A Reward Of Gluten And Lactose

[kvanrens1]

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

[IrishHeart]

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? 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.

[StephanieL]

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]

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]

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]

What really concerns me is you have listed pancreatic insufficiency.

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.

[IrishHeart]

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.

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.

[mushroom]

Well, nothing gets a message across quicker than a little reinforcement 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Thinking of you both! Thanks for keeping us posted!

[IrishHeart]

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?

I feel sorry for her pain.

Hope she rebounds quickly.

[Skylark]

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]

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.