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Natural, Holistic and RAW Lifestyle>Question About Gluten Intolerances
melilley 11:41 AM 03-04-2014
What symptoms would a child have if they are gluten intolerant and they happen to eat it? How long does it take for the symptoms to be present if the child did eat it?

I have a dcf who says their children are gluten intolerant. I had their 3 yo ds last summer and currently have their 1 yo. Dcp's think that 1 yo dcb is gluten intolerant because older brother is (they also claim he has other allergies because big bro does).

I'm asking because there have been instances where dcd or dcm will make a comment about dcb's behavior (they still tell me about older bro.) and they blame what they do on gluten. They also say that they are allergic to red dye and blame some behaviors on that too, but mostly on gluten. I feel like it's kind of like the "teething" excuse. But the funny thing is, is when they say things referencing gluten to their behavior, the behavior is normal for their age. I finally stopped telling dcp's about some things because the excuse is always "he must have gotten into something".

I'm just curious if I'm wrong on what I think happens if they eat it, or if dcp's are using gluten as an excuse for certain behaviors-that to me are normal for their age because I think it does the opposite of what they say happens if they eat it. Dcm is one who thinks her kids have everything under the sun. She went to school for education, specializing in special education and I swear her children "have" everything that she has seen in her classes....
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NeedaVaca 11:48 AM 03-04-2014
I can't say about the gluten but my DS definitely can't have red dye. He doesn't just have behavior issues, he gets uncontrollable tics and it's very scary to witness.

Have you changed what you serve to be gluten free for them? I would insist on a Dr. note detailing the allergies. It sounds like this mom is using it as an excuse...
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melilley 11:52 AM 03-04-2014
Originally Posted by NeedaVaca:
I can't say about the gluten but my DS definitely can't have red dye. He doesn't just have behavior issues, he gets uncontrollable tics and it's very scary to witness.

Have you changed what you serve to be gluten free for them? I would insist on a Dr. note detailing the allergies. It sounds like this mom is using it as an excuse...
I do provide gluten free food for him. I have a dr. note, but all it says is it's an intolerance. By the way mom talks, you would think he would die if he ate any gluten at all, but he has taken a cracker and has eaten it before and when I told dcd, all he said was "oh well, mistakes happen", like it was no big deal! Come on, if it's as bad as mom says, the kid would be doing what she says he does when he has gluten!
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melilley 11:58 AM 03-04-2014
I should have clarified what mom says happens.

It's mostly with the older dcb, but for instance, if dcb had a bad day and I tell dcm that M. (older boy) wouldn't clean up during clean up time, she says "oh he must have had something with gluten in it" or if he is hyper one day, she says he must have had red dye.

If younger dcb gets up in the middle of the night and decides to play for 2 hours (this happens often), dcp's will say he must have gotten into some gluten!

I thought that if you have a gluten intolerance or allergy, that if you ate it, your stomach would hurt or something like that. I didn't think you would get hyper or not listen if you ate it?.
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NeedaVaca 12:04 PM 03-04-2014
From what I have read it can cause behavior problems and if this is truly the case I would just ask the parent if it causes these problems why is there still gluten in the household?? It is their job to protect their children and I would put it back on them, excuses aren't really good enough when they should be preventing it. Every time she says oh he must have gotten into some gluten I would look at her wide eyed and ask why it's available to them!
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Leanna 12:10 PM 03-04-2014
I also provide gluten-free food for a DCB 2.5. DCM has Celiac's Disease so they assume DCB does too until they can test for it. According to DCM if DCB were to have anything with gluten (which has happened a couple of times on their end) he gets gastrointestinal issues like pain and diarrhea. I guess it could have different affects on different kids though...
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melilley 12:13 PM 03-04-2014
Originally Posted by NeedaVaca:
From what I have read it can cause behavior problems and if this is truly the case I would just ask the parent if it causes these problems why is there still gluten in the household?? It is their job to protect their children and I would put it back on them, excuses aren't really good enough when they should be preventing it. Every time she says oh he must have gotten into some gluten I would look at her wide eyed and ask why it's available to them!
I should! Apparently dcd can't have gluten either so I have NO idea why they have it in their home, or if mom does eat it, how they possibly can get into it. It just makes me wonder because dcb ate a cracker that one time and the other dcb bro ate some noodles (before I noticed he was eating the wrong noodles) and nothing was said about the gluten affecting them.

It also makes me wonder if it's true because this dcm is kind of crazy...lol. I've talked about her here before, she's very odd. Once dcb had a test for something (I can't remember) and it came back neg. and she didn't believe the docs because he just HAD to have whatever it was. I know there are false neg., but there were only symptoms at home..not here.
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melilley 12:14 PM 03-04-2014
Originally Posted by Leanna:
I also provide gluten-free food for a DCB 2.5. DCM has Celiac's Disease so they assume DCB does too until they can test for it. According to DCM if DCB were to have anything with gluten (which has happened a couple of times on their end) he gets gastrointestinal issues like pain and diarrhea. I guess it could have different affects on different kids though...
This is what I thought happens, but wasn't sure if I was right or not or if getting hyper could be a symptom from eating it.
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NeedaVaca 12:41 PM 03-04-2014
If you google it you will find behavior related issues can happen but I know the kind of mom you are dealing with! Sounds like my SIL
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SilverSabre25 12:51 PM 03-04-2014
Red dye: does make people/kids VERY hyper. Sometimes, when I've been "good" with food and then have some dye, my head feels buzzy, like there's a fly or something buzzing around and it makes me crazy-irritable and snappish.

