Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

A Reward Of Gluten And Lactose


kvanrens1

Recommended Posts

kvanrens1 Explorer

My eight year old daughter has been gluten free since March 18. It has been an adjustment for us all but she feels so much better. Her mood has changed. She is not in constant pain anymore. She is happy again.

Today is reward day at her school. Her class is having a pizza party and ice cream sundaes. I told her that I would be happy to send some gluten free pizza and, since she is lactose intolerant (pretty severe), I would find a replacement for the ice cream too. But I let her decide. She knows it may make her feel bad but she wants to fully participate in this fun day at her school.

I sure wish schools could come up with other ways to reward students other than junk food...

Kristy


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



IrishHeart Veteran

You have my sympathy because I can tell this is hard for you to have to deal with. I imagine it is very hard for your sweet kiddo, too. :( It puts you BOTH in a difficult spot.

I am surprised schools continue to do this-- given the fact that so many kids have food allergies and sensitivities and that, in general, there are so many kids who do not eat well regularly and are obese. This is not helping to encourage proper nutrition. (man, I sound like a big old grouchy pants, don't I? :rolleyes: I'm not, really! and even I eat pizza and So Delicious coconut milk ice cream, in moderation.)

If more parents complained about it and suggested OTHER ways to celebrate the kids' accomplishments, maybe it would help change the focus off food?

I hope your daughter chooses not to indulge, as I fear she will surely feel lousy for it.

Hope things work out okay. :unsure:

StephanieL Enthusiast

Why would you let her do that? You know the risks of what she is doing and letting her participate is really reckless. So while you can be unhappy with the school for choosing to have this kind of reward, taking a dx lightly is just as bad.

Would you let her have ice-cream is she was diabetic? She's a kid and you are letting her choose to make decisions that can/will effect her health for the rest of her life. The earlier she learns that this is a life long process, the better.

Good luck over the next few days.

Skylark Collaborator

Why would you let her do that? You know the risks of what she is doing and letting her participate is really reckless. So while you can be unhappy with the school for choosing to have this kind of reward, taking a dx lightly is just as bad.

She's blood/biopsy/genetic negative. A little gluten won't have the same effect as if she were celiac, though she may be miserable for a couple days. A lot of us find that our reactions are stronger after going gluten-free so there is a chance the pizza could hit her really hard.

The So Delicious coconut ice cream is really good. I'd recommend it if you're looking for something dairy-free.

kvanrens1 Explorer

Skylark is right. She does not have Celiac disease. If that were the case, I would not let her have pizza. We believe she has a sensitivity to gluten based upon positive response to gluten-free diet and her Enterolab results.

While I am hoping she does not have too bad of a reaction, she will be offered food/snacks when I am not around and will have to make choices. She made a choice today and we will see if there are consequences to that choice.

Kristy

mommida Enthusiast

What really concerns me is you have listed pancreatic insufficiency. :unsure:

My daughter was too ill to complete Celiac testing for "gold standard" positive. She has been hospitalized for cyclic vommitting that lead to dehydration and hooked up to an IV for up to 4 days. (Before and after diagnoses of Eosinophilic Esophagitus too.) It seems some testing was inconclusive and she could have another not diagnosed issue.

I just think the choice for an 8 old year old is "Here is your safe food. Take it or leave it?" You eat your safe food or you don't eat. :blink:

IrishHeart Veteran

While I am hoping she does not have too bad of a reaction, she will be offered food/snacks when I am not around and will have to make choices. She made a choice today and we will see if there are consequences to that choice.

Surely, you know there are going to be consequences.

She is-- in your words-- "severely lactose intolerant". Even if there is, by some luck, no gluten reaction, the dairy should make her pretty sick.

So, then maybe you are trying to prove something to her? So she "gets it" and does not accept food she should not have from others?

I'm a bit confused. :unsure:

If she were a teenager, I could see it, but she's only 8. :(

If I were 8, I'd take the pizza and ice cream, too. Celiac or not. (There are grown adults on here who are tempted and make these poor choices, too. We hear this all the time.)

But, you are her Mom and you know best.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



mushroom Proficient

Well, nothing gets a message across quicker than a little reinforcement :rolleyes: Could be one trial learning to avoid all temptation, in which case it may well be worth it. The next time she will make a better choice, perhaps?

mamaupupup Contributor

My heart goes out to you both! Our twins are younger (5.5), so we currently have a lot of "control" over their ingestion world. Still, I had to take away playdoh in Easter Eggs this past weekend and they were sad. I keep telling myself that everytime I say, "I'm sorry sweetheart, this isn't a healthy choice for you, you can't have this. Let's find something which will let you celebrate and keep you safe" hopefully they will internalize some of this--I say wishfully!

All that said, I don't know what it's like to have an 8 yr old! You knows what lies ahead of me ;)

Also, we've leaned toward homeschooling and will at least homeschool through 2012/2013 because we haven't felt comfortable with what the schools are doing...

Hang in there!

pricklypear1971 Community Regular

At 8 they are quite capable of making their own decisions and learning the hard way.

