Wits End With Belly Pain!

[Guest andie]

Started my son on a gluten free diet about 2 months ago. He improved so much he couldn't believe the difference in himself. now he watches everything he eats and reads all labels.

Two days ago he went to a party sleep over and ate cake. He called me at 1 am to get him with belly cramps.

Tonight he is throwing up with terrible belly pain.

Does not appear to be viral. Over the past 2 days he has stopped eating because it makes him feel bad. he complains of being hungry, but doesn't want the feeling bad part. (hunger the lesser of 2 evils) I was extremely careful today, but he seems worse.

Just when I thought I had it figured out!!!

I have 4 children, 2 of which have a different father. The autoimmune stuff comes from the younger two.

it is too expensive to have them all gluten free and am trying to maintain some kind of balance.

i cook two different meals each day, one gluten free, one not. I try to use 2 separate utensils for everything. i read every label and try to research what I don't understand. i've talked to dieticians endlessly and today I feel like 2 months of work down the drain!!!! I am constantly harping on them all and educating them, but today i was so frustrated i'm sure my son thinks he's ruining my life!

he never had reactions like this before, just vague stomach upsets relieved with tums.

Is it possible as he gets better that he reacts more strongly to the gluten?

Could he possibly have developed a lactose intolerance, even though he was so much better? He LOVES milk and it has never been a problem before.

Am I going to have to build a second kitchen with a shower in the middle? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Any thoughts?

Andie

[jaimep]

Started my son on a gluten free diet about 2 months ago. He improved so much he couldn't believe the difference in himself. now he watches everything he eats and reads all labels.

Two days ago he went to a party sleep over and ate cake. He called me at 1 am to get him with belly cramps.

Tonight he is throwing up with terrible belly pain.

Does not appear to be viral. Over the past 2 days he has stopped eating because it makes him feel bad. he complains of being hungry, but doesn't want the feeling bad part. (hunger the lesser of 2 evils) I was extremely careful today, but he seems worse.

Just when I thought I had it figured out!!!

I have 4 children, 2 of which have a different father. The autoimmune stuff comes from the younger two.

it is too expensive to have them all gluten free and am trying to maintain some kind of balance.

i cook two different meals each day, one gluten free, one not. I try to use 2 separate utensils for everything. i read every label and try to research what I don't understand. i've talked to dieticians endlessly and today I feel like 2 months of work down the drain!!!! I am constantly harping on them all and educating them, but today i was so frustrated i'm sure my son thinks he's ruining my life!

he never had reactions like this before, just vague stomach upsets relieved with tums.

Is it possible as he gets better that he reacts more strongly to the gluten?

Could he possibly have developed a lactose intolerance, even though he was so much better? He LOVES milk and it has never been a problem before.

Am I going to have to build a second kitchen with a shower in the middle? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Any thoughts?

Andie

[jaimep]

I do not know what your son was experiencing with his belly pain, but I hope that he is better now. 10 is a tough age and if nothing else, this correlation to him eating cake will stick with him and he will probably not cheat for a long time! I do not know how long you have been dealing with cooking gluten free, but I have been for 4 years now and it gets better. I no longer make seperate meals. Maybe seperate buns or desserts, but not meals. You can substitute so many products that you just have to plan ahead to ensure you can make the meals work. My #1 rule for lunches & breakfasts that are more individual is that I ALWAYS prepare the gluten-free meals first. The kids will get used to waiting. There are some things that just are not in the house anymore, eg. pizza pops. My hands are always dry from the constant washing, but my celiac child is eating well now and it's all worth it. Good luck!!

[EBsMom]

Is it possible as he gets better that he reacts more strongly to the gluten?

Could he possibly have developed a lactose intolerance, even though he was so much better? He LOVES milk and it has never been a problem before.

