Ever since Big E was a toddler he has suffered from terrible diarrhoea. I took him to the doctors and was told that it was ‘toddler diarrhoea’ , quite normal and nothing to worry about. So I continued to change his nappies which were full of a sand like substance cursing at the inconvenience of it more than anything. It was not unusual to have to buy new clothes for him when we were out because he had leaked out of his nappy constantly and as he got older when he continually soiled his pants.

As Big E got older he would spend hours on the toilet and we would joke about it within the family. I feel terrible about that now.
He would often complain about joint pain, he suffered from constant mouth ulcers and had a very itchy, red lumpy rash on his elbows, knees and sometimes hands. In 2007 I took him to the doctors about something else and mentioned his problems. Big E was sent for a series of blood tests.

A couple of weeks later the GP telephoned me to tell me that Big E had tested positive for coeliac disease. He was also anaemic and his weight and height were way below average for his age. I hadn’t really questioned that before because his older brother had been small for his age and had a growth spurt at twelve.  Coeliac disease is an auto-immune disease caused by gluten- a substance found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Unfortunately everyone then has to undergo a biopsy to confirm this due to the lifetime exclusion of a major food group. Just before Christmas 2007, we had to watch our son be put under general anaesthetic to get this confirmation.

So the end of 2007, beginning of 2008 marked a new era for my second son as he embarked on a gluten free life.
I will be posting more about this disease that is more prevalent than people believe, and leaving it undiagnosed has many implications, none of them very pleasant.

Symptoms of coeliac disease include
-stomach pain, nausea, bloating,heartburn, diarrhorea, constipation
-tiredness, headaches
-vitamin and mineral deficiencies
-hair loss
-skin rash
-depression
-osteoporosis
-joint/bone pain
This list is not extensive and has been taken from Coeliac UK a website that helped get us through the first difficult months after Big E was diagnosed.

In babies the symptoms can include a bloated tummy, irritability, failure to gain weight or weight loss and muscle wastage of the arms and legs. Big E had at least three of those symptoms.

Big E was also diagnosed as having Dermatitis Herpetiformis ( DH) which is a very rare form of coeliac disease that affects the skin. It can take years to clear up after going on to a gluten free diet but Big E was lucky that it cleared up very quickly in him.

Coeliac Disease can occur at anytime throughout one’s life- it can often be triggered by something if you are already predisposed to it. If you think you may have it, a simple blood test can offer a diagnosis but you must continue eating gluten until it is confirmed.

The good news is that Big E is so much better now, he doesn’t suffer from mouth ulcers, his DH has gone and he is growing, albeit slowly. The shops are improving their range of products all the time although the prices charged are extortionate but unfortunately eating out is a major headache unless you want to pay for a steak which isn’t really practical when taking a hoard of children out.

So although it is more a pain than anything else there is a simple remedy to ensure a healthy life and for those that believe one crumb won’t hurt ( I hear that so many times) it does and can cause many hours of pain and a huge step backwards in the body’s repair and recovery.

I think we need to see some progress on the range of products available, their price and the availability of restaurants offering gluten free meals. Also more products aimed at children and teenagers please.