Glutening & Your Child ~ A Poll:

[dandelionmom]

I was just curious how often other parents see glutening happening with their Gluten-free children. If you don't mind answering, please do! Sorry I'm not sure how to properly format this as a poll, hope this is okay to post this way!

1. How often does your child get glutened?

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

[buffettbride]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

Not often. Each stretch is longer than the next. At first it was like once a week it seemed. Then once every two weeks, then a month. We're still pretty new at this. I haven't glutened her in a long time. It's been a case of CC two times from a restaurant (different ones) and a CC at MILs house. Some weird mustard and some weird tea that gave her symptoms. Sitting at the kitchen table where her brother had MaltOMeal (which is why we made our house gluten-free). And one time her daddy was a dumbass and gave her a "real" cookie because he thought they were gluten-free. You sure do learn the lessons quickly with this stuff!

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

GI symptoms, 1 day--onset is usually within 15 minutes of glutening and progressively get worse. Yellow poo (within a few hours of glutening, no real D though), bad throbbing tummy ache, "reflux." Emotional symptoms, about 2-3 days. Dark circles under eyes. Tired. Unfocused. Brain fog. Physical pain usually in legs and back. Reactions get worse the farther she is from dx.

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

We've been very good at tracing our steps back to where it came from. The trickiest was some bottled Lipton tea (diet w/ citris) that really seemed to upset DD. I don't know if glutenining for sure but she felt rotton two nights in a row on days she drank it. I never found evidence that it had gluten in it, but she sure avoided it from then on. Most recently (ruined our over-month-long stretch) DD ate some grapes that had been CCd by contact with gluteny hands. The most surprising glutening was early on and from some Emeril's Honey Mustard that is on Emeril's gluten-free list but really gave her symptoms.

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

Lots and lots of water. Some TLC. A good gluten-free snack to give the tummy something else to do. Extra rest and patience for the days ahead with brain fog and lack of focus.

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

The precise day was June 4th 2007 for 100% compliance. She was gluten-lite for the last few weeks of school. Official dx date was May 17th 2007. She goes to Catholic school and wanted to finish that school year receiving the host.

I'm interested in what other parents say, too! We're always looking to extend the stretch. We're just over 3 months into this and I'm hoping by the 6 month mark we've worked out all the "bugs" and get that number down to just a few times a year (of course, no glutenings would be ideal!). Thankfully DD is a great eater and makes great food choices and doesn't seem sensitive to other foods like dairy and soy. She loves staying well and eating well and *sigh* what a relief for me!!

[ryebaby0]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

1. Almost never (maybe 2x so far) , but my husband does a few times a year

2. about 2-3 days

3. Ha! Don't we wish!! Tends to be the well-meaning relatives CC gluten-free food

4. lots of sympathy and movies

5. my child: coming up on 4 years, 3yr. for my husband

[dandelionmom]

Oops, didn't answer my own poll!

1. Since our diagnosis in mid July, she's been glutened 4 times

2. Our longest bout was 12 hours

3. 2 were my mistake when we were eating out, one was unidentified, and one was her sister slipping her a goldfish cracker

4. movies, snuggling, and pedialyte (she gets dehydrated FAST)

5. 2 months

[taweavmo3]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

Big glutenings....maybe 1 or 2 a year.

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

Vomiting for 2 or 3 hours, then fever, D sometimes (not usually), then fatigue and irritability for two weeks

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

The big accidents, I have always known. Like when the church lady gave her a cracker, and when my dad gave her an ice cream cone, lol. Those were the biggies last year. Small CC issues are trickier to pinpoint, and even then, I'm not always sure it's gluten.

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

Just lots of TLC, bland foods, and alot of water

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

2 1/2 years

[JennyC]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

1. Slightly every few weeks??? He's never gotten any gluten food, but I suspect cross contamination from mainstream processed foods. I am working to cut that stuff out of his diet.

2. Usually he has D a couple times the next day, occasionally into the next day. Until that passes his tummy is also upset. His symptoms are pretty mild compared to many others.

3. It is often hard to identify, since it is a cross contamination issue.

4. I give him lots of water and tummy-friendly gluten free food. I also give him plenty of sympathy.

5. He has been gluten free since mid March 2007.

[2Boys4Me]

I was just curious how often other parents see glutening happening with their Gluten-free children. If you don't mind answering, please do! Sorry I'm not sure how to properly format this as a poll, hope this is okay to post this way!

1. How often does your child get glutened?

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

My son has been gluten free for just over two years (since August 2005). He has/had no symptoms other than anemia, which I can't check, so it is entirely possible that either we are: 1. doing a fabulous job and he's never been glutened, or 2. we're doing a crappy job and he's been glutened daily from cc. Who knows? I realize this doesn't help your poll at all, but it's our reality.

[Guest andie]

1) How often is my son glutened?

At first I thought he was being extremely good and we were on the right track. However once he started feeling better and was able to identity when he was being glutened, it now seems like every 3 days. I tried making him lactose free but that didn't help. I tried giving him low dose Zantac thinking he was having reflux. That only worked for 2 days. Now I am back at the beginning and reexamining everything I am giving him. (Just now he tells me someone at school gave him Doritos).

That is the most odvious source, but some days I just don't have a clue.