I'm so sorry! Poor kiddo (and poor mom!) Yes, I think it's very common to react more strongly to gluten after being gluten-free for a while. You read about that reaction on this forum often, and I've seen it with my dd (nearly 10) and experienced it myself. It certainly is possible that your son could develop a secondary intolerance, but I don't think it would appear overnight like that. My dd's casein and soy inolerances were persistent problems, not acute incidents. Maybe you could just feed him "easy" foods until he feels better (when he feels he can eat)....rice, chicken, cooked veggies....nothing spicy or hard to digest. If he's not up to eating solids, maybe a smoothie made with bananas & rice milk (or dairy milk.) I hope he feels better soon!

Rho

[Nic]

I don't think it is uncommon for a celiac to feel the reaction for a couple of days after ingesting gluten. I know when my son gets glutened he can be sick for 2-3 days afterwards. So don't automatically assume you are doing something wrong, it could just be the cake. I bet he won't do that again for a long time.

[Guest andie]

Started my son on a gluten free diet about 2 months ago. He improved so much he couldn't believe the difference in himself. now he watches everything he eats and reads all labels.

Two days ago he went to a party sleep over and ate cake. He called me at 1 am to get him with belly cramps.

Tonight he is throwing up with terrible belly pain.

Does not appear to be viral. Over the past 2 days he has stopped eating because it makes him feel bad. he complains of being hungry, but doesn't want the feeling bad part. (hunger the lesser of 2 evils) I was extremely careful today, but he seems worse.

Just when I thought I had it figured out!!!

I have 4 children, 2 of which have a different father. The autoimmune stuff comes from the younger two.

it is too expensive to have them all gluten free and am trying to maintain some kind of balance.

i cook two different meals each day, one gluten free, one not. I try to use 2 separate utensils for everything. i read every label and try to research what I don't understand. i've talked to dieticians endlessly and today I feel like 2 months of work down the drain!!!! I am constantly harping on them all and educating them, but today i was so frustrated i'm sure my son thinks he's ruining my life!

he never had reactions like this before, just vague stomach upsets relieved with tums.

Is it possible as he gets better that he reacts more strongly to the gluten?

Could he possibly have developed a lactose intolerance, even though he was so much better? He LOVES milk and it has never been a problem before.

Am I going to have to build a second kitchen with a shower in the middle? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Any thoughts?

Andie

Thanks to all. you guys are great. feeling better today. (both mom and son). was sick again once through the night, but woke up hungry. Fruit for breakfast and taking it slow.

am starting a diary of his foods. he says he'll try to be faithful with it. I'm taking him off dairy for a few days (I work) a will reintroduce this weekend.

All in all a good lesson. Don't think he'll do that again with the cake.

thanks again

andie

[Mango04]

I'm taking him off dairy for a few days (I work) a will reintroduce this weekend.

All in all a good lesson. Don't think he'll do that again with the cake.

thanks again

andie

It's a good idea to take him off dairy, but one of the biggest mistakes people make is to go dairy-free for only a few days. He should really be off of dairy completely for (at least) a few weeks before reintroducing it. It takes a while for casein to leave a person's system, and a few days won't likely give you an answer. It sounds like a pain, I know, but it might be worth it.

[missy'smom]

I don't think it is uncommon for a celiac to feel the reaction for a couple of days after ingesting gluten. I know when my son gets glutened he can be sick for 2-3 days afterwards. So don't automatically assume you are doing something wrong, it could just be the cake. I bet he won't do that again for a long time.

This is true. I was going to say the same thing.

I once was given either a full gluten meal or a contaminated one at a restaurant and it took me a full three weeks to get over it and I was pretty miserable the whole time. Others on this board, who like me are very careful at home, have shared similar experiences.

[mouth]

Started my son on a gluten free diet about 2 months ago. He improved so much he couldn't believe the difference in himself. now he watches everything he eats and reads all labels.

Two days ago he went to a party sleep over and ate cake. He called me at 1 am to get him with belly cramps.

Tonight he is throwing up with terrible belly pain.

Does not appear to be viral. Over the past 2 days he has stopped eating because it makes him feel bad. he complains of being hungry, but doesn't want the feeling bad part. (hunger the lesser of 2 evils) I was extremely careful today, but he seems worse.

Just when I thought I had it figured out!!!

