At the end of the summer, I called to schedule a doctor's appointment for the Boy because I was concerned about his limited weight gain over the couple of years. He has always been small--at the bottom of the height chart and in the negative percentiles for weight. Hubby and I were both small, scrawny kids, but the Boy is truly tiny. He has gotten taller, but he still weighs about 38 or 39 pounds, and he is 8.5 years old. So we figured it was time to make sure nothing was wrong.
When we saw the doctor (our first time with her since his regular pediatrician retired), she said that he definitely should be tested. She ordered bloodwork to screen for a number of things: thyroid issues, anemia, diabetes, celiac, and maybe some other things.
The good news is that all but one of the tests came back with normal results. The one that didn't? Celiac. He received a positive result on one of the four anti-body tests that make up the celiac panel. Our next step is to meet with the pediatric GI specialist and the nutritionist who works with him. I'm not sure what he'll say. Based on brief research and info from others (thanks LKL!--I'd hotlink you here but the i-Pad won't let me), I'm guessing he will either recommend a biopsy or tell us to wait three months and be re-tested. Hubby is inclined to pushnfor the biopsy so we can get answers sooner rather than later. Although I don't like the idea of anesthetizing the Boy, I certainly do want to know if gluten is making my son starve.Cutting out gluten would be hard, but that loaf of bread is much less appealing when I wonder if it's hurting my child. (Interestingly, I, myself, have always had GI troubles--ever since I was a kid. Hmmm.)
So. We'll see. We have to drive to Santa Barbara to see the specialist, so I'm thinking we'll make a day of it with a trip to the zoo or natural history museum. And for now, we'll keep eating gluten because it is not good to eliminate it when testing for celiac.
Anybody want a biscuit?
10 comments:
yike,s but at least you are finding out right? We have a family of friends in which everyone but the mom has celiac. Their boy is still so very small! Hopefully it will be a smooth path for you!
My sympathies to the Boy! I got your comment -- D is out snorkeling and I'm giving my body a break from the sun, so I happened to see your note -- and I am absolutely willing to talk more about the whole not-eating-gluten thing, and even the testing (I had biopsies more than once), if you would like to chat over e-mail. My address is listed over at my place; feel free to shoot me any questions for layperson answers.
In the meantime, after you are done with testing, and if it does turn out that the Boy must follow a celiac diet, I have all kinds of recipes from this summer's dietary experiment. Baked goods will be his again, I promise.
{{{{GEW and Boy}}}}
I follow a celiac type diet. I have a hard time with gluten, and a bunch of other allergens. Organics make up a huge portion of my diet, along with grilled steaks and chicken. If I eat anything that my stomach doesn't like, it comes out one way or the other quite quickly, and I get a bonus migraine! oh joy. Once you find out what the dealio is, I can send you an email about food issues if it's celiac or other things like IBD, Crohn's, or UlcCol. I can give you the non-layperson answers:)
Dr. Unicorn
How did I find such knowlegable, supportive blog peeps?! You guys are the best, and I will definitely keep you current.
feMOM, It is indeed worrisome to have such a very small boy! Although it's nice that he still fits in my lap so very well.
CT, Oh my, if you can keep him (us) in baked goods, you are more wonderful that I previously supposed! And I may indeed send you questions about biopsies. But for now I hope you are enjoying Hawaii!
Unicorn, in the past few years, I've wondered if I have IBS or something. GI I trouble I've had since childhood (minor annoyance--stomach aches, gloating, constipation) has become more, shall we say, pronounced. I suppose we're
all going on this journey now.
And I didn't mention that the Girl has a lot of stomach aches. Chocolate is a suspect, but we're thinking she might need a blood test, too.
Hubby, too, has trouble, but he attributes it to his travels, calling him problems "HondurASS."
Don't you love knowing all this about the good-enough family? But, really, you guys rock.
so sorry to hear that your boy is poorly.I agree with the others though that it is a good thing to find out for sure and then you can deal with it.My cousin has coeliac condition and leads a healthy 'normal' life.Good luck with everything.unsts
Although he does have to stay on gluten during testing, you could switch him to lactaid already. One by-product of celiac disease is an inability to process lactose. Once on a GF diet, just six months of a lactose-free diet is enough, so that can be temporary. But it might effect an improvement that won't mess up the test results at all... (LKL here. Not sure if my home account is going to let me log in properly.)
If it's any consolation, peanut butter bacon cookies are gluten free.
And I do believe that our Oldest Cousin is now leading a gluten free lifestyle.
I wonder if my own GI issues are related to our "relations." Hm.
Sarah, Thank you! And, of all the tests that might come back positive, celiac is the least serious, I think.
LKL, Thanks for that tip. You know, the Boy doesn't have stomach pain. He's just REALLY small. The Girl, on the other hand, does have stomach pain. I think we might need to test her, too.
Cousin, I am not convinced that "peanut-butter bacon cookies" is something that I am interested in eating. I just don't understand how that could possibly taste good.
Everything with bacon in it tastes fantasticly heavenly awesome.
Unicorn motto numero uno: Everything is better with bacon.
When you're wishing for world peace, I am wishing for bacon.
Unicorn, who loves a smoked porker
A bacon-loving unicorn. Who knew?
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