I Just Wanted To Introduce Myself, Glad I Found This Site!

[Kat'sMom]

I just wanted to introduce myself. Im glad I found this site & hope to learn alot & be able to help my daughter get through this.

I have an 11 yr old daughter, who has been diagnosised with everything from failure to thrive, IBS, Endocaprices, and even an eating disorder. However at her last GI appt, we saw someone new, she read all her history & asked if se had ever had a Celiac plate done.

Since she had not we spent several days last week doing tests, x-rays, blood work, etc.

Well it has been confirmed this is what she has. Kind of hit us like a brick. She's pretty thin for 11 (59 lbs) and pretty much is a "carb eater" loves mac & cheese, breads, cereal.

This is going to be HUGE for her to accept & eat right.

I see there are lots of good resources for how to find/make gluten free foods. So I will be pouring over them.

We still have to meet with her GI & they are sending us to a nutrionist. I told her I would let her get through Thanksgiving & then we will have to learn together how to do this.

Look forward to meeting/chatting with you all

~Jules

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the board. It will be hard for her at first, it is for almost all of us. You may find she is a bit tempermental for the first couple weeks as many of us do go through withdrawl but it will lift. You have found a great place for support and info and it may help her to join also and check out the teen section. There is a lot to learn, make sure all family members get tested also as there is a strong tendency for there to be more than one of us in a family and sometimes the symptoms are not as obvious as her's were. Ask any questions you need to and read as much as you can. I am so happy they found this in her at an early age. I have been celiac since about age 5 but wasn't diagnosed till I was in my forties. She is very lucky but likely won't feel that way right now.

[purple]

Hi and welcome! One thing to start getting the mindset right is to focus on what she can eat, rather than the negative, "can't haves". Give her positve choices so she can learn and choose for herself. Also get her involved in food preperation. She will learn lots that way and will be in control of what she eats. She will be more aware of what is in her food when she is not at home. Learn how to read labels together. Find a couple of yummy recipes for those moments when she feels bad...comfort food... like brownies or chocolate chip cookies. Stash some in the freezer...just for her

When my 18 yr old started gluten-free this year, she was already vegan. She learned about all the bad ingredients in her food. She read labels and looked up ingredients on the web or asked me. I am thankful she was so interested and wanted to be healthier. You could learn about just one ingredient per week. Soon she will know what all the labels say.

Before we learned about gluten I was learning about all the junk in our food...long ingredient labels. The "stuff" in boxes and bags isn't food IMO. I still buy some but not like before. Like tortilla chips...corn, salt, oil...better choice and safer than those with lots of ingredients. Sometimes shopping is easier. Look at the cereal aisle...so long. Not anymore. Head for the Chex...and you are done!

One more thing. I planted my first garden this year. Consider having her plant a couple of veggies. She will learn so much and will enjoy watching her "babies" grow. She will get excited about healthy food. It is fun, rewarding, organic and cheap...really cuts down on the food bill!

[ang1e0251]

Welcome and I award your dr a gold star for being on top of things! I would add that if you can join a local celiac disease group, your daughter could have the chance to meet other kids like her. I imagine she might feel like the only one in the world with celiac disease otherwise.