Puffy Eyes/bags Under Eyes?

[smsm]

My son (age 5) generally has GI symptoms when he gets glutened and is not very sensitive. I know when I have been glutened - I get severe pain, etc., etc., etc. OK, My daugher, who just turned 2, seems to be very very sensitive. She does get extraordinarily constipated but because she is so very young, sometimes I have trouble knowing if there has been a contamination or if she is holding it because of fear that having a bm will hurt (since it has so often in the past). Our house is completely gluten-free and she is with me all day - the chances of cc happen only when we go out to eat (but we always share a plate, so I know if it happened) or if she puts her hands in mouth while playing with a friend or something (aging out of this finally!), but I am very careful. She seems to always have puffy eyes and bags under her eyes, even when her GI system is (rarely) not suffering. She doesn't rub her eyes and her actual eyes look fin - it the skin underneath her eyes that looks so inflamed and either red or dark. Could this be another allergy symptom of something seasonal or another food - does anyone see this as something associated with gluten?

[RiceGuy]

While I don't doubt that some people may experience puffy eyes from gluten, it seems to me that it occurs often from allergies. If she's eating dairy, soy, or corn, try removing those from her diet and see how she does. Other top allergens may also be suspects, but you'd know better than anyone what her diet is like.

Another possible cause is a candida overgrowth. Using coconut oil instead of butter/margarine and in cooking can help, because it contains a fair amount of caprylic acid, which is a natural candida inhibitor.

[GFinDC]

... She seems to always have puffy eyes and bags under her eyes, even when her GI system is (rarely) not suffering. She doesn't rub her eyes and her actual eyes look fin - it the skin underneath her eyes that looks so inflamed and either red or dark. Could this be another allergy symptom of something seasonal or another food - does anyone see this as something associated with gluten?

So she is having GI issues most of the time? Sorry if I mis-read this or mis-understood. I do that. Anyway, I used to have dark circles under my eyes before the gluten-free diet. I suspect she is reacting to something she is eating or drinking. The trick is to figure out what it is. It could be anything in her diet really, as our bodies are capable of reacting to just about anything.

I had pretty bad hay fever before going gluten-free, but it cleared up afterwards. So I believe gluten can cause our bodies immune system to be hyper reactive. It may take time for that reaction to slow down, especially in young people whose immune system aren't fully developed.

Looking at everything (top 8 allergens) and all the usual culprits for people on this board might reveal something. Soy, nightshades, dairy, corn, eggs, nuts, and sometimes lectins. Plenty of possibilities for sure!

[samie]

It could be allergies but another thing could be low iron. When mine is low i have bags under my eye

[smsm]

Thank you for your replies! I do think you all are on to something with the iron (our levels have been from a little low to very very low over the years). I am going to focus on the iron first since that is easier and then see about other foods. I don't have seasonal allergies but my husband does - perhaps she has a genetic double whammy. My kids get so constipated from gluten - it is been an issue for my daughter since the day she was born (we didn't figure out it was Celiac until she was around 15 months). The result is that going has been extremely painful and traumatic from the beginning. She gets so scared when she has to go, she will hold it and hold it for up to two weeks - and then the cycle begins again. She isn't around gluten - it isn't gluten that is causing the constant GI drama - it is the gluten that began the fear cycle that we just can't break. Once in a while, she will allow her body to proceed and she will be ok, but she generally gets too scared. Then, when we have our occasional cc or mistakes, it just compounds the issue.

[domesticactivist]

Puffy eyes and bags are very typical of allergies, seasonal and otherwise. My son had them until a few weeks after we we cut out corn (he has an IgE reaction to it). The bags come back when his seasonal allergies flare up, but since changing our diet that rarely happens any more we're on the gaps diet, btw, and you can read our story on my blog if you like.

[domesticactivist]

About the constipation... Are you giving her lots of fiber? That could actually be making it worse. Surprisingly the low fiber gaps diet has helped my constipation. When we went gluten free before gaps I had the worst constipation in my life. I think it was the rice flour products that reall did me in.

[stanleymonkey]

if she has had constipation for a while it might be worth talking to a gastro or even a paed about a bowel maintenance programme. It involved giving her p.e.g for 3 months, and things like making her go and sit on the toilet at regular times (it downs't matter if she goes or not), and a diet with fibre and water spread throughout the day. It really helped our daughter who began with constipation at 13 months. We were told the stool softners would help her poop without the muscles having to do much work, and this rest time would allow the bowels which were probably stretched out from the longtime constipation to tighten back ul an start working properly. My daughter is now 3 and recognises when she is constipated and asks for her 'bum juice'