Does This Sound Like Celiac Disease?

[andarah]

My DD is now 6 1/2.

We have been having a few problems since Christmas and we are trying to figure it out.

Here's her story:

She stopped growing properly at 12 months and fell off the growth charts for height, but her weight has always maintained the 25th%ile. The doctor has run tests and determined she will be about 5' 3", which is probably around the 25th%ile or a little taller. He feels she is supposed to be on the 25th, but her height is being stunted for some reason.

She started showing signs of incredible defiance at the age of 11 months.

When she was 3, she was dx with lactose intolerance. At the same time, a naturopath told us she was wheat intolerant, but he didn't do anything with her, other than listen to me talk about her. We took off wheat and saw no improvement, so we disnmissed his ideas.

We got control of her defiance around 3 1/2.

In the last 4 months, her defiance has returned with a vengence. She's also complained of stomach aches, almost daily, in the same period of time and she started wetting the bed, which is now a nightly thing. She was night trained for 4 years before this. When we do wake her up to use the toilet (now necessary to avoid bed wetting), she is so tired, that we are not able to wake her up. She also still has her `toddler belly'.

She has no constipation, diarhea, or other classic signs of a digestive problem.

Family history:

My father has diverticulitus and has had 1/2 his bowel removed because of perforations. My cousin has IBS and a few other cousins have lactose intolerance.

We've taken her to the doctor and she was given a clean bill of health. She had blood work done for her thyroid, blood sugar, and cell count. She has no problems, including infection. We've also had her seen by a psychologist because she has some classic signs of abuse. The psychologist does not feel that anything has happened to DD.

So, in our search to figure out what is going on, I've stumbled across Celiac Disease and it has struck a chord in us. We've decided to try going gluten-free to see if it helps her, but this is a major undertaking, esp because her brother is on an ADHD diet and it completely contradicts the gluten-free. So, if I'm off-base, I'd like to know.

Does this sound like celiac disease?

[home-based-mom]

It definitely sounds like a possibility.

I don't know what an ADHD diet is, but if you start reading in here for very long you will find post after post after post from parents whose children stopped exhibiting ADHD behavior when they went completely gluten free, or when gluten free plus soy / casein / whatever else was necessary free.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying, because by your own words, what you are doing now is not working.

Welcome! Feel free to ask anything!

[Ursa Major]

Hi and welcome to these boards. Yes, your daughter sounds like an awful lot of kids with celiac disease. All her symptoms, including stunted growth and defiance, bed wetting etc. could be caused by celiac disease. By the way, so could her brother's ADHD, as ADHD is VERY common with celiac disease.

Maybe, in order to simplify things (and maybe help both of them at the same time) you could try BOTH of them on the gluten-free diet?

Also, celiac disease causes lactose intolerance!

If you want to really find out if your kids are gluten intolerant, you could have them tested with Open Original Shared Link. It cannot diagnose celiac disease as such (since officially you need to have blunted villi for a diagnosis), but they can identify gluten intolerance. Not everybody who is gluten intolerant exhibits the 'classic' symptoms. In fact, very few people with celiac disease do.

[Breila]

I only have a moment, but I wanted to chime and say that with the exceptions of the defiance and the bed wetting, your daughter's history sounds almost identical to my son's. I told his ped. I suspected celiac when he was 4 and was told I was overreacting, he was "normal", right after they told me he would be 5'10" when he grew up, and no man in my husband's family has been under 6' in living memory, heck his sister is 6'1", LOL.

We finally got a celiac diagnosis (from a very kind, understanding, and proactive ped.) over 3 years later when he started complaining daily of stomach aches.

[andarah]

Thank you!

I will definitely continue with the gluten-free for my DD. I will continue with the ADHD diet for our son, and once he has many of his choices back after the elimination, we try him on gluten-free. I think I will try it when we try it with our DS. I am beginning to wonder if I am celiac and have never known.

[gfpaperdoll]

I have not heard of the ADHD elimination diet. But it probably gets to the same place which is gluten free, dairy free, soy free & then eliminate other things as you notice them. Really once you eliminate gluten, dairy & soy, the child should be able to tell if he has problems with any other foods. I do recommend a total elimination of food dyes, artificial flavors & ALL artificial sugars, which pretty much gets rid of most processed foods.

yes, the hubbies are usually in denial, my son 37YO keeps his head in the sand...

I am sure you will learn a lot reading this forum!

[andarah]

I have not heard of the ADHD elimination diet. But it probably gets to the same place which is gluten free, dairy free, soy free & then eliminate other things as you notice them. Really once you eliminate gluten, dairy & soy, the child should be able to tell if he has problems with any other foods. I do recommend a total elimination of food dyes, artificial flavors & ALL artificial sugars, which pretty much gets rid of most processed foods.

yes, the hubbies are usually in denial, my son 37YO keeps his head in the sand...

I am sure you will learn a lot reading this forum!

The ADHD diet that we are following eliminates: dairy, sugar, sucralose and aspertame, MSG, yellow fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, chocolate, no food colourings, no fried foods, no processed meat and no junk food (anything wrapped in celophane).

So, it doesn't eliminate soy or wheat. But, once we have most of these foods back from the elimination, we'll have a little room to move and then we'll do the gluten and soy.

We have noticed amazing things with our DS since we've been doing this - his eyes are brighter, he's noticing irony in situations, he's helpful, he's `on the ball'. None of it is academic, but we're seeing big changes at home.

I am definitely learning a lot as I read the forums and I getting so much help with recipes, school lunches, stocking my kitchen, etc.

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!

[gfpaperdoll]

That sounds great, please note that companies are now hiding MSG in the "natural flavor" ingredient.

Once you get rid of the wheat & soy, I think you are going to see huge improvements in your son. I am very happy for him!!