Help With Diagnosing

[camurph1023]

Hi everyone...we just learned that my son (9 months) has an allergy to oats with a potential allergy to barley. He also has acid reflux and suffers a bit from constipation (we need to give him Maalox twice a day to keep him going). He has always had eczema rashes on his face/legs. My brother-in-law had celiacs so I'm wondering if my son could too. He doesn't have diarrhea ever and is very big for his age (over 24 lbs at 9 months) so he doesn't exhibit some typical symptoms.

I also have 2.5 yr old daughter - she's only 22.5 pounds, gains weight very slowly. no interest in eating most of the time, has acid reflux (diagnosed at 7 mon.), and suffers from chronic constipation (requires signif. meds daily to go). She also was born with a cleft lip/palate so we've always attributed her eating difficulties to the myriad of things wrong in her mouth. I haven't seen any obvious food allergies. I know she doesn't exhibit some classic symptoms, but am wondering if she could have celiac disease too.

Anyone with similar situations or thoughts? Thanks!

[seeking-wholeness]

camurph1023,

It sounds like both of your children would benefit from testing for celiac disease, especially since there is a family history of the disorder. I know that I was a constipated child, and both of my children have eczema that gets worse after a gluten accident. They are also very tall for their ages, but their weight is falling down the charts at a moderate pace. (All three of us have celiac disease.) I hope my thoughts are helpful to you, and good luck to you and your children!