As for gluten...well, everyone is very very different with how they react to gluten. For me, I apologize if this is TMI but, hey, you asked!

~One of the most noticeable symptoms is diarrhea/soft stools. They usually have a pretty particular consistency for me. On the other hand, lots of gluten leads to constipation (I am NOT good at staying GF)

~Gluten can make anxiety a lot worse for me

~Gluten makes ADHD symptoms a TON worse for me and I have a hard time focusing or getting anything done.

~Lately, gluten has been leading to heartburn that, yes, does keep my up at night.

~Before I went off gluten the first time seven years ago, I had nasty nasty headaches every single day. They vanished within a week of being gluten free and haven't really come back with the same intensity, but my sister gets migraines (nasty, multi-day ones) when she eats gluten AND chocolate.

~I haven't track it but I'm pretty sure eating gluten makes bloating and water retention worse.

~The symptoms usually take a few hours to manifest, and sometimes I eat gluten with no noticeable effect at all if I've been off of it for a several good weeks. It's NOT an allergy. You're NOT looking for hives or other "normal" allergy reactions. So, it is entirely plausible that your dcks have had slip ups that cause no obvious effect (cracker, noodles, etc).
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TwinKristi 01:27 PM 03-04-2014
The only way to truly tell is to journal his food and behavior. Their home should be GF if 3/4 of the family are GF! Otherwise you risk cross-contamination and increasing issues!
If you notice he didn't get into anything with Red40 or a possible Gluten exposure yet he's STILL hyper then you can tell it's not gluten or dyes but him as well!
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MotherNature 01:54 PM 03-04-2014
I second everything SilverSabre said. I'm extremely intolerant to gluten, and if I eat something that has been made on contaminated machinery, I get cramps, diarrhea, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, and a weird eczema that cracks my skin open. I usually don't notice for a few hours to overnight though.
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e.j. 02:10 PM 03-04-2014
I agree with the others who say red dye can cause behavioral issues. I had a 4 yr old dcb several years ago who was "all boy" but I never considered his behavior a problem. He came in one day after mom gave him some cough syrup with red dye in it just before she dropped him off here. It kicked in shortly after and I couldn't believe the change I saw in him! He was wild! I was sure he would kill or injure himself if I turned my back to him for a second. It really was scary!

My dd can't eat anything with gluten in it and knows very quickly when she has ingested it accidentally. She experiences severe cramps and a burning pain in her stomach, bloating, migraines and joint pain. She has had memory problems, as well, that I think may be related. I never noticed any behavioral problems, though, even when she was younger but I guess different people experience different reactions.

From what you've written, it does sound as though dcm may be using his gluten intolerance as an excuse for misbehavior.
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melilley 02:28 PM 03-04-2014
Thank you for all the information everyone!
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missy 07:44 PM 03-04-2014
Celiac is different in that if you consume gluten, it can have fatal consequences in the long term. Not all Celiacs have symptoms, some are completely asymptomatic---but regardless if they show signs or not, gluten damages the intestines and increases the risk of certain cancers by like 500%.

Just wanted to throw that in there:-)
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Laurel 07:58 PM 03-04-2014
My daughter realized she was gluten intolerant just about a year or so ago. She has had stomach/diahrrea problems her whole life but now we know what caused them.

With her she has the above and also cutting out gluten got rid of her migraine headaches. She can tell immediately, after one bite, if she accidently ate gluten.

She never had any behavior issues as a child.

I don't think that mom can blame the behavior issues on it.

Laurel
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Michael 09:30 PM 03-04-2014
Gluten messes me up in odd ways. I get a lot of anxiety to the point where I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. I also become very cloister phobic. The physical symptoms can be worse.

I am doing so much better having eliminated gluten from my diet the last couple years.
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Laurel 04:28 AM 03-05-2014
Originally Posted by Michael:
Gluten messes me up in odd ways. I get a lot of anxiety to the point where I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. I also become very cloister phobic. The physical symptoms can be worse.

I am doing so much better having eliminated gluten from my diet the last couple years.
Now that you mention it my daughter said she had an episode of two or really intense emotions. She also said she now wakes up from sleep refreshed like normal people do. She said she used to wake up in a sort of fog but just thought everyone did. It was more than "I just need my coffee in the morning" kind of feeling.

Laurel
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butterfly 07:55 AM 03-05-2014
I have the same symptoms as previously stated, but they show up within 30 minutes of being glutened. I believe it can affect behavior in children, because they don't know how to verbally express how the gluten is making them feel inside. It affects my mood too. Most of us are crabbier when we aren't feeling well it only stands to reason it would affect a child that way too.
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