Is This Celiacs?

[zramomma]

Our pediatrician requested that our son do a gluten free diet for 4 weeks and then have gluten for 4, because of symptoms he was experiencing (stomach pain, fingernails not growing). During the first week his stomach pain continued but by the end of the 2nd week it went away, but still no improvement with the fingernails. The gluten-free diet ended August 1, so he has had gluten for a couple of weeks, he has only complained once of a stomach-ache (before it was daily), he has had other issues like mild indigestion and gas and now has all of a sudden developed a canker sore in his mouth (He has never had one) I know these can be linked to celiacs but can also be nothing. His next appointment with his Dr. is in Sept. I had hoped to see a clear difference and now I am more confused. Could this be Celiacs?

[GottaSki]

Your son's symptoms are all symptoms of Celiac Disease. 4 weeks is not a very long trial of the gluten-free diet. That his stomach pain went away while eating gluten-free is a great result and seems worth giving gluten-free a much longer trial to see what else improves.

Did your doctor run a full celiac blood panel? If not, your son will need to eat substantial gluten for three months before testing. Testing results will not be accurate after a month gluten-free.

Here are the blood tests:

Total Serum IgA

Tissue Transglutaminase IgA and IgG

Gliadin IgA and IgG

Endomysial Antibody IgA

Deamidated Gliadin Peptide IgA and IgG

Also, vitamins and minerals can be low if your son is not absorbing nutrients properly - another indicator of Celiac Disease.

Misc blood tests:

Bs, D, K, Iron, Ferritin, Copper and Zinc

Good Luck to you and your son