How Much Wheat Does My Child Need To Consume For Blood Test?

[mama2kade]

My son is 16 months old and was diagnosed with failure to thrive at 9 months. He tested positive for egg and wheat allergy at 12 months and was taken off of egg and wheat at that time and started on pediasure. He began gaining weight and throwing up a lot less. Celiac was suspected but never tested for. We recently took him to the allergist who said that an allergy to wheat was unlikely and we should start giving him wheat. He ate a small piece of wheat toast on Saturday night and was fine and then Cheerios on Sunday morning and was fine. He snacked on some other cereal later in the day and then he ate a wedge of quessadilla on a flour tortilla for dinner last night and as he was just starting his second wedge he threw it all up. Just like he used to throw up before we stopped giving him wheat. We have an appointment with his pediatrician tomorrow and I am just wondering if we need to give him any more wheat in order to do a blood test for celiac tomorrow. I know the test isn't definitive, and I would rather not give him any more wheat, but if I need to for the test I will. Anyone know the answer to this?

[tarnalberry]

For adults, the common recommendation is three to four pieces of bread a day for three months. A few days is NOT enough to test for celiac, because the blood tests require enough damage to the intestinal villi that significant amounts of antibodies get through to the bloodstream. That takes a while of accumulating damage.

[Dixiebell]

Don't ya just love doctors!

I believe, if I know what is making my son sick, I'm not going to give it to him. It sounds like you have basically done a food challenge with wheat.

[mama2kade]

Wow, I didn't realize he would need to eat that much wheat. I am really wishing they had done the test before we took him off of wheat!