Diagnosis =
“I am just as baffled as you are.”
The above, I think, is one of the most frustrating things I have ever heard. Even more so that it came from Owen’s gastroenterologist.
His biopsy results are in and they are a bit confusing and inconclusive. He does not suffer from a sugar problem. He does suffer from a pretty severe case of acid reflux (which is interesting because he doesn’t show any physical signs of it). His villi are blunted and he tested positive for Celiac Disease. The first and the last are the most confusing. One, there is no gluten in all the foods he reacted badly to (i.e., fruit) but there is fructose. In fact, Owen has had no gluten in his diet that I know of. And the doctor’s answer to that…“just as baffled as you are.” So, we are going to look into the Celiac diagnosis a little more AND we are going back to the food challenges. Despite the fact that I did not go to med school, I am convinced it is the sugar in food that causes him so much difficulty – it is the one common in all the foods we have tried to date (other than rice). During our food challenges over the next two months, I am going to steer clear of any food that has sugar in it (naturally or artificially). The doctor seemed okay with this but he wasn’t too encouraging as to whether he thought it would work.
As for Celiac Disease, apparently there is more to it than I initially thought. At least for someone who has it and goes on with life undiagnosed. Celiac can lead to diabetes, colon cancer and more. So, before the doctor severely limits Owen’s life by prohibiting gluten (we already eliminate casein and whey) he is going to run one more test. This test will look for two identifying factors that without a doubt say, yes he has Celiac, and yes, he should never, ever eat gluten. If those two things show up, I will then proceed to be tested. Celiac is hereditary and I have presented symptoms of it in the past. If those two things do not show up, we will include gluten, whey and casein in his diet and he will have another biopsy in 6 months to see what damage, if any, has been caused by it. Owen is also going to be tested for diabetes. He will be tested immediately if the test results come back positive and if negative, during the biopsy six months from now.
Owen will start acid reflux medicine and after 6 months of being on it the doctor will determine if and when he can be taken off the medicine.
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