Symptoms Without Delayed Growth In Child

[nicolebeth]

Hello, all.

I've been following topics here for a while since we know that something bothers members of the family--whether it's actually gluten or nightshades or just dairy, we're not entirely sure.

Anyway, our 9yo has had bad stomach pains off-and-on for several years, and off-and-on constipation since she started solid foods. We thought it was bananas. Then, we thought it was dairy. And, it's true--her symptoms are much worse with dairy, though constipation isn't the classic lactose intolerance symptom. (Her ped thinks it could be casein intolerance.)

In the last six months (or longer) her gas has been foul (noticeable by everyone), and she has definitely been constipated. Her doctor, with some misgivings (I could see) recommended Miralax. Seeing the type of chemical it was, I thought I'd ask our chiro as well. He felt since she's already more-or-less dairy free, and doesn't eat red meat, that she should try gluten-free. (Which I wanted to do, but wanted the child to hear it from someone with medical "authority".) Anyway, we do think the gas is less frequent, and she seems to believe so as well (even noticing that she had some gas, but it was "normal" and not gross).

My question is: has anyone had a gluten intolerant child without delayed growth? Who hasn't dropped off the weight curve at any time? (Aside from borderline anemia, her blood tests are always great, she's the 50th percentile in height and weight, and she seems great except for some ADD--which I know food intolerance can affect.) Her doctor didn't think, based upon her growth pattern, that she would have celiac (especially after testing negative a few years ago). She does have an uncle with celiac. No one else in the family has it. Her younger brother went through all the GI tests (endoscopy, etc.) due to slow growth and was found not to have any damage at all.

Thank you.

[beebs]

Hiya,

My two year old has had malabsorption syndrome badly since he was born. And he is considered slightly small but still normal. He was borderline on his biopsy but still showing symptoms after 7 months - oh what fun.

My 5 year old also has malabsorption issues and chronic gastritis and he has always grown well. So yeah- its possible to not absorb minerals, vitamins etc and put on weight - ie - be Celiac...I'm getting confusing aren't I!?- SOrry!

[jjchenoa]

I don't have any answers but I am interested in hearing some responses to your question. My 14yo boy, at 3, had markers in his blood for celiac and they said he could develop it someday. He had horribly loose bowels then but doesn't have those types of problems now. He does have some symptoms I wonder about, though. He's 6'2" 145lbs and when I see the delayed growth symptom I think he doesn't fit. I'm 5'8" though, had bad stomach pains as a child and am wondering if I have it so...I guess every case is different! My 9 yo boy is more like what you described. Terribly odorous. He was on Miralax for a year. He's also average in height, whereas the rest of us are taller than average. My oldest son was on the 5th%ile as an infant, which completely shocked me and now he's over 6ft. The pediatrician just said kids have different growth patterns. I guess it's hard, except for extreme cases, to see what is normal and what is delayed.

[eatmeat4good]

My son was off the top of the growth charts all his life. He started having leg pain and growing pains at age 7. He had asthma since age 2. He started walking with a stumbling slow gait at age 8 but mentally he was very bright and made good grades...when he turned his work in. He couldn't exercise...leg pain...I asked Dr.'s to test him for something since he never felt well. They found slight anemia and told me it was nothing to worry about. However, his symptoms got worse and the asthma did too, then he developed depression and excessive sleeping around age 11. Dr.'s said, Teenagers sleep a lot...they need more sleep. But this seems abnormal to me...stop babying him they said. This continued until age 16. He never had gastrointestinal problems...well maybe once he was bloated and once he had constipation..but who wouldn't think that could happen sometimes? Last year I found Celiac.com and went gluten free. After reading I thought well, maybe his symtoms are related to gluten. I asked the Dr. who said, He has never been underweight so that can't be it....and asthma isn't a symtom of Celiac. He refused to test him. Said to make him exercise....poor kid... I had my son give up gluten for one week. His mood was better, the asthma didn't flare, and his legs didn't hurt. One gluten challenge was all it took to convince him that he would never eat it again. His asthma was severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room for a breathing treatment. While there, I told the docs about the gluten challenge. Once again, NO, that couldn't be it. They said Asthma is not a symptom of Celiac. We realized on the way home there would be no help ever from Dr.'s on this. So he went gluten free. I'm happy to report that less than one year into being gluten free, my 16 year old is for the first time participating in sports. He is wrestling this year. He started being able to walk and run

without pain about 4 months into being gluten free. He has always been big for his age. ALL of his symptoms are gone, no asthma, no depression, no anxiety, no excessive sleeping, no leg pain. Incidentally about 6 months into being gluten free studies started being posted here about the connection between asthma and gluten...that many who have Celiac also have asthma. Others have reported their asthma subsided on going gluten free. No inhalers needed anymore here. All his life he was given antibiotics and prednisone for asthma.

