Extreme Bloating 10 Yr Old Dd! Help

[tnmomof3]

I really dont know if my daughter has this. I have been battling dd health problems for 5 yrs. Drs are really no help. I know something is not right. Her MAIN problem is her bloating stomach, when she wakes up it is not that bad, but when she eats she looks pregnant. Her face even swells.

Here are some facts about her.

short stature

overweight (mostly in belly)

Use to have stomach cramps alot (right side), but better now

dry skin, rash appears after shower

gains weight very easily( unexplained) She is very active

constipation ( I have found that milk causes this for her)

complains of joint pain. She recently had 2 separate ankle sprains in less than 2 yrs apart. 2nd.

one had to be cased

Sounds strange but 2 medicines she was on different times and had strange side effects were Lactulose Caused ALOT of weight gain. And Steroid (for asthma) caused her facial swelling and bloating to go away.

She is very allergic to dust mites, she had a skin prick test done for allergys. Had a food one done and she had a higher reaction to soy. But not enough to say ALLERGIC, but I do believe in Food Intolerances. But he didnt. SO???

Does not have memory problems at all, she helps me all the time with my memory problems. LOL

She was always underweight and short (still is) Dr. says she grows slow, she has been checked for being short and not growing like normal but no concern for him because he checks her height every few months.

RIght now i am going with York Labs for food intolerance test IGG ELISA

But if anyone can suggest what to do i would greatly appreciate it. She may not even have this but something is not right.

[shayesmom]

I really dont know if my daughter has this. I have been battling dd health problems for 5 yrs. Drs are really no help. I know something is not right. Her MAIN problem is her bloating stomach, when she wakes up it is not that bad, but when she eats she looks pregnant. Her face even swells.

Here are some facts about her.

short stature

overweight (mostly in belly)

Use to have stomach cramps alot (right side), but better now

dry skin, rash appears after shower

gains weight very easily( unexplained) She is very active

constipation ( I have found that milk causes this for her)

complains of joint pain. She recently had 2 separate ankle sprains in less than 2 yrs apart. 2nd.

one had to be cased

Sounds strange but 2 medicines she was on different times and had strange side effects were Lactulose Caused ALOT of weight gain. And Steroid (for asthma) caused her facial swelling and bloating to go away.

She is very allergic to dust mites, she had a skin prick test done for allergys. Had a food one done and she had a higher reaction to soy. But not enough to say ALLERGIC, but I do believe in Food Intolerances. But he didnt. SO???

Does not have memory problems at all, she helps me all the time with my memory problems. LOL

She was always underweight and short (still is) Dr. says she grows slow, she has been checked for being short and not growing like normal but no concern for him because he checks her height every few months.

RIght now i am going with York Labs for food intolerance test IGG ELISA

But if anyone can suggest what to do i would greatly appreciate it. She may not even have this but something is not right.

It sounds like your dd most likely does have a gluten and dairy intolerance. You may want to wait on more tests but you may also have to do an elimination diet at some point for definitive answers. The tests can only take you so far.....whereas an elimination diet can give you definite results within as little as a couple of days. The question is....are you the type of person who needs the reinforcement of an official diagnosis in order to maintain a potential life-long change in diet? This is a personal decision for you to make and you need to realize that no matter which way you go, there will be doubts as to whether or not you took the correct route.

Personally, we did testing up to the blood panels (and RAST tests) but opted out of the biopsy. My dd was only 15 months old at the time and we felt it far too invasive a procedure to do one someone who already had multiple allergens. We did the gluten-free diet, kept a food journal and were amazed to see a major response in the first 24 hours.

Dd changed drastically in that first week on the diet. However, it took a couple of months before the stomach bloating went away completely. What I discovered is that gluten, dairy, soy AND yellow dye #5 were all capable of triggering this bloat as well as capable of prompting an autoimmune response where the villi of the intestines are attacked. In other people, the joint pain you've described can also be a potential intolerance to plants in the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, etc.). That's why the food journal is so helpful as it can really begin to pinpoint the worst food offenders and give you direction on the path to wellness.

You can do this on your own if you so choose. Your dd's health is well worth the effort and you may find that the added initial work will pay itself back tenfold in relatively short order. Good luck to you both in finding the answers you seek.

[Ursa Major]

You could try testing her through Enterolab Open Original Shared Link for some definitive answers. It's not cheap, but worth it.

My joint pains were caused by lectins (which gluten is one of). For more information, follow the lectin link in my signature. My joint and muscle pain started when I was about three, maybe even younger (salicylates cause generalized muscle and skin pain, and headaches, amongst others).

If she showed a reaction to soy, I would definitely eliminate it. It can cause blunting of the villi, just like gluten.

I used to constantly sprain my ankles, and broke one four years ago. My ankles have always been very unstable. I am not sure why, but there may be a connection.

[TCA]

Your description of your daughter could very well be me as a child. It's almost scary! I was diagnosed as having joint hypermobility symdrome and was told the pains were just growing pains, but I wass still having them at 29. I went gluten-free while nursing my celiac daughter and feel better than I ever have in my life. I never thought I could have it because I have always battled my weight. I've never been hugely obese, but only because I have fought it and made healthy food choices even since I was very young. I'm not small either, though. My kids were tested through Prometheus labs. I would encourage you to get the bloodwork done at least. I wish I had before going gluten-free, but that's just me. A diet trial really told me all I needed to know! If I ever get gluten accidentally the pains come back with a vengence. Good for you for being so proactive.