threads on vaccines here--try to look them up, as there are a lot of links to studies, and both sides are discussed pretty thoroughly.

The combination of leaky gut and vaccines is extremely dangerous. If you feel you must vaccinate, please try to limit it so that he only receives one vaccine at a time.

Good luck to you--I hope a solution is found very quickly. From what you describe, it sure does sound like classic gluten problems, but things can sometimes be more complicated than they sound!

This board is full of people who, unlike the doctors, have lived the problems, and done the research. I've learned so much from here, it's amazing.

Keep us posted, okay?

[mylittlepeanut]

I'm in the same boat... my little one is 22 months old and weighs 20 lbs. She has not grown much in the last year. My first ped. called her failure to thrive at 6 months and sent us to a nutritionist. The nut. said she was just petite and was fine. She hasn't missed a milestone yet but had hard LARGE foul BM's until we took her off gluten 4 weeks ago. Her current ped. did blood work and she just had her kidneys ultrasound. No results back yet but she is anemic and he said something on her blood tests showed she could have a problem with gluten. Which is why we are trying gluten-free. I don't know if she's gained any weight yet, but she is happier. Good luck.