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Hello,

I'm new and have some questions...

My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease (in November 2011) when she was 22 months.  We immediately went GF and it's been almost 4 months now.  Her main symptoms prior to the diagnosis were vomiting, recurrent illnesses, tiredness, irritability, weight loss, distended belly, and iron deficiency anemia.  There has been some improvement of symptoms over the last few months, but most of these symptoms are still very present or at least to some degree.  The most noteworthy is that she just can't seem to gain any weight.

I've read that symptoms can improve immediately and that a lot of people feel significantly better and symptoms go away within weeks.  I also know that each individual responds differently and that some people take months (or years?) to heal.

My daughter receives therapy through Early Intervention because she also has Down syndrome.  And her therapists are very concerned with how long it's taking her to heal.  She's having a tough time tolerating therapy because she is always so tired and irritable and fussy.  They think that we should be seeing quicker results since we've been GF for several months and they aren't satisfied with her doctor's "give it time" approach.  They are strongly encouraging us to seek a second opinion in hopes of finding someone who is more willing to investigate why her symptoms haven't gone away by now.

I like my daughter's doctor.  And I trust that she is providing the best care she possibly can.  But I'm concerned about my daughter's little body and I feel pressure from her therapists to be more proactive with this.

So here is my question:  How long did it take for your child's symptoms to go away?  Or how long for the symptoms to improve significantly?  Do I need to give this more time, or should I seek a second opinion just in case?

Thanks for any help.  I'm feeling very overwhelmed with all of this.

Andrea         

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