Could This Be Celiacs Or An Intolerance?

[ArmyCurl]

My son just turned 4. He was 9lbs 5oz at birth. I believe he slowly dropped in percentiles since birth (although i need to double-check). His height and weight are currently in about the 14th percentile and he is growing (although slow). The problem with his 14th percentile is that he comes from two very tall families so this leaves him with a projected height of the shortest in the family--odd in my mind.

I don't think he has any GI symptoms.

I recently realized his sleep problems started about 4 months old which is also when we introduced solids. He was breastfed from birth to 15 months with solids starting at 4 months.

I'm not sure if he has any other "typical" symptoms.

Could this be celiacs or gluten intolerance? I really don't know what to do since growth is a VERY slow indicator if we were to try a gluten-free diet.

[momtok&m]

If you're trying a gluten-free diet, you would remove gluten for a month and then add it back in. You'd notice the symptoms when you add it back. That being said......I wouldn't do it without letting your ped. know so he can monitor things. Good Luck!

[Cara in Boston]

My son was diagnosed at age 6 and his only symptom (we thought) was an extreme change in behavior. Zero GI symptoms, no complaints, etc. He was tall for his age, so I never noticed that his growth slowed down. But, after being diagnosed and going gluten free, he shot up several inches in the first month. He was back on his original growth curve.

You don't really need to be monitored by a doctor while on a gluten-free diet because it is perfectly safe (you will probably eat MORE healthy food when all the processed stuff is removed). BUT, you should check with your MD before starting and maybe ask for the blood tests. Once you start gluten-free, the tests will no longer be accurate. If you want to get tested in the future, he will have to resume eating gluten for several months before testing. After being gluten-free for any length of time, the reaction to gluten tends to get worse . . .

Other things that have improved: better, more regular sleep habits, no more random joint pain (we thought it was "growing pains"), no more dark circles under his eyes, less frequent nose bleeds, no more eczema, more focused, more friendly and generally happy. We didn't even know these were symptoms!

His hair is also thicker and more wavy now . . . coincidence?

Cara

[ArmyCurl]

Wow thanks for all the info ladies! I didn't realize we could see results in such a short period of time. We are going to visit the Dr before starting the diet to get any growth related tests (and gluten related) done in advance. After reading this board I don't want to have to glutenize him in the future just for tests.