What are the symptoms of coeliac in children?

[Olaffles]

DD is 4, and had a dairy allergy which she seems to be outgrowing. She has suffered with constipation since age of 18 months and is on Movicol regularly.

Recently though she fluctuates between constipation and going 3 or 4 times a day which isn't related to movicol (dose always the same, or we stop it and the same happens) and I've noticed her tummy gets really bloated and distended, especially on days where she has sandwiches. She complains of being tired a lot and I have worried about her being anaemic in the past as she is quite picky about food. When I've thought back she had problems with pasta as a baby and would cry with tummy ache afterwards but seems to be ok now. It's mainly the distended tummy (it is relatively flat in the morning) and the fluctuating bowels that have suddenly made me thing about coeliac. I think I'll go and speak to the GP but wondered if I'm wasting their time? Any info would be great.

I have 2 coeliac DC and there symptoms were quite different.
DS1, diagnosed at 14, had very low energy (caused by Vit D deficiency due to coeliac), didn't get tummy aches until a few weeks before official diagnosis, and the skin on his upper arms was always a mottled pink (which I've since learnt is quite common).
DS2, diagnosed at 20 months, had pale, smelly poos, very smelly farts and a very distended tummy. He had all of this as an otherwise healthy baby. At 19 months he caught a tummy bug which switched his coeliac to 'full on' was then vomiting daily, losing weight fast but kept his distended tummy (he looked like a famine child). Both he and his brother were also very pale, they have my pale Celtic genes so I never thought much of it, but they aren't as pale now they are gluten free.
Now both boys are GF and there coeliac levels are 0, however DS2, now 3, still has a bit of a distended tummy. Wakes up with a flat belly and by mid morning/ lunchtime it always looks bloated. He was recently tested for lactose intolerance but that came back clear, so we are at a bit of a loss to the cause of this.
Look up the Coeliac UK website for a list of coeliac symptoms as they really do vary. Also if you do suspect coeliac don't cut out gluten until you get tested.
Finally, you're not wasting your GPs time, a simple blood test can check for coeliac and at the same time they can check iron and vitamin D levels.

Your DD's symptoms have some similarity to my DS1's, who was diagnosed age 4. He had a very bloated tummy, which was hard to the touch. The amount of bloating varied a lot (with hindsight, due to how much gluten he'd eaten). He had tummy aches, though didn't complain of them a lot (they felt normal to him). He was also extremely tired and lethargic, and would sometimes sit staring into space with a dazed look. He was also very irritable. All this changed extremely quickly on a gluten-free diet.

It's really important NOT to change her diet before testing as it will prevent the test working, and it is 1000 times harder to go back on gluten when you've given up (the symptoms are 1000 times worse).

I would go to your GP and say you want a blood test for coeliac. Don't let them put you off, and if they suggest changing her diet, they are dangerously ill-informed. The blood test will most likely be done in hospital by someone who specialises in doing children. My DC all actively enjoy having the test done, because the nurse is so good at it - no pain (local anaesthetic), lots of toys and choosing a sticker afterwards.

You can ring Coeliac UK and ask for their advice. But my recommendation is get the test done asap. Being diagnosed transforms a coeliac child's life - two years on my DS is a different child.