Insensitivity or Celiac??

Updated on November 01, 2012
A.L. asks from Blue Earth, MN
5 answers

My daugher who will be 4 soon was tested about 6 months ago for food insensitivities and came back with dairy, gluten and peanuts. she does preety good on her diet but is complaining again of a lot of tummy aches and body aches. she gets acid refux if she eats the wrong things off her gluten free dairy free diet. Just wondering if anyone has had these issues. when do I just leave it as it is or go get further testing??

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K.W.

answers from Seattle on

Why wait? Get her tested now. Only a doctor will be able to tell you if she has celiac disease. I'm surprised they didn't test her for this earlier.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

You ask for more tests when you've successfully maintained a dairy, gluten, and peanut free diet. You mention that she gets acid reflux if she eats the wrong things. Seems to me that the answer to that is to not let her eat the wrong things. You have the answer already.

I would also consider the possibility that she's sensitive to other foods. Keep a diary of what she's eaten when she has symptoms and then try eliminating those foods for a week or more and see if she improves. Tests can point out the possibility of food insensitivities but there are no tests for all foods. Finding many sensitivities is a matter of trial and error.

Did the tests that she had point out food sensitivities or allergies. I have numerous food allergies and learned which ones by trial and error. My granddaughter has food allergies as shown by testing and trial and error. She does see a pediatric allergist every 6-12 months. If your daughter hasn't seen an allergist, taking her to one might help you not only know and understand about her food sensitivities but also help you figure out how to deal with these symptoms.

If she hasn't been tested for celiac, I would have that done. However, if the doctor told you she was celiac sensitive, I suggest that she's already been tested. My adult daughter is celiac sensitive. The doctor tested for celiac disease and told her she was sensitive but did not have celiac.

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

If you are going to have her tested for Celiac, she will need to consume gluten everyday for a week prior to testing. This is an important diagnosis simply because that presence can lead to other health concerns later on. It's treated slightly differently than just a sensitivity.

However, if you know what the triggers are, I don't understand why your solution wouldn't be to just continue to avoid those triggers. Some people just cannot eat every thing, nor should they be able to.

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

First, let me say that my point of reference and knowledge is the fact that I have a child with Celiac disease.

IF your child is to be tested for Celiac disease, she will need to be on a gluten-CONTAINING diet for MUCH longer than a week...anywhere from 6 weeks to six months. This is a question you need to ask a capable doctor.

I would want the testing done, if it were me...in fact, I DID want the testing done for my child, even though I knew gluten was what was causing all the problems because every time I removed it from her diet, it was a miracle change.

However, if I had had her successfully on a gluten free diet for an extended period of time, I'm not sure I'd go back to causing the suffering just to get confirmation. Here's the difference, though...your child is getting a tummy ache and acid reflux. Sounds to me like a sensitivity (exactly what I get.) My Celiac daughter, on the other hand...keeping in mind that she's a toddler...will literally roll on the floor SCREAMING if she's been "glutenized" (and she has a high pain threshold) because it hurts her that bad. Her skin will begin to break out in what's call dermatitis herpatiformis (not everyone with CD gets this, and some people JUST have this and not CD when exposed to gluten) and it's awful...painful, itchy, horrid looking, etc. Her behavior will go from sweet toddler to hell on wheels...I mean, it's really terrible.

I realize not all people with CD act that way when exposed, but I'm just trying to share how extreme it can be.

It sounds to me like you already have your test answers...she has insensitivities...and you ought to keep her on her prescribed diet.

If you need help with the diet, please feel free to PM me. It's been a long time since we messed up :)...and my daughter is dairy free as well. It took a lot of trial, error, and practice to get her diet built really well.

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A.C.

answers from Madison on

Also be aware that no matter if she has gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, both are addressed and solved by avoiding gluten. The hard part is educating oneself as to all the different ways that gluten hides itself in different names (the food manufacturers like to be so tricky). Also, cross-contamination is also a concern.

The best way to be safe and to have no acid reflux or tummy or body aches is to make 100% sure that she stays off dairy (you need to educate yourself just how much milk and cream and butter is in everything. That means dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. That means special chocolate chips--and NOT Nestle TollHouse Chocolate Chips. That means nothing with anything cow dairy in it whatsoever. Again, you'll need to find all the different ways the food manufacturers use and label "milk" in the various products you buy) as well as the gluten and the peanuts.

One of the good side effects of having food allergies and intolerances is the fact that one usually needs to turn to an organic diet, where one eats wholesome, whole foods and does away with the processed and prepared foods one finds in the supermarket as well as fast food restaurants. And by avoiding processed foods you also do away with dyes, artificial ingredients, and chemicals/preservatives.

I recommend getting a subscription to the magazine LIVING WITHOUT, which is a wonderful mag for people who live with food allergies and intolerances. They have wonderful stories of people living and dealing with food allergies/intolerances as well as delicious recipes, and in the back of the magazine every month they include not only flour substitutions but also substitutions for milk products, what different things to watch out for when reading ingredient labels, etc. I've been receiving this magazine for about 4 years now, and I absolutely LOVE it!

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