Sorry, I gave you the long answer, but I'm sure my son is Celiac/Gluten Intolerant and he has never had any growth problems that were recognized by Dr.'s. His bone pain should have prompted some testing but it didn't. Even Dr.'s can say it's just growing pains. I hope you will continue to persevere for your daughter whether or not they will test her. It would have changed our whole lives if I had listened to the Dr.'s less and googled more. But we are well and healthy now...and I wish you the best with figuring this out for your daughter. I hope more mom's will be as proactive as you are. I certainly wish I had been. Gluten doesn't only cause diarrhea and weight loss....it is a travesty that Dr.'s do not know this.

[Darn210]

My daughter's growth was never an issue. She was diagnosed via bloodtest after presenting with some generic GI issues (acid reflux with regurgitation and constipation although we weren't sure if that was Celiac related or a love of milk and not enough water). After going gluten free, there was no extra growth or anything, she remained on the same growth curve. Yes, it's possible to have symptoms/have celiac disease and growth not be an issue.

[beebs]

I don't have any answers but I am interested in hearing some responses to your question. My 14yo boy, at 3, had markers in his blood for celiac and they said he could develop it someday. He had horribly loose bowels then but doesn't have those types of problems now. He does have some symptoms I wonder about, though. He's 6'2" 145lbs and when I see the delayed growth symptom I think he doesn't fit. I'm 5'8" though, had bad stomach pains as a child and am wondering if I have it so...I guess every case is different! My 9 yo boy is more like what you described. Terribly odorous. He was on Miralax for a year. He's also average in height, whereas the rest of us are taller than average. My oldest son was on the 5th%ile as an infant, which completely shocked me and now he's over 6ft. The pediatrician just said kids have different growth patterns. I guess it's hard, except for extreme cases, to see what is normal and what is delayed.

What "markers" are you talking about?

Its very common for celiac symptoms to resolve in the teenage years but it is still doing damage. If he has any symptoms at all I would be getting him tested.

[Marilyn R]

Hello, all.

I've been following topics here for a while since we know that something bothers members of the family--whether it's actually gluten or nightshades or just dairy, we're not entirely sure.

Anyway, our 9yo has had bad stomach pains off-and-on for several years, and off-and-on constipation since she started solid foods. We thought it was bananas. Then, we thought it was dairy. And, it's true--her symptoms are much worse with dairy, though constipation isn't the classic lactose intolerance symptom. (Her ped thinks it could be casein intolerance.)

In the last six months (or longer) her gas has been foul (noticeable by everyone), and she has definitely been constipated. Her doctor, with some misgivings (I could see) recommended Miralax. Seeing the type of chemical it was, I thought I'd ask our chiro as well. He felt since she's already more-or-less dairy free, and doesn't eat red meat, that she should try gluten-free. (Which I wanted to do, but wanted the child to hear it from someone with medical "authority".) Anyway, we do think the gas is less frequent, and she seems to believe so as well (even noticing that she had some gas, but it was "normal" and not gross).

My question is: has anyone had a gluten intolerant child without delayed growth? Who hasn't dropped off the weight curve at any time? (Aside from borderline anemia, her blood tests are always great, she's the 50th percentile in height and weight, and she seems great except for some ADD--which I know food intolerance can affect.) Her doctor didn't think, based upon her growth pattern, that she would have celiac (especially after testing negative a few years ago). She does have an uncle with celiac. No one else in the family has it. Her younger brother went through all the GI tests (endoscopy, etc.) due to slow growth and was found not to have any damage at all.

Thank you.

Has your ped ever run a celiac panel on her? I'm in my 50's and believe I've had celiac disease since I was in my puberty, and I'm 6'0 tall, so never had any question of delayed growth.

I had early telltale signs like very late menstration (started at 16, but only after being put on birth control pills), very heavy periods, hematomas, miscarriages and hemorrhaging. Those were the early symptoms, things became progressively worse as I aged. (Osteopenia, profound depression, hyperparathyroidism, insomnia, neuropathy, early menopause, GI problems.)

So as to your OP, it is entirely possible for your dd with normal growth to be intollerant or have celiac disease, and I applaud you for figuring that out. Yay for you.

[jjchenoa]

What "markers" are you talking about?

Its very common for celiac symptoms to resolve in the teenage years but it is still doing damage. If he has any symptoms at all I would be getting him tested.

I can't even tell you exactly what the markers were. I knew nothing of this back then so I didn't have knowledge of what they were talking about. The ped said he "looked like a celiac type" then sent us to children's hospital/philly. He had his blood taken twice if I'm remembering correctly, and they said the first markers--I'm assuming antibodies?--came back positive for celiac. Then the second test, and I don't know what it was for, came back negative so they said he didn't have it but could develop it someday. Perhaps you or someone here could speculate. At that point in the process I had begun to think it was my fault for giving him too much juice so I felt guilty and stupid (since I have a degree in dietetics and remembered learning about too much juice for toddlers...unfortunately I remembered little about celiac--bloated emaciated children, mostly) and I left the office with my tail between my legs. It'd be interesting to ask his ped. what his charts say about that testing.

