Is Tiredness And Lack Of Energy Part Of Cd

[ILOVEOMC]

Hi,

My son is 11(almost 12) and was diagnosed back in March and has been gluten-free for 5 months now. They believe he was just starting to get celiac disease and they caught it early since he was only complaining of symptoms 4 months before diagnosis.

The trouble now is that he spends a lot of time on the coach watching tv and acts like he is too tired to do much of anything. He does play soccer but isn't too interested in the pracitices. Since being gluten-free for 5 months I wonder if this is normal for Celiacs to show signs of lack of energy. Is it? Will it be like this always for him? Or is this just the teenage years getting closer? Any advice is appreciated here, thanks so much

[Canadian Karen]

It's hard to say......

It could be that his system is still trying to heal and he still has malabsorption issues. Does he take vitamin supplements? Additional iron? Has he shown to be anemic?

My other train of thought could be that it is just his age. The reason I say that is because my daughter who is also 11 (12 next month), who does not have celiac disease, has basically spent this whole summer sleeping in til noon and lounged around the whole rest of the time (except for baseball, which she is exceptional at, but also never went to the practices.......) It could just be indicative of the age......

Also, are you 100% sure of the gluten-free status of your son? The reason I ask is that it can be hidden in the darndest places that I wouldn't have even thought to look if not for the great knowledgeable people on this board. Does he have his own toaster? Have you checked medications, vitamins, shampoos, toothpaste, etc.? I made the mistake of not being careful enough and it turns out that the medication I was taking for my gas (Gax-X Chewable Tablets), which I was taking like candy due to the severe gas pains, ended up containing gluten!!!!! It can happen so easily..... just one little thing overlooked, and symptoms continue.....

By the way, I don't know how it is for boys (since my twin boys are only 4 yrs old), but I have absolutely NO IDEA how I am going to survive Eileen going through all this melodramatic, sleep all day, hormone raging, Jeckyl/Hyde phase...... Ah, the joys of parenthood!!!!

Karen

[ILOVEOMC]

Karen,

I appreciate your response. His toothpaste is Crest and gluten-free and I do use new toaster just for him. There is always the possibility we are overlooking something or he is getting cross contaminated in our kitchen which is not totally gluten-free .

Blood work never picked up any anemia. Time will tell I guess and I lood forward to his year follow up visit with the GI doctor and run this past him too.

I laughed and related well to your description of your daughter. He is my oldest also and I just don't know what I am in for with the teen years on the horizon. He has no energy and my 6 year old is non-stop energy. Thank goodness school starts tomorrow for us in Ohio. Thanks for sharing.

[ILOVEOMC]

Karen,

I appreciate your response. His toothpaste is Crest and gluten-free and I do use new toaster just for him. There is always the possibility we are overlooking something or he is getting cross contaminated in our kitchen which is not totally gluten-free .

Blood work never picked up any anemia. Time will tell I guess and I lood forward to his year follow up visit with the GI doctor and run this past him too.

I laughed and related well to your description of your daughter. He is my oldest also and I just don't know what I am in for with the teen years on the horizon. He has no energy and my 6 year old is non-stop energy. Thank goodness school starts tomorrow for us in Ohio. Thanks for sharing.

[nettiebeads]

Karen,

    I appreciate your response. His toothpaste is Crest and gluten-free and I do use new toaster just for him. There is always the possibility we are overlooking something or he is getting cross contaminated in our kitchen which is not totally gluten-free .

    Blood work never picked up any anemia. Time will tell I guess and I lood forward to his year follow up visit with the GI doctor and run this past him too.

    I laughed and related well to your description of your daughter. He is my oldest also and I just don't know what I am in for with the teen years on the horizon. He has no energy and my 6 year old is non-stop energy. Thank goodness school starts tomorrow for us in Ohio. Thanks for sharing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I sure hope he knows the importance of not cheating. I let my daughter live through her teen age years even though I had that recurring thought " I brought her into this world and I can take her out!!! " But she's now 21, in college, moved out of the house but still lives in town. She actually called me one night just to talk! (and not ask for money!! ) I had heard rumors that teenagers do turn back into real people, and they were right!! It was that thought and remembering how sweet and fun she was as a toddler that kept me sane at times. Remember, this too shall pass.

[ravenwoodglass]

Hi, Fatigue can be part of celiac but it should be relieved by the gluten-free diet. How did he 'take' the news he was gluten-free? Could he be stressing about now being different and worried about getting the wrong sort of attention at school? For my son the worst thing about the celiac is the depression, could he be getting trace amounts and experiencing depression? Does he still want contact with his freinds? If he doesn't that might be a sign that more is involved than just tired. You probably already know this since you knew about the toaster issue so forgive me if you do but please be sure you wipe down all counters and use different utensils for his food. Make sure if you have a microwave that things are covered and it is wiped out a lot. I used to be a professional chef and my specialty was cooking for people with food allergies and intolerances so I know how hard it can be to be scrupulous when it comes to cooking for him but its important. And be aware that things like glues and pastes, modeling compounds and clays, paints and such may also be sources of contamination. Good luck and hope he's jumping around and driving you crazy like any good kid soon.