BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Food Allergies => Topic started by: *Ali* on July 31, 2013, 09:41:47 am
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The dietician has asked me to keep Cadan wheat free for 8 wks to rule out an intolerance to wheat. He loves carbs and I need to find alternatives to his favourite foods. I'm guessing I can just go to the free-from aisle at my local Tesco but are there things to avoid or look for when choosing wheat free products? I hear some are pretty horrible :(
I will need alternatives to bread, breadsticks, crackers, pizza (base), pasta and flour for pancakes and cakes. Does anyone have any favourites? Also I notice sausages all seem to have wheat in. Or are there ones without?
I saw Xanthan gum on sale to prevent crumbling if foods made with GF flour. Do I need this do you think? Are there any other products like this I will need to get a decent taste?
Thanks. :-*
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My only advice is that the corn based GF pasta is pretty gross but the brown rice based GF pasta is actually yummy and we use it all the time (when we can afford it) because we prefer the taste. Dove's Farm do one. Don't know if Sainsburys stock it but Ocado do.
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We have gluten free sausage made for us at our local farm shop. You can get them from places like tesco and sainsbury's though. Here are a few links.
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=257577171
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=277179698
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=277643857
http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/global_search/global_result.jsp?bmForm=global_search&GLOBAL_DATA._search_term1=gluten+free+sausage&GLOBAL_DATA._searchType=0&bmUID=1375266308215
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This is my ds's favourite pasta.
http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/biscuits-and-cookies/gluten-free/organic-tricolore-pasta-1x250g/
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I don't have product suggestions since I'm in Canada but I can share the following recipes you might be interested in. We use almond or coconut flours usually. Also watch out for soy sauce lots of them contain wheat / gluten
http://www.elanaspantry.com/orange-cake/
http://comfybelly.com/2011/06/very-vanilla-cupcakes-using-coconut-flour/#.UaDzqfa1bmI
http://empoweredsustenance.com/coconut-flour-pancakes-with-gelatin/
Keep in mind that the texture will be really different... I have yet to find a pancake recipe that is as good as wheat pancakes!
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Look up paleo recipes they are all wheat free since you can't have wheat on paleo diets.
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also in Canada, so .... Yes, you need Xanthan Gum or something for baked good, or you can use premixed flour (bob's red mill is one I like). Coconut flour is AWESOME, especially in banana bread! I make my own pizza crust etc (it is a bit crackery) and we buy rice cakes and rice crackers. The kids love them. My fave pasta is the Tru-roots organic brown rice/quinoa/amaranth one. Rice noodles (like used in Vietnamese or Thai food) are a staple too.
Wheat gluten IS in everything, from processed meats to spices. A good rule of thumb is if it isn't a naturally gluten free whole food, or if it doesn't specifically state gluten free on the box, it probably isn't. Sauces, powdered soup stocks, even canned tomato soup all contain gluten.
My fave new GF bread is the Udi's products. http://www.udisglutensfree.com/ They are in Denver, Colorado USA so I doubt they ship there but there are recipes on their site. I haven't tried any though!
Elise, I didn't realize you are GF too. We definitely have to get together for lunch!
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We get Udi's breads too...I had never actually tried it until one day Spencer didn't finish her toast, and to my surprise it was really good! Spencer was only 2 when she went GF so we actually just eliminated all the bread for her instead of trying to find alternatives that were sub par.
She was (until recently) egg free as well and we had great success in making pancakes with millet, rice and coconut flour in place of regular and applesauce instead of egg...even though I can use egg now, I still add applesauce as it is so yummy.
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Oh, forgot this...it is a comprehensive list of all the things wheat can be hidden as:
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/docs/Wheat_Allergy_Avoidance_List.pdf
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Tru-roots organic brown rice/quinoa/amaranth
Lisa where do you get it? I've never seen this one.
Elise, I didn't realize you are GF too. We definitely have to get together for lunch!
