Speaking Of Leg Pain~

[jen2be2]

Hi everyone!

My 5 year old DD has been on a gluten-free Diet for 2 weeks now. Before she got dignosed she would complain of leg pain. As most of you know~ I thought it was just growing pains.

My question is how long does it take for the pain in her legs to go away after being gluten-free? Does this pain signify that her bones are weaker and she should get extra calcium supplements?

TIA~

[Electra]

Hi everyone!

My 5 year old DD has been on a gluten-free Diet for 2 weeks now. Before she got dignosed she would complain of leg pain. As most of you know~ I thought it was just growing pains.

My question is how long does it take for the pain in her legs to go away after being gluten-free? Does this pain signify that her bones are weaker and she should get extra calcium supplements?

TIA~

Well everyone is different and I wouldn't be surprised if it takes the pain quite a while to subside. I've only been gluten free for about 4 weeks, but my leg pain went away within a week, but I still have slight aching in my foot every now and then. Nothing compared to what it was, but it still bothers me some times. My ribs still ache every now and then, but I usually assume that's from an accidental ingestion of gluten!!

I hope she feels better soon!!

[tiredofdoctors]

I DO believe in growing pains, but only when a child has had a significant growth spurt in a short period of time. It takes the muscles much more time to stretch to accommodate the growing bone, and the pull / stress that it puts on the bone and the joint can be pretty severe, depending upon the amount of growth.

That being said, if your daughter is celiac, then she may have some peripheral neuropathy -- which is pretty painful, I have to say. When you consider that nerves heal at the rate of 1mm per week, it's understandable that it can take a LONG time for her to start feeling better, if that's what she has. I wouldn't take her to a neurologist, though -- at her age, there's not much that he/she can do for peripheral neuropathy, and the testing isn't the most pleasant for kiddo's.

If you could get her to keep a pill under her tongue (good luck!), sublingual vitamin B12 may help a little. It is helplful in creating / keeping healthy nerves. Swallowing B12 is much less effective because of intrinsic factor -- it obliterates the vitamin. Putting it under your tongue, it goes through your mucous membranes and gets into your bloodstream without having to go through your stomach, and gets there faster (think: Nitroglycerin tablets).

Good luck to you, and I hope your daughter gets to feeling much better very soon.

[jen2be2]

Thanks ladies!

I just left a message for our Dr, just in case he wanted to look into it further. I would rather play it on the safe side.

[RiceGuy]

As has been said, everyone is different. Since your child is young, I'd have to guess that the healing would be faster, as there is likely less damage. That's not a definite though. The B12 is a good idea, and besides, it can't hurt to try it. There are liquid sublingual ones available, but I don't recall any of the methylcobalamin type. That is the most effective form to use, since the body doesn't have to convert it like the other more common forms. A Google search should help you locate some brands, but do be sure they specify gluten-free. Freeda and Source Naturals brands usually do, and I'm sure there are others too. Just how effective the other forms might be for your child I do not know, but at such a young age I'd hope the stomach is doing it's job. If it is, then it may be that B12 from foods is already being utilized sufficiently.

About the intrinsic factor produced by the stomach; this is the first step in the conversion process of B12 from foods, and in some people, the stomach doesn't produce it much or at all. In those cases, B12 from food sources will not be utilized, so a supplement is needed. The liver is also involved for further conversion, but only if the intestines are doing their job too. So as you can see, with several bodily systems involved, a person with Celiac can have trouble getting proper nutrients, and B12 happens to be one of the more common deficiencies.

Magnesium is another common deficiency, but again, at that age I'd think the damage is minimal.