Tolerance?

[HeatherMelissa]

OK, So I have heard alot about how the littlest bit of gluten can casue so much damage. Of course, I cringe at the thought of ever giving my child something to eat that might cause her harm. How do you know how much they can tolerate? Her endoscopy and colonoscopy looked so good (on a reg diet) that the GI wasn't going to diagnose her. The improvement that I have seen is in her stools since she has been off the Cream of Wheat cereal. Right now, the only other indication is her anemia. And if she eats too many crackers (which we are limiting until we can make her own, yesetrday she didn't even have any. I think she knows that soemtimes they huurt her. Yesterday she asked for them, and when I gave her a few, she said didn't want them)

Here is my concern, that I can't make this change in 1 day, and she will still be getting some gluten until we transition )her goldfish, soup and breastmilk)....so, as long as she doesn't seem to have tummy troubles etc.....I don't know. Sometimes this makes me feel like the worse mommy out there.......look at all the stuff she was eating that was hurting her.......UGH!

[plantime]

If your child is old enough to ask for crackers, then she is old enough for table food. The transition can be made in one day, except for the breast milk. The symptoms are varied and sometimes thought of as other things. The endoscopy and colonoscopy being good only means that it was caught before damage was done to her intestines. Even a little gluten each day can build up and cause damage and illness. For her sake, you need to make the change to glutenfree. Phasing it in will only delay her healing.

[Boojca]

Here's the bad news: some people never have "symptoms" My son, 2 1/2 years old, didn't have any physical symptoms. However, starting this past February he started to lose weight. I didn't really realize it at first, until the end of May I noticed that, gee, we could see every rib, vertebrae, etc... and then he started having NO energy and just wanting to lay around and not play. Guess what? Turns out he has Celiac.

Was the endoscopy sent out for biopsy? A GI doctor cannot see the damage in a small child, bc there hasn't been years of damage done. There should've been a biopsy taken of several areas of the small intestine during the endoscopy, and then those biopsy's should've been sent to a reputable lab who can 'read' these things accurately. I know my sons results took several days to come back.

You can start the gluten-free diet all at once, and should. I can tell you that I saw a whole new kid within days of starting the gluten-free diet, and it would not have been like that if we'd done it gradually. He doesn't miss anything, at least he hasn't asked for anything. And seeing him feel so good is what keeps me faithful to the gluten-free diet. And this wasn't a kid who I thought had any physical symptoms.

There is a gluten-free cereal with a panda bear on the box that my son likes, it tastes and looks just like Kix. I swear. I can tell you that the Gluten Free Pantry makes a GREAT bread mix, it's called Favorite Sandwich Bread and it's sooo easy to make. And I love it. They also make a killer brownie mix, cake mix, I could go on....and I've heard great things about the Pamela's mixes as well.

[HeatherMelissa]

If your child is old enough to ask for crackers, then she is old enough for table food.

She is on table food. But she eats the same five things day after day, literlly. (This is what made the ped check her iron levels which lead tot he Celiac testing). She is very sensitive to taste, texture etc. and refuses to try anything new (Maybe for fear that it will hurt her?) So, we are slowing phasing in variations of her food that is gluten-free (i.e. she eats a bean soup that has MFS (could be wheat, potatoe or rice, what they have on hand) and I have made my own soup and right now we are doing half and half until we can get her 100% of the food that I made) Just waiting for my figh cookie cutter so I can make her godlfish crackers and we will be set!

If your child is old enough to ask for crackers, then she is old enough for table food.

Yes, this is how it was done. He took samples everywhere. He was so shocked when they came back "normal" He then looked himself......then he just came back from a conference in Paris about Celiac and then we have a diagnoses!!!

Thanks for your replies!