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Niece Said Her Whole Body Hurt

SGWhiskers

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SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

What do you make of this and how hard would you push?

Yesterday, I was visiting my 3.5 year old niece. Her mom picked me up at 11:00 and the 3 of us went shopping until 1:00 when we got banana bread for the 3.5 year old. She ate it on the way home and 15 minutes later stood in her kitchen looking wilted holding her new barbie and anounced to her mom that her whole body hurt. Mom was concerned and confused so my niece elaborated. She said "Sometimes banana bread makes my whole body hurt."

When she said her whole body hurt, I knew exactly what she was feeling. Am I over reacting thinking it is celiac? Do kids just say things like that?

My brother tested negative for celiac 2 years ago. I'm going to talk to them later today about what she said. As auntie, do I just let them know my concerns and how to go about testing, or do I push them as hard as I can to get testing.

Then, the question is what kind of testing is most appropriate in this situation? I know the pros and cons of each, but what would you do if you had a hyper aunt telling you your kid might have a problem?

My husband teases I just want someone in the club with me.

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cyberprof Enthusiast
cyberprof
Posted

What do you make of this and how hard would you push?

Yesterday, I was visiting my 3.5 year old niece. Her mom picked me up at 11:00 and the 3 of us went shopping until 1:00 when we got banana bread for the 3.5 year old. She ate it on the way home and 15 minutes later stood in her kitchen looking wilted holding her new barbie and anounced to her mom that her whole body hurt. Mom was concerned and confused so my niece elaborated. She said "Sometimes banana bread makes my whole body hurt."

When she said her whole body hurt, I knew exactly what she was feeling. Am I over reacting thinking it is celiac? Do kids just say things like that?

My brother tested negative for celiac 2 years ago. I'm going to talk to them later today about what she said. As auntie, do I just let them know my concerns and how to go about testing, or do I push them as hard as I can to get testing.

Then, the question is what kind of testing is most appropriate in this situation? I know the pros and cons of each, but what would you do if you had a hyper aunt telling you your kid might have a problem?

My husband teases I just want someone in the club with me.

I get teased about wanting "club" members too.

I don't have much advice. Sure is a red flag for a 3.5 year old to be that expressive.

I've mentioned this before, but my son, after he went gluten-free, said "I didn't know that eating wasn't supposed to hurt." The poor kid went 15 years eating and hurting. You don't want that for your niece. A blood test is easy - the problem is that there are lots of false negatives and if she has a negative test, there's a potential for even more harm to be done.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

If it's *just* banana bread, she may want to look into banana allergy (or the other ingredients that she gets uniquely (or relatively so) to banana bread).

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted
  • Author

If it's *just* banana bread, she may want to look into banana allergy (or the other ingredients that she gets uniquely (or relatively so) to banana bread).

I don't think it was just banana bread, although I'll ask her mother about it when I talk to her. I suspect that she recognized that she felt bad right after eating and blamed it on the banana bread.

I didn't get to talk to my sister in law today because my mother (her grandma) was there all day and while she is very supportive of my diet, she is convinced that all aches and pains are hypochondria. I knew how the conversation with my sister in law would go if my mom got involved. It was better to wait and have the conversation on the phone.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

I asked a question similar to this a few months ago...the general consensus on the board was that the best we can do is suggest testing and educate our family members that are willing to listen, but we can't push. Pushing them to get her tested if they dismiss your suggestion could cause a rift in your relationship. And small children can be false negative so frequently, if they test her now and it's negative they may not test her again in the future if her health gets worse. I know how hard it is to watch loved ones suffer, but your niece's health is ultimately in the hands of her parents. Some people can get really defensive if you push them on health-related decisions. If you suggest it, you could start out by telling them how much what your niece said about the banana bread reminded you of your own experiences with gluten. Then you can say how relatives have a greater chance of having celiac or gluten intolerance and maybe they should get her tested. After that however, the ball is in their court to dismiss your suggestion, ask for more info or take action to get the tests.

shaleen Rookie
shaleen
Posted

I asked a question similar to this a few months ago...the general consensus on the board was that the best we can do is suggest testing and educate our family members that are willing to listen, but we can't push. Pushing them to get her tested if they dismiss your suggestion could cause a rift in your relationship. And small children can be false negative so frequently, if they test her now and it's negative they may not test her again in the future if her health gets worse. I know how hard it is to watch loved ones suffer, but your niece's health is ultimately in the hands of her parents. Some people can get really defensive if you push them on health-related decisions. If you suggest it, you could start out by telling them how much what your niece said about the banana bread reminded you of your own experiences with gluten. Then you can say how relatives have a greater chance of having celiac or gluten intolerance and maybe they should get her tested. After that however, the ball is in their court to dismiss your suggestion, ask for more info or take action to get the tests.

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted
  • Author

I asked a question similar to this a few months ago...the general consensus on the board was that the best we can do is suggest testing and educate our family members that are willing to listen, but we can't push. Pushing them to get her tested if they dismiss your suggestion could cause a rift in your relationship. And small children can be false negative so frequently, if they test her now and it's negative they may not test her again in the future if her health gets worse. I know how hard it is to watch loved ones suffer, but your niece's health is ultimately in the hands of her parents. Some people can get really defensive if you push them on health-related decisions. If you suggest it, you could start out by telling them how much what your niece said about the banana bread reminded you of your own experiences with gluten. Then you can say how relatives have a greater chance of having celiac or gluten intolerance and maybe they should get her tested. After that however, the ball is in their court to dismiss your suggestion, ask for more info or take action to get the tests.

Thank you guys. You are all so supportive.

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