Yesterday was Day 6 on the diet & in the evening Caleb began having stomach cramps. If ever I had doubted myself as a parent, this was the time. Had I made the right choice in attempting the diet first? Should I have taken him to the doctor for an official diagnosis? What if I am wrong? Nothing can send a person into worry mode like a sick child...specifically your own.
The good news is that the cramps weren't as severe nor did they last as long as they had previously (this time only a few hours versus a few days prior to starting the diet). So, we went through the list of things he ate. I realized there could have been some cross-contamination at lunchtime. Then I wondered about the yogurt he ate at dinner. It says it has "natural vanilla flavoring" but what does that really mean? I looked it up online and am still confused. It seems I will have to write to the manufacturer to get an answer as to whether or not it contains gluten.
Day 7: I discovered today that the mayo I used to make Ranch dressing has modified food starch in it, which means it has gluten. So, one known source of gluten, one suspected source of gluten plus a possible cross-contamination...the pieces to the puzzle. Lesson learned: Read every label. Every time.
And so marks the end of week 1.
I just wanted to give 1 piece of advice that you can leave or take. I had the blood test for celiac run on Caitlin and considered trying the diet even with the negative result, which is known to be inaccurate. Anyway, my point is that whatever was wrong with Caitlin spontaneously went away 2 months after it began right before I tried going gluten free. If I had started the diet a week or so earlier, I would have thought the diet made the change. Being gluten free is doable, but it does greatly limit your child's options, especially while eating away from home. I guess what I am trying to say is that if your experiment works and the problems go away, you might try adding gluten back in and/or maybe having the tests run just to be sure. I would hate to have my child on a restrictive diet for life for no reason. Anyway, this is just a though.
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