Gluten Free For Good?

Gluten Free. I always see the food in the health food aisles and hear a few people mention it sometimes.
I never thought we would be on the gluten free roller coaster.

You know what? So far, it would have to be the best thing we have ever done!

For the last year, Mr Z (7 years) has been having severe digestive problems. Problems you don't want as an adult, let alone a small child in primary school.

Last year we sent him to the doctor with headaches, cramping, diarrhoea, constipation and soiling himself. Usually all at once! He was sent for an X-ray which showed blockages all the way up to his chest!

Laxatives were prescribed. LAXATIVES? The poor boy is shitting himself? C'mon!

The doctor told us that he had constipation with overflow meaning that he was so blocked up that only liquid could come out, without warning. Mr Z didn't really feel the need to go and it was quite embarrassing and frustrating for him.

Well, laxatives did the trick. For a while. A few months later it happened again. And again. Then it happened for months on end and we were taking spare pants, jocks and wipes with us everywhere, and not for our 2 year old!! Coming home from work, one of my first questions for him at the end of the day was 'did you poo yourself? Who cleaned you up this time?

After months of laxatives on and off, seeing the doctor blah blah blah, i decided i was sick of 'masking' the problem with laxatives that can hurt him, and wanted to get to the bottom of why it was happening and how i could stop it. i was desperate for this poor child whose school friends would mock him everyday. I don't know who cried more during this time.. him or me.

I decided to see a naturopath. She took one look at him after hearing me talk about his symptoms and said take him off wheat and grain immediately. I agreed that i would, not fully understanding just how i was going to do this. She did a finger prick test and saw that he was low in iron and dehydrated as well.
We were sent on our way with iron, prebiotics, probiotics and a list of food.

No doctor suggested any of this. They suggested a colonoscopy down the track if he lost any more weight to test for chrons disease and coeliac disease but they did not suggest i try a gluten free diet to see if it would make a difference. Well it certainly has! I have been doing it as well, just at strict and can say it has benefited me as well. Ive gone from a 'once-a-week girl to an everyday girl!! I am not as tired or bloated and have even lost a kilo. (not that i need too :( )

But most importantly Mr Z is eating again! (he was so blocked up that his appetite had severely decreased)
He now has colour in his cheeks again!
He has not had one accident since the first day on this diet!
Not one headache!
No cramping or bloating!
No kids teasing him at school!
He is happy!

We are off to the doctor next week to have a chat about coeliac and chrons disease. He has lots of symptoms of both, including blood work. I will update again when i am closer to answer for this poor kid.

In the meantime, any suggestions for his lunchbox? Ha ha!