One Year gluten-free Anniversary For My Celiac Daughter

[mamatide]

Well, it's been a year and what a year it's been. It began with a feeling of being overwhelmed. Three weeks into gluten-free she had a relapse after being glutened by a food we thought was gluten-free. Around 2 months into it we decided to go 99% gluten-free at home (the 1% is for beer - and we're quite certain our 5yo is not getting any ;-) ). We got VERY good at finding alternatives that we all enjoy. We made many bread bricks until we found a bread we like... we bought and threw out many loaves of bread until we found one that we love. At about 6 months we reintroduced dairy and her Celiac symptoms came back so we backed off for a while. At around 9 months we tried dairy again and she has absolutely no problems with it.

She has gained 6 lbs (2 in the last month alone) and grown 3" (2 in the first 8 months). She is happy all the time - her mood and her attitude are tremendous. She went from hating everything new to embracing new situations at first glance. She went from painful shyness to being outgoing and very funny. She sings (she used to sing when she was 1 or 2 years old and then stopped until she was gluten-free for 3 weeks). She loves dancing lessons (she absolutely hated them before). Her belly is flat. She gained almost an inch on each thigh.

So I guess we're a success story. Just wanted to share for those of you who are just now embarking on the gluten-free lifestyle. It's really not that bad. And the smile on my little girl's face is a great reminder that this is not a sacrifice. I'd give up bread for life all over again just to hear my daughter say that her belly's NOT sore.

mamatide

[sarah ruth]

Thank you, that's really encouraging!

[Lisa]

I guess that happy smile is motivation enough. Congratulations on your success!

[JennyC]

Thank you for the encouragement. My son has been gluten-free for one month and has made a complete turn around. He has already gained weight! Now we're in the process of finding a good doctor. Your story makes me look forward to what is to come.