Have Another ?

[ptkds]

My 16 m old dd most likely has celiac disease, and I have been wondering about my 8 yr old dd. She has complained of tummy aches off and on for as long as she would talk. Now she has been having tummy aches, chest pain, and dizziness. The dr (not the same dr that tested my baby for Celiac) has given her a med for acid reflux that does no good, and he has done an EKG on her heart. We haven't taken her back in because we are having insurance issues for her right now. Her biggest complaint recenly is dizziness. Could this be a symptom of Celiac disease? She is a small kid, and always has been.

thanks,

ptkds

[Guhlia]

Dizziness can absolutely be a symptom of Celiac. As well as the tummy aches, chest pains, etc.

[eKatherine]

You need to get them gluten-free if they're not already.

[Ursa Major]

Why not make your whole house gluten-free for a while, and see how your girls are doing? That way none of them will feel singled out. Also, you will see at the same time if the other two have problems resolved, too, that could be celiac disease related.

Plus, if some of your kids have celiac disease, they got it from somewhere. Since it's genetic, either you or your husband at least have to have the genes (or both of you). So, you might benefit from a gluten-free diet as well.

[celiacgirls]

I would try the gluten free diet with her but I wouldn't give up on other possibilities for the dizziness just in case it is related to something else. My daughter's main symptom was mild tummy aches her whole life. She was on and off the gluten-free diet for a while because we didn't have a diagnosis. At one point, she was complaining of being dizzy but I never connected it to her diet. She wasn't strictly gluten-free then and I wasn't as aware then as I am now.

You don't say in this post how your other child is being tested but I wanted to let you know, my daughter's blood tests were always negative for celiac. I finally ended up doing Enterolab which confirmed what she and I believed and that she was gluten intolerant. We needed that test because we were too easily persuaded by others (doctors, husband) that she didn't need to be gluten-free. She always said she felt better gluten-free. Dietary response can be enough to know.

[shayesmom]

My 16 m old dd most likely has celiac disease, and I have been wondering about my 8 yr old dd. She has complained of tummy aches off and on for as long as she would talk. Now she has been having tummy aches, chest pain, and dizziness. The dr (not the same dr that tested my baby for Celiac) has given her a med for acid reflux that does no good, and he has done an EKG on her heart. We haven't taken her back in because we are having insurance issues for her right now. Her biggest complaint recenly is dizziness. Could this be a symptom of Celiac disease? She is a small kid, and always has been.

thanks,

ptkds

All of the symptoms you are describing can be related to Celiac disease. It is so incredibly frustrating to see these symptoms making your child miserable and then have it brushed off by doctors because every other test they are running is coming back "normal". It's no small wonder that it takes an average 11 years to get a diagnosis in this country. In the meantime, most celiac patients end up getting a referral to a psychiatrist before the disease is ever discovered....and most of the time, it's the patient who discovers the culprit and requests the proper test from the doctor!

I agree with a pp on going gluten-free for the whole family. You may be shocked at how many meals are naturally gluten-free and really, it takes an average of 3 days to a month to see a difference. In kids....if you're strict with the diet, you may notice a difference in the first 24 hours (I know that my dd was unrecognizable that first day and it's gotten better every day since.....we've been gluten-free for nearly 2 years now).

If you need any meal ideas, let us know. I know that I have a sample weekly menu already done on my computer for those starting out. It's been my experience that the initial phases of this diet start off with a HUGE focus on all of the things that you can't have.....and it takes a while to turn that around and begin focusing on all of the things that you CAN have. A lot of it is perspective.