I have to say it's not nearly as challenging a change as I thought it'd be. I feel lucky to live in a society and an age when awareness is heightened. Our local grocery store has an entire Gluten-Free section full of options. Betty Crocker and General Mills are making (or at least advertising) some of their products gluten-free.
I haven't struggled to find available options and substitutions for the stuff we (and my picky eater) are already used to eating.
To get Dave on board, he said he wanted concrete proof that this is what Alex needs...a diagnosis to validate these (expensive!) changes. So, I talked to the doctor and Alex got some (more!) blood work done so (more!) tests could be run.
They tested for Celiac's Disease, food allergies (Wheat, nut, milk, soy, and corn) and looked at his kidney and pancreas functions. Then we waited. All the tests came back....NORMAL.
Grrr...as much as I don't want Alex to have to avoid things and eat in a complicated fashion for the rest of his life, I was (secretly) hoping this was our answer. I spoke to the doctor tonight and he did say the tests are not 100% accurate...that there is a chance Alex could have a SENSITIVITY to gluten without having an INTOLERANCE (and testing positive for Celiac's). He said the only way to know for sure is to see a GI specialist and put Alex through a colonoscopy and intestinal biopsy (which he DID NOT recommend!). There is no way I'm putting my 3-year-old through any of that just to support my theory. The improvements I've seen are enough to warrant my wanting to continue with this diet.
Even if it's not 100% elimination, it HAS to help to eliminate it as much as possible...right?
