Newbie With A Question

[EBsMom]

My daughter, aged 9, has reflux. Her symptoms (dry cough, occasional regurgitation and choking) were mild at first (started a few months ago), but really worsened over the last month or so. I tried manipulating her diet, and also tried some natural remedies, to no avail. I finally called our pediatrician about it, and was told to give my daughter Mylanta 4 times a day. That was a complete disaster! Her reflux symptoms were so much worse that she could barely function. On the advice of a friend, I decided to try a gluten-free diet for her, and we started last weekend. To my surprise....it seems to be working. Her cough has decreased in frequency and severity, she's had no choking episodes and her energy level is up. I've been reading everything I can find about celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and realize that many people in my family, and my husband's, have celiac symptoms. I guess my daughter might be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Anyway, my question is this: has anyone else had an older child whose primary symptom was gastric reflux? I've read through these forums, and it seems that reflux is usually an adult or a baby issue, or that the reflux is only one of a collection of different GI symptoms. I'm just curious, because my daughter's case seems "atypical." I ordered the Enterolab test today. I'm all set to commit to the gluten-free lifestyle, but feel that I need a little more indication than just my daughter's decreased reflux symptoms to assure me that we're on the right path (not that I'm not thrilled that she's feeling better!) Thanks for any insight you can give me!!

Rho

[lob6796]

My daughter, aged 9, has reflux. Her symptoms (dry cough, occasional regurgitation and choking) were mild at first (started a few months ago), but really worsened over the last month or so. I tried manipulating her diet, and also tried some natural remedies, to no avail. I finally called our pediatrician about it, and was told to give my daughter Mylanta 4 times a day. That was a complete disaster! Her reflux symptoms were so much worse that she could barely function. On the advice of a friend, I decided to try a gluten-free diet for her, and we started last weekend. To my surprise....it seems to be working. Her cough has decreased in frequency and severity, she's had no choking episodes and her energy level is up. I've been reading everything I can find about celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and realize that many people in my family, and my husband's, have celiac symptoms. I guess my daughter might be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Anyway, my question is this: has anyone else had an older child whose primary symptom was gastric reflux? I've read through these forums, and it seems that reflux is usually an adult or a baby issue, or that the reflux is only one of a collection of different GI symptoms. I'm just curious, because my daughter's case seems "atypical." I ordered the Enterolab test today. I'm all set to commit to the gluten-free lifestyle, but feel that I need a little more indication than just my daughter's decreased reflux symptoms to assure me that we're on the right path (not that I'm not thrilled that she's feeling better!) Thanks for any insight you can give me!!

Rho

My daughter began life with severe reflux, and a moderately delayed digestive system. She was put on medication for both, found allergic to milk and soy as well. Around 1.5 years, she seemed to be getting better. Fast track to 2 years and she began throwing up all of the time again. She was doing the signature coughing and clearing her throat alot, and her doctor put her back on her reflux meds. Those actually seemed to make things worse (I now wonder if they had gluten). He ran every test under the sun including one for Celiac. They were all negative except her liver/bile test were slightly elevated. We were both at a loss. My daughter was drinking an enormous amount of rice milk at the time, so her pedi suggested I cut back on it. I decided to cut the cereal out of her bottles first, then decrease the actual number of bottles. Wouldn't you know that 3 days or so off the cereal and the vomiting stopped. Her digestive system is still delayed (she would throw up her breakfast at 9pm), and a million other small "signs" have me convinced that her blood tests were a false negative.

I will just say that she needs to be consuming gluten in order for blood tests or biopsies to come back accurately. So if you want it documented in her medical file, she will have to go back on gluten for at least a month and then have a blood draw and perhaps a biopsy as well. Good luck

[buffettbride]

Hi there---I think we have the same daughter. My kiddo's symptoms started with acid-reflux type things...burping fits but she too had always had a dry cough, sinus troubles, and sore throats. We went to the ped. about 2 years ago and were told to take Zantac. Didn't help much, if at all. Finally went to see the peds. at Children's Hospital as the reflux was getting worse along with burping fits and now inexplicable tummy aches. We tried Prevacid for two months along with the diagnostic tests of a barium swallow, endoscopy, and blood tests. She was confirmed celiac last week based on the biopsy and blood tests. We discontinued the Prevacid this week and she's been essentially gluten free for a week now and completely gluten free since Wednesday of this week. She's feeling TONS better (although I think she'd like me to stop talking about wheat and reading lables but she doesn't complain about the M&M snack pack I sneak into her lunch when Daddy isn't looking).

You can't imagine how awful I felt when we thought we were treating acid reflux and I kept packing chicken noodle soup and saltines in her lunch. YIKES! God bless the invention of the Thermos, so this week it has been gluten-free chicken and rice with gluten-free popcorn. MUUUUCH better!

