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Glutened Baby
I should stop calling my youngest a baby, as he's very much into toddler mode at 2 1/2, but when he's sick, I can't help but think of him as a baby.
I usually watch him like a hawk at social functions, but tonight we were all enjoying the company so much that I forgot to keep a close eye on food dangers. There were babysitting-age kids around keeping him physically safe, so I relaxed a bit too much for a little while. I noticed a baggie of goldfish crackers after he'd probably already gotten into them. Goldfish crackers should be outlawed; my older son got sick from them too many times when he was small, they're just so hard for a child to resist, and there is no packaged gluten free version.
He became very irritable soon before we left for home, and it went downhill from there. Stomach pain, gas, more irritability, vomiting, and diarrhea. Now it's almost 6 AM, and I've been up with him all night. (He's slept some, but I haven't). He's never had much more gluten than a trace amount, but has always proven to be the most sensitive of all of us. (He's got many Hunter traits.) I'm afraid this time he had much more than a trace amount.
Two days ago, I took him to Costco with me and we stopped for a hot dog with no bun (checking for crumbs, as always). A bigger little boy came up to him with a cookie in his hand and decided he had too many cookie crumbs on himself then started shaking them off of himself, right next to us. When I told him the crumbs would make us sick, he and his parents acted like I was crazy. Sigh. Fortunately I was able to protect the food. (I guess I'm just the crazy lady on crumb patrol!)
Some people think that crackers/bread/cookies can't possibly make anybody sick. It's annoying to me, but also sad for them if they happen to unknowingly be one of the people who are getting sick from gluten. If you're sick all the time, and eating poison all the time, it's hard to put the two together. I'm just glad we aren't in that boat anymore. I doubt I could have even had children if I hadn't given up wheat, then gluten. One person I spoke with about it questioned whether I should have had children, knowing I had a genetic condition I could pass on. Being that it is a treatable condition, and I'm also passing on the knowledge, I have no question in my mind that I did the right thing by having my two. Considering that 97% of full-fledged celiacs don't even know they have it, and countless clueless others with gluten sensitivity, I have no guilt or ambivilance about my decision whatsoever. Some people think the gluten free diet is a fate worse than death, but I completely disagree. Other than social inconveniences, and trying to help young children navigate the crunchy dangers, it's pretty trivial. My 5 year old is very expert at avoiding gluten, in any situation, so I must be doing something right... of course, he also had to learn the hard way a couple times.
I can't imagine waiting for positive test results to put this baby on a GF diet. The misery of one night of gluten is too much, the months it might take for the lab to show anything would be torture (for him primarily, but also the rest of the household). I've confirmed this morning that he probably did eat some goldfish crackers. I'm about to launch an anti-goldfish campaign, kind of funny really since they're so cute and likable, they just drive me nuts with their kid-appeal.
8 comments
My 3 year old is gluten-intolerant. He doesn't throw up, but he gets the runs and it makes him dizzy and clumsy. He craves bread. He craves gluten. But even he, at 3, knows it makes him feel bad.
Our children are going to be so much better off than we were as children. We ate what our parents would allow us to eat, and sneaked whatever they wouldn't. My children are developing self-control. They don't live for the moment because they can't afford to. They may be deprived, but it's good for them--both for their bodies and for their character, the same way it's good for us to be strong enough to follow a strict diet also.
Never regret having your children, Melissa. They're your little blessings, and even though it's hard work to feed them right and bring them up right, you will have many happy returns.
It's amazing how many people just do not understand that 1) cookies, crackers, snack cakes, and so on are made with wheat flour, and 2) even a tiny amount of gluten can make celiacs or gluten-sensitive people very ill. If they could feel how awful it is to be sick from gluten consumption they'd get it. And I agree with you--many of them probably ARE sick from eating wheat and gluten and have absolutely no clue.
I'd love to see an organic baker come out with something like Goldfish, only made with rice flour or flax etc.
School is going to be intereseting next year. I think I will have to make brown rice tortilla sandwiches every day. I am so much better at making his lunches fresh, versus trying to make something that will taste good hours later.....
Thanks for sharing.... Deb
I don't know whether you've seen them, but there are now t-shirts available for kids that say "Don't feed me" or "Ask Mum before you give me anything to eat" as well as "I'm a celiac, wheat makes me sick". They're found on www.cafepress.com . I'm thinking of getting the adult versions.
I hope that your little boy is feeling a lot better now,
Bec
One has a monkey on it (they have to be cute or he won't wear them) and says "don't feed the monkey, my health depends on a gluten free diet", the other has my goldfish graphic above on it and says "Common snacks make me very sick! Check with mom before sharing"
He's still sick though, I'm starting to think he may have a virus instead of, or in addition to, a gluten reaction. I was 80% sure he'd eaten gluten, now it's 50/50. I'd hope his gluten reaction isn't quite this severe! He's gradually getting better though.
;-)
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