I shared how my first born, my little man was recently diagnosed with Celiacs. i shared that it was quite bittersweet news for us. I want to share our W's story now, to encourage others.
He was a super content, good sleeping newborn. A model baby. I thought I had hit the lottery. As he rounded the 2 month mark, he did seem a little "grunty" a bit mroe fussy, but we figured it was just normal baby stuff and he still seemed rather content. There was always a way to keep him happy.
On the day he turned 3 months W got the prevnar vaccine. Let me insert here that i'm not anti-vaccine or pro-vaccine. I'm cautious but i recognize the need for them. So i give them to my kids in small amounts, a little more spread out, that's all! He didn't react too well to it. Spiked a fever and wailed all. day. long. Then he woke up the next morning and wailed some more. Then every day after that, the crying got worse. He never stopped crying.
Sure when he was with others it wasn't as bad, sometimes they couldn't see what i did. He stopped sleeping well. Stopped napping, stopped sleeping at night. A good night was only getting up with him 2 or 3 times. Even when he slept in bed with us.
I went to 3 different pediatricians, tried reflux meds, and visited a very good pediatric gastro dr. He tried things, did tests, but he called me after two months and said he didn't know why. He assured me it couldn't be food related. We had tried an elimination diet for a few short weeks, and he didn't get better. He basically shrugged his shoulders and said he couldn't help anymore.
For a while I gave up. i accepted that I just had a miserable kid. As he got older, started talking he became constantly defiant.I disciplined him more times that i could count a day. He was high energy, and most people just figured he has a strong personality. He was just a difficult kid. Period. I would have to adjust. I tried. i prayed. But in my mamma belly i still felt it wasn't right. How could a child, unpolluted by the mess of the world be so out of joint?
A few months ago I found out that a friend at church has a son with a gluten intolerance. It re-sparked a question i had asked when W was 6 months old. Could it be food? Could it be Celiacs? His diapers were never normal. the pediatricians said some kids just have weird "movements" and they always brushed it off. But at his 2.5 checkup I decided to push it. I armed myself with some Celiacs information (not much!) and insisted on testing. Thankfully our current pediatrician is super kind and respectful of parents, and she agreed that it was worth checking, and that she would throw in several different celiacs screenings in W's routine blood work.
She called back a week later with the results. Yes. Celiacs.
We breathed a sigh of relief, and then started to worry. Gluten is in everything. how are we going to heal him.
Let me just say right now, this is a PROCESS. If you start the gluten free journey do. not. give.up. It WILL be hard. Gluten free stuff is expensive off the shelf. My advice is stay AWAY from processed gluten free stuff. Go simple, go natural. That's what we do. it takes AT LEAST 1-3 months to see improvement. With W we just started seeing a marked change last week, a month in to the diet.
I could cry as I honestly say that my little boy is different. He is my BUDDY now. He listens, he obeys. He SLEEPS. we've had a few nights where he has not cried ONCE. That is so unbelievably huge for us.
W've had several slip ups in the past week. He's been unintentionally given (and stolen!) things he shouldn't eat. And he went RIGHT back to being the miserable W. Saying NO to everything. It kills me even more now to see him like this, because I KNOW who he really is without the POISON of gluten in his body.
If you are reading this and wondering about celiacs, or a gluten issue. JUST DO IT. It will not hurt you, or do any damage to your body to try it for a few months. It WILL be difficult. Stock up of tons of fruit, veggies and beans. Throw out/box up everything that is even SUSPECT of gluten.
It's in EVERYTHING and even TRACE amounts will keep you from getting a conclusive result. But please, take this story as an encouragement to take charge of your health through food.
Food can hurt us and heal us in ways we can't imagine. God knew how powerful food was. Food symbolically killed us in the Garden of Eden. Jesus used food as a symbol of how he would give us new life. Don't underestimate it. DON'T GIVE UP.
