Could My Daughter's Celiac Symptoms Be Different Than Mine?

[ginadalan]

I don't even know where to begin...I am 33 and have had celiac disease my whole life. My 3 year old daughter just recently began experiencing awful tantrums (much more extreme than a typical tantrum) and night terrors. We kept her gluten free for the first year and began slowly introducing things after that. She has never had what I would call a reaction so I had not gotten her tested yet. Also, my dr said there was only a small chance she would get it so I hadn't rushed to put her thru the blood test. My symptoms are all gastro based. I wonder if she did have it, if our symptoms would tend to be the same or different? And I also wonder if she could only have behavioral symptoms but nothing else (at least that I'm aware of)? Has anyone else experienced just behavioral symptoms? If so, did the blood test come out positive? I would appreciate any feedback at all. If her behavior is just her being 3 and frustrated/anxious (she also just started preschool which might be making her anxious) that would be fine, but if it is celiac, I would hate that I have been making her this way and giving her foods that are upsetting her

Also, her preschool gives snacks 2x/day. The center is completely peanut free. I wonder if a center can be required to be gluten free as well? I'm a special educator and I can't imagine they would be able to discriminate between allergies (my husband wonders if since a peanut allergy could be more severe, maybe that would be the difference). If they didn't serve snacks it wouldn't be an issue, she would just have what I sent from home, but since they do, she's going to feel awful that everyday she can't have what the

other kids are having

Thanks so much...this is my first time posting, can you tell? Sorry it's so long!

[ShayFL]

Welcome!

Of course symptoms can be different. And she would likely test negative anyway because she is so young. Children's test are notoriously inaccurate.

Why not go back to gluten-free? You are anyway. And that would make life so much easier for you. And see if the trantrums go away.

Also, you can supply gluten-free snacks for your DD for pre-school.

[Amyleigh0007]

Yes, symptoms can be different. My son's symptoms and my symptoms were totally opposite. Mine were all gastro and his were slow growth (no growth, really) and leg cramps. He was tested for Celiac around age 3 but tested negative. He was tested again at age 8 and was positive. I think he had Celiac back when he was 3 but it was too early to get a positive. I agree with Shay. Take her off gluten and see what happens.

[gdobson]

My sons most obvious symptoms were behavior related. We kept overlooking the obvious until his outbursts became age inappropriate. I hate now that we waited so long. He lost a lot of time in mental, physical, and emotional growth. He has been gluten-free for 2 years now and is getting caught up, but I will always wish we had realized the what was goinig on sooner.

We also had to provide school with all his snacks, edible rewards, etc. But he still was getting contaminated every other week or so. We actually homeschool now. And for the first time in his entire life (he is 11 now) his acne has cleared up, his dark circles are gone, and his focus is maintained...not to mention he does roll around on the floor and have temper tantrums anymore.

Best of luck to you.

Gina

[A&Z'S MOM]

Hi

I have two kids.My daughter who is seven had gastro symptoms and my son had no gastro symptoms.She was tested first and came out positive,then son[13] was checked out and surprise,surprise he was positive for celiac too.He had no issues except for really bad outbursts ,attention problems and the tiniest thing could set him off.His behaviour has improved significantly since removing gluten from diet.So yes celiac can manifest itself in various ways.But you are in the right place.Folks in this forum are quite helpful and make the transition easier and r there for support when you want to vent.Nothing short of a Blessing!!!

[April in KC]

Irritability can be a big symptom in kids...certainly was for my oldest son.

About the peanut vs. gluten in the school question...I will answer this from my perspective as a mom whose child has Celiac disease and allergies to peanut, soy, pork and oranges. The only food I ask the school for special care in avoiding is peanut. The others my son has to avoid for himself. The reactions of peanut allergic children are just too severe, too contact sensitive, and too life-threatening. The risk of death is the only reason for the bans. Nathan Walters, Sabrina Shannon, Alex Baptist and many others who suffered fatal reactions at school....kids just shouldn't ever die at school, and kids shouldn't ever see their friends die at school. It's for everyone's good. I know we talk about the "think of gluten as dog poop" example...but with peanuts, it's more like, imagine being a human visiting a planet where the native species all snack on anthrax, and don't wash their hands afterwards. Scary.

With gluten in the classroom, I think it's an age-dependent thing that should depend a lot on the temperament of the child and whether they sneak food. At 2, one of my three boys wouldn't dream of sneaking food...but another did it all the time. No difference in parenting...just a different kid. Teachers need to understand that there are health consequences to a child being exposed. If you have a good relationship with teachers and other parents, you might be able to provide a list of gluten free snacks for treats, since it's just a couple of snacks per day and not lunch. Be sure to include some carb-y things.

With very young kids, (ages 2 and 3), I think it's good to limit the amount of gluten in the classroom of a Celiac child. Eating should be done in one area, not all over the classroom. The parent should supply gluten free play-doh and pasta and cereal for crafts. Wipes should be used. If it's a preschool, the teachers should provide good advance warning of crafts that might involve foods so alternate arrangements can be made.

When I drop off my Celiac 2-year-old for Sunday school with his gluten-free cookies, and I see the little cups of goldfish crackers...I think about how they're going to be everywhere...and how my youngest son is still prone to eat what he can get his hands on. In that case, I assess the class size in comparison to the number of teachers, and if I think they can handle it, I tell them that he must avoid the goldfish. It really takes a minimum of 2 teachers at that age to handle snack times. I always say that if they feel like they're getting too busy to monitor him adequately, then they can call me back to get him. If it were a daycare, I would need to understand their "plan" for snack times.

About kids feeling bad about having a different snack...I try to provide some really cool snacks from time to time so that my kids have the cool snacks everyone else wants.

Best of luck!

[crunchy-mama]

My son used to always have behavior issues w/ cheerios, and would not sleep for forever if he ate them. Somehow I never put that together w/ celiacs. We are just now testing, so I cannot say for sure that is what caused it. However, it is documented that other food allergies cause behavior issues as well. It is just sad that a lot of the mainstream poopoos this idea and tells us it is all in our head, the baby has colic, or it is normal kids just tantrum.