I have 4 children, 2 of which have a different father. The autoimmune stuff comes from the younger two.

it is too expensive to have them all gluten free and am trying to maintain some kind of balance.

i cook two different meals each day, one gluten free, one not. I try to use 2 separate utensils for everything. i read every label and try to research what I don't understand. i've talked to dieticians endlessly and today I feel like 2 months of work down the drain!!!! I am constantly harping on them all and educating them, but today i was so frustrated i'm sure my son thinks he's ruining my life!

he never had reactions like this before, just vague stomach upsets relieved with tums.

Is it possible as he gets better that he reacts more strongly to the gluten?

Could he possibly have developed a lactose intolerance, even though he was so much better? He LOVES milk and it has never been a problem before.

Am I going to have to build a second kitchen with a shower in the middle? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Any thoughts?

Andie

Hi Andie

I am glad to hear that your son is feeling better. Do you warn the other parents of what your son CAN NOT eat? Sometimes a child might try to say I cant have it, and might be embarrassed to tell. I had this problem with my daughter when she started her gluten-free diet 8 months ago.. Luckily, she is non-symptomatic- so far. Her numbers are starting to come down also.. I was glutenizing her with out knowing it- i was letting her have columbo yougart.. mistake.. after I took her off that her numbers started going down.. Um.. if you think he might have a lactose intolerance you can do what everybody said and take him off all the dairy, or you could talk to the doctor about maybe Lactaid. Before my daughter finally got her mostly positive results, when she would get sick she could not drink milk. she would get flemmy and vomit.. Then we tried the Lactaid. It would still happen, but not as badly.. Now that we are gluten-free she is able to have milk and dairy - when she feels she is getting a cold or allergies, she automatically stops the dairy herself..

VVVVVVVVV GL.

lynn

[gfpaperdoll]

that is so sad that he has to suffer from a little cake, but like the others said it can take from a day or two to several weeks, I would think once cupcake would at least take a week or so.

I think one good thing to do is that when he goes to something like this, if you can call ahead & get an idea of what will be served then you can send something similar or his favorites. While also reminding the mom that he cannot eat those things. gluten-free goodies freeze very well, so you can keep chocolate cupcakes, lemon squares, brownies, pizza crusts & that type of thing in the freezer. I also keep meals frozen in glass bowls with plastic lids, great to grab one & go. Just take off the plastic lid, put a paper towel on top & plop in any microwave. It is so easy to freeze beans & weiners, spaghetti sauce over rice, baked sweet potatoes with chopped meat - veggie on top, that type of thing. I label mine with a marks a lot on masking tape & date it. I always think I will remember what is in it - but I never do...

& like the others I would not struggle so much to make two meals. Really one meal should be okay, just cook rice instead of the expensive pasta & serve more veggies & fruit...

Making your own pizza dough is also cheap & easy - when you get the recipe the way you like it - just line up about 10 disposable containers & go down the line & put one ingredient at a time in each one - all the dry ingredients, I used to make labels for these & list the instructions & the wet ingredients needed. To make the dough takes 5 minutes at most, pop in oven & do not even wash the mix container, just put it on the bottom of the stack. depending on the age of the kids they can do almost all this themselves - except maybe putting in the hot oven... most gluten-free pizza you cook a bit before you take it back out & add the sauce & toppings - mostly precooked...

[Guest andie]

that is so sad that he has to suffer from a little cake, but like the others said it can take from a day or two to several weeks, I would think once cupcake would at least take a week or so.

I think one good thing to do is that when he goes to something like this, if you can call ahead & get an idea of what will be served then you can send something similar or his favorites. While also reminding the mom that he cannot eat those things. gluten-free goodies freeze very well, so you can keep chocolate cupcakes, lemon squares, brownies, pizza crusts & that type of thing in the freezer. I also keep meals frozen in glass bowls with plastic lids, great to grab one & go. Just take off the plastic lid, put a paper towel on top & plop in any microwave. It is so easy to freeze beans & weiners, spaghetti sauce over rice, baked sweet potatoes with chopped meat - veggie on top, that type of thing. I label mine with a marks a lot on masking tape & date it. I always think I will remember what is in it - but I never do...

