Pica?

[zeta-lilly]

Okay, I'll preface this by saying that I never actually ate anything. I knew it was crazy, but when I was pregnant (pre-diagnosis), all I wanted to do was eat weird things. I have always had food cravings, but usually normal ones (cookies, bread). The biggest craving I had was permanent markers. I would sit there and fantasize about eating the marker in my drawer. I would get a whiff of gasoline, cleaning products, cedar, fresh paint, and all I could think about was eating it. It went away right after I delivered, at which point I craved hamburgers like crazy. I assume I was just extremely malnourished because of the celiacs and pregnancy.

Has anyone else had pica prior to being diagnosed?

[jerseyangel]

I did--when I was pregnant with my second child. I craved chemical smells like gasoline and paint.

[MaryJones2]

I most often associate pica as a symptom of iron deficient anemia. Anemia was my initial symptom. When I was severely anemic I craved ice. It was so bad I had to have 3 crowns replaced because I cracked them. But now that you guys mention it I also used to love the smell of gasoline and markers too.

[jerseyangel]

I was anemic for years.....taking iron would keep it at "borderline" most of the time.

[Mother of Jibril]

My daughter has had problems with pica... sometimes she eats chalk like it's candy. She also loves ice cubes and paper. When I searched online it said that in kids with normal to high intelligence it's associated with iron deficiency and/or OCD. Both of these run in my dad's family. I had her tested and they said her iron levels were "normal," but I didn't get the exact figures and I didn't know as much about the CBC as I do now The celiac/pica connection makes sense! Her pica has been better since we cut way back on her gluten intake.

Incidentally, I also craved hamburgers during my first pregnancy And raw tomatoes. Last time it was Mexican food (guacamole, beans, salsa) and root beer.

[MaryJones2]

I think it would be a good idea to be checked out for anemia especially since you're pregnant. The CBC only checks hemoglobin and that isn't always a good indicator of anemia so you also need to have serum iron, ferritin, TIBC (total iron binding capacity).

[Puddy]

I chewed on ice for years. About 10 years ago, my dr. discovered I was anemic which he attributed to heavy periods. He told me to take iron pills and I slowly lost the cravings for ice. But about 3 years ago, it started again. I just thought it was a bad habit. This year I was diagnosed with celiac and severe anemia with no iron stores. Myy current dr. put me on heavy duty iron and I haven't had the cravings since. Now that you mention it, I've always loved the smell of markers, paint and especially gasoline.

[zeta-lilly]

I think it would be a good idea to be checked out for anemia especially since you're pregnant. The CBC only checks hemoglobin and that isn't always a good indicator of anemia so you also need to have serum iron, ferritin, TIBC (total iron binding capacity).

I'm not pregnant now, she's two :-) Since I've gone gluten free I feel much better.

Also, I think to a certain degree thinking that gasoline, markers, and paint smell good is normal. Most of my friends think so, but wanting to eat them is totally different :-) I'm so glad that's over.

[Darn210]

When my daughter was initially diagnosed and I was in my denial stage, I was asking the doctor if it could be some sort of bacterial infection or parasite because my daughter would "lick" all kinds of things . . . doorknobs and glass (windows and doors) were her favourite (I think because they felt cold) but other things, too. He looked at me like this . . . . . . then said that's a form of Pica and that's also a symptom of Celiac . . . Doh!!! I was just giving him more evidence!!! Not good for my "She can't possibly have Celiac" campaign!!

[Mother of Jibril]

He looked at me like this . . . . . . then said that's a form of Pica and that's also a symptom of Celiac . . . Doh!!! I was just giving him more evidence!!!

I used to get in trouble for that all the time when I was little! I remember licking the edge of the counter in the check-out line at Kmart when I was about four or five years old. It just happened to be at mouth-level and I remember liking the metallic taste. What kind of kid does that? Sooo many things are making sense in my life.

[jerseyangel]

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was go the the gas station with my dad. I'd open the window, stick my head out and smell the gasoline. I also loved it when they re-surfaced the roads--loved the tar smell. And magic markers....moth balls.....Vicks Vapo Rub

The only time I had the urge to eat these things was when I was pregnant, though.

