Gluten Intake For Testing Children - How Much And How Long?

[Di2011]

I've read lots of info and posts about staying on gluten for testing, but wonder what other parents have been recommended for their children??

My son is 9 y/o and gluten lite at the moment while I get my own DH under control.

Can anyone give me any idea about how much gluten he should eat and for how long in order for his tests to be reasonably accurate?

[beebs]

I see one of the best Drs here for children - and he says 3 months 4 slices of bread a day. Coeliac society says the same thing. I guess at the end of the day they want it to be accurate ya know. I am possibly about to start with my 2 and a half year old. But I will pull him off if it gets too bad.

[Di2011]

Thanks Beebs.

I was afraid that I'd get the 3 months 4 slices stats but had to ask.

Can you let me know who the Doctor is ? I presume in Sydney?

I remember you mentioned that you are moving to SW NSW so I wonder what kind of health professionals you will encounter. I hope it works out. I'll be thinking of you and your little one. I hope it goes okay for him/her.

[M0Mto3]

If your son has never been off gluten, then I don't know that you would have to follow that statistic. You said he is gluten lite. If he has always been consuming gluten then he didn't have any period where he would have stopped reacting to gluten. When you are totally gluten free you heal the damage that had been done by gluten. So, if you go back on gluten you have to redamage those tissues. If he never had a period of being 100% gluten free you should be able to do testing now.

[beebs]

We are moving but keeping our Paed GI - I will have to drive down about once every 3 months to see him - but he is worth it. His name is Dr Avi (Daniel) Lemberg and he is a GI at Randwick childrens - we see him at his private rooms though. The other Dr who is supposed to be brilliant is Dr Rueben Jackson and he is a Randwick too. The thing is - at the end of the day they are Drs, ya know? So if you go in there with knowledge that is the best you can do. For example when we first went to see him he said he did not think there was a problem with my eldest - that he had toddler diarrhea - because of negative tests, Anyhow - I just rattled off the statistics for false negatives and he took us seriously -and a year later after the endo he said to me, "you were right, there is something going on" and he hasn't stopped trying to find out since. I have a feeling if I didn't know as much as I did back then - he would have sent us on our way. Just like most Drs when the tests say no. So just go in armed with info!

[Di2011]

Thanks for the great advice beebs. It is nice to know we can help our kids to avoid the troubles we've had