Need Some Help

[gini]

Hi everyone.

I have a 22 month old boy. Passed September he stayed for 3 days in the hospital due to respiratory hindrance and because it has very low weight the paediatricians there ordered blood tests for celiac disease (AGA IgA, IgG / EMA / t-TG IgA, IgG). The results came out negative apart from the AGA IgG which was 64 units. Can this mean that it has celiac disease?

In the meantime round December my son begins to present a reduction in his weight. Until now he was gaining few grams each month. He was under the curves but at least he gained some weight. Today that is 22 months he is 8,8 kgs (almost 19.36 Lbs).

The gastroenterologist asked repetition of the blood tests and also added some for allergies. These will take 1 month to come out.

The child continues to lose weight and the doctors do not consult anything. Here in Greece special foods without gluten can someone order only from a drugstore and only with a recipe of a doctor which they don

[mtdawber]

Hi there, it's awful that you have to wait so long to get the results back and you have to special order food!

Can you feed him foods that you know to be gluten free - fruit, veggies, rice cereal etc? I know he is only 22 months but perhaps you could avoid all the foods that you know contain gluten. It makes it harder but still possible to feed him gluten free. Then see how he does without the gluten?

[gini]

Hi there, it's awful that you have to wait so long to get the results back and you have to special order food!

Can you feed him foods that you know to be gluten free - fruit, veggies, rice cereal etc? I know he is only 22 months but perhaps you could avoid all the foods that you know contain gluten. It makes it harder but still possible to feed him gluten free. Then see how he does without the gluten?

Hi!

Thanks for the answer!

The problem is that he likes bread and spaghetti so much that it would be easier to have these foods free of gluten...

I will try though!

Can you imagine that the dietician/nutritionist in the hospital adviced us to avoid veggies and fruit because "they offer no calories and he will not gain weight that way"?

[Guhlia]

At 22 months old you should be able to feed him high fat foods like peanut butter and avacado and cheese. Are there any other suspected intolerances other than gluten? Perhaps you can combine these high fat, nutritious foods with fruits and veggies to increase his weight. Then, you can attempt a gluten free diet while still attempting to bulk him up a little. If he likes spaghetti, perhaps you could try spaghetti squash?

[gini]

At 22 months old you should be able to feed him high fat foods like peanut butter and avacado and cheese. Are there any other suspected intolerances other than gluten? Perhaps you can combine these high fat, nutritious foods with fruits and veggies to increase his weight. Then, you can attempt a gluten free diet while still attempting to bulk him up a little. If he likes spaghetti, perhaps you could try spaghetti squash?

I don't know. Maybe he is allergic to sth... At 3 months had eczema all over his body. I was told to breastfeed at least till his first birthday because he may has some allergy to cow' s milk.... I'm still breastfeeding...

I am sure that his has some allergy to one kind of nut.

And recently eczema has returned (hands and tummy).

sorry but what is spaghetti squash?

[tiffjake]

I don't know. Maybe he is allergic to sth... At 3 months had eczema all over his body. I was told to breastfeed at least till his first birthday because he may has some allergy to cow' s milk.... I'm still breastfeeding...

I am sure that his has some allergy to one kind of nut.

And recently eczema has returned (hands and tummy).

sorry but what is spaghetti squash?

You might want to look up Dermatitis Herpetiformis. It is a rash that can look like eczema. Perhaps he is having a reaction to gluten (that is what causes DH). Open Original Shared Link

There is a picture of DH on someones back.

And Spaghetti Squash is a type of yellow squash (isn't it yellow guys??). It is a veggie!

Hope your little boy is feeling better soon!!

[Guhlia]

Spaghetti squash is a vegetable, a squash. When opened it's insides consist of starchy strands very similar in consistency to spaghetti. When covered with marinara (or other spaghetti sauces) it makes a meal very similar to traditional spaghetti.

[Juliet]

You can also cook some really starchy rice, like Arborio or Japanese style rices, sprinkle a little salt on it, and roll it up into balls for him to eat. I do this for both my three year old and one year old. You can also roll it up with shredded cheese and it makes a good snack with some calories. My kids will both eat it warm or cold. You can also make your own French fries by cutting up potatoes and frying them yourself in olive oil. He'll get some good fat along with having some starch. My son was two when he was diagnosed, and I had to quickly find starchy substitutes, but at the same time he didn't like any of the gluten free breads or pasta. But he ended up LOVING rice, and he also liked fries quite a bit. In fact, for the first three months, all he'd eat were predominantly rice, some beans, a little cheese, and milk. But, he also gained the four pounds he lost once he became really sick plus an additional two pounds during that time. After that he started branching out to other foods, but rice is still one of his favorites. Greek yogurt is also good and normally gluten free - my one year old loves, loves, loves the stuff with a little honey. It's her favorite - she likes it even more than ice cream.

One of the ways we got our son to try things when he was first diagnosed was by giving the food names similar to things that he already he knew he liked. For example, he really liked steak. So, when we were trying to get him to eat chicken, we told him it was "white steak". You could call the rice balls something like "pasta balls" or some name with bread in it.

[gini]

Juliet thank you so much for the useful information!

I' ll try everything possible.

I just don' t understand what is this "starchy rice, like Arborio" (I know I' m being tiring, sorry) and how could I look for it here in Greece. Do you first boil it and then roll it up into balls?

Thanks again!

[Juliet]

Arborio rice is an Italian type of rice used for risotto - It's got a different shape than the typical white rice sold here in the US. It's close to circular in shape with little points on the end. It has such a high starch content, that the rice is really sticky once cooked. There are also three other types of Italian rice that can be used: Baldo, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano. Arborio rice is the easiest to find here in the US. The way I cook it is one part Arborio rice to two parts water. Once it's cooked I can then roll it up into little balls. I would think you would be able to find the rice in Greece. Here in the US you can get it at Italian food markets, and a few grocery stores also have it. If you talked to someone at an Italian restaurant that serves risotto nearby they could probably tell you where you can find some.

I hope that was helpful!