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coeliac in young children
Posted by Felicity
My son had been diagnosed with CD but also has secondary lactose intolerance, as he is not yet 18 months it's very difficult to know how he's feeling and weather he actually likes the food I’m giving him.
Diarrhoea and a swollen belly are the symptoms we can see but no one has explained what else he may be feeling. Can any one help?
My GP is happy to prescribe him food but I have no idea what to order, some of the stuff we’ve bought is pretty disgusting so suggestions here would also be appreciated.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Felicity
My son had been diagnosed with CD but also has secondary lactose intolerance, as he is not yet 18 months it's very difficult to know how he's feeling and weather he actually likes the food I’m giving him.
Diarrhoea and a swollen belly are the symptoms we can see but no one has explained what else he may be feeling. Can any one help?
My GP is happy to prescribe him food but I have no idea what to order, some of the stuff we’ve bought is pretty disgusting so suggestions here would also be appreciated.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Wallace
Felicity,
I read your question by chance whilst I was wandering through the gluten free sites as I am a celiac myself. I am a 67 yr old male, quite fit and slim. I was diagnosed only last year after years of feeling sick and stomach pains. When I received the diagnosis I thought the world had ended for me in a way but it is not all that difficult. I know how you must feel about your son.
Well I have to say that I also was told I had a lactose intolerance at first but was told it might go away after a while. In fact, it has gone and I can eat milk products etc with no problem and I hope the same happens for your son.
You ask about the symptoms apart from those you know. Headache is common and a general feeling of being unwell. Bad temper often results and mood swings and even depression. If your son sticks to the gulten free diet, most of the symtoms will go away. He might break out at times and find the symtoms return but they go away each time he stops eating things like wheat pasta, bread, cake etc. You can buy all sorts of gluten free foods now in most supermarkets or even on-line. I make my own bread each weekend. Vegetables, fruit, meats are always good for us all. You cannot go wrong with those as any other child would eat the same.
You son may not like the GF food as a lot of it does taste not all that good and the pasta and bread crumbles so much but it is better than feeling sick all the time. By the way, always toast the GF bread as it tastes so much better. Cut it in small pieces with some spread and he might like that.
The way to look at it is to think that being a celiac is not the worst thing that can happen. Gradually your son will work out what he can and cannot eat. You will be able to tell easily apart from the fact that most children are not good at eating what is given to them even if not celiacs. If he eats what you give him then he is happy no doubt.
Well I wish you and your son and all your efforts the best success. You can email me if you wish and I am happy to try to help.
Regards,
Wallace
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coeliac in young children
Posted by justine
My son is two and a half, and has been coeliac from the start, though it took 12 months for me to discover. (Also discovered that I am too! ) Yes - the constant diarrhoea was the key, along with a 24hr runny nose and persistent chesty cough. Once I stopped the gluten, the cough was gone in just a week! But other than those symptoms, he was/is a happy kid who seemed unaffected
Like any other kid - if he doesn't like the food, he'll let you know.
My son loves GF pasta, even though I find some brands a bit yucky because I am comparing it to 'normal' pasta, but he doesn't know the difference. I also use lots of vermicilli, brown rice and polenta.
Fresh fruit and veg, meat, rice crackers, dips/hommous, dried fruit, plain popcorn, are all good.
Kai drinks soy milk (again, he doesn't know the difference) and I have recently found lactose-free yogurt in Woolworths, which is great!
I would also suggest doing as much research as you can - there's loads of info out there, probably far more than your GP can give you. There's also lots of cookbooks available and websites with receipes, so try GF muffins, banana breads, biscuits etc. It's been trial and error, but I now have a few staples that I know my son will eat. It means making time for more cooking, but at least I know my son is healthy - and so am I.
You're welcome to email me if you'd like to talk more.
cheers,
justine
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Karen Galbraith
Hi, my son is 14months and has just been diagnosed with a wheat/gluten intolerance. He was sick every second day and had a swollen tummy BUT he didnt have any diahorrhea he had infact chronic constipation!! We spent 3 weeks in hospital and have just returned home. he has been off dairy products also for the past three weeks but they have re-introduced dairy back into his diet. he is such a happy wee boy now and hasnt been sick at all since gluten has been takenout of his diet but he does still have constipation from time to time so our battle isnt over yet. I am really really struggling trying to find food to give to my son. The doctors want me to give him a balanced diet but he was so ill that he lost a lot of weight and now at 14months only weighs 18lb. The doctors want me to feed him more fatty food but I really dont know where to start!! Any help and advice is so appreciate thank you.
Karen
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Peter
A teaspoonful of olive oil added to a meal will provide a useful amount of extra energy. It also helps the digestive system absorb vitamins from the food.
Mash potato with a little olive oil.
Include a meal of oily fish a couple of times a week. Tins of mackerel or sardines in brine are a convenient source - pour away the brine and don't add any salt to the meal. Fresh or tinned salmon is also good.
Peter
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coeliac in young children
Posted by paola pittali
My son, now 6 has been diagnosed with celiac disease a year ago. We have been following a gluten free diet and he has been very mature about it, excellent in accepting it and even informing others about it. What worries me though is that at times he seems to not be very happy with himself, he is hyperactive, lacks concentration, and does not cooperate well within the family. This is totally in contrast with his school behavior. Could this have to do with CD, or could it be a reaction to everything? Does anybody know anything about it or has experienced anything like this?
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coeliac in young children
Posted by naomi o'flaherty
Hi there,
it is good to hear from parents in the same situation as me. My 3 and a half year old daughter has just been diagnosed with CD, but the problem is that she is the fussiest eater in the world! she eats no fruit and hardly any vegetables at all, and the only meat she will (sometimes) eat is chicken. This is very hard coming from a healthy eating, all organic mother! I have tried EVERY trick in the book to get her to eat, including junk food. I am in a panic that she will eat nothing at all now. I have a feeling that her very poor appetite is down to the fact that she feels lousy all the time, and once we get rid of the gluten, she will feel better and her appetite will improve. Did anyone find that this was the case with their child?
