Can Someone Help Me Out Here?

[mrbr33]

I'm not really sure where to start here...when my son was around 18 months old he developed a really severe diaper rash. He never had diaper rash before that. It took FOREVER to clear it up. I began to notice that when he ate processed tomato products it would flare his rash up.

I mentioned to his ped. at his 2 year visit that his bowel movements are very mushy. The ped. said it was because he eats so healthy. We do eat lots of fruits/veges, chicken, etc. No juice or soda. No fruit snacks.

This summer (he was 2 1/2) he had a small circular patch at the top of his butt crack that would not go away and would flare up at certain times. Took him to the derm. and they said he had mild eczema.

At the end of the summer I took him to an allergist...I just didn't think the loose, frequent stools he was having were normal. She said no milk allergy but possibly lactose intolerant and if it didn't clear up he should see gastro.

He will be three in January and I can count on one hand the number of formed bowel movements he has had. They are large mushy, wet movements. There are some mornings he has 3 large movements by 11AM. There are also times when they are grainy and sand-like. There was a thread on this website that described it perfectly...it's so hard to get off with a wipe, you almost need to pick the pieces. I usually end up just throwing him in the bathtub, which is what I did this morning. He has a terrible rash right now.

Currently, I am waiting for a referral to go through for him to see gastro.

Behavior wise - he is VERY busy. My mom thinks his temper tantrums are worse than other children his age. When he wants something he will start to throw a fit if it's not immediate.

I should also mention that he has always been in or above the 90th %ile in height/weight. I sometimes wonder how with the amount he poops!

I just have that feeling that something is not right with his gut...I'm hoping gastro can help. From reading these threads I think maybe my first step is to let him continue to eat what he normally does and keep a food and stool log for a few weeks?? I don't know much about celiac...what are some other symptoms (in toddlers) I should be looking for?

[dandelionmom]

Your son's symptoms sound very similar to my daughter's. I had never heard of Celiac and was surprised when the pediatrician requested the celiac panel along with the other blood tests they were running.

Definitely keep him eating what he normally eats if you want to have testing done.

My daughter was irritable (we called it "the terrible 3s"), was a picky eater, had an extended belly but was thinner than all of her friends, was mildly anemic since infancy, had bms like you described, had a very hard time potty training, and had episodes of "stomach flu" every few weeks but no one else seemed to catch it.

[Tori's Dad]

My daughter was diagnosed 2 weeks after her 5th birthday. She would go 2 days without a BM then have 3 within half an hour. They were loose and looked greasy or fatty. Like foam floating on the water in the bowl. In her case, the smell was unbelievable!

In addition she was below 5th percentile.

Your child's symptoms sound quite different but one thing Celiac will teach you is that everyone's symptoms are different. I would definitely get the blood test for him.

Good luck!

[NewGFMom]

You don't have to wait for your referral to get tested for celiac! I'd take him back to your pediatrician and ask for the ELISA panel of bloodwork. This doesn't preclude going to the gastro, but you can get some answers more quickly. Our normal doctor did my son's original bloodwork and we went to the gastro after that.

My son also had no problems with the growth chart, but had weird poop and frequent tummy aches. My husband just tested positive and he has no symptoms whatsoever. It's a weird disease, but it's live-able, if not cure-able.

Keep us posted on how he does!