Test Results

Caroline got the results of her blood tests today - she tested positive for Celiac disease, which is a disease where the immune system reacts to gluten and causes intestinal damage which then causes the body to be unable to absorb the proper nutrients from food. The inability to absorb these nutrients causes gas to build up in the tummy, bulky yucky smelling stools and/or diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, failure to thrive, developmental delays, etc... which explains why Caroline has not gained any weight or grown in height in the last 3 months, has a distended belly, intermittent irritability, is prone to diarrhea, etc. The good news is that with the elimination of gluten from her diet, her intestines will eventually return to normal and she will start absorbing nutrients properly again.

The bad news is we have to eliminate gluten from her diet, completely, 100%, forever. So I am racking my brain trying to figure out what I can feed her for dinner tonight since we just got this news this afternoon and I haven't been able to do any shopping -- so far I have come up with rice chex and fruit. Even the chicken nuggets she eats are breaded, so no good...

We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with her GI doctor and with a dietician. Will blog some more then about what we find out.