Blood Results For 2 Year Old

[LauraW]

Hoping someone can shed some light on our 2 year old DD's test results. She is not gaining weight, won't eat, and battles constipation 24/7. Ped said 2 weeks ago that she should be tested for celiac disease. I have had lifelong stomach problems, 3 colonoscopies, high blood sugar, suffer from anemia, had miscarriages and infertility as well. Ped called last week that her test was positive therefore we wen't on Friday to a pediactric gastro and he thinks she definitely has celiac disease and want's to do the biopsy the end of this month. The blood work, however, only came back positive for the IGG levels. The results are as follows:

IGa 4 units

IGg 33 units

Immunoglobin A 49

Dr. said 33 is pretty high and biopsy will tell us for sure. Should I be nervous about this procedure. Anyone had a child go through this? I am pregnant and my dr. wants to run blood on me as well to see if they think I might have it. ANy advice would be great. THanks!

[Tori's Dad]

Our daughter had just turned 5 when she had her biopsy. For her it went very well. She's a tought little thing. The IV is the biggest concern...how will they react to that big needle going in and will the nurse hit a vein first try. Luckily they hit the vein quickly and my daugher didn't even flinch. They give you a numbing cream to put on their skin where the IV will go before you leave home.

Now if it had been my son there would have been lots of screaming at the needle!

Once the IV is in they are knocked out for the proceedure so that will be a breeze and they won't remember a thing.

Good luck and you'll be in our prayers! It's a tough thing for a parent to go through.

[hannahsue01]

I agree that the IV is the worst part of the whole thing with the little ones. I just want to add that to make sure YOU get tested. I had a normal first pregnancy and ended up having my second 3 months early because of celiac....I did not know about this disease beforehand. You want your baby to be getting all of it's nutrients and be aware that you could be at risk for problems. I hope all goes well for all of you and good luck with the surgry.

[LauraW]

Thanks for your thoughts. My daughter has ear tubes and for the first year and a half of her life, we have been at the Dr. every other week. She now starts screaming when we turn in to the parking lot of the Dr office. It was heart wrenching watching them take blood from her arm for this test alone. She will be a mess with the whole I.V. thing. People will say "oh, it's a routine test, no biggie". It is a big deal when it is your child (especially a young one). I will definitely get tested via blood throught my OB next week. My daughter was born at 36 weeks, who would have thought it would be from celiac disease.

[mommida]

I'm sure I will forget to tell you too much information, so I suggest you get the book by Danna Korn, Kids with Celiac Disease. It has information about the testing procedures and how to deal with the lifestyle change. We have many lists of safe foods, medications, restaurants that have gluten free menus, and other ideas for solving gluten free issues.

L.

[azmom3]

I have a just turned 2 year old who will be seeing the GI for the first time next week. He has the exact symptoms you described for your child. His IgG number was the only elevated one though, at 29, so I'm interested to see what happens with your results.

When my older son had an IV at 4 1/2, it took 2 nurses and me to hold him down while they put the needle in. It was awful having him look at me and beg me not to let them do it....all while I was restraining him and letting them do it. At 2 though, hopefully, they don't have this fear yet and although it hurts, I think the fear makes it 100 times worse.

Since this experience, whenever my kids have to go through anything even remotely scary for them (or me), I talk to the nurses/doctors prior to and let them know our concerns and/or fears. I really believe they are more apt to look at your child as a child and not just another number walking through the door when you do this. When my son had his tonsils, tubes, and adnoids taken out, I was so worried. The last thing I said to the doctor before the surgery was to please treat him as if he was his own son. Sounds cheesy, but it makes them think twice as they're poking and prodding and I believe that they are probably a little more gentle in how they handle things. Good Luck to you both!

BTW, I also highly recommend the Danna Korn book, Kids With Celiac Disease.

[Nikki2003]

Whe Nicole went and had the biopsy they didn't put the IV in until she was out. I think that is the best idea.

But as for the levels the oly test thatw as positive was the TTG ? The celiac one and her others were normal.

They even ran some allergy testing and showed she wasn't allergic to wheat. Strange. Wea re stillt rying to figure out what caused her IgG to be so high her's was 272 and the norm is under 30. It must be some sort of allergy.