A question about physical characteristics...

[Guest guest]

Hi Laurel.

I dont really have any advice on your exact questions.....but I just wanted to mention something off topic from Celiac. My old boss had 3 adopted children. Two of which where adopted from Russia. His little boy has many developmental problems that where never disclosed in his medical papers from Russia. In fact, if you look closely at the copies, you can see where sentences were covered with white-out and typed / written over.

Im not saying this is the case with Gabby, but since they were both adopted from the same country - maybe there is some stuff the adoption agency hid from you, too.

Last I heard, he was suing them since his son will need special care for life.

I just wanted to mention it since you said she was adopted from Russia - it just raised a red flag for me. I hope this isnt the case, but just wanted to make you aware.

All the best,

[Guest guest]

Our daughter is 3 (oct 2, 2002) and just had an endoscopy on Jan

25th. Her initial diagnosis had been Failure to Thrive. (she is

adopted from Russia..October 25, 2004)

The test results of the endoscopy are weird. They took pictures,

biopsies & did sectretion tests. 2 of the 3 sectretion tests came

back very low, the other showed normal. According to the dr--this is

impossible! So they ran the tests again with the same result. (Don't

ask which secretions...I don't know) Anyway, they said it POINTS to

celiac...but don't start the diet yet! Do 2 more tests...a blood

genetics test and a 72 hour food diary/fecal study.

OK, blood is going to CA, food diary & sample are with the hospital.

Gabby, of course, only pooped once during the 72 hours! Late last

night! (FINALLY!!!!) She bounces back & forth between constipation

and fairly soft poops. We hit the constipation time!

We have done the " regular " routine blood tests for celiac...negative

there. We did a " routine " poop screening...negative. But Gabby

doesn't eat much wheat/gluten...sort-of " self-regulates " by only

wanting to eat fruit, veggies and some cheese/yogurt! So maybe the

poop and blood screenings were done when she hadn't had much gluten

for the past week or so. Wouldn't it still show up? Or could she

JUST be developing celiac & things aren't showing up yet?

My questions--would you guys think the results of the endoscopy are

enough to say celiac? Do any of you get the skin problems? When we

got Gabby, we noticed she had little scars all over her arms, legs &

body---I have noticed more in the past year...she suddenly gets

these extremely itchy patches. Usually on her wrists, knees, near

her armpits. Originally we thought maybe they were from homemade

cigarette burns--they are small, oval patches. This is what has

appeared after her intense itching sessions too.

****Also, is it possible that gluten could cause her pupils to

dialate? She always has huge pupils...occasionally they go down but

usually they are almost her entire eye. I have not kept a feed diary

& corelated wheat/gluten to her pupil size. Just wondering if it

might be another part of " wheat poisoning " ??

Thanks for any help/suggestions! Laurel

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the thoughts, . We know LOTS about Gabby's

background...actually more than we wanted in some cases. We know, to

put it mildly & without going into details, she was removed from her

mother due to neglect & other stuff. We have the details but I don't

like to discuss them with the world at large!

We said we would accept minor correctable issues when we adopted the

kids. We knew both kids were preemies & Gabby was MUCH tinier than

a " normal " 2 year old. We really have no problems with the agency or

the Russians. All were very up-front about stuff. I could read a bit

of Russian, so I was able to look at the originals & translations &

ask questions about why some things weren't directly translated.

In adoption, as in bio birth, you take a leap of faith. There are NO

guarantees in life & we accepted that long ago. We just want Gabby

to have as normal & healthy a life as we can give her. She's already

been thru more than many adults and she is just the SWEETEST little

girl you could ever want to meet. I thank the Lord every day for

letting me be her mother. (Gabby is SO intesely polite that she even

says, " Thank you, Mama " when I clean her up after she vomits. Or

when I help her tie her shoes, or when I give her the medicine she

HATES!! Incredible!!)

Thanks for your concern. Laurel

>

> Hi Laurel.

>

> I dont really have any advice on your exact questions.....but I

just wanted

> to mention something off topic from Celiac. My old boss had 3

adopted

> children. Two of which where adopted from Russia. His little boy

has many

> developmental problems that where never disclosed in his medical

papers from Russia.

> In fact, if you look closely at the copies, you can see where

sentences

> were covered with white-out and typed / written over.

>

> Im not saying this is the case with Gabby, but since they were

both adopted

> from the same country - maybe there is some stuff the adoption

agency hid from

> you, too.

>

> Last I heard, he was suing them since his son will need special

care for

> life.

>

> I just wanted to mention it since you said she was adopted from

Russia - it

> just raised a red flag for me. I hope this isnt the case, but

just wanted to

> make you aware.

>

> All the best,

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm definately not a doctor and don't claim to have any knowledge except my

own experience, but I think Celiac can display a wide variety of symptoms.

Just from this group there is a variety of symptoms that seem to have gone

away on the GF diet. I doubt anyone has been able to compile a comprehensive

list of symtoms of celiac. You can't rule anything out. Although there

could be lots of other reasons for things to be happening to her the symptoms

of her celiac probably won't be clear until she is completely GF. I for one

did not show any classic symptoms of celiac and now that I have been GF for

almost a year can identify things that I never considered to be symptoms.

And it sounds to me like Gabby and her brother thank god everyday for you

too

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 18:21:17 -0000, Laurel S wrote

> Our daughter is 3 (oct 2, 2002) and just had an endoscopy on Jan

> 25th. Her initial diagnosis had been Failure to Thrive. (she is

> adopted from Russia..October 25, 2004)

>

> The test results of the endoscopy are weird. They took pictures,

> biopsies & did sectretion tests. 2 of the 3 sectretion tests came

> back very low, the other showed normal. According to the dr--this is

> impossible! So they ran the tests again with the same result. (Don't

> ask which secretions...I don't know) Anyway, they said it POINTS to

> celiac...but don't start the diet yet! Do 2 more tests...a blood

> genetics test and a 72 hour food diary/fecal study.

>

> OK, blood is going to CA, food diary & sample are with the hospital.

> Gabby, of course, only pooped once during the 72 hours! Late last

> night! (FINALLY!!!!) She bounces back & forth between constipation

> and fairly soft poops. We hit the constipation time!

>

> We have done the " regular " routine blood tests for celiac...negative

> there. We did a " routine " poop screening...negative. But Gabby

> doesn't eat much wheat/gluten...sort-of " self-regulates " by only

> wanting to eat fruit, veggies and some cheese/yogurt! So maybe the

> poop and blood screenings were done when she hadn't had much gluten

> for the past week or so. Wouldn't it still show up? Or could she

> JUST be developing celiac & things aren't showing up yet?

>

> My questions--would you guys think the results of the endoscopy are

> enough to say celiac? Do any of you get the skin problems? When we

> got Gabby, we noticed she had little scars all over her arms, legs &

> body---I have noticed more in the past year...she suddenly gets

> these extremely itchy patches. Usually on her wrists, knees, near

> her armpits. Originally we thought maybe they were from homemade

> cigarette burns--they are small, oval patches. This is what has

> appeared after her intense itching sessions too.

>

> ****Also, is it possible that gluten could cause her pupils to

> dialate? She always has huge pupils...occasionally they go down but

> usually they are almost her entire eye. I have not kept a feed diary

> & corelated wheat/gluten to her pupil size. Just wondering if it

> might be another part of " wheat poisoning " ??

>

> Thanks for any help/suggestions! Laurel

>

>