Well we had an appointment to see Dr. Demain when he came to Kodiak last Friday, but he was running way behind (the fire alarm that went off at the hospital didn't seem to help either), so we were unable to see him, but we have a standing appointment for his next trip here. I was really looking forward to seeing him so we could get a better idea of how to cope with Grace's diagnosis.
Grace is taking her diagnosis in stride. I have noticed a huge change in her behavior, she seems to be feeling better, therefore, she is acting better. Not as many meltdowns or tantrums and she has said her belly has been feeling better as well. She gets a little upset when Zach gets cookies or other treats she cannot eat. Although, we went to a birthday party last week and she was fine with not having any cake because she knew it would make her sick.
We've experimented with several new ways to make our favorite recipes. For chicken fingers, I dipped the chicken in rice flour (thanks soooo much to my awesome friend, Bronwyn, for grinding up some rice for me), then in egg, and finally in crushed gluten-free Corn Chex cereal and then baked them, both kids loved it. I had bought some Perfect Blend Flour made by Namaste, I substituted it for the flour in my Oatmeal Cookies recipe and it was disgusting, so we used the rice flour on the next batch and they were very yummy.
All of my friends have been so supportive during this time for our family. Like I said before my friend, Bronwyn, ground up several pounds of flour for me (she even took apart her grinder and thoroughly cleaned it prior to grinding it). My friend, Dena, made Grace some special gluten-free pumpkin muffins at a get-together so she would be able to have "snacks" with her friends. Also, my friend, Patti, found some gluten-free cookie and brownie mixes at the Coast Guard Commissary and bought them for her.
Even though this has been overwhelming, it is good to know what Grace's condition and what we could do to help her. When we finally meet with Dr. Demain, I think we will have an even better understanding of Celiac's Disease. I am so very thankful for all the support we have gotten from our friends and family during this time; it's AWESOME!!!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Nutritionist Info
So yesterday we met with a local Nutritionist and received soooo much information regarding both Celiac's Disease and Lactose Intolerance.
Regarding Lactose Intolerance, we learned that she may outgrow this condition, especially with taking her off gluten, and we may be able to slowly reintroduce lactose products to her. We were advised to wait about 3-4 months before attempting to add any lactose back into her diet. 30% of Celiac's patients develop lactose intolerance because the disease damages the lining of the stomach and breaks down the enzyme that allows us to digest dairy. We also found out that butter has a very minimal amount of lactose, therefore, she can still have it.
Now on to the Celiac's Disease. We learned that Celiac's Disease is an allergy to gluten. In addition to be an allergy, Celiac's is also an auto-immune disease that attacks the lining of stomach. This will be a lifelong affliction for Grace. Grace cannot ingest any foods that contain wheat, rye, barley, malt, and untested oats. We have also been advised that she should not eat soy sauce, malt vinegar, some seasonings, marinades, and broth. I am basically a crazed label reader when visiting the grocery store. I realized that most sauces contain wheat products as a filler and/or thickening agent.
Although, this seems to tough to handle it is rally a lifestyle change for our entire family. We are actually eating much healthier because we are preparing most of our meals from scratch to avoid cross-contamination of gluten products for Grace. Most processed foods contain some sort of wheat and possibly a preservative, filler or thickening agent.
Grace seems to be taking it in stride. Thank goodness God has blessed with her with an positive personality and joy for life. Although, I'm pretty aware she is tired of attending yet another medical appointment. She sometimes gets upset and irritated when she can't enjoy some of the foods her brother does, but she is old enough to understand that if she eats certain foods she will get sick. I'm also trying to stay positive for her sake and know our family will get through this.
Regarding Lactose Intolerance, we learned that she may outgrow this condition, especially with taking her off gluten, and we may be able to slowly reintroduce lactose products to her. We were advised to wait about 3-4 months before attempting to add any lactose back into her diet. 30% of Celiac's patients develop lactose intolerance because the disease damages the lining of the stomach and breaks down the enzyme that allows us to digest dairy. We also found out that butter has a very minimal amount of lactose, therefore, she can still have it.
