Update: No weight gain in 9 mos old
 

We had our weight check, and my daughter has gained 7 ounces in the past
two weeks!

The pediatrician wants to do another weight check in 2 weeks, to keep an
eye on things. She's also talking up testing for celiac disease, doing a
thyroid check, and something else. I told her that we had a traumatic
blood draw when my daughter was not quite 3 months old, so we're going
to see what the next two weeks bring. If my daughter continues to have
diarrhea (which I think has been due to the antibiotics she's been on,
rather than a sign she's having trouble processing gluten) then I'll
probably be more agreeable about the blood draw.

I didn't give her any formula, just kept nursing her on demand and
trying to get higher calorie foods into her. At the weight check, the
pediatrician also said that we could give her some cow milk, if we
thought that would help. At her age, I see that as yet another
replacement for breast milk, and one I don't need to start providing.

So, I get another two weeks to stress a bit, although I'm more confident
she's fine now. I think her increased activity level coincided with an
abrupt growth shift, causing the dramatic curve change for her weight.

Thanks for all your support!
Leigh

Update: No weight gain in 9 mos old
 

Leigh McCuen wrote:
We had our weight check, and my daughter has gained 7 ounces in the
past two weeks!

Glad to hear things are on the right track! I hope the trend continues.

Thanks for the update.

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Update: No weight gain in 9 mos old
 

Leigh McCuen wrote in message ...
We had our weight check, and my daughter has gained 7 ounces in the past
two weeks!



Great job! That's really good!


The pediatrician wants to do another weight check in 2 weeks, to keep an
eye on things. She's also talking up testing for celiac disease, doing a
thyroid check, and something else. I told her that we had a traumatic
blood draw when my daughter was not quite 3 months old, so we're going
to see what the next two weeks bring. If my daughter continues to have
diarrhea (which I think has been due to the antibiotics she's been on,
rather than a sign she's having trouble processing gluten) then I'll
probably be more agreeable about the blood draw.


Believe me, I know all about traumatic blood draws (last time my
daughter [whose blood doesn't clot properly anyway] was admitted to
the hospital, they 'blew' a vein in her hand, then finally got the
little tube thing in another vein, and it started leaking, so they
needed to call in a third nurse just to get a blood sample probably
10% the size of the blood they'd already spilled...and my other
daughter was standing there screaming along with her sister), and
having been there more times than I care to count, I wanted to let you
know that the celiac blood test isn't all that reliable, and there is
even disagreement among Dr.s about what the results mean.

If your Dr. persists in wanting this test, I'd definitely ask to have
a full allergy panel run at the same time, to avoid further tests
(many celiac symptoms can be other allergies), and I'd talk to a Ped.
GI about the results. Let them know you're willing (if you in fact
are) to go gluten free for a couple of weeks, too, to see if there's a
difference. In our case, the Ped. thought the blood tests showed that
my daughter had celiac disease; The GI she sent us to thought it was
not celiac, and we got more tests, then found out the problem was
probably milk instead. I'm still in touch with them both following up
her response to different foods, a year+ later. Also, celiac is not
confirmed by a blood test alone, it takes a biopsy, usually at least
2, actually, and sometimes 3. Which is far scarier than any blood
test, I think (they have to be put under).


I didn't give her any formula, just kept nursing her on demand and
trying to get higher calorie foods into her. At the weight check, the
pediatrician also said that we could give her some cow milk, if we
thought that would help. At her age, I see that as yet another
replacement for breast milk, and one I don't need to start providing.

So, I get another two weeks to stress a bit, although I'm more confident
she's fine now. I think her increased activity level coincided with an
abrupt growth shift, causing the dramatic curve change for her weight.

Thanks for all your support!
Leigh

Sounds like things are going well! Best of luck!

Tina.

Update: No weight gain in 9 mos old
 

Tina wrote:

Believe me, I know all about traumatic blood draws (last time my
daughter [whose blood doesn't clot properly anyway] was admitted to
the hospital, they 'blew' a vein in her hand, then finally got the
little tube thing in another vein, and it started leaking, so they
needed to call in a third nurse just to get a blood sample probably
10% the size of the blood they'd already spilled...and my other
daughter was standing there screaming along with her sister), and
having been there more times than I care to count, I wanted to let you
know that the celiac blood test isn't all that reliable, and there is
even disagreement among Dr.s about what the results mean.

What a horrible experience that must have been for you! I can't even
imagine. :(

And thanks for giving me that info about the celiac blood test. I'll be
quizing the ped. about it before we allow any blood draws.

If your Dr. persists in wanting this test, I'd definitely ask to have
a full allergy panel run at the same time, to avoid further tests
(many celiac symptoms can be other allergies), and I'd talk to a Ped.
GI about the results. Let them know you're willing (if you in fact
are) to go gluten free for a couple of weeks, too, to see if there's a
difference. In our case, the Ped. thought the blood tests showed that
my daughter had celiac disease; The GI she sent us to thought it was
not celiac, and we got more tests, then found out the problem was
probably milk instead. I'm still in touch with them both following up
her response to different foods, a year+ later. Also, celiac is not
confirmed by a blood test alone, it takes a biopsy, usually at least
2, actually, and sometimes 3. Which is far scarier than any blood
test, I think (they have to be put under).

I think if we end up testing for celiac, I will ask for a full allergy
panel, esp. as I would like to know for sure if she is sensitive to
bananas, or if the throwing up after eating banana has been entirely
coincidental. I like the suggestion to go gluten free. Since my
daughter's breastfeeding, do you think I'd need to go gluten free as
well, or would restricting her diet be sufficient?

I read up on the biopsy. I can't imagine letting them do that to her.
It's terrifying.

Ugh. I wish this were easier! Thanks for your input, it's of great help.

Leigh

Update: No weight gain in 9 mos old
 

Hi -

I hadn't heard that the celiac blood test was unreliable. Rather, it's
an indicator and, if the indication is positive, is meant to be followed
up with an endoscopy of the (intestine?), which is an out-patient
hospital procedure. In the old days, before the blood test, celiac
could ONLY be tested via endoscopy. And celiac is WAY under-diagnosed
in the US. (It's estimated that as many as 1 in 150 people may have
celiac disease, the majority undiagnosed. Mostly in people of European
and Middle Eastern extraction.) Be aware that the celiac blood test is
not useful unless the patient has been consuming gluten for a while,
hence it's NOT useful in infants who haven't yet started on wheat.

I'd also recommend a full allergy panel, by the way, if your baby is
having gastric trouble. Be sure it's done by an allergist who's
experienced with allergy in infants and young children. Most allergists
are more experienced with older children and adults. In our
metropolitan area, there are only a couple of allergists who were
willing to take on my son when he was only 12 months.


There's good information on celiac disease all over the web. Just do a
google search and read all about it.

We have, thus far, escaped celiac, although we'll be re-testing one of
my kids if his constant stomach aches don't quit.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

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