Stomach Bug Or Gluten Consumption? How Do I Know?

[Chelsea-A]

My son was diagnosed with celiac at 14 months old. He is now 19 months so he's been gluten-free for about 5 months. Yesterday he had diarrhea and vomited 4 times. Today he has diarrhea and has not eaten. Because he is so young he can't tell me how he feels. I don't know if this is from gluten contamination or a stomach bug. These are my questions:

How often does it usually take for your kids to show signs after gluten consumption?

How long do they usually feel sick?

How do you know if they ate gluten or have a virus?

And, is he more likely to be highly sensitive to gluten since his onset was at such an young age?

Thanks for any advice.

[Sweetfudge]

Right now, just about everyone I know is dealing with a bug of one kind or another. I started throwing up in the middle of the night on Sunday, and our first thought was, "Oh crap, what did I eat??" Then it turned into half a day of diarrhea, and then my temperature spiked. That's what led me to believe it was a bug, which my doctor confirmed.

I don't have kids, all I know is my experience when I eat gluten. Mine comes usually within an hour. I don't throw up more than once or twice in the beginning, although my stomach pain/irregular BM's last several days. I would recommend taking him to a doctor if you can. Or at least check his temperature. Good luck

[2boysmama]

We've been gluten-free for three years now, and to be honest, even I have trouble telling still. Complicating matters further for us is my youngest is also allergic to dairy, soy, and eggs, and exposure to those causes diarrhea as well.

For me personally, gluten exposure symtpoms are different than flu symptoms, but it's definitely hard to tell with kiddos. Unless things have changed (I haven't been around here much), regardless of the cause, all you can do is symptom management. Make sure your son drinks plenty of fluids, and I've also found that taking probiotics help with tummy bugs pretty quickly - and they definitely don't hurt for gluten exposure.