It was because a good friend was diagnosed and sharing her story with me that we were able to finally figure it out. So my hope this month is that maybe somebody can benefit from our story.
When B was about 2 years old she started saying her tummy hurt every day. So we took her to the Doctor who said we should try taking dairy out of her diet we did that for about 6 months with no relief. We thought maybe we just kept giving it to her by accident. At 3 we took her back in and reported it wasn't getting any better, they then decided it was Acid Reflux, at this time she was vomiting daily, not a ton just a little.
So for the next 5 years we gave her Acid Reflux medication. Only the last 2 years of that diagnosis it was getting even worse, she was so used to vomiting that she was just swallowing it (I know gross). She was having daily headaches and getting dizzy spells. She ate like a little bird her tummy hurt ALL of the time. She was coming home from school about twice a week with these symptoms.
It was so hard, and with shame I admit I had just gotten used to it so I would just send her to lay down and relax, there wasn't anything else we could do.
Until that day I reconnected with a good friend who then shared her story, which mimicked our poor B's.
So to the Doctor I went, at this time we had switched Pediatricians, not because our was bad but because we moved. I walked into the office explained the past 6 years and said, " I am not leaving until we test her for Celiac, Chrones and Diabetes." The Doctor said sounds good I agree and I would bet on it that it is Celiac. In fact he said "go get the blood work done and then start the Celiac Diet (no wheat, barley, malt) you will know within 24 hours if it is working". He also warned that in a child as young as her it is very likely the test will not be accurate because she may have not built up the antibodies yet.
We started the diet that afternoon. It was hard we didn't have snacks in the house that she could have, so off to the store we went. Of course she can have all of the natural fruits and veggies but I am talking kid snacks, crackers, cookies...the good stuff :)
Within 24 hours she came up and gave me a big hug and said thank you so much mom I haven't ever felt this good I have no tummy aches {I still tear up when I repeat this}. Oh how my heart sang and wept at the same time. Six plus years our little one was dealing with this not understanding what normal felt like.
I hope this will help somebody get the ball rolling in the right direction. I will continue to post some of our favorite websites, recipes and brands of food, throughout the month.
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