LOL! We're not entirely GF but we're definitely trying to reduce it to the minimum. Let's do lunch it would be fun! I actually had lunch today with a friend that works over at your company as a consultant, we're not far.
making pancakes with millet, rice and coconut flour in place of regular and applesauce instead of egg
Heidi would you mind sharing your recipe?
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Sure!
2 cups flour (millet/rice/coconut etc)
1tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp sugar
2 cups milk (i use half soy milk/half water with good results!)
3 tbsp oil (i use coconut)
1 tsp vanilla
Applesauce - i use the single serve pots (like Motts) 2 of them, they are 100ml each
I think the original recipe called for 2 or 3 eggs, but I cant remember. The batter is thicker and you need to make them fairly small so they will flip without breaking, plus they need to cook longer than normal pancakes. They freeze well and toast up nice too!
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Elise - believe it or not, they sell it at Costco! They have penne or spaghetti, depending.
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I would be tempted to ask the dietician why you aren't starting with being totally gluten free as opposed to just wheat free? It's easier to go all out and then try reintroducing one grain at a time...
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Elise - believe it or not, they sell it at Costco! They have penne or spaghetti, depending.
Oh, going there tomorrow will have to see if they have it here!
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Hi Ali, sorry to see you over on this board x
I think you can pretty much find most things have wheat free alternatives now. You will of course need to do a bit of research in the shops you normally use but Sains has GF sausages and burgers. There are a number if breads, pastas, cakes and flour mixes available. A doves farm GF flour works in most recipes I think.
I think it will be easier then you think tho it is so daunting to start with.
What symptoms does Cadan have ?
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Thanks ladies. So so helpful as always.
Kara, I'll probably just avoid gluten where I can anyway. Most of the speciality alternatives are Gluten free anyway.
BB, he just had frequent runny stools mainly. I'm hoping it is just an immature gut that needs a low-fibre diet and he will outgrow it but we shall see.
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I've no advice Ali but wanted to wish you luck. It's a big undertaking but you'll find your way x
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Good luck hun! It may well be just a tummy that needs some time away from those hard to digest grains for sure... we had a situation after a bad bout of constipation/meds to control that before DD was a year old and she developed some crazy pooping habits... cutting grains for a time did allow her time to heal/mature and she has been fine since. Fingers crossed this is the case for your DS as well :-*
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Hi Ali, how are you getting on? Saw a post about not going to Maccy D's now but Olly had his first the other da, just the fries and burger with Tommy K but he loved it and got a smurf toy :)
Just posted a recipe today for GF scones which were good :)
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Yeah, Spencer can eat McDonald's - fries, burger patties are okay, just not the bun or nuggets...hmmm never though of bringing my own bun...will have to do that next time!
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It's going ok thanks. Very difficult when we had a few parties and I had to provide special food for him and tell him he couldn't have certain things I hadn't brought an alternative for (it was like a pot luck/bring a plate so I don't know what would be served). He wasn't happy and kept trying to sneak stuff he knew he shouldn't have. On the whole though he is very understanding.
I even made some lovely GF carrot cake cupcakes for Colby's birthday which went down well. I have been using the Dove's Farm GF flour for things like pancakes and cakes and it is nice.
DH is convinced this is working well for the symptoms but he had a thick, runny poo today at the park (in his pants, said he couldn't hold it). It has been almost 2 weeks since he had wheat so not sure what caused it if wheat is the culprit.
Thanks for the tips on McDonalds. Do you ask for the burger to be served plain then or just chuck the bun? We don't have it often but maybe once ever month or two we have that or a similar junky takeaway. He usually has a cheese burger and fries anyway as he doesn't like anything in batter/breadcrumbs like chicken nuggets or fish fingers.
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Do you ask for the burger to be served plain then or just chuck the bun?
I've done both...sometimes forget to ask to leave the bun off.
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Thanks,
Any tips for GFalternatives to an ice cream cone? Of course I can just give it plain but he really loves the crunchy stuff. I tried a meringue (homemade from just egg white and a touch of sugar) and Colby and I thought it was lovely but Cadan didn't.
