Kids Used To Be Told They Grew Out Of It - This Is Why...

[Nantzie]

My daughter just got diagnosed through Enterolab and I bought a book called Kids with Celiac Disease by Danna Korn.

It has mentions something VERY interesting that I hadn't heard of - Children who are diagnosed with celiac often go through a "honeymoon period" from around 10-early teens up until their late teens or early 20's. During that time they often can eat gluten with no obvious symptoms even though the reaction is happening and damage is still being done. It used to be assumed that they just grew out of it. When the symptoms would return in early adulthood, often the person would only have vague memories of their early food restrictions and not connect their current symptoms with their childhood illness. She said that it was most likely due to the hormonal changes

Very interesting.

I remember being nauseous a LOT when I was a kid, along with brain fog, appetite issues, exhaustion, depression, up until I was around 14. Around the time I was 14 or 15 I kind of just "hit my stride" and started enjoying myself. My parents and I just assumed that I was awkward, and then I just kind of grew into myself and became more confident. And then I had mono at 17, and things went downhill from there.

When I look back at my childhood pictures, the picture of me up until I was three I was bright-eyed, smiling and happy looking. From about four years old on, I looked tired, kind of sad and a little hollow-eyed. When I was three and four my dad had to go away for a year to the Mediteranean for a training tour (he was a Marine) and I always assumed looking back on it that that it must have been really difficult for me and I must not have understood what was happening. And it made me sad that even as an older child I never got that spark back in my eyes. I always thought that it was just something I never got over and must have been a pivotal time in my childhood.

When my daughter started having symptoms, it really flashed me back to those pictures because she has always such a happy, active, and sparkly little girl. As her symptoms started up she started getting that same tired, sad, hollow-eyed look I used to see in my pictures. With nearly four years of mommy experience under my belt, I also recognize that look as her feeling sick. Now that I think about those old pictures, I think that was what that look on my face was. I think I was sick.

My mom was one of those moms who wouldn't let you stay home from school unless you had a fever or were throwing up. And if the fever was under 101, I got tylenol to bring the fever down and got sent to school.

Wow. Talk about connecting the dots...

Nancy

[morganb]

This is really interesting, I'm glad you were able to catch it with your daughter

[AndreaB]

Yes, I too agree that is interesting. Hopefully other parents will read this and keep it in mind if they have younger ones that want to buck thy gluten free diet when they are older.

[Nic]

I actually read about this in a Celiac Manual I have from the Celiac Association I believe. But what I find more concerning is that there are still some doctors that believe you can grow out of this. Two years ago I switched my own doctor to a local guy the next town over. He is relatively young so it is not like he is old school. I went in for a physical and asked him if he could run a Celiac panel on me. He asked why and I explained that both my father and my son have Celiac. We talked about how difficult it is for a 4 year old to go gluten free and he said, "well he will be ok, children OUT GROW this you know". I almost fell off the table. This is a doctor. Needless to say, somehow he forgot to run the panel. I switched doctors but have not been tested yet. I am seeing the doctor on Friday.

Nicole

[Kyalesyin]

Wow... this explains why my partner was ok up until a little while ago. She was a sickly child, but was fine apart from bad skin in her teens, and then went suddenly downhil just after she turned 19. Very interesting. Thanks for posting this!

[Ursa Major]

Right, that seems very familiar! When I look at my pictures when I was one to three years old, I look happy, healthy, with that spark in my eyes, too! And the pictures after that, I look way too skinny, with sad eyes, pale, and like I have no energy, no spark. And I remember well enough to know that I looked the way I felt.

From around ten to maybe 14 I was able to deliver newspapers every day (despite asthma), participate in sports in school etc., and the backaches I had from the age of seven were much better. But then, around 16 things started going downhill, and kept getting worse until last year.