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Red Ears And Cheeks

Dixiebell
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Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

Hello. I am learning so much from everyone here. My 8 yr old son has been having some stomach problems. Presently he is under the care of a GI doc in ATL. They ran a celiac panel and said it was normal. I do not have the results to post at this time. The doc also said that the tests are only 95% accurate. So we are playing the waiting game now. Presently they are treating him with acid blockers and miralax. Tonight at dinner I noticed his cheeks, chin and ears were really red and he looked like he didn't feel well. He said he was o.k. Any idea what would cause this?

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taweavmo3 Enthusiast
taweavmo3
Posted

My 5 year old gets red cheeks and ears too...I've read it could be allergies, but we haven't had my son allergy tested as of yet. We need to though, b/c I'm sure he's sensitive to other foods. Last summer, he ate some strawberries, and within 5 minutes his cheeks and ears were bright red. When his cheeks go red, he also gets very agitated and angry. Hope this helps some!

Myooshka Apprentice
Myooshka
Posted

My 5 year old gets red cheeks and ears too...I've read it could be allergies, but we haven't had my son allergy tested as of yet. We need to though, b/c I'm sure he's sensitive to other foods. Last summer, he ate some strawberries, and within 5 minutes his cheeks and ears were bright red. When his cheeks go red, he also gets very agitated and angry. Hope this helps some!

Not sure what would cause this, possibly allergies. Our son who we are suspecting Celiac gets very red hot ears and then us very irritable. We always thought this was his teeth coming in, but now he has all of his teeth and this is still occurring.

Myooshka Apprentice
Myooshka
Posted

Not sure what would cause this, possibly allergies. Our son who we are suspecting Celiac gets very red hot ears and then us very irritable. We always thought this was his teeth coming in, but now he has all of his teeth and this is still occurring.

Oops sorry meant to reply to dixibell.

Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted
  • Author

Not sure what would cause this, possibly allergies. Our son who we are suspecting Celiac gets very red hot ears and then us very irritable. We always thought this was his teeth coming in, but now he has all of his teeth and this is still occurring.

Thank you for your responses. I guess we are off to find an allergy doc. too.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

I would always get the red ears, especially as a child. Nearest I can tell, it's from gluten, as I no longer get that, or the red cheeks.

AFAIK, the tests aren't as accurate as 95%. Some tests are better than others, but not that good. Perhaps he meant the genetic tests, but that doesn't confirm Celiac. If I'm incorrect, I'm confident someone will point it out.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

My son got the red ears before the diagnosis and before gluten free. Now he doesn't get them anymore. 10 years old at diagnosis. I have only heard of it as a symptom anecdotally.

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  • 8 years later...
tonyajayne Newbie
tonyajayne
Posted

I'm 38 years old and in the past year I've noticed when I eat bread or certain foods, my ears will turn red and are incredibly hot. Followed by my nose and cheeks. The other night, I had a half a pint of stout beer, 30 minutes later my entire face was red like I had a sunburn. Today I ate some food which had gluten and I had the same reaction. I also ate strawberries, pineapple and some other foods. Anyways, it's just strange for this to happen to me later in life. I know people can just develop an allergy to things overtime, but does anyone else have this happen? I thought it was from eating something spicy. 

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi,

It could be an allergy to wheat.  Or it could be the beginning stages of DH (dermatitis herpetiformis), a condition associated with celiac disease.  That's just a guess though.

You should probably get an allergy test right away.  Allergies are nothing to ignore, as they can suddenly start getting much worse.  Sometimes they become life-threatening suddenly.  Better safe than sorry.

Wheatwacked Veteran
Wheatwacked
Posted
53 minutes ago, tonyajayne said:

Anyways, it's just strange for this to happen to me later in life.

It happened to me when I was 63. Now that I have been GFD for three years, I am seeing complaints, some from early childhood just correcting themselves. Whatever your specific diagnosis, if a Gluten Free Diet proves to help you, there is no other treatment.

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    • trents
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    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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