& like the others I would not struggle so much to make two meals. Really one meal should be okay, just cook rice instead of the expensive pasta & serve more veggies & fruit...

Making your own pizza dough is also cheap & easy - when you get the recipe the way you like it - just line up about 10 disposable containers & go down the line & put one ingredient at a time in each one - all the dry ingredients, I used to make labels for these & list the instructions & the wet ingredients needed. To make the dough takes 5 minutes at most, pop in oven & do not even wash the mix container, just put it on the bottom of the stack. depending on the age of the kids they can do almost all this themselves - except maybe putting in the hot oven... most gluten-free pizza you cook a bit before you take it back out & add the sauce & toppings - mostly precooked...

Thanks for all the great advice! I tried to reply once and my computer lost it.

Will try once again.

Lots of great ideas. Yes indeed the mother of Andrew's friend knew about his diet, but in the heat of all those kids forgot. Besides I put most of the responsibility on Andrew as I will not be with him all the time and he is a very social animal. She was VERY sorry. I don't think she'll forget again though since she had to get up with him at 1 am and call me to get him with belly pain. A good lesson for both.

He is starting to do much better and is keeping a food diary.

I really like the idea of weiners and beans etc. I never thought of making my own 'Lifestyle' frozen meals. Andrew for the most part has no big interest in food because it has made him sick for so long. He has to eat what appeals to him at the time or tends not to eat. Having more variety readily available will help with that. It will also be helpful with the off the bus rush to hockey practise nights.

We have tried the pizza. Turned out really well and he liked it the first time, so I made a bunch more and froze them. Then the appeal wore off and they stayed in the freezer. Now i will make more variety.

thanx so much

Andie

[Guest andie]

Hi

Remember that cake Andrew ate almost a week ago?

Tonight he is again having severe abdo pain with fullness to the point of thinking he will be sick.

He has had it every night since the cake.

Upon further questioning, he states he has mild abdo cramping through the day. 'on and off' but not as bad as it is at night. I have thought GERD but it only seems worse after his bedtime snack. Then he can't settle until he's sick and occassionally gets up to throw up in the night.

Any thoughts on what else could be wrong? We have gone back to the antacids which see to help. Should i try a low dose of zantac for a few days?

Also something reminded my that i took him to a chiropractor when he was an infant for colic. The first time seemed great, but the second time the Dr. said he could not get the valve on the bottome of the stomach to open and he regurgitated. Thought he was going to choke to death and never went back.

Anyone else with gastic emptying problems with these symptom?

thanz

Andie

[gfpaperdoll]

Time to take him to the Doctor ASAP, it could be appendix...

[mouth]

Hi

Remember that cake Andrew ate almost a week ago?

Tonight he is again having severe abdo pain with fullness to the point of thinking he will be sick.

He has had it every night since the cake.

Upon further questioning, he states he has mild abdo cramping through the day. 'on and off' but not as bad as it is at night. I have thought GERD but it only seems worse after his bedtime snack. Then he can't settle until he's sick and occassionally gets up to throw up in the night.

Any thoughts on what else could be wrong? We have gone back to the antacids which see to help. Should i try a low dose of zantac for a few days?

Also something reminded my that i took him to a chiropractor when he was an infant for colic. The first time seemed great, but the second time the Dr. said he could not get the valve on the bottome of the stomach to open and he regurgitated. Thought he was going to choke to death and never went back.

Anyone else with gastic emptying problems with these symptom?

thanz

Andie

Dear Andi,

Have you thought about taking him to a Peds GI? there it sounds to me.There could be maybe something else going on . The chiro may be right. There could be a problem between his stomach and his digestive tract.. Maybe a blockage or something? I don't want to scare you, but you never know. I know I trust my Chiro very much, and even drove 45 minutes or more when i was preggers with my daughter.. My syatcia was that bad. It also helped me with my morning sickness. She also has beat me to the punch telling me that I was getting sick and I felt fine, and she'd be like- go to the dr. And she was always right!!

VVVVVVVVVvvglgl in all hope he is feeling better..

sincerely,

lynn