Had an infringement. What should I be looking for?

April 7, 2001

My son, age 3.9, has been gf/cf since March 3. Dh did let him eat a

very small piece of pizza crust the first week but since then we have

been consistent. I read labels carefully & if there's any doubt, I

just don't use a particular item. I've reviewed mentally all the ways

we could be messing up, and don't think we have. We are doing the

diet under the supervision of a DAN doctor and one of the reasons we

started this...although it was always in the back of my mind...was

that my son's behavior began to steadily regress since December. He

has not lost or forgotten skills, just getting more stimmy, more

talking to himself, rigid, easily upset and perseverative. This has

not changed since starting the diet and may have gotten worse...but I

am not sure it would not have gotten worse on its own.

Anyway, we had an infringement today. My son got hold of some

pretzels at a party when I had my back turned (changing my other

son's diaper). I don't know how much he had before I caught him.

My question: what type of indication should we look for that this

might cause a problem for him...especially since overall I don't

really see the diet helping or hurting much? Does it mean anything

that in the early days of the diet, my son didn't seem to miss the

stuff he couldn't have but now is asking for bread and almost pounced

on a piece of cheese he saw? Does that mean he really is addicted to

these foods or just that he likes them and misses them? Also, do we

have to consider ourselves as being back at square one in terms of

the time we need to stay on the diet to determine if it makes a

difference? Our doctor wanted us to try for 3 months and see what

happens...even though he felt it was most likely that if it would

help, it would be evident before that. Do we now start over and go

for three months from today?

BTW, our doctor has not done any testing for peptides or antibodies

to casein or gluten. He says the tests are not always reliable and it

is a better indicator to just go on the diet...but then I read that

it could take a whole year to see results. After that much time, how

would you know it's the diet and not just maturity or other therapies?

I don't want to stay on this diet indefinitely without SOME indicator

that it makes a difference.

Thanks,

Donna

Recommended Posts