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We don't do dairy yet so haven't had to figure that one out yet!
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http://www.glutenfree-foods.co.uk/products.php?cat=14
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Thanks for the tips on McDonalds. Do you ask for the burger to be served plain then or just chuck the bun? We don't have it often but maybe once ever month or two we have that or a similar junky takeaway. He usually has a cheese burger and fries anyway as he doesn't like anything in batter/breadcrumbs like chicken nuggets or fish fingers.
We'd a boy in our class who was GF and when we went to McDs his mum had us well warned to make sure we said just the burger and it wasn't allowed to so much as be near the buns, let alone touch them. It was enough to provoke a reaction for him.
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For crispy things, Ali, you can try mixing some of the GF flour, milk and sugar. Drop dollops on a baking sheet or just on a hot pan, wait until it looks crispy. It might work.
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For an allergic reaction I wouldn't let the meat near the burger. I think for you too I would do the same. You don't want any doubts creeping into your mind if he did show a reaction.
No advice on the cone as olly can't have the ice cream either!
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Here you go :)
http://www.hawthornhealth.com/general-health-c7/g-f-ice-cream-cones-12pieces-p19513?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=eskal-g-f-ice-cream-cones-12pieces-esl-000882&utm_campaign=product+listing+ads#22402
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Forgot to say that when it looks dry, pale gold, it is actually soft. You can try wrap it around a cone shape thing but it might not hold icecream well. So just stick it into the icecream.
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Thanks gals. I knew I could rely on you lot :)
I wish they sold these things in the high street or supermarket. I don't really want to pay over a fiver for ice cream cones (inc. p&p) that he may well not like.
Koe I will try making me own. Any idea on the ratios of flour to milk to sugar roughly?
And I'm really not sure this is working. He had another attack of the runs today and again didn't make it to the toilet and it was very messy. Would this still be happening if it was the wheat? We have been off it two weeks today. I'm positive he hasn't eaten wheat. I've been so careful.
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Just wheat or all gluten?
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He has had a tiny amount of gluten from barley malt flavouring in some wheat-free cereal. All the other alternatives I have been buying are Gluten free.
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Know what you mean about prices! Believe me ::)
Not sure on how long it old take to clear his system though Hun. Would have thought he would be over diarrhoea by now? Just don't know. Poor little mite :-[ what else had he had to eat today? My only other thought is dairy, IBS is so common with that.
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My only other thought is dairy, IBS is so common with that.
Yes, that or if it is truly gluten I would cut it out entirely to see. I can take quite a while to get out of the system though.
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The thing is BB he isn't having diarrhoea constantly just a couple a week and he was going a month between the ones that were so bad they caught him unawares. He has had two in two days now.
He does have quite a lot of dairy. Definitely every day so if it were that do you think he would have the runs every day?
Today he had a bowl of wheat free cereal (with the barley malt i mentioned above) and milk for breakfast, 1/2 a mug of cocoa with 2 GF choc chip cookies, diluted fresh apple juice, cheddar cheese and brown pickle sandwich on GF bread with olive oil spread, cucumber, water, (this is when he had the accident), 4 strawberries, 1/2 a nectarine, drumstick lolly, GF crisps, fresh salmon, GF spaghetti, cheddar cheese, sweetcorn, diluted 7up lemonade. Nothing that stands out to me as the culprit unless it is the milk or the gluten. He has though things every day normally though and doesn't always suffer diarrhoea. What do you think?
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Ali, i can try tomorrow to get some crisps. Just another thought! Would you try alternative therapy? If you would, find a kinesiologist and he or she can at least tell you what to avoid, so you don't have to guess.
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I think DH had a similar intolerance tests Koe. Certainly something to think about.
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Does he have cold milk on his cereal everyday?
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Not every day because some days he'll have porridge with warm milk or egg on toast or pancakes. He probably has cereal 3 or 4x a week. He probably has milk in a cup all the days he doesn't have it on cereal though yes. He has cheese most days too and yoghurt every other day
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I am stumped then. I would go with the wheat/gluten free period as the dietician says. ???
