Finally, I may be on the brink of sanity
With all of the recent upsetting visits to the doctor, ER, and ENT I've had it. I sat in bed crying for 3 nights trying to figure out why no one could connect the puzzle pieces as to why Noah is always sick. Why I am always sick for that matter. Why my little boy seems to suffer more than the girls and it breaks my heart that the other day he thought it was normal. He is almost 8 years old and still is taking naps everyday after school. This is a kid that gets in bed at 8 p.m. and gets up at a normal 6:30 a.m. This is a kid that has to have his blood drawn frequently. This is the kid who is always taking some form of antibiotic. This is a kid that constantly suffers migraines, bowel problems, random night vomiting, pale skin, rashes, and a host of other problems. I don't want this to effect when the baby comes. I need a break from focusing on the sick kid to spend time with the new one. It just seems unfair to everyone in the house. So, I google symptoms he's been having. Of all the things I find line up with two things. Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is by far a scary scary illness...and one we could lose.....and Celiac Disease...which sucks but on the bright side is cured by something we've already tried- a gluten free diet. I'm convinced now that Celiac Disease not only fits Noah's medical ailments, but my own and my mother's. It was like reading about my own childhood. The malnourished looked that always plauged me. The constant stares for being so tiny. If CD is a correct diagnosis then it's been fucking me up since I was a toddler. Blocking vital nutrients, fats, and vitamins from allowing my body to do what it's supposed to do- KEEP ME HEALTHY! All of the current symptoms my mom deals with now are also common when you spend a lifetime untreated. wierd.
It's funny the first time we went Gluten free everything I read was about ADHD kids and how it would effect his behavior. It was probably the best Noah has ever been, but it was extremely hard to keep up with and temptations were everywhere! I too felt the best on my raw foods diet...of course I was also gluten free at the time! After reading this to chase he had to admit cutting out the gluten for another round seems to make sense. We have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Now that I have to keep a daily journal on Noah's activities and illnesses I might as well use it to log in what he's eating and how he's feeling.
Here are just some of the ways CD can effect a person.
Weight loss and fluid retention
Anemia
Osteoporosis
Easy bruising
Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damageInfertility: Untreated celiac disease can lead to infertility
Muscle weakness
An estimated 10% of patients with celiac disease also have dermatitis herpetiformis.
Recurrent, painful mouth ulcers (aphthous stomatitis)
Insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset or type 1 diabetes)
Autoimmune thyroid disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic lupus
IBS
Random vomiting for some allergic reaction to the gluten
Other symptoms have been read in a few online chat forums. I am suprised that the night time vomiting with children is out there and how similiar their experiences were with my own. Many of the symptoms line up and CD is one of those things that you can have few, many, or no symptoms at all. I went out and started purchasing small gluten free snacks and things to get started to watch Noah and see what would help him. After explaining everything and letting him know I was also doing the experiment he was okay and hasn't whined about his new eating schedule. I am so proud of him. Wish me luck. Maybe this is the ticket. I plan on going more raw foods again than just GF myself after the baby is born. It has a better taste and takes less time to prepare fresh veggies and fruits than baking GF breads for Noah. I hope everyone in the family benefits and we can finally start enjoying more time out of the house playing with friends!
It's funny the first time we went Gluten free everything I read was about ADHD kids and how it would effect his behavior. It was probably the best Noah has ever been, but it was extremely hard to keep up with and temptations were everywhere! I too felt the best on my raw foods diet...of course I was also gluten free at the time! After reading this to chase he had to admit cutting out the gluten for another round seems to make sense. We have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Now that I have to keep a daily journal on Noah's activities and illnesses I might as well use it to log in what he's eating and how he's feeling.
Here are just some of the ways CD can effect a person.
Weight loss and fluid retention
Anemia
Osteoporosis
Easy bruising
Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damageInfertility: Untreated celiac disease can lead to infertility
Muscle weakness
An estimated 10% of patients with celiac disease also have dermatitis herpetiformis.
Recurrent, painful mouth ulcers (aphthous stomatitis)
Insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset or type 1 diabetes)
Autoimmune thyroid disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic lupus
IBS
Random vomiting for some allergic reaction to the gluten
Other symptoms have been read in a few online chat forums. I am suprised that the night time vomiting with children is out there and how similiar their experiences were with my own. Many of the symptoms line up and CD is one of those things that you can have few, many, or no symptoms at all. I went out and started purchasing small gluten free snacks and things to get started to watch Noah and see what would help him. After explaining everything and letting him know I was also doing the experiment he was okay and hasn't whined about his new eating schedule. I am so proud of him. Wish me luck. Maybe this is the ticket. I plan on going more raw foods again than just GF myself after the baby is born. It has a better taste and takes less time to prepare fresh veggies and fruits than baking GF breads for Noah. I hope everyone in the family benefits and we can finally start enjoying more time out of the house playing with friends!