Enterolab Tests In For Daughter

[sore joints]

Hi everyone!

I (the mom) tested postive for gluten sensitivity through enterolab. I had the celiac blood test (Canadian) done for my daughter through our Doctor and her test came back negative. Although it was negative I still went ahead and had the enterolab stool test done. It came back today as positive with a result of 18. My question is; what do I do now? She doesn't have any symptoms that I know of. She is speech delayed, seems to have a bloated belly after eating, and has the occasional hard stool. She also gets a rash on her face...sometimes. Other than that, no real symptoms. Doctors in my area aren't too concerned about gluten sensitivity/celiac. Any suggestions. Do I see a specialist with her and if they recommend a biopsy should I have it done? Any advice would be very much welcomed.

Alison

[happygirl]

Hey Alison:

Tough situation for you as the mom!!!!

Although you say she has no symptoms, I would say that the bloating, the hard stools, the speech delay, and occasional rash could ALL be symptoms of a problem with gluten. They most certainly could not be related to gluten, however, the fact that she is having some problems indicates something is going on.

If she has the biopsy and happens to be gluten sensitive (non-Celiac), there will not be intestinal damage, and a biopsy will not show anything.

In general, many doctors do not do the biopsy without a positive Celiac panel. Did she have the FULL panel done, that includes tTG?

Has she been gene tested?

It depends on how much you want an official diagnosis. If that is important, then it may be worth it to pursue further testing (esp if you have a doctor that is open minded and willing to work with you!). On the other hand, if your doctor is not interested, or its not that important to have an official dx, I would suggest just trying the gluten-free diet (strict!) to see what happens.

The other thing to consider is: what happens if she is further tested, and everything comes back negative? Will you try the diet afterwards? (Just things to consider in your thought process, so that you make an educated decision).

Best of luck and let us know what we can do to help.

Laura

[Nancym]

She is speech delayed, seems to have a bloated belly after eating, and has the occasional hard stool. She also gets a rash on her face...sometimes. Other than that, no real symptoms.

Those are some pretty good symptoms. Try the diet you have a lot to gain and nothing to lose.

[kbtoyssni]

You may not even realize some of the effects gluten is having on her until she goes gluten-free (I know I found a tons of health issues that cleared up after going gluten-free that I never expected to go away). And even if she only has a few mild symptoms now, I suspect they will get worse the longer she stays on gluten. I think it would be best to take her off gluten now so she never develops the really bad symptoms.