My Son May Be Celiac

[aprilh]

Hello,

I am new to this and just recently discovered (not diagnosed) that I am wheat/gluten allergic. Don't know the difference yet between gluten and wheat - just avoid it all. Anyway, my son Aiden who is 2, I think may be allergic as well. He poops too much and its always runny and very smelly. He is small for his age and very low on the growth charts. His belly seems to poke out a lot. The area around his eyes are always red or like he hasn't gotten enough sleep. He is allergic to cats and we have totally eliminated the cat dander so that should be better. He doesn't always sleep very good.

I think I am going to order the enterolab fecal test. The peditrician scoffs at me when I talk about him not being able to eat dairy so I KNOW he won't go for an allergy to wheat. I just don't know why dr.'s have such a hard time diagnosing and/or realizing that kids and adults have this allergy.

He is already dairy free and still has symptoms. My aunt has celiac. I think my mom does, although she would never believe it. And of course I do, so it would be common for him to have it as well.

Any comments would be appreciated!

[gf4life]

The Enterolab tests are worth the money in my opinion, but don't expect your current doctor to accept them if they come back positive. Have you thought about getting a new pediatrician?

[aprilh]

The Enterolab tests are worth the money in my opinion, but don't expect your current doctor to accept them if they come back positive. Have you thought about getting a new pediatrician?

'I have thought about it. I like him a lot for the most part. I do not believe there are any I would be happy with. He is the best I have had so far. I take my son to see a Natureopathic doctor for everything else besides sick visits and well checks-anything nutritional. The only thing is insurance does not cover that.

[xander42204]

I had a somewhat similar situation to yours and I had to end up switching to another pediatrician. It is hard to switch once you become comfortable with them, but sometimes it is for the best Before my son was diagnosed his eyes looked so sick all of the time. They were always purple underneath because he wasn't getting the nutrition he needed. He did not sleep well either because of the tummy aches. I hope you can convince your doctor to run the tests. This is a great place to get help and support, so stick around and lots of luck.

[eKatherine]

Your enterolab tests are probably going to be positive. Almost everybody who has reason to suspect they have a problem does. If you decide to keep your present pediatrician and go gluten-free on your own, you should keep a journal so you can show and describe what happens when family members get glutened. Then you can show it to the doctor. If he refuses to accept that this is confirmation of gluten intolerance - tells you it's a "coincidence" - then you probably should find a new doctor. A doctor who is that far off from current good practice is not good for your child's health.

[Nic]

Maybe if you get yourself diagnosed as Celiac or gluten intolerant the ped. will agree to test him. Celiac is genetic and if you have it, and he is symptomatic, he has a great chance of having it too.