In the present day Present co-host Dylan Dreyer’s son Calvin was dwelling in “fixed ache” to the purpose that she and her husband Brian Fichera thought that his appendix might need burst. He had a abdomen ache that may by no means go away and had an earache for a yr. Calvin, 6, additionally developed a rash on his scalp and his hair began falling out. After his medical doctors ran checks, Dreyer and Fichera realized Calvin has celiac disease.
“There was one time the ache was so dangerous that we thought perhaps he had one thing like his appendix burst,” Dreyer instructed Today.com, including that Calvin was “hunched over in ache.” Calvin additionally complained about his earache, though his ears have been positive. He would additionally “simply drop his fork” whereas consuming, Dreyer mentioned.
Dreyer and Fichera took Calvin to an emergency room, the place they realized his appendix was positive. So that they went to different medical doctors and a gastroenterologist. After a number of appointments and checks, together with an endoscopy, Calvin was identified with celiac illness in March. Afterward, Dreyer’s household switched to a gluten-free food plan and purchased new kitchen gear.
“Not solely is it not feeding him any wheat merchandise however it’s additionally the cross-contamination danger,” Dreyer mentioned. “All of my stuff within the kitchen needed to be thrown out, all of our picket spoons, picket reducing boards, something that had a scratch in it… any rivets on the within of the pot the place the deal with is. All of that needed to be thrown out as a result of gluten can disguise in all places.”
The modifications made Calvin’s life a lot happier. All the ache he felt was tied to celiac illness, together with the weak point in his arms, the abdomen ache, and the rash. “He was simply in fixed ache,” Dreyer instructed In the present day. “He lastly feels good… (for) the primary time in a yr. He is blissful we found this as a result of it is like, ‘OK, good. I can lastly really feel like myself.'”
Celiac illness could be troublesome to distinguish from a wheat allergy and gluten intolerance. Not like these although, celiac illness is an “autoimmune situation,” Dr. Lisa Fahey, co-director of the Celiac Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, instructed In the present day. “On this situation, consuming gluten triggers an immune response, and that may create quite a lot of signs for sufferers.” Some celiac illness sufferers may not present signs, however gluten can nonetheless trigger injury to the intestines.
Some symptoms of celiac disease include vomiting, stomachaches, diarrhea, bloating, lack of urge for food, constipation, irritability, complications, rash, stunted progress, mind fog, and bother sleeping. Youngsters might not present all signs, and a few kids may not present any. If there’s a recognized household historical past of celiac illness, you will need to have kids screened.
Dreyer shared Calvin’s story to boost consciousness of celiac illness and debunk myths related to it. “The misunderstanding is it is one thing that makes you’re feeling uncomfortable, like a dairy allergy, the place it hurts your abdomen,” Dreyer defined. “It is a lot greater than that as a result of it truly destroys his insides. He actually had a abdomen ulcer due to it. His hair was falling out due to it.”
