A New Beginning

Hey there.

There's been a lot going on in our lives the last few months. Around Christmastime, or shortly thereafter, Ellie started being a little fussy with her eating. We didn't think much of it because she'd just turned 2, and everyone told us that 2 year olds may not eat as much because their growth slows down.

Fast forward a month and enter the New Guy. Now Ellie really isn't eating much,but she is still eating a good breakfast and some lunch and dinner. Everyone, including doctors, chalk it up to her adjusting to the baby.

Leap ahead another month and we're getting really concerned. Not only is she not eating well, she's not playing anymore. She doesn't want to read books. She doesn't want to dance. She doesn't want to walk. She won't get off the couch. She wants to be carried everywhere. She says her legs hurt. When she stops going to the bathroom, we take her to the doctor. He thinks this is all due to constipation, so we try to treat that. An x-ray shows she is seriously backed up in that department. Five days later when we are giving her a bath, she looks like a child from a third world country- bloated belly and skin and bones.

We rush her to the emergency room. They too think this is due to constipation, that she's holding it in because she's upset about the baby. "But she loves the baby," I say. They decide to give her a tap water enema. They come in with an IV bag and a large hose. Five minutes later it's coming out of both ends... she's throwing up too.

I look at my sickly, pale daughter with sunken eyes, unable to walk and with no personality left and think, "This is due to constipation?!!!" It just didn't make sense to me.

They tested for a lot of scary stuff. We were going to go for the cystic fibrosis test when our doctor called. The celiac disease blood panel came back. "She sure does have it." he said.

I know having your daughter diagnosed with a disease shouldn't be a good thing, but let me tell you, it was a relief. Compared to the other conditions, this is a treatable situation. Looking back, it really makes sense. She had every symptom on the list.

It's been an adjustment, to say the least. No more cheerios, in fact, a lot of the snacks she was used to are out. Cooking has been fine, just a little more expensive for the gluten-free products at Whole Foods. Baking is something I'd like to tackle someday, just not yet.

I'm starting this blog to chronicle the different products and meals we are trying, to keep track of it all. If it's helpful to someone else, great. I know I've been relying on a lot of other blogs to help me.

Wish us luck!