My son is almost 10 and is adamant he doesn't have a food intolerance. He is 100% fine, he just KNOWS it, and he yells it at me loudly if I dare to have a different opinion.

My house is gluten-free. I tried df and had an all-out flop. I could send gluten-free/df meals to school and he wouldn't eat them - he'd starve. So, until he's ready it's pointless. All I can do is give him the tools and options and try to point out "weird things that happen" and show him how to eat gluten-free (ok, and low-ish dairy).

He has had antibody and vitamin testing. No antibodies but some weird vitamin numbers - but he has a blood disorder so it's hard to get a good read. So, there's no evidence he has an issue and he reminds me of that if I dare to imply there's a reason for weirdness.

So, hang in there Kristy. One day shell figure it out.

kvanrens1 Explorer

She has had no ill effects so far. She did take a creon with her pizza and a lactaid with her ice cream. I told her this morning that if you play with fire you may not get burned the first time but if you keep playing with it eventually you will get hurt. I know there my still be a reaction coming but so far so good.

Kristy

kvanrens1 Explorer

She is feeling bad this morning. Stomach pain, some overreaction (behavior), and gas. We have all learned our lesson :)

So we are all more committed to the gluten-free and lactose free diet now.

Since we are dealing with gluten sensitivity that has only been diagnosed via enterolab, this experiment gives us more confidence that we are on the right track.

In the future, when they have pizza or ice cream at school, I WILL send an alternative and remind her that this is the healthier choice for her.

Thanks,

Kristy

mamaupupup Contributor

Thinking of you both! Thanks for keeping us posted!

IrishHeart Veteran

She is feeling bad this morning. Stomach pain, some overreaction (behavior), and gas. We have all learned our lesson :)

Well, I doubt SHE has a smiley face on today, but if your point was to prove something to her and get her to be strictly dietary compliant, then I guess it was worth it? :unsure:

I feel sorry for her pain. :(

Hope she rebounds quickly.

Skylark Collaborator

She is feeling bad this morning. Stomach pain, some overreaction (behavior), and gas. We have all learned our lesson :)

Poor kiddo. Pepto Bismol helps me a lot with gluten reactions. I'm sorry to hear that she didn't get away with it but not terribly surprised. I hope she feels better soon.

brigala Explorer

So it's been a few days. How is she feeling?

This is a difficult parenting decision, and obviously different people will have different opinions on it. There does come a point where the child will have to self-monitor and a parent cannot physically force the child to adhere to the dietary restrictions. At what point do you come right out and say "It's your choice" vs. forbidding the child to partake and dealing with the lying and the sneaking? I think only you can make that decision for your family.

I hope she's feeling better. I also hope she learned something from this.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,538
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Josiemc
    Newest Member
    Josiemc
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):




  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Yes, I, too, have osteoporosis from years of malabsorption, too.  Thiamine and magnesium are what keep the calcium in place in the bones.  If one is low in magnesium, boron, selenium, zinc, copper, and other trace minerals, ones bone heath can suffer.  We need more than just calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones.  Riboflavin B 2, Folate B 9 and Pyridoxine B 6 also contribute to bone formation and strength.   Have you had your thyroid checked?  The thyroid is important to bone health as well.  The thyroid uses lots of thiamine, so a poorly functioning thyroid will affect bone heath.  
    • Celiac50
      That sounds so very likely in my case! I will absolutely ask my doctor on my next bone check coming up in March... Thanks a lot! 
    • trents
      Calcium levels as measured in the blood can be quite deceiving as the body will rob calcium from the bones to meet demands for it by other bodily functions. Also, supplementing with calcium can be counterproductive as it tends to raise gut pH and decrease absorption. More often than not, the problem is poor absorption to begin with rather than deficiency of intake amounts in the diet. Calcium needs an acidic environment to be absorbed. This is why so many people on PPIs develop osteoporosis. The PPIs raise gut pH. And some people have high gut PH for other reasons. Low pH equates to a more acidic environment whereas high pH equates to a more basic (less acidic) environment.
    • Celiac50
      Kind thanks for all this valuable information! Since my Folate was/is low and also my Calcium, there IS a chance I am low in B vitamins... My doctor only measured the first two, oh and Zinc as I has twisted her arm and guess what, that was mega low too. So who knows, until I get myself tested properly, what else I am deficient in... I did a hair mineral test recently and it said to avoid All sources of Calcium. But this is confusing for me as my Ca is so low and I have osteoporosis because of this. It is my Adjusted Ca that is on the higher side and shouldn't be. So am not sure why the mineral test showed high Ca (well, it was medium in the test but relative to my lowish Magnesium, also via hair sample, it was high I was told). But anyway, thanks again for the VitB download, I will look into this most certainly!
    • ElisaAllergiesgluten
      Hello good afternoon, I was wondering if anyone has ever brought their anti-allergy pills? I have been wanting to use their Cetirizine HCI 10mg. They are called HealthA2Z and distributed by Allegiant Health.I’m also Asthmatic and these allergies are terrible for me but I also want to be sure they don’t have any sort of gluten compound.    I have tried calling them but to no avail. Has anyone ever used them? If so, did you had any problems or no problems at all?    thank you
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.