Without A Diagnosis , How Do I Get My Adult Son To Go Gluten Free

[cahill]

I have been gluten free since last year. One of my daughters is gluten free and the other is working toward it. They are starting to see the difference being gluten free makes.

My daughter that is gluten free and I both were tested for celiacs (blood test) and both of us were negative for celiacs.

I have all the , what i would consider, classic signs of celiacs: osteoporosis I am only 54,hypothyroidism, vitamin and mineral deficiencys, digestive and neurological issues,I have had a rash ,that I now know is DH ,off and on since my teens,an extreme reaction to soy,corn,gluten,nightshades when reintroduced after eliminating them.

I do not have a piece of paper that says i have celiacs but I know how much healthier i am being gluten/soy/nightshade/corn free.

BUT My son ,,who is an adult,, is very ill. His doctor tested him for celiacs ( blood test) and it came back negative.My son does not seem to be able to connect what he is eating to his health problems.

I am VERY concerned for his health. He is about 6' and 120 pounds (normally he goes about 180 ) He is having digestive,neurological ( seizures,ect ) and pain issues.

I sent him and his wife a link to this forum,,,,

What do i say to him to help him understand that gluten may be what is causing his illness??

[jststric]

Personally, I don't think you can do much more than you are. He's an adult. It would seem that anyone would figure out that one's diet has alot to do with our health, but he's obviously not wanting to accept that option right now. I would mention it from time to time, maybe a subscription to a magazine like Living Without or an online newsletter dealing with this stuff. Perhaps if you don't nag, it'll come to him easier than if you are constantly on him about it. Sometimes its easier for them to hear something from someone else besides their parents. Feed him healthy when he's at your house and quietly mention its gluten-free. Glutens may not be his only problem, as is the case with most of us. Good luck!!

[celiac-mommy]

Personally, I don't think you can do much more than you are. He's an adult.

Yeah, I agree. Love, support and if you're nearby, maybe a homecooked gluten-free meal for him and his wife. Good luck

[cahill]

I know you right,, but it is so hard to see him waste away and be so ill.

I am afraid he will not even consider a gluten free lifestyle with out a diagnoses. He wants to see it in print before he will believe it

[rosetapper23]

My son was diagnosed at 16, and he followed a strictly gluten-free diet until he was 18. At that point, he moved out on his own and decided it was too expensive to eat entirely gluten free--he had three roommates who shared the food budget and who preferred to buy cheap, processed foods. As a result, my 6'3" son's weight fell from 170 to 138 within a couple of months. He began to feel very ill, and I insisted on taking him to a doctor. The doctor was European, and she understood celiac quite well. She woke him up by saying, "Do you want to die?! If you want to die, I can guarantee that you WILL! Just keep eating like you have been, and you'll certainly die!"

That woke him up, and he has continued to follow a gluten-free diet since that time (he's now almost 24). He did lapse for a short time when he was 21, but the DH that appeared on his hands, making it impossible for him to work, served as a strong reminder of how his health could be negatively affected by gluten. In your son's case, he will probably experience a "tipping" point where he will feel so ill, he'll at least be willing to follow a gluten-free diet for a while. I sometimes wish that doctors wouldn't bother with the blood tests for celiac, since it really doesn't matter if a person has actual celiac or simply an adverse reaction to gluten--the important thing is to understand one's own body and what is causing it to suffer. Your son probably can't face the idea of eating a gluten-free diet. Yes, it can be inconvenient at work and at social events, but he needs to understand that he is ruining his health by continuing to eat gluten. Some symptoms, if left long enough, may NEVER resolve even on a gluten-free diet.

It's hard to convince others to do what is right, and he'll have to come to that decision by himself. If he's as ill as you describe, it won't be long before he'll at least entertain the possibility that you're correct....at least, I hope so for his sake.