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

4 Year Old Gluten Intolerance

Barrettsark

Recommended Posts

Barrettsark Newbie
Barrettsark
Posted

Ok everyone I'm new to this Forum. My name is Jessica and i'm a mother of 6 children who all have digestion issues. But my four year old little girl has been complaining about stomach aches for a year now. She is very pale and has no energy. Nothing for her to stay on the coach all day. Often has colored stools. I feel that we have always eaten healthy. So we took her to the doctor a few months back and they did some blood work to see if she had lyme. Than we went back because it was not lyme and they tested for celiac.. One test Endomysial IgA came back at 21 range ( 0-19).

We were sent to gastro and they did a biopsy that came back neg. The gastro doctor says she is not celiac but Gluten intolerance. What does everyone think?? Help Please

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

It could very well be. At any rate, she needs to get off of gluten completely. If she improves, then there is your answer.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Welcome to the board.

It could be that she has really early celiac, enough to develop the antibodies in the blood but not enough for damage to the small intestine. With a positive EMA test that to me is the most likely scenario. Either way, she does need to eat gluten free; I think you will find it will make a big difference. AND, you have a doctor who says she needs to be gluten free and can provide you with a letter for when she starts school so that she can avoid gluten exposure there.

You say your children all have digestive issues. Do either you or your husband also have digestive issues because celiac is a genetically inherited characteristic and there are gluten intolerance genes as well, so your daughter had to get it from either one of you. Just having the gene does not automatically give you the disease though - there has to be some kind of trigger -- usually physical or emotional trauma -- to set it off.

Just a suggestion, but it might be a good idea to make the whole family gluten free and see if the issues of your other chldren resolve. I know you will find some resistance from the older children giving up their favorite snacks, but you can do the transition gradually. Most fresh food is naturally gluten free, meats, fish, vegetables, dairy, eggs, fruits, nuts, seeds. Add in rice, and gluten free bread (making wraps instead of sandwiches is a good idea, using brown rice wraps or corn tortillas) and some gluten free pasta,and you can cook gluten free dinners for the whole family without their even being aware of it (and you don't have to tell them to start with). :) You can thicken gravies and sauces with cornstarch or buy some Pamela's Baking Mix and then you can make gluten free pancakes, waffles and cookies too. Think about it for a while. :)

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Welcome Jessica!

Whether your daughter has Celiac Disease or Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance the treatment is the same - remove ALL gluten and watch her improve.

That being said...if she responds to the removal of gluten and had a positive EMA-IgA - I'd guess that the damage to her small intestine was either spotty or in it's very early stage. Do you have the endoscopy report? It can help to know how many samples were biopsied and if there were any cellular changes found.

Have you considered testing for you, your husband and other children? I agree with Mushroom regarding the suggestion to take the entire family gluten-free - given the digestive symptoms in your other children. Minimally, I strongly recommend making one gluten-free dinner for the entire family. Testing all eight of you may give a more clear picture of Celiac vs NCGI. Should you decide to have anyone else tested, they should continue eating gluten until the tests are complete.

Hang in there - the transition to gluten-free is not easy - but it does become much easier with time :)

Barrettsark Newbie
Barrettsark
Posted
  • Author

We have started the Gluten free foods with her and I have noticed a difference with her already. The other night she was giving me a hard time and wanted Pizza, with in an hour she was crying that her stomach hurt and was very off mood wise.

I have always had digestive issues myself diarrhea When I was younger to the point I didn't want to go places to after I had my four year old constipation to the point of bleeding. I had a Colonoscopy last year at only 32 to find I have Internal hemorrhoids. I just went to the doctor yesterday to ask them to test me.

My husband on the other hand is not sure about any of this.. I working on him..

shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

Its best if she doesn't cheat on the diet. Its hard, and she'll go through gluten withdrawl but you must keep to it :(

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

and learn to make gluten-free pizza! Again, give yourself time for the transition...you'll be able to replicate all her favorites as you learn more.

Have you read the "Newbie 101" thread - loads of good start-up info there and continue to ask questions - it really is the best way to speed up the process.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Celiac Mindwarp Community Regular
Celiac Mindwarp
Posted

Sounds like a family trip for blood tests might be in order. Once you all start enjoying more gluten-free food you will find it harder to go back on gluten for testing.

