11 Mo Old Suspect Celiac

[SophieSJ]

After weeks of lurking here and doing my own research I have decided that I need some BTDT opinions about my son's symptoms. Jake was born last August, a healthy 7lb 10oz and 20 inches long after a VERY short labor which lead to one push in the birth center tub. He was healthy, happy and right on track (despite some food allergies that came thru the Breastmilk) until 7 months. From his 4 month appointment to his 7 month appointment he dropped from 14lb13oz to 13lb 8 oz, though his length did increase a little. The Dr wasn't concerned, just told me to start solids because "breastmilk alone doesn't have enough nutrients/fat in it to sustain a baby this age". Though I knew this was a crock, I had already started solids sporadically and decided that more regular feeding couldn't hurt so went for it. He went from having loose regular stools to being constipated regularly as soon as we increased his food intake. He did gain but has yet to get back on the charts (16lb 11 oz at 10 months) and even his length is starting to drop percentiles. He eats like hog, becomes "bloated" very easily but when he wakes up in the morning, after going 12 hours w/o food or nursing, is much less bloated. His stool is very hard and pebble like, despite the fact that all he eats is steamed fruits and veggies, and often has large amounts of undigested food in it. He was/is behind enough in his motor skills that Birth-three comes out for P/T twice a month. Though he has developed on the normal curve, that curve is very consistent with his weight instead of his age (ie. he is the size of a 6/7 month old and is doing what a 7 month old would/"should" be doing). I suspected Celiac from the start but the Dr wanted to wait to test. does this sound consistent with Celiac to you all or am I grasping at straws here? Are there any other tell tale signs that I can look for, everything I read says symptoms vary so much that there is no definitive sure thing to look for? Thanks to everyone in advance, I want to find out ASAP so I can start him on the right path as early as I can.

[hjkmatthews]

Well, I am no expert by any means, but a lot of what you wrote could be Celiac. My daugther also would be extremely bloated all day/night (stomach distension) and would be a little better in the morning after sleeping all night. She had irregular bowels from about nine months, sometimes episodes of diahrrea, occasional bouts of constipation. She also began having asthmatic symptoms and problems with her ears/throat/infections as well. I believe that when she began eating the cheerios, gerber biters (crackers/cookies), and other baby products containing gluten that she started to get sick in many different ways. Now that she has been diagnosed and is on the gluten-free diet, she hasnt even had so much as a cold. No more breathing treatments for the asthma, no more ear or throat infections, but still some irregular bowels, but apparently that will take awhile to become normal. (If ever, there is always cross contamination issues with gluten). Oh yeah, one more thing, the biggest issue I had was that although she was always in the ranges for her weight/height/motor and other skills, her arms and legs were very skinny, big belly, and thin hair that wasnt getting thicker. Her bowels were also very odd in that I thought there was far too much 'undigested' matter. Whole pieces of food going through...Anyways, I hope that you find out what is going on with your little on. I know it was a blessing to finally be able to help our daughter feel better!

Good Luck!

[flagbabyds]

This sounds a lot like celiac disease and if your doctor now doesn't want to test him you might want to switch to a different doctor.

[Boojca]

I agree with everyone. Sounds like celiac disease to me. My son, 2 1/2, was just diagnosed in June. He had no symptoms other than "the ethiopian look"...extremely bloated belly, see every rib, vertebrae, arms & legs just skin and bones. He was consistently in the 50 and 75th percentiles for height and weight...until this winter. Then he fell off the charts, he is 2 1/2 years old and weighed 23 lbs. He also started to be very fatigued. He would lay around all day, didn't have any interest in playing with the other kids, etc... We had a blood test done, they sent it to the Mayo Clinic to test his TTG levels. That came back extremely positive, so they did the endoscopy biopsy to confirm. Again, positive.

I would say make your doctor do the test, and if he/she refuses then find another doctor. Or, even better, find a pediatric GI specialist.

And don't be overwhelmed by the prospect of going gluten-free....I was at first, but I found this board quite quickly and can honestly say this isn't hard at all! I've found many great gluten-free items such as mixes for breads and treats, great pasta (tinkyada is our favorite) and the number of "normal" foods/brands that are gluten-free or label clearly is AMAZING.

Don't loose this message board, though. It's the best! The peole are wonderful and so willing to help...it will by far be your best resource!

Bridget

[chasesmom]

Hi,

Sounds like you are getting good support here, the only thing I can add is that if you are still breastfeeding, you too will have to go gulten free. At 4 months old, I figured out through trial and error that my was at least gulten intollerant. I nursed him until 13 mo. and began to introduce solids after 6mo. As long as I remained gluten-free and I kept him gluten-free he was great. Hope this helps and good luck.