He insists that he feels normal but he complains about joint aches, he has pretty bad acne, bloody noses all the time...

[beebs]

I can't even tell you exactly what the markers were. I knew nothing of this back then so I didn't have knowledge of what they were talking about. The ped said he "looked like a celiac type" then sent us to children's hospital/philly. He had his blood taken twice if I'm remembering correctly, and they said the first markers--I'm assuming antibodies?--came back positive for celiac. Then the second test, and I don't know what it was for, came back negative so they said he didn't have it but could develop it someday. Perhaps you or someone here could speculate. At that point in the process I had begun to think it was my fault for giving him too much juice so I felt guilty and stupid (since I have a degree in dietetics and remembered learning about too much juice for toddlers...unfortunately I remembered little about celiac--bloated emaciated children, mostly) and I left the office with my tail between my legs. It'd be interesting to ask his ped. what his charts say about that testing.

He insists that he feels normal but he complains about joint aches, he has pretty bad acne, bloody noses all the time...

The problem is 99% of Drs really don't have a clue about celiac - my GP told me they receive around 7 minutes of training in their entire medical careers. The fact that something showed up in his blood test means he should absolutely have a biopsy and is most likely celiac (not definitely but a high chance). The Dr may just not know how to read the tests accurately - a very common problem so the top celiac in this country says.

I had as a child shocking 'growth pains', reoccurent nose bleeds, a 'weak stomach' - which I've since found out doesn't really exist, mouth ulcers, nose ulcer the whole bit - No bowel issues at all though which is unusual and why noone ever suspected celiac until my mother was diagnosed 3 years ago - I have only been gluten free for 7 months and am now 33yrs old. . No growth problems, no weight problems nothing like it.

I would be insisting on a celiac panel for the both of you if I were you.

[jjchenoa]

The problem is 99% of Drs really don't have a clue about celiac - my GP told me they receive around 7 minutes of training in their entire medical careers. The fact that something showed up in his blood test means he should absolutely have a biopsy and is most likely celiac (not definitely but a high chance). The Dr may just not know how to read the tests accurately - a very common problem so the top celiac in this country says.

I had as a child shocking 'growth pains', reoccurent nose bleeds, a 'weak stomach' - which I've since found out doesn't really exist, mouth ulcers, nose ulcer the whole bit - No bowel issues at all though which is unusual and why noone ever suspected celiac until my mother was diagnosed 3 years ago - I have only been gluten free for 7 months and am now 33yrs old. . No growth problems, no weight problems nothing like it.

I would be insisting on a celiac panel for the both of you if I were you.

Thanks for your input. I am calling my ped. tomorrow. Almost did it today but I have to stop procrastinating...it's just that I dread the hassle I'm afraid I'm facing!

You mentioned nose ulcers...I hope it's not too off topic. Almost every winter my nose cracks inside and is horribly painful. Of course I can't stop from trying to pick away the hard scabs, I guess you'd call them, and it gets worse. So bad my eyes water. Is this what you're talking about when you say ulcer? It's plagued me for at least a decade and I've never met anyone who knows what I'm talking about.

Thanks again, it helps give me backbone to look into all of this. I've had a very sick, addicted oldest son for years now and it has taken almost all of my strength--I sometimes cannot stand the thought of making another appt and starting a whole new voyage into fighting more health issues. But I have felt the difference gluten-free made for me this summer and I really want it for my kids.

[beebs]

You mentioned nose ulcers...I hope it's not too off topic. Almost every winter my nose cracks inside and is horribly painful. Of course I can't stop from trying to pick away the hard scabs, I guess you'd call them, and it gets worse. So bad my eyes water. Is this what you're talking about when you say ulcer? It's plagued me for at least a decade and I've never met anyone who knows what I'm talking about.

Yes! That sound like them and they are very common in autoimmune diseases!

As to the addiction thing - Its not the same but i am watching my brother self destruct as well - its the most awful thing to see them do it to themselves. Hugs to you - celiac is a breeze compared to that, its getting diagnosed thats the pain

[nicolebeth]

Thank you, everyone.

For now, we're going to go with her saying she feels better and notices less malodorous gas. She requires that no one eat her favorite barbecued tofu in front of her (or even take her to that restaurant since she refuses to make do on rice and beans when there). Otherwise, her favorite Thai food place has a gluten-free menu. And, I promised to make more chicken and fish at home.

I imagine we'll try for a few weeks longer, and then perhaps have her go back to eating gluten so we can compare how she feels. We've also thought potato chips could be the culprit, but I think they might bother her, too.

Thanks again!