[Puddy]

Oh, Vicks VapoRub! I love the smell of that. I used to put some on a tissue and carry it around so I could sniff it during the day. I thought it was because it reminded me of my mother when she would rub it on my chest when I was little. Who knew!!! LOL

[larry mac]

When I was a kid, I used to burn matches and after they cooled let them dissolve in my mouth. I remember it tasting good. lm

[zeta-lilly]

When I was a kid, I used to burn matches and after they cooled let them dissolve in my mouth. I remember it tasting good. lm

Wow! I can't even imagine that tasting good. And I hate the taste of metal. It sounds like you guys had it worse than I ever did! It's funny though, they just redid the elevator at the gym and it smells like paint, so good! Someone asked me why I came to the gym to run a few miles then lift weights, but I took the elevator instead of the stairs. I made up some excuse. I didn't tell them the real reason.

[julirama723]

This is a wild thread!

When I was a kid, I'd always sneak play-doh and eat it. I liked that it was salty and slightly rubbery and had that wierd chemical smell. I also loved to put keys in my mouth, they had this sort of metallic heat. (Just typing that...I can taste them now!) I would also always want to put coins in my mouth for this same reason, but my parents would freak out. (I freak out about that now, thinking of how many germs I ingested, ewwww.)

I also love the smell of gasoline and the smell of burnt matches/blown out candles.

I had no idea this was considered pica! My doctor just asked me about this at my last appointment, and I said, "Of course I don't have pica, I've never eaten dirt!" Ooops.

[Mother of Jibril]

Oh yeah... keys and coins!! And metal railings on the playground at school. Ugh. No wonder I had a lot of colds... I was putting all kinds of nasty things in my mouth.

My daughter has been really healthy, but I catch her doing the same behaviors... We couldn't leave her alone with the playdoh for a long time because she would eat it like a dinner roll.

This thread makes me laugh so hard!! It just really hits the nail on the head.

[AliB]

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was go the the gas station with my dad. I'd open the window, stick my head out and smell the gasoline. I also loved it when they re-surfaced the roads--loved the tar smell. And magic markers....moth balls.....Vicks Vapo Rub

Me too! Me Too! I used to wind the window down and take deep breaths of the fuel smells! But I did wonder whether it is a kid thing, too. Young people are very drawn to strong fume-y stuff like glue-sniffing which is generally confined to teenagers.

Perhaps it is something to do with a deficiency of some kind! There's something for the 'powers that be' to investigate - who knows, perhaps they could prevent kids glue-sniffing by getting them on a decent diet with plenty of fresh raw fruit and veg containing plenty of vitamins and minerals and enzymes, and give them supplements if necessary.

Get plenty of the fresh raw food and you feel so great that you don't need to be doing that stuff. Wish I'd eaten more fruit and veg as a kid - come to that I wish I'd eaten more fresh fruit and veg my whole life - maybe I wouldn't be in this mess now.

I am eating more of it now though, and it is working. Anything much that is cooked or 'heavy' and I am back in the quagmire with a struggling digestion and extreme fatigue.

[curiousgeorge]

OH geeze, I'm just seeing this thread now.

WOW.

I ate everything as a kid but was REALLY good at keeping it a secret. I quite literally ate story books. I'd rip bits of paper out of them and chew on it like gum. I ate the paint of my tricycle by scraping at it with my teeth (loads ofl ead in that I'm sure). I also used to eat/drink mucilage glue at school. I can still taste that if I really concentrate. I am convinced I was un dx celiac even as a kid. I've never liked bread and I remember it was a special treat to have english muffin pizzas but I'd always feel HORRID after eating them. Funny, I was the pickiest eater on the planet yet I'd eat paint?

[MollyBeth]

My iron and ferratin levels are still kindof low. I'm still eating ice all the time...and once when I was in high school I ate powdered laundry detergent. My mom caught me and was like whatis worng with you. I told her I didn't know and the urge was so great I couldn't stop myself. That's the way it is with ice too. After that she didn't buy the powdered detergent anymore... I also love the smell of magic markers an gasoline...

[chatycady]

I had pica until they found I had pernicious anemia. (ice) B-12 shots solved that. But I still crave salt. I just ate a whole jar of dill pickles tonight. I figure I must need it. I have low blood pressure.

I still like the smell of burned matches. And I ate play doh too as a child I still like the smell of a fresh can!

[anabananakins]

I'm wondering now if my insane cravings for uncooked pasta are pica. I'm new to all this and not yet diagnosed (had the blood tests this morning) but I've craved dried pasta since I was a kid. If it's cooked I think meh, whatever,it loses all power over me but if it's still dry ...ohhhhh. It seems ridiculous that I can take or leave chocolate and all my friends tease me for it :-P

I figured for my gluten challenge I might as well have a final fling. My family will be thrilled if I give it up though; I'm always getting into trouble for getting into the spaghetti when I visit my mum's place - the crunching drives my sister nuts :-)