2) Symptoms

Very vague, because he is very vague. Lately getting him to talk better. Nausea, abd pain. Sometimes diarrhea. Seem to be worse in the evening, but that is when he is not distracted and it feels worse. Occassional vomiting.

Because he was undiagnosed for so long, he has learned to ignore most of them and to him that's "normal".

Celiac blood test neg but low iron, low B12, low folate. Fatigue. Mild anemia. High CSR, high ESR. Neutropenic with high fevers. Headaches.

3)Have been on the diet for about 3 months. Started it on my own because didn't know what else to do.

O. K. I forget the rest of the questions. Hope this helps.

Just a quick question for those of you out there with children. Are there any commercial cereals that are gluten free. ie. corn pops, captain crunch, alphabets?

Thanx

Andie

[crittermom]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

1. I also thought we were being really good, however then I received the results of her 1 year blood test. I found out she was getting glutened when her antibody test came back at 80.1 only down 20 pts in a year.

2. Hard to tell, they reappeared but were not a constant and they were different. The blood in the stool didn't reappear which was a constant before going gluten-free. However her stools were greenish and would go back to brown but didn't turn white like the beginning. She started complaining of leg pain, I didn't know that could be a symptom. Her behavior got questionable again although my doctor said the things she was doing are normal for 5 year olds and she was testing the edges. I think that things weren't continuous because she doesn't use syrup every week so she probably felt better and her poops returned to normal after a day or so and then a week or two later it would hit again. I didn't put it together. Once the gluten was gone, everything dissappeared. Poops are back to normal and behavior is wonderful. Big time learning experience for me!

3. No I couldn't find it anywhere until I called a Pinnacle along with about 30 other companies that we use from laundry soap, bath soap, hand soap, food, vitamins... blah blah blah you all know the drill! The only one that had changed was Pinnacle Foods who makes Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. Their natural flavoring contains barley. We are always so careful and never eat out. It didn't occur to me that she was getting glutened. That teaches me for being to sure of myself!

4. I always go potty with her when she tells me her belly hurts. I sit on the floor in front of the potty and hug her. Give her lots of love and snuggles. And she drinks a lot more water.

5. Since Sept of 2006

[JennyC]

O. K. I forget the rest of the questions. Hope this helps.

Just a quick question for those of you out there with children. Are there any commercial cereals that are gluten free. ie. corn pops, captain crunch, alphabets?

Thanx

Andie

For mainstream cereals you want to stick to General Mills. All of the Pebbles cereals (cocoa, fruity & berry) are gluten free. Trix and Dora Stars are also gluten free. Safeway brand Cocoa Astros (cocoa puffs) are also gluten free.

Other good cereals are Health Valley Crunch-em's, Erewhorn rice cereals & Envirokids cereals (not all are gluten free).

I hope this helps.

[celiac-mommy]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from?

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

1. Once, last October

2. 2 days, 1st 6-12 hours-violent vomitting, 2 days of uncontrollable D

3. So far. The last one was the pumkin patch hay ride

4. BRAT diet, lots of binding foods, loves and quiet time

5. January 4 2006

[Kibbie]

1. How often does your child get glutened? I can only think of 1 definate glutening and 1 other possible glutening in the past year.

2. How long do symptoms usually last? Tummy symptoms last until she gets rid of it via poop or vomit, behaviour sypmptom lasted about 24 hours

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from? Nope. the one time I know she was glutened I can only assume that the restruant (one we dine at a lot) messed something up... but we eat there every weekend and this was the 1 time it happened. She's 2 so she could have gotten into soemthing somewhere so who knows.

4. How do you help them through a glutening? Other than to help fix her tummy ache I don't. Her behavior stuff... same rules apply with glutening as with out.

5. How long has your child been gluten-free? One year yesterday!

[KimC1]

1. How often does your child get glutened?

Not very often now. Maybe 2-3 times a year.

2. How long do symptoms usually last?

She has several lose stools and abdominal pain for about 12-24 hours after contact. It takes a few hours for it to kick in but then she feels terrible.

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from? Most of the time we can figure it out now.

4. How do you help them through a glutening?

Just TLC and sitting with her in the bathroom )-: She is 4.

5. How long has your child been gluten-free?

Since Oct 2004

[Glutenfreefamily]

1. She was glutened 3 times at family's houses till I started bringing all our own things. Answer #3 describes it better.

2. She gets a rash on her bottom with stinky poops and cranky so Im sure she gets a stomach ache.

3. At first no, now I only make her foods mostly from scratch so she hasn't been glutened for awhile. We also take our own dishes, plates, silverware, little hand towel and hand soap. Its a hassle but it keeps us both feeling a lot better.

4. At 3 I just start the butt cream when she gets a rash and by the time her poop is stinky it is usually the next day and I just try to get her to eat soothing foods for her stomach. Lots of tlc.

5. Around two years, same time I went gluten free.

[natalie]

1. How often does your child get glutened? Maybe 2x per year if that.

2. How long do symptoms usually last? Major vomitting for 3-4 hours, then sleepy and faint, clammy skin, irritable, stomach and throat pain.

3. Can you always identify where the gluten came from? Usually

4. How do you help them through a glutening? Cuddles, cold cloth, rice or bananas

5. How long has your child been gluten-free? Since Nov 2005