I just wondered if any of you moms have heard of this or have gone through this with your child. My son was 131 lbs last summer. He went to the hospital for severe stomach pain and dehydration. They never found out what was wrong, just gave him muscle relaxers and they finally went away. They never did any tests other than a stool sample and nothing grew. Since he seems to have lost weight. 2 weeks ago I saw him without his shirt and he looked like someone we brought home from the Holocost....seriously. I weighed him and that was 2 weeks ago. For 2 weeks, I fed him breakfast with big glass of chocolate milk, ham sandwich for lunch, after school he would get McDonalds or I would fix something at home, sometimes something before bed and before bed a HUGE milkshake. You would think he would have gained some weight or at least hold his weight. I put him on the scales and he was 112 lbs. So he has lost more. I took him to the dr and he said he had a malabsorption problem. My son says he is thirsty all the time and pees alot but they stuck his finger for glucose and that was normal. I looked on the internet and there are all sorts of things why someone would have malabsorption problems.
Just wondered if anyone knew anything about this.
Thanks.
I don't know much about it myself, but because of my own personal digestive problems I was recommended a book called "Restoring Your Digestive Health" by Jordan Rubin. It had a lot of information about digestive problems including Malabsorbtion(sp?). The author had Crohn's(sp?) disease. It helped me understand what was going on and food and diet to help.
Please tell me they tested him for celiac disease which IS a malabsorption disease. I can not believe they would tell you that and not tell you how to deal with it.
I have multiple family members with this disease and there is no cure or medicines to fix it. A life long adhereance to a gluten free diet is what will cure him. He will start to put back on teh weight, the stomach pains will go away and he'll feel like a whole new person. This may not happen right away but it will happen. Gluten is the natural protein found in wheat, rye and barley & must be avoided. The foods you describe, while wonderful, attack the intestines of someone with celiac disease and this may be why you aren't seeing an improvement in him.
It is something he was born with & it's hereditary. But it seems that sometimes in people with celiac disease, they are going along in life pretty much ok then something happens & the celiac disease is triggered & they start getting very sick. Weight loss, diarrhea, loss of hair, stomach pains, and gas are just some of the symptoms.
If they have not tested him for it, INSIST on it. Blood test are generally the 1st step and aren't always accurate. Endoscopies are the preferred method as they can check for blunted villi. Villi are the small fingerlike things in your small intestines that take the food and dispense it to the body. In those with celiac disease the body treates gluten as an invader and it causes the small intestines to lose that villi and become smooth. Therefore, food isn't being absorbed at all. Once on the diet, the intestines begin to heal but don't be fooled into thinking he's over it. It will always be with him. Also, does he have an issue with dairy? Most celiacs are lactose intolerant and over time that improves too.
I am the President of the Memphis Celiac Support Group and would gladly give you more information if you so desire. He needs to know this is NOT the end of the world. We found out my 19yo daughter had this when she was almost 18. She has never felt better in her life and wouldn't go back to eating gluten in all the world.
You may email me privately at ____@____.com and I can give you information about our next meeting, scheduled for Monday the 19th 7PM at Wild Oats on Poplar Ave.
In the meantime, here are some websites that may help you:
http://csaceliacs.org/
http://www.celiaccenter.org/default.asp
http://celiac.org/
Sorry if this was too long but your post sent red flags flying all over when I read it. If your doctor doesn't know about celiac disease find one that does. The sooner you know the quicker you can adapt his diet & get him on the road to recovery.
I agree with Debi B who mentioned the possibility of celiac disease. Not many doctors and/or people know about this disease or doctors think it's only diagnosed in young children. That was not the case in my family.
I had never heard of celiac disease until my father was diagnosed with it in March 2007. He was 65. When my father was diagnosed, he had already lost 39 pounds within 9 weeks. He looked emaciated and dehydrated due to all the water he was losing because of excessive watery diarrhea. He had to go to three doctors before he was diagnosed (two were gastroenterologists). He was finally diagnosed when he demanded to speak to the best gastroenterologist in the country because he was soooooooo thin (looked like he was an anorexic) & had became soooo frustrated with no results. He ended up going to his third gastroenterologist in Texas. I believe it was Baylor University Teaching Hospital.
Debbie is also correct in stating that the endoscopy is the ONLY proven diagnostic tool for celiac disease. And the only treatment is a gluten-free diet. Gluten is found in grains, but also sneaky places like frozen dinners, ice cream, medicines, even salad dressings!
My dad had it rough going on the gluten free diet, but he has managed beautifully & hasn't had a problem since being on the diet.
I'm not sure about your son urinating alot. Typically that is a sign of diabetes. But from what I've researched celiacs have other problems at the same time as celiac disease such as interstitial cystitis which involves frquent urination and bladder soreness. But IC is not responsible for weight loss. But either way, a malabsortion problem IS a relative of celiac disease & the weight loss & cramping are red flags for celiac disease. Does he have diarrhea and fatigue as well? My dad's classic signs were extreme weight loss, fatigue, gas, abdominal pain & watery diarrhea. But everyone's signs are different.
I'm a firm believer in second, third and even fourth opinions if needed to get the treatment people deserve. Take care & don't be intimidated by doctors. Cause guess what? They use the bathroom just like we do. ;o) Do your own research on the internet. Go to reputable sites such as the National Institutes of Health pages: http://www.celiac.nih.gov/
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
I wish you luck & don't take "It's all in his head or it's stress related" for an answer! You know your son better than anyone. May the Force be with you!!!!
Hi M.------------are you absolutely sure it is not diabetes? You said they stuck his finger and checked his glucose; did they give him a oral glucose tolerance test or just test where his blood sugars were at the moment? There is also a fasting test they can do------If neither of these tests were done I would have retested just to make sure.
You also may want to seeking a second opinion and possibly seeing a specialist. No matter what don't stop looking for answers until you are satisfied with what you are told.
I hope you get the help you need.
It sounds so much like diabetes, test again, my sister got it when she was around 11 and had those symptoms, by the time she was diagnosed she had about another day left to live without treatment,
.
M.,
Is his glucose the only thing they tested? If that is all they did and all they told you..I think I would find another doctor. Have they tested his thyroid...there are multiple thyroid issues that can cause that kind of weight loss as well...like Grave's Disease. Keep seeking the right help...often doctors don't take things as seriously as they should...they should have ordered at number of blood tests.
