Although Jacques' serology tests (blood tests) all came back negative, his gene test for celiac disease came back positive. Therefore there still is a chance he could have celiac disease.
The only way to confirm the diagnosis of celiac disease is to do a small bowel biopsy.
I have mixed feelings about the possibility of him having this disease. On the one hand (the positive side) celiac disease is very treatable, remove all gluten from his diet for the rest of his life, it is also less serious than some of the other diseases and illnesses the doctors suspect at this stage.
On the other hand (the less positive side) removing all gluten will mean a huge adjustment and lifestyle change. Not only for Jacques, but our whole family. Seeing as even trace amounts of gluten can be poisonous to people with celiac disease, our whole family will have to go gluten free. Now for those who don't know, gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye, thus about everything!
I think I'll still prefer celiac disease above alternatives like osteogenesis imperfecta or mitochondrial disease (the 2 other highly suspected disorders).
Of course ideally I'd prefer none of the above - to have a healthy little boy without any of these possible health problems but we accept the challenges with as much grace as we can muster and trust that God only sends things on our path that we can handle (with His unwavering help) and that will ultimately make us stronger.
The only way to confirm the diagnosis of celiac disease is to do a small bowel biopsy.
I have mixed feelings about the possibility of him having this disease. On the one hand (the positive side) celiac disease is very treatable, remove all gluten from his diet for the rest of his life, it is also less serious than some of the other diseases and illnesses the doctors suspect at this stage.
On the other hand (the less positive side) removing all gluten will mean a huge adjustment and lifestyle change. Not only for Jacques, but our whole family. Seeing as even trace amounts of gluten can be poisonous to people with celiac disease, our whole family will have to go gluten free. Now for those who don't know, gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye, thus about everything!
I think I'll still prefer celiac disease above alternatives like osteogenesis imperfecta or mitochondrial disease (the 2 other highly suspected disorders).
Of course ideally I'd prefer none of the above - to have a healthy little boy without any of these possible health problems but we accept the challenges with as much grace as we can muster and trust that God only sends things on our path that we can handle (with His unwavering help) and that will ultimately make us stronger.
Comments
Post a Comment