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If he were wheat free and accidentally ate something with wheat in, roughly how long would it take for a reaction to occur? Is it 20 mins or would it be more like several hours or even a day later for example?
I ask as he had a 3 really bad runny poos immediately after eating a roast dinner at a restaurant yesterday and I thought after that I should have checked if the jus had flour in it. Doh!
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I bet the gravy had flour in :P
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I bet the gravy had flour in :P
Yup, I bet anything it did too! But that is a fast reaction for an intolerance, seems more like an allergic reaction than anything.
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It wasn't normal gravy but a clear red jus which is kind of why I didn't think to ask but yeah it may well have had flour in it. The other thing of note is that DH kept giving him I diluted apple juice and fruit shoots to drink so I'm sure that didn't help and was exceptional for this weekend.
He has been tested for a wheat allergy which came back negative.
He was fine again today and did one normal poo in the toilet.
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He has been tested for a wheat allergy which came back negative.
Honestly, I don't really trust test results for allergies...even my allergist considers an allergy to be a true allergy if there is a reaction. Spencer tested negative on scratch and blood tests to all the things she reacts to.
The juice for sure could have been a contributor...what kind of juice? S used to get major runs from citrus fruits, whether in juice or eating it.
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If you have been keeping a food diary have there been other times he has had apple juice or fruit shoots?
Sweeteners can trigger IBS, as can cruciferous veg. Maybe google other IBS triggers?
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I haven't been keeping a diary since we started this but probably should yes.
It was apple juice Heidi. He does have apple juice regularly but I usually dilute it so he gets about 20ml of apple juice and 80ml of water and I limit it to one or max two drinks a day. The rest of the day he has milk or water. The fruit shoots he only has at special events like parties or family barbecues about once a month. We usually get the My-5 ones which are juice and water with no sweeteners but this was a sugar-free one with aspartame. DH actually reacts badly to aspartame but it is more a spaced out, dizzy or hyper feeling than bowel issues. Cadan does tend to have bad poops at such parties so maybe it is the drinks. Citrus fruits like orange and grapefruits don't seem to agree with him. They come out with the cells undigested and cause runny poops but that may be just from all the fibre, I don't know.
He is terrible at eating veg apart from carrots which he loves and only eats most veg at the end of a meal when I tell him he needs to eat X number of spoonfuls before he will get pudding ;) or if I hide it in a stew or bolognaise. I think he only ate a whole carrot and 2 baby corns at the roast dinner and the cabbage, leeks, mange tout and green beans were left untouched (yes there was a lot of veg in that meal).
I will google IBS triggers thanks.
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Sorry got you muddled with Clazzat who was starting a food diary ::). I am surprised your dietician didn't suggest that as well. I would have thought it was more of an intolerance than an allergy and it is a minefield trying to figure out the triggers there.
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I kept a food and symptoms diary for 2 wks before I saw the dietician and she didn't even look at it. It was helpful for me because she did ask me what a typical day's food looked like and I was able to tell her because of the food diary. I will start again tomorrow.
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Cadan said very sweetly to me today "when it's my birthday I want you to do only food that doesn't have any wheat in it so I can eat whatever I want ok?" It broke my heart. His birthday isn't until December and he knows we have 3 family members with birthdays before his so he has an idea that it is quite far away. :'(
He has been doing so well and has been very agreeable when we say he can't have something. At a kiddies' festival on Friday DH forgot and let him decorate a cupcake at a table and then I had to remind them that he couldn't eat it. He said he had done it for Colby and didn't want to eat it anyway. But he was sad and I know he was lying to cover up his disappointment :'(
It is the boys baptism on Sunday and we are getting a cake made by our favourite bakery. They don't do gluten free though. They did say if we give them a gluten free sponge they can decorate it identically to the one we are having made. Does anyone know a good recipe for a GF vanilla or chocolate sponge cake?