Good luck with your daughter's diagnoses!

[EBsMom]

She's feeling TONS better (although I think she'd like me to stop talking about wheat and reading lables but she doesn't complain about the M&M snack pack I sneak into her lunch when Daddy isn't looking).

LOL! I think my obsessive label reading, internet research and gluten-free talk has everyone around me wishing I'd stop. I keep assuring them that I'll taper off when I've got a bit of a handle on all this. It's a steep learning curve at first. I'm glad your daughter is feeling better. Mine is too, so far.

Rho

[happygirl]

It's a steep learning curve at first.

That is definitely the truth! But, the good thing is, it DOES get better. Luckily there are great people on this board ready to answer any and all questions

Hopefully this list will help some, too. (from Open Original Shared Link

This is the list of companies/brands that I understand will clearly label all sources of gluten in their products:

Arrowhead Mills, Aunt Nelly's, Balance, Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry, Bertoli, Betty Crocker, Blue Bunny, Breyers, Campbells, Cascadian Farms, Celestial Seasonings, ConAgra, Country Crock, Edy's, General Mills, Good Humor, Green Giant, Haagen Daz, Hellman's, Hershey, Hormel, Hungry Jack, Jiffy, Knorr, Kozy Shack, Kraft, Lawry's, Libby's, Lipton, Martha White, Maxwell House, McCormick, Nabisco, Nestle, Old El Paso, Ortega, Pillsbury, Popsicle, Post, Progresso, Ragu, Russell Stover, Seneca Foods, Skippy, Smucker, Stokely's, Sunny Delight, T Marzetti, Tyson, Unilever, Wishbone, Yoplait, Zatarain's.

[Jodele]

Hi Rho

I also have a dd that is 9. Her symptoms were the same except she had it from birth. Very bad reflux and hard time breathing. The docs said it was from the irritation of the esophagus from reflux. She had bad sinus problems. I took her to a gi doc when she was 2 and did some testing. But they never contact me with the results. And as a new mom I thought they came back ok. Fast forward five years. My dd got worse when she was 7, so went off to the same gi doc and found out she had a positive response on one of her old test when she was 2. gi doc did more tests and biopsy, test came back very positive but biopsy came back normal. I don

[buffettbride]

LOL! I think my obsessive label reading, internet research and gluten-free talk has everyone around me wishing I'd stop. I keep assuring them that I'll taper off when I've got a bit of a handle on all this. It's a steep learning curve at first. I'm glad your daughter is feeling better. Mine is too, so far.

Rho

It's been all gluten-free talk all the time for me, that's for sure. Yay for 'lil girls feeling better! I finally got the "Ya know mom, gluten-free isn't so bad" response from her tonight. The tummy feeling better is sure paying off!

On another note, I talked to my daughter's camp director (girl scout camp) today. It's going to be tricky, that's for sure. I stopped short of asking her to read me the ketchup label--those industrial-sized packages I'm sure are just a glutening waiting to happen. I'm just going to send my own. Some battles are better won with a big cooler full of condiments from home. Maybe I can grab some ketchup packets from McDonalds before she leaves...

[EBsMom]

We all went gluten free here and we feel much better now. I went to entrolabs for myself and was sensitive to gluten.

I wish we could all go gluten-free, but my husband is not willing to try it. I'm slowly making my kitchen as gluten-free as possible. I've decided that I'll put any gluteny items in the breadbox, out of sight. I'm trying to make this transition as easy as possible for my daughter. She's been very emotional and a bit weepy this past week. At first I thought she was just stressed by the changes, but now I think it's part of her physical gluten withdrawal. I started eating gluten-free yesterday - partly to show some solidarity with my daughter, but also because I have lifelong vague GI symptoms that I suspect might resolve without gluten in my system. My son is eating "gluten light", as a natural extension of his sister's gluten-free/cf diet. (And his energy level is way up....I'll need to investigate that at some point, but after I get his sister's problem squared away.) So we're a "mostly gluten free" family, I guess. I'm still amazed (it's only been 2 weeks) that the elimination of gluten can have such a big effect! I'll never look at a loaf of bread (gluten-filled) the same way again (meaning, without imagining the symbol for "poison" emblazoned on the wrapper!!!!!!!)

Rho

[EBsMom]

On another note, I talked to my daughter's camp director (girl scout camp) today. It's going to be tricky, that's for sure. I stopped short of asking her to read me the ketchup label--those industrial-sized packages I'm sure are just a glutening waiting to happen. I'm just going to send my own. Some battles are better won with a big cooler full of condiments from home. Maybe I can grab some ketchup packets from McDonalds before she leaves...

How long will she be at camp? That sounds tricky, for sure. I think the cooler full of condiments sounds like a very good idea!

Rho