Mums with toddlers, does this look ok?

[rackhampearl]

Realise it's not the best move posting online for advice but I can't get into my Doctors for weeks with DD (2) She has a huge tummy that never goes down. I guess I just want some reassurance that it's normal. She has a small lump in her neck that I'm guessing is a node and she sweats a lot when she sleeps and is complaining of knee ache a lot. She was 2 in March. Does her tummy look normal to you mums of toddlers?

Coeliac*

I wouldn't press her stomach or try to examine her. That needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Try not to worry, as you say she is well in herself. I hope you get seen tomorrow and get some reassurance.

My foster sister had coeliac disease and she did have a noticeable pot belly, she also used to do several long, very smooth poos daily with very little effort.

It could be something or it could be nothing.

Well done for seeking advice here, well done for seeking medical advice promptly. Don't beat yourself up about it but do use the worry and anxiety to ensure you get an appointment straight away, and to fight your daughter's corner if (IF) it does turn out to be something medical.

I'm glad you're getting it checked out tomorrow - it does look big to me, on both pics. But that doesn't mean it's something serious, just something which should be checked. Hopefully it will just be a minor health issue and you can be reassured. Good luck tomorrow xx

My toddler DS has a very bloated tummy, we restricted gluten in his diet on the advice of the GP and now dairy in the advice of a paediatric dietitian. He suffers with wind and cramps, poops very very regularly but has no skin blemishes or vomiting. He's due to be tested for coeliac but that requires reintroducing gluten to his diet for 6 weeks. If the gp suspects coeliac in your DD I would request the test ASAP before changing diet as it is awful giving him gluten knowing it causes him discomfort and very disrupted sleep. Good luck.

Small for age = test for coeliac.
Does she have a pert bottom or is it flabby?

The poos could be constipation. Going a lot can be constipation as only some of it getting thru . Also you can get large smelly poos arpund a blockage .
Please get her seen this week

Also joint pains coukd be coeliac related

Her bum is very pert and quite muscular like her Dads, looks like she started squatting in the womb. Her DS my eldest DD unfortunately got my flabby bottom.

Might not be coeliac then... when dd was diagnosed the hosp pointed out her flabby bottom sign of mal nourishment .
But you need to get her seen soon

Hope you get some answers today op

Please don't fret especially about Wilms. My little (male - I think more common with boys?) cousin had Wilms (and doing fine now) and yes he had a very distended tummy when it was diagnosed but he was also in a lot of pain, generally and esp when tummy was manipulated. Try not to let others/google scare you before you've seen the doctor. I don't know anything about food intolerances but, if your DD does have anything wrong - as opposed to just having a big tummy - from pps posts that would seem a great deal more likely than Wilms.

Let us know how you get on op I'm sure it will be nothing to worry about but I'm glad your getting her checked :)

my ds has a tummy very much like this (he's 3) he's at nursary now but when he's home I'll have a good look and if I'm concerned I'll take him to Drs too tomrorow! I'm very glad you posted, try not to get to worried!

Morning all. I took Andie to the doctors right after the school run and he struggled to examine her cos she was being abit arsey. He said he doesn't think it's anything to worry about and to cut out gluten for a few days and then go back in with her. I've bought her lots from the gluten free range in Tesco, eager to see if her tummy goes down at all.

he should have ordered coeliac screen to be done before asking you to cut gluten...
if you cut out and it helps then any coeliac screen blood test wont be accurate.

so if cutting gluten helps, then you will be asked to go back on gluten for six weeks before running coeliac screen...
if it is coeliac then it can take few months for real impact of GF diet

tho if it is intolerance then you may find a week or so make a difference.
but your GP was wrong to tell you to cut out gluten before doing a coeliac blood test...sorry.

In children with suspected coeliac disease, the following blood tests are recommended:

Total IgA
IgA tTG
It's important to continue eating gluten until you have had a blood test and gut biopsy. If you remove or reduce the amount of gluten in your diet before testing this will affect your result. Guidelines recommend that you eat some gluten in more than one meal every day for at least six weeks before testing.

www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/getting-diagnosed/blood-tests/

That's really shit advice from the GP.

Did you mention the night sweats, joint pain, nine large poos a day?

I'd see another GP if I were you. Cutting out gluten isn't the right thing to do - she needs to be consuming gluten in order to be tested for coeliac disease.

Yes, sorry, that's shit advice (coeliac here). They need to do the blood test first, then you can cut out gluten. Also, has anybody taken you through avoiding gluten? Its in bread, biscuits etc but also in things like cornflakes, sausages, soy sauce, stock cubes. She'll need her own margarine (to avoid crumb contamination), her own toaster (or use the grill). Takes a lot of label reading and some practice (gets easier w time).

Please go back to see another doctor and get the blood test done. If you take gluten out of her diet and it is a problem, she eill get really sick when you reintroduce it (which you'll have to do for the tests to work). Prediagnosis I was sick but eating bread etc every day. Since cutting it out even a couple of crumbs make me really ill.

Do not cut out gluten. She needs a blood test to see if she is celiac first before cutting anything out. Please see another gp or if you can afford it please see a private gp. They are much much much more thorough.

Both DS and DD had serious pot bellies and I remember reading that it's normal and at some point they just disappear. Which is what happened with DS. DD's is still there but seems to be going down slowly (she's 2.5). I think I read somewhere that it makes the children look like starving ethiopian babies. While I found the reference offensive, and very upsetting when you think about children starving, it did reassure me.

I'm more surprised by the amount of poo to be honest. Mine have never done more than one or two a day. But I think keeping an eye on things is always worthwhile.

You've included your DCs name, OP. I've reported in case you want it edited.

Another one echoing advice not to cut out gluten until you've had the blood tests for coeliac. Definitely get a second opinion. Her tummy might go down but then you'll have a horrid time when you have to put her back on gluten for testing. you can look on the coeliac uk website and take information from there with you when you go back (there is a list of symptoms in children)

Another one saying do not cut out gluten until you've had the test. She may feel better for it, but then you'll have to put gluten back in her diet (in quite significant quantities) until she's fully tested. It's horrid, I know, feeding your child something that you think might be bad for her. I had six weeks where I was having to feed DD1 gluten whilst knowing it was causing her issues, between her blood test and her endoscopy.

Have a look at coeliac uk for symptoms in children, and go back to the GP (see a different one if necessary) to demand a blood test and referral.

I would go back and get a second opinion.