Olivia's Road to Recovery

Today we finally got answers. After nearly four weeks of Olivia throwing up food at random times, for what appeared to be no reason, we can quit wondering. Of course, wondering is only the beginning, because the next step is moving forward. Today we found out Olivia was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. We fought many battles and symptoms to come to this conclusion, but finally a pediatric specialist at Avera Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls was able to diagnose her based on the symptoms and a biopsy and blood test performed on Monday. After a little searching today, Olivia matches 100% of the symptoms and descriptions in this WebMD article.

So, now the common questions begin.

She has what? Celiac disease is basically a wheat allergy. So, because of this, she cannot have anything that contains flour, or other forms of wheat germ. If you open your cupboards, you'll probably find around 70% or more of the items contain gluten.

How was she diagnosed? It started with a barium swallow here in Mitchell that showed her intestines were infected. We were then scheduled with a specialist at Avera Children's Hospital who took a camera down Olivia's esophagus to her stomach and verified what the other tests showed. While inside, they took a biopsy and some blood for testing. The tests return that her celiac levels were 25 times the normal level.

Is there a treatment? No, there is nothing you can do, and medical professionals are not even sure what causes it in some people. It is possible that her body could reverse the disease, but it's not likely.

Will she outgrow this like children outgrow other allergies? It has happened that people grow out of the allergy, but it will more than likely affect her for life.

So what are some of the main items she cannot eat? Most flavored potato chips, goldfish, cookies, bread, pizza, stuffing (which is sad for Thanksgiving coming up), crackers, soups, croutons, breaded items (chicken strips), anything that contains flour.

So, what can she eat then? Alot of the items she can eat she will grow into liking. Among them are all unbreaded meats (including steak!), fruits, vegetables, potatoes (not chips), popcorn, some original or non-flavored potato chips, lettuce salads, fruit snacks, pickles, most dairy products.

So, are products readily available for her? Yes, but at a price. Here in town, there are very limited options.

How hard is it to find gluten free products? Depends on the size of the store. Here in Mitchell, there are limited options. In a larger city, the options grow significantly.

So what is the next step? We will soon go to HyVee in Sioux Falls to meet with a dietitian and find the products they have available. Sioux Falls, due to the larger population, has much better options for our menus.

Does she have follow up appointments? Yes, we will follow up in 3 months to monitor her levels, and make sure she's recovering from the effects of the gluten that was in her on Monday. From there, we will follow up every 6 to 12 months for the next several years.

So, we move forward. For the most part, we will adjust to having a mostly gluten free house and we plan to all change over to a mostly gluten free diet (O's will be totally gluten free). It's an adjustment, but considering what tests were coming next, and the diseases those tests were for, we're not going to complain. We look forward to having our little girl back. It is expected she will be back to normal soon.