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Could The Fog Be Lifting?


fkewatson

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fkewatson Rookie

Hi - it's been a long time since I've posted anything, but we think we may be beginning to see the first benefits of being gluten-free with my 4 year old son (whom I need to mention has severe verbal apraxia and is completely non-verbal). It was 11 weeks this past Tuesday and this week has been amazing. He has begun to initiate going to the potty (he has been fully trained for some time now but we would have to take him - he would just hold it until we did). Now this week he is going into the bathroom and taking care of business on his own. His stool has begun to normalize (from chronic steatorrhea, not diarrhea) and he has become more responsive and focused. He is able to regulate his actions better in preschool (i.e. he is sitting for longer periods of time before getting up and wanting to run or wander around, and is giving me more verbalizations. There are other things that I can't even think of to mention right now - but it just seems like the "brain fog" that I hear people talk about is finally lifting. Poor little guy - he was on gluten his whole life up until 11.5 weeks ago and if not for the grace of God we still wouldn't know (the genetic Celiac test came back as "normal", but about 13 weeks ago a wonderful doctor took it upon herself to have an HLA expert read the results and she interpreted it as him having the genetic profile for "non-Celiac gluten sensitivity". So we went on the diet and my goodness, it appears it might be working!

Does his new behavior sound like it could be the gluten-free diet is beginning to pay off here on the fringe of the 3 month mark?

Am I hopefully in for bigger and better treats as the weeks go on?


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gfpaperdoll Rookie

I am so happy for you with the progress your son has made - that is just wonderful.

Have you also eliminated dairy? You might also do that as a lot of these kids cannot handle dairy & I would not add in soy, no one needs soy or dairy...

be sure to watch for cross contamination, now that he has been gluten-free for 3 months, he is probably going to be more sensitive to gluten now...

I am so excited for you, keep us posted!!!!

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      You might consider asking for a referral to a RD (Registered Dietician) to help with food choices and planning a diet. Even apart from any gluten issues, you will likely find there are some foods you need to avoid because of the shorter bowel but you may also find that your system may make adjustments over time and that symptoms may improve.
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