The Struggle for Balance Continues

Every time I think we've gotten our son's diet under control, new things pop up.  I know that this is common, that people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity often have problems with other foods, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.  The past few weeks, my son has been breaking out in rashes, and his appetite has gone through the roof again.  He also has several inflamed glands, which is a source of concern for us. 

He used to be completely dairy free, but over time we introduced goat milk, and that went well.  Then, we introduced some cow's milk, a bit at a time, to see how his body would react.  It went well for a while, but now I'm not so sure.  On top of that, last week his mouth broke out in a rash after eating peanut butter.  Some days he gets a rash when he hasn't had either milk or peanuts, so now we're kind of stumped. 

So here's what we're going to do. 

An elimination diet.  We've done this before, but I know that food sensitivities can change at any time, so we're going to do it again.  This is never fun, but it's important that we figure out what's going on with his body.  He's started eating adult sized portions again, which usually only happens after he's been glutened.  The other day he ate:  1 bowl of cereal with milk, a peach, a bowl of cantaloupe, 4 slices of gluten free bread with jam, 2 bowls of soup, 2 cucumbers, 2 fruit cups, 1 bowl of chili, 2 slices of cheese, 1 bowl of yogurt, 2 tortillas, 3 eggs, and 4 slices of roast beef.  He was still so hungry he was begging for more food.  Actually whining and begging and pleading for more because he was so hungry.  He's four years old.   

Four years old and in the 40th percentile for height and weight, despite how much he eats.  I worry that he's not absorbing enough nutrients.  So on top of the elimination diet to see what foods make him break out, we're also adding a probiotic to his daily vitamin.  We don't feed him a lot of processed food, but we're going to increase his intake of fruits and vegetables, lentils and beans.  We're also going to be keeping a detailed food journal and fill in a chart that will demonstrate whether he's getting an adequate amount of vitamins and nutrients every day. 

Our doctor has scheduled a follow up ultrasound for his glands, and we're going to get allergy testing done again, even though we know he's young and the tests aren't always accurate at this age. 

Spring has arrived, and this year the spring cleaning has everything to do with cleaning up his diet.  It's pretty good right now, but there's always room for improvement.   Wish us luck!