How Long Does It Take...

[avabellas-mom]

Hi, I am new to the boards. My 2 1/2 year old daughter was just diagnosed with Celiac disease through a blood test. I was wondering if any of the moms that have already been through this can give me some info on how long it takes for all the symptoms to go away once you remove the gluten from the diet. I am most concerned about the diarrhea. I just want her to feel better soon. I hate to see her in pain! Thanks!

[gfpaperdoll]

Each child is different. At first you might want to also eliminate dairy & soy.

Feed things like baked sweet potatoes, jello, plain meats, fish, veggies & fruits. You might want to cook the veggies & fruits for a couple of days to see if that helps. Rice would also be a good food to start out with. Homemade chicken soup with only chicken, carrots & cabbage is also good. Just try to feed your child soft foods for a few days.

Some kids (& surprisingly old people) heal extremely fast.

IF the diarrhea is not stopped in a couple of days, start looking for another food intolerance like maybe eggs, nuts, corn... if yes to other foods, do not worry these other food intolerances may be only temporary

[ryebaby0]

It depends very much on the individual, but it could be as quick as a week to see some improvement or as long as a month. Longer than that, and you want to double-check her diet and everything else that contacts her hands/mouth. It will be longer for a 100% recovery, but certainly it's reasonable to expect some improvement along the way. I agree that you might want to cut out dairy for now. Many recovering celiacs are temporarily unable to digest dairy (long, boring, medical reason) and that can keep her symptomatic.

[bear6954]

My 2 yr old son improved pretty quick. He stopped vomiting once we went gluten free and his poops began to get normal within about 2 weeks. I find that juice still gives him runny poops, but not nearly as smelly as when wheat is involved. I limit his juice to about 4 oz a day. He does not like fruit so we are ok there. I was told by our nut. that it may take time for him to be able to digest the suger content in fruit do to the damage to his intestines.

[shan]

i know everyone is saying it should take a week or two for the D to stop. it took my daughter, who was just 2 when she dx over 3 months to stop the D, and trust me i was a maniac and paranoid like noones business I was the most neurotic mom there was on the planet, and drs said that even though the books say it should take quick, some kids do take longer. the only thing you have to do is try more than your best if she is putting fingers in her mouth

[mftnchn]

check out www.pecanbread.com for some help if gluten-free alone isn't enough.