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Oh Ali, I'm just following along till now. Lots of hugs. Is hard on them isn't it having diet restrictions :-*
Hope you get a lovely GF sponge recipe for C
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http://www.how2bglutenfree.com/gluten-free-cake-recipes.html .???
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Thanks
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it is hard isn't it...Henry is the same. Everything he picks up now he asks me if it has dairy in it bless him. I think if it was a true allergy you know you are doing the right thing but tbh nobody seems to have a clue if dairy is even an issue in our case so sometimes I feel bad for not allowing him food which could well be fine. Hopefully we will both work it out...was going to say 'get to the bottom of it' but in our cases not a good phrase!
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Yes Becky exactly.
Cadan definitely hasn't had wheat since gravy-gate at the weekend but yesterday he had an awful poop in the potty. TMI but it was like a bowl of mushy peas that had a glass of beer poured in it :-X There was a lot of undigested apple in there so it made me think of this article about toddler diarrhoea that another BW mum PMed me. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2397789/Misery-mums-warned-Toddler-Diarrhoea-months-years--cause-unknown.html The longer this goes on with the wheat free diet really not helping the more it makes me think the cause for us and I need to be more on top of the fruit, juice, fat and fibre intakes.
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Sorry Ali didn't read the link but have you read up on fructose malabsorption? Apple way worse than oranges.
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The link was just about toddler diarrhoea.
Thanks Anna I just googled fructose malabsorption and will look into it. I did specifically ask about fructose as I know fruit aggregates Cadan's condition but the dietician was dismissive and suggested that was only a problem with artificial sweeteners but I think she was obviously thinking about something else. I will ask the paed next time we go and see if she is more helpful.
Poo was back to normal again this evening.
DH made a delicious flourless chocolate cake for Cadan for the christening so he will be happy. It is actually really tasty and lucky me got to do a couple taste tests. Love me DH.
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I know apple juice can irritate some kids so def worth eliminating that if you suspect an issue.
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Pear is also very high in fructose so maybe keep that away too. Jenny gave me is great site to keep an eye on fructose as we think T is a little intolerant to sugar. Www.thefartingpear.com (I think that's it!)
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Lots of hugs, Ali. Does he complain of any discomfort? Bloating? Pain? Twisting?
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Thanks Sara. Lovely name ;) we don't tend to get pears anyway as I don't like them and the kids only like them perfectly ripe if they are in the mood so I don't bother really.
I also read this site.
http://scdlifestyle.com/2010/09/why-fructose-malabsorption-causes-gas-cramping-and-diarrhea-and-how-to-bea-it/ I have signed up for their free email guide but not read it yet.
Not really Koe. He might say he has a tummy ache occasionally immediately before he does a poo but I think it is really just a normal feeling of things moving down in there. He isnt upset or in a lot of pain or anything and it lasts seconds rather than minutes.
I'm hesitant to change anything else just yet though until after we finish at least 6 weeks of the wheat-free diet so that I can see what it is that is working or not. The dietician warned me about that.
I definitely appreciate all your ideas and will definitely work on them one by one if things don't improve.
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I'm hesitant to change anything else just yet though until after we finish at least 6 weeks of the wheat-free diet so that I can see what it is that is working or not. The dietician warned me about that.
I agree - 1 thing at a time x
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Agree with Becky to do one thing at a time.
Olly has suffered with fructose malabsorption. In fact only today have I bought a mango to trial that over the weekend. With all his problems he has never had diarrhoea though, for him to was, and still is to some degree, gas. We have been trialling apple and next week I am going into nursery to take it off his forbidden list! YAY small victory here ;D
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Hi ALi, how are things going? Still on any special diet?
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Hi. Thanks for asking. Yes he is still wheat free. He is so cute, he asks if everything has wheat in now before eating it.
I'm confused tbh. He had a week of on-off runny poos around 14-18 Aug then another one on 22 aug and another one (more a big follow through when he passed wind) around 13 Sept. in between he has been relatively symptom-free. Apart from the possible wheat in the gravy on 18 aug he hasn't had any wheat and I've been really careful so not sure why those others would have happened if it is the wheat.