Good work Mum, keep it up :)

Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

Yes! Please get everyone in the family tested - especially before you make any diet changes.

Also, a negative biopsy simply means DAMAGE WAS NOT FOUND, not necessarily that your child is negative for celiac. With her symptoms and positive blood test, it is likely that she has celiac. A diagnosis of gluten intolerance is ok because the treatment is the same, but many people think it is less serious and an occasional "cheat" is ok. It is not OK to cheat at all. She needs to be 100% gluten free.

If after 6 months her antibody levels are normal again (after being gluten free) you will know you are doing the right thing.

Get everyone else tested right away. If more of you test positive, it will be easier to all start the diet together.

Cara

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,917
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    tiffanygosci
    Newest Member
    tiffanygosci
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • tiffanygosci
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      Hi! I had my first episode of AFib last May when I was 30 (I have had some heart stuff my whole life but nothing this extreme). I was not diagnosed with celiac until the beginning of this month in October of 2025. I was in the early stages of celiac, so I'm not sure if they were related (maybe!) All of my heart tests came back normal except for my electrolytes (potassium and magnesium) that were low when the AFib occurred. I also became pregnant with our third and last baby a couple weeks after I came back from that hospital stay. I had no heart complications after that whole thing. And I still haven't over a year later. It was definitely scary and I hope it doesn't happen again. I drink an electrolyte drink mix about every day, and I'm sure being on a gluten-free diet will help my body even more! I will pray for you in this. Taking care of our bodies is so challenging but Jesus is with us every step of the way. He cares and He sees you!
    • knitty kitty
      Help I’m cross contaminating myself,

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      I followed the Autoimmune Protocol Diet which is really strict for a while, but later other foods can be added back into your diet.  Following the AIP diet strictly allows you digestive system to heal and the inflammation to calm down.  Sort of like feeding a sick baby easy to digest food instead of spicy pizza.   It's important to get the inflammation down because chronic inflammation leads to other health problems.  Histamine is released as part of the autoimmune response to gluten.  High histamine levels make you feel bad and can cause breathing problems (worsening asthma), cardiovascular problems (tachycardia), and other autoimmune diseases (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, diabetes) and even mental health problems. Following the low histamine version of the AIP diet allows the body to clear the histamine from our bodies.  Some foods are high in histamine.  Avoiding these makes it easier for our bodies to clear the histamine released after a gluten exposure.   Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system and calm it down.  Vitamin D is frequently low in Celiacs.  The B Complex vitamins and Vitamin C are needed to clear histamine.   Supplementing with essential vitamins and minerals boosts your intestines' ability to absorb them while healing.   Keep in mind that gluten-free facsimile foods, like gluten-free bread, are not enriched with added vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts are.   They are empty calories, no nutritional value, which use up your B vitamins in order to turn the calories into fuel for the body to function.   Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about supplementing while healing.  Take a good B Complex and extra Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine (shown to promote gut health).  Most B Complex vitamins contain thiamine mononitrate which the body cannot utilize.  Meats and liver are good sources of B vitamins.   Dr. Sarah Ballantyne wrote the book, the Paleo Approach.  She's a Celiac herself.  Her book explains a lot.   I'm so glad you're feeling better and finding your balance!
    • klmgarland
      Help I’m cross contaminating myself,

      By klmgarland · Posted

      So I should not eat my gluten free bread?  I will try the vitamins.  Thank you all so very much for your ideas and understanding.  I'm feeling better today and have gathered back my composure!
    • knitty kitty
      Taking Probiotics but Still Getting Sick After Gluten – Advice?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Some people prefer eating gluten before bed, then sleeping through the worst symptoms at night.  You might want to try that and see if that makes any difference.   Several slices of toast for breakfast sounds okay.  Just try to work up to the Ten grams of gluten.  Cookies might only have a half of a gram of gluten.  The weight of the whole cookie is not the same as the amount of gluten in it.  So do try to eat bread things with big bubbles, like cinnamon rolls.   Yeah, I'm familiar with the "death warmed over" feeling.  I hope you get the genetic test results quickly.  I despise how we have to make ourselves sick to get a diagnosis.  Hang in there, sweetie, the tribe is supporting you.  
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thank you, a little expensive but glad to have this source. 
×
×
  • 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.