3 Yr Old Turns Into The Incredible Hulk Help!

[sassiskull]

My daughter was diagnosed at 2.5 yrs. This was just about a year ago. It is so hard to tell when she has had gluten because she doesnt verbally tell us. I think this is because maybe she is just used to her belly hurting? I do notice things though esp in her behavior. For example she can change from my sweet cuddley daughter to the incredible hulk so fast! The behavior can last for anywhere from 2 days to a week and it is accompanied with constipation & sometimes (not often) vomiting. So my guess is she has gotten gluten. Ive called her GI and they said everyone reacts diff but she is a toddler and toddlers have moods. A friend told me she may have ADHD, but I think this is how she reacts to gluten. Does anyone else's child act out like this? Im in crack down mode at the house, going through things I wouldnt have guessed to find the hidden source.. Bath & Body Works?!?! Also Im wondering if my makeup could be making her sick? She is into the lipsticks and lotions and she has been sneaking into these things recently, we havent changed anything in diet so I am really curious as to what cosmetics, nail polish, lotions, baby wash, shampoos contain gluten. Im thinking I should change to bare Minerals or something. My poor girl

[Katie B]

Oh dear,

Glad you're trying to get to the bottom of it. I can say from personal experience that I can turn into the Hulk when I'm feeling sick and constipated and I've often thought how difficult it would be to not be able to express this to the ones I love. It really is a terrible feeling!

You might also wish to look into fructose malabsorption, lactose intolerance, and other intolerances if she doesn't feel better with an entirely gluten-free diet.

Hope this helps!

Hang in there!

[srall]

My daughter is 7 1/2 and not diagnosed celiac, but we (pedi and I) are calling her gluten/dairy/corn sensitive. I started pulling offending from her foods from her diet mid October so this is new to her. I have been gluten/dairy/corn free since this past spring. Looking back I know I've probably had problems for the past decade and my daughter certainly has had problems since 3 or 4 years old if not earlier.

I thought behavior wise I had a defective kid. Other kids were so calm and able to sit still. My daughter was so wiggly and crazy, never slept, had out of control tantrums. We actually got kicked out of Target once, and you cannot tell me that Target never sees tantrums.

We are still trying to smooth out behaviors and I think she's still very spirited, but now I can tell when it's food. I'm like the above poster in that I'm also intolerant to foods and know they can make you CRAZY and enraged.

I also know that my daughter thinks stomach aches are normal. I've also noticed now she doesn't really recognize the normal urge to just go poop. I think this is from years of feeling gassy. Now when she complains about her gassy stomach I have to tell her to just go to the bathroom to make herself feel better.

As your daughter gets older she'll hopefully have more words to explain what's going on with her. Last Friday night my husband let my daughter eat cotton candy (aka corn syrup delight) and her behavior was insane. She kept asking me why she felt so crazy and said she felt out of control.

So far in my house I haven't switched beauty products and we seem to be doing okay. But I would definitely do a switch if I thought we were being effected. Good luck to you. I'm willing to bet your daughter's behavior is mostly food, just based on what I've seen with my daughter and even myself.

[cassP]

agreed- dairy & corn could be messing her up. and of course we all here about celiac kids, and autistic kids avoiding Casein (in dairy) just the same as gluten.

and i dont know about Bare Minerals.. but that Afterglow company i think makes powders like bare minerals- and they're Gluten Free.. and then Joelle makes all the lip stuff gluten free.

good luck... and PART of it may be normal child moods... my 2 yr old neice is starting up with the moods a little

[salexander421]

My daughter has not been diagnosed yet but she is definitely gluten intolerant. She is almost 3 and I can totally tell a difference in her moods when she's had gluten. She was irritable, extra whiny, would fly off the handle about the smallest things, clingy, and would not sit still for a second before we went gluten free. After being gluten free she was a little angel. We are now doing a gluten challenge and she is back to the irritable etc. behavior. This whole experience has really made me wonder how many children are misdiagnosed with ADHD when they're really just celiac/gluten intolerant.

[BeHappy]

My daughter (now 3) was a monster until she went gluten free. She was SUCH a hard kid. She would throw crazy tantrums, run around the house like a maniac, jump from crazy heights and laugh when she fell down, never ever slept, would climb up on the counters with a chair and step stool on top of it. We used to joke that she's stronger than my 7 year old. She also had tremendous anxiety. She got kicked out of school because of it too. She's a changed person since she's gone gluten-free. she is SO much calmer. she's happy, and she uses her brain now before doing something dangerous. She started a new school and is doing beautifully (aside from her accidents but they're willing to work with her) The difference in behavior is unimaginable.

[SGWhiskers]

Also Im wondering if my makeup could be making her sick? She is into the lipsticks and lotions and she has been sneaking into these things recently, we havent changed anything in diet so I am really curious as to what cosmetics, nail polish, lotions, baby wash, shampoos contain gluten. Im thinking I should change to bare Minerals or something. My poor girl

I hope you find what is making your little girl sick. Almost all nail polish contains gluten. Look for Tocepherol Acetate/Vitamin E in your lotions and other liquids. Sometimes it is derived from wheat, sometimes soy, it could be from other sources. You will have to call the manufacturer to learn the source. Someone has posted a list of cosmetic industry names for wheat, rye, barley, oats in the ingredients of blushes, shadows, etc. I'll see if I can search for it and include it later. If you have Aveeno products, those are not gluten free due to the oats. I think some lipgloss/chapsticks have gluten. I've switched to Burt's bees. Not all of their products are gluten free, but they are well labeled and their tocepherol acetate/vitamin E is gluten free. I also use Everyday Minerals (ordered online). Anything from Unilever will clearly label their wheat, rye, barley, oats in the ingredients. They make Suave and Dove. Cover Girl has the same policy. Not all their products are gluten free, but they will label gluten in plain english.

People will state that since you need to ingest gluten, topical products are safe. I can state from experience, in the early days of gluten free, my blush made me sick from just a few hours of wearing it. I think it was breathing it in while putting it on for a special occassion. I've also been made sick from kissing my little nieces even though their mom's washed their faces. You may find you need to switch your products just so your daughter does not pick up gluten from snuggling you.

Also, look into craft materials. Playdough, fingerpaint, paper mache are all major sources of gluten. There are more, but those are the worst and most common. Most Crayola products are safe. Do a search in the kids forum.