Symptoms of Celiac's Disease

Here is a review of the symptoms of Celiac's Disease brought to you by Mayo Clinic.  Keep in mind, that a lot of people with Celiac's Disease have no symptoms or minor symptoms.  So many are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome because they do not have enough symptoms to come up with a full diagnosis.  Intestinal disorders are notoriously hard to find the cause of.  When Em's blood test came back negative for Celiac's Disease, they gave her a blanket diagnosis of Infant IBS because they didn't know what else to do and I wasn't willing to do an intestinal biopsy at that point.

" Mayo Clinic "

• Intermittent diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating

Sometimes people with celiac disease may have no gastrointestinal symptoms at all. Celiac disease symptoms can also mimic those of other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastric ulcers, Crohn's disease, parasite infections and anemia.
Celiac disease may also present itself in less obvious ways, including:

• Irritability or depression
• Anemia
• Stomach upset
• Joint pain
• Muscle cramps
• Skin rash
• Mouth sores
• Dental and bone disorders (such as osteoporosis)
• Tingling in the legs and feet (neuropathy)

Some indications of malabsorption of nutrients that may result from celiac disease include:

• Weight loss
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
• General weakness and fatigue
• Foul-smelling or grayish stools that may be fatty or oily
• Stunted growth (in children)
• Osteoporosis

Another gluten-related condition
Dermatitis herpetiformis is an itchy, blistering skin disease that also stems from gluten intolerance. The rash usually occurs on the torso, scalp and buttocks. Dermatitis herpetiformis can cause changes to the lining of the small intestine similar to that of celiac disease. However, it may not produce noticeable digestive symptoms. This disease is treated with a gluten-free diet, in addition to medication to control the rash.

Of those symptoms, over the past 5 years, Em has suffered from

• Intermittent diarrhea
• Abdominal Pain
• Bloating
• Irritability
• Stomach Upset
• Joint Pain
• Muscle Cramps
• Skin Rash
• Mouth Sores
• Bone Disorders
• Weight loss
• Abdominal cramps, gas, and bloating
• General weakness and fatigue
• Foul smelling grayish stools that may be oily or fatty

On top of it all, she has suffered very painfully from dermatitis herpetiformis.  As she has gotten older, she has had less of that, but it still crops up occasionally.  Usually around her buttocks and mouth.  When she was a baby, the blisters were the size of quarters and her pediatrician just continually prescribed bactroban without trying to find the cause of the blisters.

The reason that no doctor has taken us seriously is because between flare ups, she recovers extremely quickly and grows very well.  She might lose 9 or 10 lbs but when she is healthy, she will recover that weight loss and gain another pound or two.

This upcoming fall, she will be starting kindergarten.  My frustration is that an entire day of school will take a toll on her when she is going through flare ups.  Not to mention the embarrassment of accidents when she is in with an entire class.  Right now, being in pre-k, there are multiple occasions where kids have accidents, but that occurrence will drop when  she enters kindergarten leaving her isolated.  I cannot stand by and watch that happen, so right now my intention is to be incredibly proactive for her and get things done.  Even if it means an intestinal biopsy and a complete diet overhaul.

The other thing I have to consider is Crohns disease.  Her pattern of symptoms seems to follow that very well too, but ALL doctors we've seen have brushed that off as an impossibility because of her age.  I will be making a well child appointment for her this week and bringing in all of my documentation of symptoms and flare ups over the last five years, and hopefully the doctor will take me seriously this time.  If not, I will be doctor shopping again!