Celiac Paranoia

Since Ivan has celiac there is a possibility that our children will have it, but there are so many other factors involved, it is also very possible that none of them will have it. But it is always there in the back of my mind. Every new doctor that we see, I ask about celiac, every time one of the boys is sick, I think about celiac. Change in the number of diapers? Celiac. More tired than usual? Celiac. Rash? Celiac. For those of you who don’t know, Celiac is an autoimmune disorder causing the body to attack itself when a person eats gluten, a protein found in wheat, oats, barley and rye. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, failure to thrive, small size for age, eczema, general achey-ness and tiredness. Treatment is very simple, just eliminate all foods in your diet that contain gluten. This means no regular bread, pasta, cookies, cake, soup, and lots of other things you never think about.

But as I said, my husband was diagnosed at age four, he’s been living with it a long time - really it isn’t a huge deal. Grocery shopping can be a little involved, but other than that, it isn’t bad. I only cook things he can eat and volunteer to bring something to every family dinner and neighborhood potluck so that I know there is something there he can eat. If I’m really craving something, I go out. Our house is almost entirely gluten-free. I’ve thought that if our kids do have it, it will be the simplest thing in the world. No big deal. The Real Deal Three weeks ago, we noticed that Neal wasn’t acting like himself. He was clingy, tired, wouldn’t eat, having a hard time sleeping, his skin was really dry. He has already started talking, but he wouldn’t unless he had to. So we quit giving him Cheerios and PB&J. Everything else was already gluten-free. The next day at naptime he and his brother sat in their beds and laughed at each other for an hour. I get tears in my eyes as I watch him jump around in circles for no reason at all. We have our little boy back. We will be heading for the doctor this week. It is possible that he just happened to get over a virus at the same time we just happened to change his diet. For now, I’m just happy that he is happy.