I would be really glad to hear from anyone!
Naomi
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Adrina
I know exactly how Naomi feels. My 6 year old has just been diagnosed with CD and is such a fussy eater. We have the added restrictions of Reflux Oesophagitis, lactose intolerance, allerys to preservatives, colours, flavours (including naturally occuring MSG which is in peas and tomatoes which she loved and seems to be in everything) and antioxidants. It is very hard to find anything that she can eat. I have been making everything from scratch but she is always asking for things that her friends have. I have spent so much time online looking for places to buy supplies and almost everything seems to have one of the things in it that she cannot have. I feel like I am going to tear my hair out before I find anything.
I also have a 2 year old and 7 month old and now am worried that they will come up with the same allergies. I know I will be in good standing if they do, though the cost is hard to cope with now as we are a 1 income family.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me on either websites of suppliers, or suggestions of things I could make for her? Any help would be appreciated.
Adrina
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Paula
Hi there,
My 7 year old daughter has had tummy troubles for about 2 years now, Doctors said it was constipation.....then someone suggessted that we get her tested for CD, the blood test came back positive but only weakly according to the Doctor, she had a TTG, and normal is 0-20 and her reading was 24. She underwent a endoscopy last week and biopsies were taken nothing showed up....is it at all possible that she is just starting to develop CD?? Does anyone have any feedback for me, please.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by elvira
hi there please help!!1 just yesterday we found out that my 31/2 yrs old by has CD.. started a couple of months ago with cramping and diarrhea. We started on gluten free diet but now i am ready to pull my hair out. HE is uded to home cooking, so he canno stand the breads, he will not eat vegetables, so wht's left is pasta, chicken and fuit,I am so worried that he 'll get sicker and not better. Does anyone outhtere havce any bread recepies willing to share with me sot hat maybe this gf bread tast more like the regular one? Please e-mail me with your help I really appreciate it
thank you
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Peter
See the recipes at
http://www.peter-thomson.co.uk/glutenfree/bread.html
Peter
As a mother of children with CD in Australia I was wondering if you knew of a chat site or some group were mother's of children with CD can all talk to each other. Sometime we feel pretty isolated here.Although I have too older daughters and myself and we support each other it would be good to talk to other people all over the world on how the cope with it and swap idea's.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Louise
Hi my son was diagnosed last week with CD. He is only two and has been sick all his life and it has taken me two years to finally find out what is wrong. Now I am busy trying to learn about this new lifestyle. I am pleased to read some of you have had great results but like some of the others I am concerned. My son won't eat the bread. He cant drink any of the milk at this stage and is on prescribed formula which he wont drink. He can't live on just water. At this stage he is not allowed juices or other drinks...My daughter is also on a dairy free diet so I feel like I am preparing all these special meals which is very exhausting as I also work. Any tips for tasty meals, links to receipe sites, support groups etc would be appreciated. Have found CD NSW site on the net and emailed them today but any other ideas would be benefical.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by teresa
hi badly in need of help my daughter whos six is plagued by feeling unwell and catching every thing going. feels sick most of the time and tired, got blood tests done two weeks ago for cd no results back yet is this symptonms of cd.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by Peter
Sometimes you just have to be patient. Only the child's doctor knows the full medical history and is in a position to make a diagnosis.
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coeliac in young children
Posted by lisa
Hi my son is 6yrs old and Ive only just found out that he has CD. He had shingles and I didnt know about it. My son suffered the same symptoms as your child as a baby and Im not sure soy is ever a way to go due to the side effects it has caused. My mother (as I have CD as well) used goats milk for me. Soy was not an option back then (Im 32). But goats milk was the only thing that I could stomach. I did not know for my son how to help him so I hope you have better luck
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coeliac in young children
Posted by susannah hansen
I just found this great website..I have just had my daughter tested today and I wonder if anyone out there has had a negative test result turn out positive later on. I am sure my daughter has this disease..she has had gas, fussiness, constipation, leg cramps, major insomnia, tooth enamel defects all at age 2.5..I am so afraid the test results will come back negative and I will be lost! Anyone have any thoughts?
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coeliac in young children
Posted by sharon
my son who is 8 as been diagnosed with cd in june,he as been unwell for 3 years having to go through lots of investigations to find out what was wrong.My son is a very fussy eater,we only saw a dietrician yesterday so i am very new to it all,i have read many of your letters and its good to no other parents are out there.i would appriciate all the advice i can get.I wish all your children and yourselfs best of luck. sharon
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coeliac in young children
Posted by susannah hansen
I am in the process of having my daughter diagnosed, the blood tests came up negative, but we are going ahead with the endoscopy because of all of the symptoms present. I have cut out all gluten, but there is so much hidden gluten in contaminated products, that I still see her very uncomfortable at times. I wonder if anyone has seen behavior changes in their celiac children when small amounts of wheat are ingested? If so, how long does it take to see changes...I swear with my daughter it is within 24 hours and sometimes sooner. It seems like it all disappears once the food has gone past a certain place in her intestines...is this typical of celiac? It has been a long process, my daughter nursed until after 2 1/2 and is now 3, when she stopped nursing things went downhill fast. I had cut out wheat, sugar and dairy, etc. when she was 9 months old so thankfully she grew well-but she has been constipated since she was about 6 months old. Any one who can share their experience with me...I would love to hear from you.
Thanks,
mdsuzetta -at- aol.com
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coeliac in young children
Posted by
gluten free popcorn should be sold on glutafin websites