After Gf Diet, Do Children Heal Totally?

[klang77]

I have a few questions:

1.) After starting my 16 month old on a gluten-free diet, how long should it take for me to notice a difference?

2.) Are there lasting effects known to stick with babies/toddlers who were very early symptomatic celiacs? (My daughter was a late teether - 14mo. and teeth came in with enamel troubles, weight loss, tummy aches, diarreah, reflux, fatigue, irritability and fussiness) Do celiacs kids grow up to be "Normal" after they are gluten-free? I'm so worried that I didn't figure it out fast enought for my daughter and she will have lasting effects.

3.) Does anybody have any good resources on feeding a toddler with celiac? She eats next to nothing.. I swear if it wasn't for french fries and veggies my daughter would be all bones. She looks like an ethiopian now...any tips on how to fatten them up gluten free???? (She won't eat cheese or milk because they have always caused her tummy aches due to lactose intolerance.)

4.) Also, does anybody know a good pediatric GI in the Washington, D.C. area?

Thanks so much! This board has given me new hope that I can't even explain...

-Karrie

Mom to Krista 16 mo.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Well, I am 19 with Celiacs and didn't know until I was 17. So, I suffered damage all those years. I didn't have teeth or walk until 20 months and showed symptoms basically all my life (like many of the people here). I would think she'd heal faster because she wasn't eating gluten for years and years but since she is a baby I don't know. I think she should be "normal" in a year or so once you have the diet figured out and minimal slips. The other kids on here who were diagnosed early will probbaly know more. But this is just my guessing that your daughter will be a fine and normal child once she and you know and stick to the diet. She is very lucky to have found out so early on ad will grow up glutenfree!

Kristina

[ryebaby0]

Sounds like you got a dx really quickly! That's great! It will take several weeks to start to see some real change, and probably closer to a year internally to heal completely -- but of course, everyone is different. My son gained a lot of weight at first, and then it slowed back down. Try to think of the weight gain as a percentage of her total weight and you might feel more optomistic. I agree though, it is a horrible thing to see them so emaciated, tired. You feel helpless and completely fixated on food issues.

Other people on the board have toddlers, so I will defer to their judgement! But our hints: If she's just lactose intolerant, see if you can find something like RiceSlice-- "cheese" that tastes just like the "real " thing. Put olive oil in rice. Make a peanut-butter-banana-chocolate syrup-soy milk smoothie. Remember that a serving is conventionally measured as one tablespoon per year when they are little. Will she eat scrambled eggs? Find glutano Digestive Biscuits (shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate)! Yum! My son (who is 10) loves something called Quinoa Qrunchies -- a great snack food available from the Gluten-Free Mall or Ms. Roben's. I bet Amy and Sebastian will help you, too

Joanna

[lovegrov]

Everybody's different, but generally speaking children heal faster and more completely than adults. Your child should be fine.

richard

[flagbabyds]

HI, welcome!

Your daughter sounds a lot like I did, I was diagnosed at 20 months. There was only one lasting effect, my groth was slow, don't get worried, I am now 5'5" and taller than my sister, but I didn't have my groth spurt until I was 13 not at 11 like most girls.

For eating my mom says feed your child small frequent meals, I would eaet chille 5 times a day and by a year after diagnosis I was chubby!

if you have any questions you can PM me and we can talk because my mom went through the same thing you went through.

[Boojca]

I have some good news for you. My son was diagnosed in June, he is 2 1/2 and he got so that he was hardly eating a thing. He dropped from 27 lbs this winter to 23 lbs. He is now 28 lbs and eating anything and everything he can get his hands on. I am here to tell you that more than likely once your daughter starts feeling better she will start to eat more. We can hardly fill our monster up!!!! Start out with thing that will "stick to her ribs" like gluten-free pasta. My son loves the Tinkyada (sp), and he's not lactose intolerant so he is LOVING cottage cheese and peaches. He's also very into hot dogs. I also feed him baby carrots and "dip" (salad dressing) and potatoes. Basically, now that he's feeling better he eats anything and everything... By the way, the lactose intolerance MAY go away as her intestine heals. Apparently the flattened villi from the celiac cause the intolerance, but as they spring back the lactose is easier for them to handle. So this may be temporary.

I hope this helps. If you want to talk some more let me know, I'll be happy to tell you all about my experience thus far.

Bridget