If your DC has coeliac was farting a symptom?

[itstinksinhere]

I could really do with some help.

DS is 5 and has been doing terrible farts for months now. Seriously offensive and constant farting. The house smells of farts and everywhere we go people comment on it. At all me point he said the kids at school were calling him stinky & running away

DH took him to the GP a month ago who said it probably caused by a stomach bug he had in October and would resolve in its own. We've been giving probiotics which have helped a bit but it's getting worse again.

I have coeliac disease, so he was tested at a year due to poor weight gain, the results were in conclusive. He's doesn't have any other symptoms. He does have allergies but I don't think it's allergy related.

Does it sound like it could be CD? DH Thinks I'm paranoid. Wind & reflux were my only symptoms so I'm not convinced GP is right.

[Bumply]

I don't remember ds2 farting particularly, but with CD in the family your son has a 1 in 10 chance rather than the normal 1 in 100.
My son didn't show symptoms until after a bout of gastroenteritis aged 10 months, and it took a year to get him diagnosed.
I'd try testing him again.
My mums only symptoms anaemia and heartburn.

[itstinksinhere]

It took a year for my diagnosis too so I'm keen to avoid the same for DS if that is the case.

Interesting symptoms appeared for your DS after a stomach bug. Will go back to the GP for review. My whole house smells of farts, bless him.

[MollyHuaCha]

Poor child. I'm guessing you are looking at his diet? These things can cause flatulence: (Sorry if you already know this)

Excess sugar in the diet from food or drink (we actually do not need any at all)
Onions, garlic and similar
Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and similar
Beans, lentils etc.
Spices
Not enough water
Too much fibre/not enough fibre
Withholding stools for whatever reason

These things can help:

Ginger in food or as ginger tea
Peppermint tea
Chewing food well and eating slowly
Having a good time gap after last meal of the day and bedtime
Of course, if it's coeliac, most of the above will be academic. Good luck.

[itstinksinhere]

Thanks. He's not constipated, I initially thought this was the cause.

The only fatty foods he has really are beaked beans and broccoli. Not a high sugar diet, no juice or sweets really. He has dinner, then bed so I 'll try bringing that forwards.

[MollyHuaCha]

Just a thought OP, do you by any chance serve your veggies raw or al dente? I have Crohn's and can only eat mushy well cooked carrots, broccoli etc. Anything undercooked gives me terrible problems

[itstinksinhere]

Farty food

[itstinksinhere]

Umm.. He eats a lot of raw carrots and veg is usually a bit al dente. Will try cooking it all more, thanks.

[Natsku]

Farts are a big symptom of my Coeliac disease (if I ever accidentally consume gluten my farts smell like something has crawled up my colon and died and now its rotten and trying to escape)

I think you need to insist on testing even just for the reason that you have Coeliac disease as it increases the chances so much. I have it, and DD has it (she was diagnosed at 4 years old but I suspected it from 3 years at least)

[Natsku]

The testing at one year old might have been too early in his life to provide conclusive results.

[Cathpot]

Have you been overseas at all? A friend's family picked this up ( actually in a uk pool) and were only diagnosed by awful farts

www.nhs.uk/conditions/giardiasis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

[ParisGellar]

I'd pursue the coeliac. Some percentage of coeliacs are IgA deficient and the blood test relies on presence of IgA, which can lead to inconclusive results. I might also be tempted to trial him on a GF diet for a week or two and see how things go.

[Abraiid2]

My son wasn't particularly farty. His symptoms were mainly psychological, plus being skinny. And getting headaches and nausea if he ate gluten.

[omnishamblesssssssssssssss]

Can he have two weeks gluten free?

[SaltyMyDear]

I agree with PP - why not go gluten free and see if it improves?

[Bumply]

Don't go gluten free before diagnosis
It might help but then you wouldn't get a proper diagnosis until going back on a gluten trial for several weeks before retesting, and this can be worse than the original symptoms once the body has recovered.

[omnishamblesssssssssssssss]

The celiac tests aren't always reliable I'm told

[AcrossthePond55]

Honestly, I'd take him back to the Dr and ask for another tTg-IgA and also a deaminated gliadin peptide test. They recommend testing every three years for 1st degree relatives here.

When I was diagnosed, they did genetic screening on DS2 (DS1 was over 18 and refused testing) to see if he had one of the CD alleles. He does, but he's more likely to pass on the gene than to develop CD himself.

I salute Natsku as a fellow member of the 'Nuclear Gluten Farts Brigade'.

[itstinksinhere]

I did wonder about Giardiasis but he has no other symptoms. We've not been away anyway for a year but do go swimming occasionally.

He has an IgA deficiency which is why his bloods inconclusive. I was told the IgA was related to his allergies but may be not then.

abraiid2 I would be interested to know what were the psychological symptoms for your DS? We have had a lot of uncontrollable crying which is out of character but I've put that down to a new sibling.

I'm reluctant to cut gluten out before testing, partly for accuracy with results and partly as I already cut out dairy, soy & eggs. Will go back to GP.

[AcrossthePond55]

If they can't get a reliable IgA, then maybe they'll try the DGP test. I understand it's much more reliable for diagnosis in children.

Would they consider genetic testing? And what about endoscopy? I know there's always a risk with anesthesia, but it would (or should) give a definitive diagnosis.

[AcrossthePond55]

DGP test

www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=167&contentid=dgp_celiac_disease

[TheLongRains]

Yup. Coeliac disease is strong in my family (though not me), and my toddler is RIDICULOUSLY gassy. I'm up at the moment, massaging her belly so she can get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Her first test came back showing she didn't have CD, but the consultant said they'll retest in a year if she's still like this, as her symptoms sound so likely. She's also lost some weight, has a saggy bum, and (until a concentrated dose of probiotics) had very loose stools.

I'd go back and ask for a retest. Poor boy, it'll be good to get answers. Push for what else it might be if still not CD - I'm thinking of going back next week and pestering, because my poor kid is up several times a night in tears just trying to fart :(

Good luck to you!

[Abraiid2]

itstinks, he was almost paranoid, very easy to rile. Teasing at school could, if it went too far, make him disproportionately upset. Because he was so thin he was teased about that, with people calling him anorexic, which made it worse. He is much more relaxed these days.

And he had a lack of focus at times, too, with brain fog.

He also developed nasal polyps at 15, which is quite unusual. Nobody thought to test his blood for coeliac, though he did have blood tests. I wonder now whether the polyps and possibly the severe tonsillitis might be connected to the problem with gluten, but who knows.

He basically did a full school education on suboptimal health, only being diagnosed at university.

[dandeloin]

My 3 yr old DS has just been diagnosed with CD and his f@rts were rotten, and had been for months. He was proud of their potency but it was really embarrassing if we were out and he let off... at the time, we didn't see the link to CD.