How Long To Try Gluten Free?

[kimtn]

Hi Everyone!

My daughter has sensory processing difficulties and some signs of allergies so I am trying gluten-free with her. She just turned four. How long should I try a gluten free diet? The doctor said 2 weeks but that just doesn't seem long enough to me.

Thanks for your help!

[Mizzo]

I saw some improvement pretty good improvemnets in 2 weeks(severe stomach aches gone), but 3 months was really the true marker for US.( no more digestive issues, behaviour back to near normal )

Everyone is different sorry to say. But really, for only 2 wks, you will be questioning yourself if it was truly the diet or did you catch a lucky 2 wks.

[txplowgirl]

A good 2 to 3 months being really strict.

[kimtn]

Thanks. We are almost at three weeks and I don't think there's been any improvement, but I'm definitely willing to try for 2-3 months.

[Kimmik95]

I would doubt you would notice much in 2 weeks, especially if her symptoms are mild.

Hi Everyone!

My daughter has sensory processing difficulties and some signs of allergies so I am trying gluten-free with her. She just turned four. How long should I try a gluten free diet? The doctor said 2 weeks but that just doesn't seem long enough to me.

Thanks for your help!

[Kelleybean]

We are going to give it 4 months (my son is autistic). Our logic is that we wanted to give it long enough to know for sure and that it is easiest for us now while he is young - our son is 2 - since we have more control over his diet. I've read that it can take several months for gluten to leave your system.

[Norris]

My daughter's villi were so damaged that she did not have a pain-free day for five months on the gluten free diet. We were told that pathology said her villi were completely flattened to the point that her small intestine interior walls looked smooth- no visible villi upon examination.

Gluten free gets easier as you go along and learn the ropes. When in doubt, call drug and food companies to double check that their product is gluten free.

[kimtn]

I just don't know if I'm making the right decision by trying this food trial. My husband isn't totally on board but what I say goes! He wonders if her symptoms warrant this kind of trial. What do you guys think? Her symptoms are sensory processing disorder, apraxia, aggressive, she's been sick all winter (but then again, so has my son!), dark circles under her eyes, frequent BMs -- sometimes randomly loose with lots of gas, fatigues more easily than used to but she's also pretty capable of high energy play. Her weight and height are normal although her hair doesn't really grow -- not sure if that indicates anything. I'm not saying she has celiac but maybe a sensitivity? She's 4. What do you think?

[Dixiebell]

Have you had her vitamin and mineral levels checked? Low levels can cause many problems.

[kimtn]

I haven't....which ones should i test?

[Dixiebell]

A,E,D,K,B12, Calcium, Potassium, Iron and Folic acid. There might be more.

[Anya]

I just don't know if I'm making the right decision by trying this food trial. My husband isn't totally on board but what I say goes! He wonders if her symptoms warrant this kind of trial. What do you guys think? Her symptoms are sensory processing disorder, apraxia, aggressive, she's been sick all winter (but then again, so has my son!), dark circles under her eyes, frequent BMs -- sometimes randomly loose with lots of gas, fatigues more easily than used to but she's also pretty capable of high energy play. Her weight and height are normal although her hair doesn't really grow -- not sure if that indicates anything. I'm not saying she has celiac but maybe a sensitivity? She's 4. What do you think?

Did you consider going dairy free as well? I just know a lot of cases where the dairy is also a big issue.

[Gardening]

Also check zinc levels. I do think the symptoms warrant a trial. OT helped my daughter's SPD quite a bit, but even when she "graduated", she couldn't stand dress-up clothes. Yet several months after being truly gluten-free (she needed a clean-out to reboot her system), she was able to prance around the house in princess dresses.

[tarnalberry]

Two weeks isn't enough time to make sure that everything she gets into her mouth is completely gluten free. It's about enough time to realize that you can't share a toaster, or wooden cutting boards, or wooden spoons. Enough time to realize that playdoh has wheat and can cause a problem, and that the toys at preschool are all covered in crumbs from snack time goldfish.

Two to three months is a better way to go, so you can find all of those hidden sources, remove them, and THEN have at least a month or two on the gluten free diet.

[kimtn]

oh gosh, how could i ask her to stop playing with the playdough at school? she's having a very rough time at school but i think she's improved a good bit in her home life. how many "crumbs" of gluten would cause a problem?

[tarnalberry]

you can get/make gluten free playdoh and ask the school to use that instead.

it takes a VERY small amount of gluten to cause a reaction, and if she plays with playdoh, and then puts her hands in her mouth (or gets crumbs from elsewhere), she is getting contaminated and her body isn't ever getting a real chance to heal.