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)
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