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What Were Your Childs Symptoms?

bny06

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bny06 Apprentice
bny06
Posted

Hello all! I am currently being worked up for celiac (awaiting biopsy results) after a 16 pound sudden weight loss with many other celiac symptoms and a + family history.. (negative blood work so far though)

Anyhow, I have an almost 2 year old daughter- this past week she has started having MASSIVe loose bowel movements and a lot of them - 4 or so a day.. her appetite has also increased by A LOT (as did mine)

I have always been concerned with her bowel habits since it seems every other kid I know has harder stools and hers have never been hard (sorry to be descriptive, but we always describe them as guacamole consistency stools) and now this week they are even looser, not watery though. Sometimes I sware she looks a little jaundice, though other times not at all .. She has always grown well (in the 90+%ile, but we are very tall people) and has started thinning out the past few months quite a bit, though I know this is normal in toddlers anyways, but I just don't want to miss something! Thanks so much! I really appreciate any advice/experiences!

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alex11602 Collaborator
alex11602
Posted

Hello all! I am currently being worked up for celiac (awaiting biopsy results) after a 16 pound sudden weight loss with many other celiac symptoms and a + family history.. (negative blood work so far though)

Anyhow, I have an almost 2 year old daughter- this past week she has started having MASSIVe loose bowel movements and a lot of them - 4 or so a day.. her appetite has also increased by A LOT (as did mine)

I have always been concerned with her bowel habits since it seems every other kid I know has harder stools and hers have never been hard (sorry to be descriptive, but we always describe them as guacamole consistency stools) and now this week they are even looser, not watery though. Sometimes I sware she looks a little jaundice, though other times not at all .. She has always grown well (in the 90+%ile, but we are very tall people) and has started thinning out the past few months quite a bit, though I know this is normal in toddlers anyways, but I just don't want to miss something! Thanks so much! I really appreciate any advice/experiences!

For my youngest...she was 15 months old when we couldn't stand her being sick anymore and figured out the problem. She was born a normal length and weight (8 lb. 8 oz., 20 1/2 in long), but she had a blood glucose level of 31 was she was first born. After that she refused to eat which was strange (she has always had a problem with cow's milk) and she just wouldn't really grow. We started her on rice cereal at 3 weeks because she was so starving and she still wouldn't grow, in fifteen months she had 2 times where her weight and length went up, at 2 months and again at 9 months. She was also having 8-9 poopy diapers a day, all were soft and alot of them were watery. The dr insisted she was fine. After I got sicker we looked into a connection and found the gluten free diet and celiac, when I called the dr they asked about symptoms and family history of stomach problems and over the phone said that if we responded favorably to the diet we should just consider ourselves celiac, within 2 days things were completely different. For the youngest we ended having to cut out some other things for her belly to be completely normal, most notably soy.

My oldest...I wouldn't have known she had a problem with gluten if her sister and I didn't go gluten free. The dr said over the phone that she may have a problem too so we should just try it and so we did. 6 months later her gag reflex is gone (before she couldn't eat yogurt or mashed potatoes without throwing up) and if she has gluten she gets terrible nightmares and her bowel movements are just about everyday which is new for her (used to be every couple of days).

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

My daughter was always over the 90% in height, from birth. She was very chubby at birth, stayed that way through nursing, and then once solid foods were introduced, she slowly started to slim down, until about 3. When we introduced solids, she threw up everything and I'd go back to breastfeeding, which she seemed to handle just fine. I would think it was a stomach flu (although no one in the house had it, stupid me) and it happened multiple times until she was about 1 year old.

She never had regular bowel movements, but never got the big D. She had dark circles under her eyes. She always wanted to sleep late, but always had trouble falling asleep. She was very attached to me as almost a sort of safety person, and a more 'anxious' kind of baby.

I mention this because this continued all the way until she was 11, when she was diagnosed. Except for weight, as she started to become overweight about the age of 9. Always a more anxious kid, more clingy kid, more emotional kid. Depression started when she was about 9 years old. Now, gluten free, it's all better. Her weight is stabilized, her anxiety level is hugely improved, so is her sleep, her bowel movements, the dark circles are gone, etc....

My son had a big toddler melon belly. He had colic, big-time, in his infancy, and also had trouble with foods, it seems. Had issues with dairy (which have much improved on a GFdiet). He, however, was very short for his age, cranky, anger management issues - huge raging tantrum fits that would go for hours.

Taking off of gluten has taken care of much of this. He's still pretty small, but his weight is good. Crankiness and anger stuff is much, MUCH better, and noticeably gets worse if he gets glutened. Belly is flat again, but it puffs out if he gets glutened.

Ellers Newbie
Ellers
Posted

My son was completely 'normal' until I started him on solid foods, then he became lethargic, withdrawn, OCD from a very young age (sorting colors, lining up food, which was harmless but then he started banging his head on walls which was not so harmless.) Then the vomiting started - undigested food, a days worth at a time, projectile with stomach cramps. His dr said "well some kids just spit up a lot." Changed doctors. He weighed 19 pounds at 2 1/2 years old. Sunken eyes, dark circles, insomnia, distended belly, autistic behavior, no sense of danger, clumsy, irritable, sometimes he would be 'dead behind the eyes'. Finally got a doctor who tested for Celiac and he was diagnosed on his 3rd birthday.

bny06 Apprentice
bny06
Posted
  • Author

Wow, thank yall so much! I really appreciate it and I"m so sorry that yall had to see your little ones sick : ( It breaks my heart seeing my kiddos ill! So, how did yall test yalls kids to confirm celiac? My son (6 months) is just now starting on solids- breastfed otherwise (well pumped milk only - i had to stop after my milk looked like water one day a few weeks ago since I became so sick with what they think is celiac) and I don't see anything worrisome yet with him. But my daughters abnormal and getting more abnormal bowel movments, plus now she is getting a rash on her back too! How do yall explain to or avoid your kids getting gluten when out with other kids/birthday parties etc? Thanks again, and I hope everyones little ones are doing better!!!

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    • trents
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

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    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

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      Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to explain the terminology so clearly. I really appreciate your insight, especially the distinction between celiac disease and NCGS and how anemia can point more toward celiac. This was very helpful for me.
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