Gory Details

If you know any Celiacs you know we're not shy about the horrible details of how gluten affects us. So, warning to any readers right now, these posts will contain some fairly stomach turning details at times. Like right now.

The boys have some minor diarrhea today. It isn't full blown liquid, but it's runny and difficult for them to control. Gabriel has made it safely to the toilet for both of his episodes, but Zach had a couple small accidents. Now, given that we live in India and diarrhea is a fact of life, I can't be 100% sure this has anything to do with gluten. But this diarrhea isn't the pure watery, volcanic mess that usually results from the boys getting Delhi Belly. I'm wondering if this is the beginning of the purging process. It's only been one day, but the body can clear itself out pretty quickly. We'll see how things develop this week.

Yesterday was GF pancakes and an apple for breakfast, GF mac and cheese and another apple for lunch, dried fruit and cashews for a snack, and GF pizza and salad for dinner. Who says you GF eating isn't awesome?

Today the boys are currently snarfing down bacon and eggs. Lunch will be peaches and GF PBJ; dinner will be crockpot chicken, potatoes, and carrots.

The kids are loving it so far. Gabey was tantrum free yesterday even without a nap.

Gluten Free Starts Today

The boys started their gluten free diet today. I have been gluten free for about 5 years, with a few notable accidents here and there. John has been gluten-reduced for the past couple weeks and has been feeling great.

For breakfast we had gluten free pancakes and an apple. Each of the boys wolfed down three pancakes and the three of us split a huge pink Indian apple - I'm not sure what the name of this apple is, but it's very large, sweet, and delicious. We get it at the local market.

The plan for lunch is PBJ on gluten free bread. Our aayah, Angel, and neighbors have been briefed on the boys condition, so I hope to avoid accidents with sharing friend's snacks.

So, to start the experiment I am recording the boys' physical condition as of 1/31/11:

Zachary:

Zach is 30.6 lbs. and 38". This puts him in the 21st percentile for weight and 31st percentile for height. He is a very strong, energetic little guy. His appetite has been voracious lately, probably due to an impending growth spurt. His sleeping has not been good - he skips most of his naps, wont go to sleep until after 8, waking up long before 7 most days. He has been very gassy with bouts of diarrhea. This could be due to gluten or simply living in Delhi.

His skin is terrible. No amount topical treatments do the trick. His eczema covers his entire lower legs. He is extremely intelligent and good tempered.

Gabriel is 25 lbs. and 33.5." He is in the 7th percentile for weight and 5th for height. He is also very strong and energetic. His behavior has been difficult lately, but this could be due to a long business trip by daddy and the fact that he is two. He has also been gassy and switches between constipation and diarrhea almost constantly. He has struggle with constipation his whole life, so I doubt it's from Delhi. He has no overt eczema, but he has extremely dry skin on his upper arms and back that lotion will not take away. He is also generally very, very sweet tempered and intelligent. He is very calm and patient.

Gluten Free - Let the Games Begin!

The gluten free goodies have arrived! We're starting with the little boy basics. We have crackers, bread, mac and cheese, pancakes, cookies, and pizza:

I started the process by gathering everything gluten-ous out of the pantry and putting it in a box. This stuff will go to the neighbors. Let's poison our friends! ;-)

My job today is to make bread to have on hand for PBJs. I have mapped out lunches for the week. I plan to supplement the gluten free carbs with boy-friendly good fat foods like peanut butter and nuts. My kids are bonkers for peanut butter and cashews. Other supplements will be fruit and white meat and I plan to try to break them into veggies a little more using peanut butter, hummus, and possibly ranch for dipping.

Tomorrow I will log the boys' heights, weights, skin condition, and overall health and the great experiment begins!

Resolved

All right, I'm returning to this blog for once specific topic: to track the progress of a gluten free experiment. After watching my 27 month old play with two 18 month olds this week I realized it was time to do something. My little guy stood a good inch shorter than his munchkin companions. He just made it into 18 month clothes this month. He had growth problems in the womb, which was a big reason for his 2 weeks early induction and has had growth troubles ever since. It's time to go gluten free. I have strong feelings that this will work because, at 18, I grew 2" after going solidly off gluten (5'6" to 5'8"). Imagine what it can do for someone who is supposed to still be growing!

So, I'm not sure exactly when the gluten free diet will begin, but today's assignment is to find gluten free kid foods online. We need bread for PBJs, snack foods, and mac and cheese.

Today my little Peanut is 31" (2nd percentile) and 25 lbs (5th percentile). Although his weight percentile has improved from being under the growth charts, his height has dropped from the 20th.

Zach will also be going gluten free to see if his eczema improves. His poor little calves are completely covered and he complains of pain if I try any topical treatments. Sometimes he even asks for bandaids. His size might also benefit, but he is not so much of a concern. He is in the 49th percentile for weight and 35th for height, which is a huge improvement from his size when he was younger. He used to hover around 5th percentile in weight and 15th in height.

SO I will track our progress on this blog including diets, skin status, and growth progress.