New Member With ?s

[rin34]

Hi I've been reading all the posts and doing research for about a week now and have bee gluten free for about 4 days. My story. What made me suspect a gluten intolerance was my 10-year-old son. We have bee seeing a growth dr for him for about 3 years after an unexplained hypoglycemic episode that left him in the hospital for 3 days. He had ADHD and on meds and his growth has gone back wards since he started meds. He has also had chronic constipation since starting solid foods, after being breast-fed, had an episode at three where he had a distended stomach with an illus (sp) in the hospital for 3 days there too. Still has large BMs (larger than an adult does) and not every day. So all these things together pointed to me to celiac disease. His blood is being tested as I type.

No me, problems with trapped gas my whole life, smelly small floating bms. Or feeling like I have to go and then nothing but spasms. Not making it to the bathroom and a jelly like substance coming out (god this is so gross). Pain in butt and legs. When I went on the whole food diet last year I felt better. And now since being gluten-free I feel better too. I have had regular BMs of normal size.

Now my 2 year old. She has "allergies" (tested for 35 foods and such but came back negative because of her age). She has severe eczema.

So the heredity factor and all the little symptoms make me believe celiac disease. Should I just be gluten-free for six months and see what happens (especially if my son's test comes back negative) or should I get tested. I have researched this from top to bottom and it all makes sense to me. Does it make sense to you veterans or am I really grasping at straws.

Thanks for reading

RIN

[rmmadden]

Rin,

Welcome to the forum. This is a great place to ask questions and just plain get things off your chest because we all know how frustrating this life can be.

As for the question of being tested or not.........Even if you get tested you are still going be grasping at straws because not many doctors know all that much about celiac disease. Most of us are learning to deal with our celiac disease by figuring it the hard way......Whatever makes you feel good stick with it and whatever hurts you delete from your diet. Each person is different in what they can tolerate and how their system reacts so that pretty much is all one can do.

I know this doesn't sound so scientific but the one thing I have leared from all this is that medicine isn't an exact science. If you feel better folllowing a gluten-free diet then stick with it. Try keeping a food journal writing down everything you eat and how it makes you feel. This will help you identify what to eat and what to stay away from.

Best of Luck!

Cleveland Bob

[KaitiUSA]

Welcome~

It's worth being tested for. Just make sure the complete panel is done.

This site is a wonderful resource and beware that not many doctors are very updated on celiac so the best thing you can do is read and get knowledge about it because knowledge is power.