Curious About Possible Celiac Symptoms As A Child

[RESO]

Hi Everyone,

I hope this is the proper place to post this question. I recall seeing a few different posts from people on this board over the last couple of years saying that a doctor had diagnosed them w/ celiac as a child, then a few years later been told by Dr. that they had "grown out of it", then symptoms recurred and/or they were diagnosed again as an adult.

What I am wondering is if it is possible to have symptoms as a child, have them subside for a period of time, then have them recur? This would be WITHOUT going on a gluten-free diet. The reason I am asking is that when I was a young child, I would sometimes have severe stomach pain, and some dr. told my parents I was faking (I wasn't). This occurred on a regular basis, along w/ strep, colds and the like, until I was 10 or 11 years old, then subsided. I then began to have severe symptoms of celiac in my 30s. Maybe it's coincidence (or flouridated water), but maybe not?

Thanks to all for your help. :-)

[mushroom]

Yes, I was like that as a child and through my early high school years. My mother never believed what horrible cramps the porridge and rolled oats used to cause me at school. Then, poof, it went away, not to recur until I was 29. I haven't a clue why it went away, but it was Mexican food that brought it back

[nora-n]

Yes, this was common praxis, because they (doctors) thought celiac just was a childhood disease and went away during puberty.

Later they realized this was not so.

I have read some abstracts where they brought in such patients and diagnoesd them all again with celiac, or they put them on a gluten challenge and all relapsed and it took from 6 weeks to 6 years, but all relapsed.

[maddycat]

Yes- very possible.

I was very sick from the time i was 1 1/2 until I was 4 years old. My parents had me on an elimination diet- last thing to re-introduce was gluten. I was never officially diagnosed with Celiac back then as my parents opted to not have invasive testing done. I was then "seemingly" fine until I was 30 years old. After the birth of my first son (the trigger) I started having symptoms and was diagnosed.

They call it a "honeymoon phases" where symptoms are not present for a number of years, often until a sever illness, stress, pregnancy, etc. causes the symptoms to come back.

[buffettbride]

The honeymoon phase is a pretty well documented phenomenon with Celiac Disease. My personal theory is that it goes into hiding in order for an individual to become reproductively mature. Once that has happened, it kicks in full-steam-ahead.

We've talked with our 12 year old Celiac about if the honeymoon phase hits and that it's just as important to stay gluten-free during that time.

[SLB5757]

Hi Everyone,

I hope this is the proper place to post this question. I recall seeing a few different posts from people on this board over the last couple of years saying that a doctor had diagnosed them w/ celiac as a child, then a few years later been told by Dr. that they had "grown out of it", then symptoms recurred and/or they were diagnosed again as an adult.

What I am wondering is if it is possible to have symptoms as a child, have them subside for a period of time, then have them recur? This would be WITHOUT going on a gluten-free diet. The reason I am asking is that when I was a young child, I would sometimes have severe stomach pain, and some dr. told my parents I was faking (I wasn't). This occurred on a regular basis, along w/ strep, colds and the like, until I was 10 or 11 years old, then subsided. I then began to have severe symptoms of celiac in my 30s. Maybe it's coincidence (or flouridated water), but maybe not?

Thanks to all for your help. :-)

I definitely believe this is a possibility. I was always the smallest child at school, always went to the bathroom maybe 5 or more times a day and certainly every time I ate, was always catching every illness (mono at 15, hypoglycemia and severe allergies diagnosed at 17) - but it all seemed to go away for the most part until a few months after my son was born (28 years old). At that point my stomach was never the same and I have struggled since. Looking back I do remember many food related issues as a child that they never looked into. My family just brushed it off as me being "picky". I would refuse food, hide food because I didn't want to eat it, and would wake up at night in childhood screaming with terrible nightmares. I can't help now but to think that it is all somehow related. That maybe I was refusing food because my body knew it was making me sick but I didn't know how to express it being young. I remember the doctors telling my doctors I was anorexic when I had mono at 15, but I ate more than anyone in my family. I was always front row center in every school picture because of my size. My twenties seemed to be the "honeymoon phase" though. I do not remember having any food related issues or tummy upsets. I of course stayed under 100 lbs, but I know I wasn't in any pain and did not have the major celiac symptoms. I do think it went a bit silent and then re-occured when my son was born - if that is even possible.

[ciavyn]

This is definitely my story. Had all kinds of GI problems growing up, which seemed to disappear when I was a teenager. No problems until the last few years, right around the 28-32 age range.

[lynnelise]

Same here. I was so sick as a child with constant stomach aches. The doctor told my parents it was psychosomatic and sent me to a counselor. I was also plauged by strep throat. I kept getting it over and over. These issues went away around the time I started my period. My stomach was fine and I had no signs of strep until I was around 26. Then I started getting strep again and my gallbladder started acting up. I had my gallbladder and my tonsils removed but nothing helped. Then I started getting sick with EVERYTHING. Repeated bouts of strep, mono, and shingles. Went gluten free in November and feel boatloads better!