What To Do Please Need Your Help!

[Mama Melissa]

Hey everyone, i recently was diagnosed with celiac disease after a bout of stomach issues and severe constipation, i am a 27 year old mom of 2 children. Of course my first reaction when finding out this disease is herditary was to have my 2 children blood tested which both came out negative,my 3 yr old daughter has for months and months now and even before tested displayed symptoms of this disease constipation complaining her belly hurts her and very moody personality with irrability.I have however made the whole house gluten free but there are times she does have gluten when out with family or if husband orders food etc .My question is do you suggest i push her peditrician for biopsy???I feel so helpless when she is hurting and there is nothing i can:(Thank you for listening!

[Leah's Mom]

First things first, you are Not Helpless in the matter. You are your child's best advocate. Since the biopsy is an ordeal . . .my suggestion is that since your household eating habits are already gluten free for the whole family, make sure she follows the same diet when away from home too(no cheating). Make sure you know her vitamins and meds are also gluten free. If her symptoms stop after a few months of being on a strict diet, you can assume she does have Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance. I wish I had taken that advice 8 years ago when my daughter was three.

Best of Luck!

-Marcie

[srall]

First things first, you are Not Helpless in the matter. You are your child's best advocate. Since the biopsy is an ordeal . . .my suggestion is that since your household eating habits are already gluten free for the whole family, make sure she follows the same diet when away from home too(no cheating). Make sure you know her vitamins and meds are also gluten free. If her symptoms stop after a few months of being on a strict diet, you can assume she does have Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance. I wish I had taken that advice 8 years ago when my daughter was three.

Best of Luck!

-Marcie

I wholeheartedly second this.

[Skylark]

If she is mostly gluten-free the biopsy may not show anything without a few months of gluten challenge. Even if she is only gluten intolerant and not celiac, current thinking is that keeping her off gluten can keep her from eventually developing celiac. She is at risk since you're celiac and she's symptomatic. You need to put your foot down and stop her family from feeding her gluten for a while. Make it clear how much she is hurting, and that you're pretty sure gluten is the problem. As Marcie says, if her symptoms clear up on a strict diet you can be reasonably sure it's a gluten reaction.

[Mama Melissa]

thank you everyone:)