Now on to the Celiac's Disease. We learned that Celiac's Disease is an allergy to gluten. In addition to be an allergy, Celiac's is also an auto-immune disease that attacks the lining of stomach. This will be a lifelong affliction for Grace. Grace cannot ingest any foods that contain wheat, rye, barley, malt, and untested oats. We have also been advised that she should not eat soy sauce, malt vinegar, some seasonings, marinades, and broth. I am basically a crazed label reader when visiting the grocery store. I realized that most sauces contain wheat products as a filler and/or thickening agent.
Although, this seems to tough to handle it is rally a lifestyle change for our entire family. We are actually eating much healthier because we are preparing most of our meals from scratch to avoid cross-contamination of gluten products for Grace. Most processed foods contain some sort of wheat and possibly a preservative, filler or thickening agent.
Grace seems to be taking it in stride. Thank goodness God has blessed with her with an positive personality and joy for life. Although, I'm pretty aware she is tired of attending yet another medical appointment. She sometimes gets upset and irritated when she can't enjoy some of the foods her brother does, but she is old enough to understand that if she eats certain foods she will get sick. I'm also trying to stay positive for her sake and know our family will get through this.
1st Day of 1st Grade (August 2010)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Lactose & Gluten Free Home
As I stated in my blog info, my daughter has both lactose and gluten intolerances. In March of 2010 she kept saying she had a stomach ache and it got progressively worse week by week. I had remember an acquaintance of mine who has children with lactose intolerance say that's how the symptoms started with her kids. So, we had her testing for lactose intolerance and the test results came back that she was extremely lactose intolerant and probably had been since birth (no wonder why she was so cranky and spit up all the time). Even after we cut out all dairy products she was still have trouble with her stomach (cramping, nausea, diarrhea), so we (my husband and I) decided to have her food allergy tested. She was not allergic to any foods, but during the test for gluten she immediately cramped up so her awesome doctor (Dr. Jeffrey Demain), who is an allergy and immunology specialist, had her to blood test for Celiac's Disease (which is a gluten intolerance and much more). Those results cam back positive and now we are meeting with a Nutritionist to know exactly what she can and cannot ingest. I just feel terrible and like we have been making her unhealthy all these years. On top of lactose and gluten free dieting, she also has asthma and seasonal/environmental allergies that we have to monitor with daily medications.
Introduction to our Family
My son, Zachary (Zach), is 10 years old and in 5th grade. He just went to the Dr.'s office yesterday and weighed 101.8 lbs and measured 49 1/2" (4'-11 1/2"). He is also in the Gifted & Talented Program at his school, he tested high on all three tests (Reading, Writing & Math), especially Math. He started playing soccer this year and is the team's goalie. He will be playing his 3rd season of hockey this year and also enjoys playing goalie for his team. He is also quite the catcher for baseball, this last season he finally got to play in the Player-Pitch division. He is also quite the "computer whiz", in 3rd & 4th grade he was in a classroom where they were issued Apple laptops for both years. He now knows more about computers than I do!
My daughter, Grace, is 6 1/2 and in 1st grade. She just loves school and has made friends with a Special Needs child named Elijah, she says he's her best friend. She is so good with and says she wants to be a Special Education teacher when she grows up. Grace reads at 3rd-4th level, we are pretty sure she has a photographic memory and once she learns/sees a word she just remembers it. She loves sports, especially soccer & basketball. She is currently playing her 3rd season of soccer and will start basketball in late winter. Grace has always has both seasonal (trees, grass) & environmental (animals, dust mites) allergies, therefore, she misses a lot of her sporting activities, I make sure to tell the coaches ahead of time that she may miss practices and/or games. These haven't really affected the teams since she is so young, but it may when she gets older. She has also been seeing an Occupational Therapist (OT) for her fine motor skills with cutting, writing & pencil grip and seems to be really helping her.
Hopefully, this is a good intro to my family. I really love being a wife and mother and would do anything necessary to provide a good home for my family!
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