DD is having stomach issues after going gluten free

[meg-momto2]

brief history- our family has been on and off elimination diets for the last two years for DD. she showed a sensitivity to wheat and a handful of veggies via Alcat testing last year. we re-introduced wheat 6 months later and she wasn't showing any noticeable reactions. another 6 months later we finally figure out that DS and i are both gluten intolerant and we're back on a GF diet for the three of us.

we're about 2 months into all of us being GF and DD has been complaining of stomach aches more and more. she's also had some large bowel movements daily for about a week. they would start out very large and solid and then quickly turn into very soft. i've been pushing more fluids on her and they've become softer but are also pale. she hardly eats anything most days. she'll take a few bites and then say her stomach hurts and walk away. i think most days she gets by on plain yogurt, GF waffles, rice, cereal and a few fruits and veggies. she won't eat meat and is turning down some of her favorite foods.

today i weighed her on my friends digital scale. back in February when i weighed her on the same scale she was nearly 33lbs and i remember that because it meant i needed to turn her car seat around. today she was down to 30.4lbs. i've noticed she seemed slimmer but i thought she had grown taller and stretched out. i don't think the slight change in winter/summer clothes would cause that much weight difference. so she's losing weight, not eating and complaining of stomach aches.

i'm not really sure what to do from here. i think i'm going to call our pediatrician and she if i can bring her down just to be weighed to see if she really has lost weight. the problem with that is her last check up was nearly a year ago. can you think of any other reasons for her new issues? should i pull the yogurt? it's the only dairy she gets regularly. maybe i should let her have wheat again.

[dannic]

It sounds to me as if there may be something else that is bothering her digestion--I mean another food--possibly that you are eating more of now that you've let go of gluten? A different grain or dairy. I know gluten intolerant people can also have problems with other proteins like soy, dairy and eggs. My dd used to react to all four but is now non-reactive to soy, but still cannot have the other three. Just an idea...and hugs. I know it's so hard figuring all this out! (And no fun when tummies are hurting.)

[changingseasons]

I agree with pp- what did you replace wheat with? That would be my first suspect.

[mamafish9]

Same here - lots of GF stuff is full of corn, and that can cause lots of digestive issues.

[joybird]

I would remove dairy straight away. Gluten intolerance and dairy intolerance go hand in hand.

[meg-momto2]

i figured i'd have to pull more foods. i don't know what i'm going to feed her now. she can't live off bananas, rice cakes and peanut butter, can she? if she would eat meat i probably wouldn't be so worried. we do have slightly more corn in the form of corn tortillas and maybe an extra serving or two of rice or quinoa a week. we really haven't replace our gluten foods with non gluten versions. we just eat more naturally gluten free foods.

i tried making Pamela's bread for both kids and they both turned their noses up at it. the only soy in our home is in our waffles which she only eats about once a week and we've been eating them for over a year. she's been eating the same exact yogurt for almost a year with no previous problems. she's never liked eggs. it's just so confusing because she was the one who didn't seem to have any issues with gluten and she's doing worse off of it. maybe it has just unmasked more food intolerances.

[deditus]

Originally Posted by meg-momto2

i figured i'd have to pull more foods. i don't know what i'm going to feed her now. she can't live off bananas, rice cakes and peanut butter, can she? if she would eat meat i probably wouldn't be so worried. we do have slightly more corn in the form of corn tortillas and maybe an extra serving or two of rice or quinoa a week. we really haven't replace our gluten foods with non gluten versions. we just eat more naturally gluten free foods.

i tried making Pamela's bread for both kids and they both turned their noses up at it. the only soy in our home is in our waffles which she only eats about once a week and we've been eating them for over a year. she's been eating the same exact yogurt for almost a year with no previous problems. she's never liked eggs. it's just so confusing because she was the one who didn't seem to have any issues with gluten and she's doing worse off of it. maybe it has just unmasked more food intolerances.

Pale poop means reaction here, always (unless dd has a gastro bug, which has only happened once or twice). When we went gf, it made her reactions to other things clearer. And I too would suspect one or more of dairy, soy, egg, or corn. I worried about what my dd would eat if I pulled more foods, but she was also at the same point - not eating, hadn't gained weight then started losing - and at almost 4 years old she is not much more than 30 lbs. If her tummy stops hurting she WILL eat. Coconut milk yogurt is a great sub for dairy yogurt - I make mine at home to save money.

[kjbrown92]

I would suspect corn if you're eating more of it (the ALCAT test missed it on both of my kids).

[lastrid]

Pale poop is usually because of low stomach acid. You might also want to try adding digestive enzymes. It might make her more interested in eating meat as well. Also, don't ignore rice as the possible culprit. It used to give me stomach aches and is in most GF preparedfoods.

[mamafish9]

Along with the low stomach acid idea - if she's not eating meat, she's likely low in zinc, which causes low stomach acid. Definitely try digestive enzymes, but also supp zinc (10-15mg a day with food, I like zinc picolinate). Low stomach acid can lead to tummy aches from eating meat, which is a vicious cycle... Also, you don't absorb several things well when stomach acid is low, including B12 and minerals. So a good mineral supp and sublingual B12 would both be great to add in.

[talia rose]

we have found that when you first start removing the gluten you can become more sensitive. for us, gluten free looks like: wheat, oats, rye, barley, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, sorghum, all bobs red mill gf flours & mixes, anything produced in a facility that produces these things - or dairy and soy which we are also sensitive to. As well as eggs if the chicken has eaten grain.

now most folks are not quite this sensitive but you may be somewhere in the middle and it is a constant road of refining to figure out what works and what does not. we are lucky to have a very experienced kinisiologist to help us test what works and what doesn't. i'm not sure what i would do without her! have sick kids probably!

keep reading labels and refining the diet. good luck!