Would We Have Seen A Difference W/gluten Light?

[boho*mama]

We've been gluten free for 8 days, well, I thought we were anyway...let me give you some background:

Silas, my 21 month old has tested negitive for Celiac (blood tests only) I know from reading all of these great posts that that really doesn't mean much adn we need to try the diet for a while. He's been daignosed with failure to thrive, he's small and behind developmentally. He has a rash on his cheeks and bouts of unexplained diarriah so here we are.

I was hoping beyond all hope that we would have seen some weght gain last week, even a tiny amount, but he's actually down .2 lbs. I know it's very early but I know that some of you have seen results in just days.

We've had 2 "accidents", he grabbed a bite of brother's PB&J last week and snuck anad animal cracker at church. I also have been feeding him Kix unaware of the cross contamination issue with oats. So does that mean last week didn't count? Does that make today our first day gluten free? Would those small ammounts cause the same issues as regular ammounts? If we don't see results, how long should we try the diet? I was planning on 2 months, is that enough time?

TIA

[Lisa]

We've been gluten free for 8 days, well, I thought we were anyway...let me give you some background:

Silas, my 21 month old has tested negitive for Celiac (blood tests only) I know from reading all of these great posts that that really doesn't mean much adn we need to try the diet for a while. He's been daignosed with failure to thrive, he's small and behind developmentally. He has a rash on his cheeks and bouts of unexplained diarriah so here we are.

I was hoping beyond all hope that we would have seen some weght gain last week, even a tiny amount, but he's actually down .2 lbs. I know it's very early but I know that some of you have seen results in just days.

We've had 2 "accidents", he grabbed a bite of brother's PB&J last week and snuck anad animal cracker at church. I also have been feeding him Kix unaware of the cross contamination issue with oats. So does that mean last week didn't count? Does that make today our first day gluten free? Would those small ammounts cause the same issues as regular ammounts? If we don't see results, how long should we try the diet? I was planning on 2 months, is that enough time?

TIA

The amount of gluten consumed has nothing to do with the autoimmune reaction. The gluten sets of the reaction which causes the damage.

I do not believe that Kix are gluten free. I do not eat them, but I suspect that they may have malt in them. For this diet to be successfull, he must remain totally gluten free or the healing will not begin and therefore continue not to thrive.

Children do tend to heal faster than adults, so if he is totally gluten free, I would feel that you should see improvement within a months time.

Totally gluten free means, lotions, soaps, toothpaste, play-do... in otherwords, anything that he can touch or put in his mouth.

If you need help with certain products, always feel free to ask. I'll leave the rest to the moms.

[CarlaB]

I agree with Momma Goose. Gluten light still allows the autoimmune reaction.

For mainstream cereals you can eat Cocoa Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles, and Dora the Explorer cinnamon stars. I hear that trix is now gluten-free, but be sure to read the ingredients (look for malt, wheat, oats). I've also heard there is a new Disney cereal that is gluten-free.

I think you would see a difference in two months.

The red cheeks sound like food allergies. Have you tested him for regular allergies?

[boho*mama]

No, we haven't tested him for allergies. I will bring that up next visit.

[happygirl]

To give you an idea:

If I were gluten lite, my life would be a living h$ll.

Plus, eight days of even truly 100% gluten free doesn't mean that they will start feeling better right away. They need longer to fully heal and bounce back.

On the other hand....it might not be a gluten issue, which means, even if he is fully gluten free for a period of time, it might not matter, bc gluten is not the problem.

I've been eating gluten free since August 23, 2004. Does that mean that I haven't made mistakes, esp in the beginning, or been glutened by accident? No. It means I started the diet on that day. But, in terms of your son, if you talk to a dr about it, you would describe it as, I started the diet, but we have had a few mistakes.