Our Journey To Stop "My Belly Hurts"

If you've been following Family Made Simple on Facebook, you would know that my preschooler is now on a gluten-free diet.

She frequently complained about bellyaches and was always constipated. Or if she did "go" it didn't look like it should (no need to go into details).

We've tried the Mirilax and fiber gummies (per the Dr's advice) but it didn't help.  We recently found out that my husband's cousin has a sensitivity to gluten so it made me think "hmm??".  I did some research online on sites like WebMD and was surprised to read some of the symptoms:  constipation, weight loss, eczema, oral thrush.  

Constipation-check. Weight Loss- she had only gained one pound since her last annual visit 10 months ago. She was diagnosed with mild eczema and had oral thrush a number of times as an infant.

The pediatrician advised she should get tested for Celiac Disease.  People that are affected with Celiac can't process gluten (gluten is a substance in wheat, barley, rye, etc). 

In the week that we waited for results, we completely removed gluten from her diet. Let me tell you, it was not easy! This meant reading EVERY label. We went to the local WholeFoods store and bought gluten-free bread, pasta, cereal, cookies, etc. We had to buy separate peanut butter and cream cheese because even 1/8 tsp of gluten crumbs can infect the intestine. We had to say no when she asked for some of her gluten filled foods.

Low and behold, during this first week of being gluten-free, the symptoms went away. No more bellyache complaints, no more bathroom issues and she gained one pound in a week!  We were thrilled and so was she. She even showed her "dada" that her belly was now soft.

The test results finally came back- not Celiac. How could this be? Her symptoms went away while being on a gluten-free diet!  The doctor said maybe she just has a sensitivity to gluten and to continue the gluten-free diet.

We've been continuing with the GF diet and all is going well. Yet, I have that little voice in the back of my head saying "am I doing the right thing?"  

We're going to give it a good couple of months. Then we'll reintroduce gluten back into her diet for one full week and see if there is a difference.

I'll keep you posted on our journey...