Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

1 Year Gluten Free Check-Up; Gluten Challenge Or Not?


cdmom1

Recommended Posts

cdmom1 Rookie

My son who is 9 went for his 1 year check-up with his gastro Dr. yesterday. Quick recap- we found out he had Celiac accidently through bloodwork. He is a silent Celiac. The only real symptom he shows is that he is small for his age. At 9 1/2 he is 49 pounds and 49 inches. After 3 months of being gluten free, he had bloodwork which all came back clean, which we were very happy about.

Now, a year later, he has only gained 1 pound but grew 2 inches. I have to say this is very upsetting. We were hoping to see some significant catch-up growth. The doctor seems okay with it because his BMI is fine. It is disapponting though, when I look at him and see Kindergarteners bigger than him and he is going into 4th grade! The doctor suggests giving him supplement drinks to help add pounds, but will this really make a difference?

The doctor also suggested we do a gluten challenge for 6-8 weeks. My big question here is, if he does it, will all the work we did over the past year be wasted?? Will he end up with the same damage as when he was first diagnosed?

The doctor said it isn't a big deal because the intestine heal so quickly. This has me so confused. I thought a small crumb does extensive damage, so how can eating gluten for 2 months be 'okay'? Should we not even bother with it?

I am sp confused as to how much gluten creates how much damage. I see people posting that they were cross-contaminated here and there, so does this mean they are never truly healing? With us, we are very careful to try and make sure my son is not cc'd because he would not even know if he was. Right now we can control what he eats. But, what happens when he is 13 and he wants to go get pizza with his friends? If he sneaks it, will that slice of pizza do years of damage, or will his body recover in a short time?

Sorry this turned into a rant- I just feel like there are no concrete answers, which makes this whole diet thing really hard to accept.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

Two inches may not seem like a lot but at least you are getting some growth. Personally I would not do a gluten challenge with him. You had positive blood work and have seen some improvement on the diet and his blood work after being on the diet has been negative, which is good.

You may want to consider a referral to a ped endrocrinologist just to make sure he is not lacking a good level of growth hormone. If his hormone levels are good you may see a bit more of a growth spurt when he gets closer to puberty.

Some kids also grow in height before they put on weight. My DD for example was rather chubby for a long time but then all of a sudden grew but didn't gain weight during that time. If your son is feeling well and is strict with the diet when not at home you may find he does gain some weight eventually.

Jestgar Rising Star
  On 7/7/2011 at 2:23 PM, cdmom1 said:

The doctor also suggested we do a gluten challenge for 6-8 weeks.

Why would you even consider this? Why would any MD suggest you deliberately damage your child when you know it's an issue?

Maybe he should just re-test your son's blood to make sure he's been really gluten-free.

Poppi Enthusiast

I wouldn't do a gluten challenge. I would request blood work to check for growth hormone levels and x-rays to ensure that the growth plates are developing properly.

Keep in mind that the tests can be wrong. We had the growth hormone and growth plate testing done when my oldest was 7 and was the size of a 4 year old. At that time we were told that his blood work and xrays were okay but we should only expect his adult height to be about 5'3".

He turns 16 next month and he's 5'9" and still growing. He was just a really, really late bloomer.

cdmom1 Rookie

My son is actually going for a blood test to check to see if he is GH deficient. My daughter is being treated for it. He had seen the endo dr. a year ago, but she wanted to wait until he was a year gluten free before doing any further testing. Hoping that gives us a clearer answer.

melikamaui Explorer
  On 7/7/2011 at 2:23 PM, cdmom1 said:

My son who is 9 went for his 1 year check-up with his gastro Dr. yesterday. Quick recap- we found out he had Celiac accidently through bloodwork. He is a silent Celiac. The only real symptom he shows is that he is small for his age. At 9 1/2 he is 49 pounds and 49 inches. After 3 months of being gluten free, he had bloodwork which all came back clean, which we were very happy about.

Now, a year later, he has only gained 1 pound but grew 2 inches. I have to say this is very upsetting. We were hoping to see some significant catch-up growth. The doctor seems okay with it because his BMI is fine. It is disapponting though, when I look at him and see Kindergarteners bigger than him and he is going into 4th grade! The doctor suggests giving him supplement drinks to help add pounds, but will this really make a difference?

The doctor also suggested we do a gluten challenge for 6-8 weeks. My big question here is, if he does it, will all the work we did over the past year be wasted?? Will he end up with the same damage as when he was first diagnosed?

The doctor said it isn't a big deal because the intestine heal so quickly. This has me so confused. I thought a small crumb does extensive damage, so how can eating gluten for 2 months be 'okay'? Should we not even bother with it?

I am sp confused as to how much gluten creates how much damage. I see people posting that they were cross-contaminated here and there, so does this mean they are never truly healing? With us, we are very careful to try and make sure my son is not cc'd because he would not even know if he was. Right now we can control what he eats. But, what happens when he is 13 and he wants to go get pizza with his friends? If he sneaks it, will that slice of pizza do years of damage, or will his body recover in a short time?

Sorry this turned into a rant- I just feel like there are no concrete answers, which makes this whole diet thing really hard to accept.

It scares me that a doctor would even consider a gluten challenge on a diagnosed celiac. The fact that he thinks this is "okay" upsets me even further. If I were you, I'd start looking for a new doc.

kareng Grand Master

I agree that something is wrong with this docotor. Would he tell a diabetic to go off insulin for a few weeks just to make sure he is really a diabetic. If they go into a diabetic coma....


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - chrish42 replied to chrish42's topic in Doctors
      2

      Doctors and Celiac.com

    2. - Scott Adams replied to shirlane's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Is AG1 safe for Celiacs??

    3. - Scott Adams replied to chrish42's topic in Doctors
      2

      Doctors and Celiac.com

    4. - nataliallano replied to MagsM's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      28

      Inflammation and Menier’s disease link?

    5. - Wheatwacked replied to Betsy Crum's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      5

      Chest pain from celiac


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,265
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    dancerlv2
    Newest Member
    dancerlv2
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • chrish42
      All I can say is this site is great!
    • Scott Adams
      From their website I see "organic barley leaf powder" as an ingredient. Keep in mind that the gluten is in the kernel, and not in the leaves. https://drinkag1.com/about-ag1/ingredients/ctr
    • Scott Adams
      Before the rise of social media we were well known by a lot of doctors and were recommended by many, especially our Safe & Forbidden Lists, but as doctors get younger and younger this is probably not happening as much as before. 
    • nataliallano
      Thanks Scott I will definitely check my vitamins and minerals to see what I am missing so then I can supplement. I was very concern about my Meniers syntoms and i tryed to find some alive. Now im just realizing that my celiac is provably the root cause of my Meniers none of the 12 doctors I saw told me anything about this.  This web site is so helpful, thanks to people like you we can get answers. 
    • Wheatwacked
      Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to rib pain. Chest pain stemming from the ribs ccould be costochondritis, which involves inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the breastbone. This pain can range from mild to severe, potentially mimicking heart attack symptoms, and is often worsened by breathing or movement. Other potential causes include muscle strain, rib fractures, or even referred pain from other conditions.  It will also help to chose vegetables low in omega 6.
×
×
  • Create New...