We have an appt with the paed in the morning so I'm going to discuss reintroducing it as a trial. Bad timing since he starts nursery 5 mornings a week this week.
Then I guess I'll discuss the fructose.
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I'm confused tbh. He had a week of on-off runny poos around 14-18 Aug then another one on 22 aug and another one (more a big follow through when he passed wind) around 13 Sept. in between he has been relatively symptom-free.
I have found the exact same thing with H. It is SO hard to figure anything out with these diet sheets. Some days we seem to have a reaction, other days not to the same or v similar food stuff.
Hugs!
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He is so cute, he asks if everything has wheat in now before eating it.
Ah bless him :-*. I have never made a big deal about Olly's allergies to him and so it is only recently really that he has talked about it, Today I asked him if he wanted pizza (from Sains free from range) but he said no he was allergic to pizza. First time in 3.5 years he has said this :'( he knows he eats differently but heaahs really understood why TBH.
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I guess it is all new for Cadan and sometimes if we are eating with others who have wheat in their lunch or snacks etc or if we eat out at a restaurant where we all order what we want, I have to tell him he can't have it. Plus I must admit with things like bread or biscuits DH, Colby and I still have the normal version and he has his own wheat-free version. Is that mean? I try to get things like sausage and pasta that are wheat-free so we all have the same but some hings are just such a tiny expensive packet and taste so different it is easier to just let him eat the free-from version and we have the normal type.
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Plus I must admit with things like bread or biscuits DH, Colby and I still have the normal version and he has his own wheat-free version. Is that mean?
I did the same when H was dairy free x
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Paeds appt was a waste of time. The consultant was sick so we saw her colleague who didn't know the history and didn't want to make any decisions. She emailed the dietician to ask her to contact me about doing a wheat trial but I haven't heard back yet. Our next appt isn't until end of Oct.
If I want to trial wheat do I just give him some to eat and see? A lot? A little bit? Does it matter what?
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A lot so you are sure and get a decent reaction if any. Not sure what.???
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If I want to trial wheat do I just give him some to eat and see? A lot? A little bit? Does it matter what?
No idea to be honest ??? Maybe start another thread as I am sure some on on here must have had to trial wheat?
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Well I just went ahead and gave him some crusty bread we were having on Friday. Then I let him have bread again on Saturday and an ice cream cone. He's had something with wheat every day since. He was fine until yesterday (day 4) when he has a little runny poo come out when he passed wind. He had had brown bread earlier in the day so maybe it was that? I always thought too much fibre gave him symptoms. He was fine again today even though he had brown bread again. I have bought him some white he can eat from tomorrow.
So does it seem he is ok with wheat judging by his response here? Or will it take a while to aggravate his intestines? Should I start a new thread asking that?
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I am try to think of anyone with any coeliac knowledge but don't know anyone :( I would just be noting everything down and hope the dietician calls!
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it could take a few days to affect him. Celiac disease can be identified through a blood test, but it is not 100% certain. Absolute certainty requires a biospy, I think. Basically, if you have have celiac, then the consumption of gluten (wheat, barley, etc etc) can over time cause perforation and permanent damage of the intestine. I have had a friend with celiac who was extremely and instantly bothered by ingesting gluten, and another who was completely asymptomatic except that she was always exhausted and could not gain any weight. It often goes hand in hand with lactose intolerance. I think it would be worth verifiying.
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He has been absolutely fine since I last posted, not one runny stool. We have an appt with the dietician at the end of this month so I will just wait and see how he goes I think.
Thanks everyone.
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That is good :) and is that WITH wheat?
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Yes with wheat. He's having it every day as either bread or something else just like before.
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Must show that he is OK with wheat then? Good news :)
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*i* would think so
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Quite and I really hope it is but don't want to say for sure as I know some intolerances rumble along building up and then show symptoms. For C though it would seem that coming off it didn't make a difference so fingers crossed he gets the all clear from the doctors x