The good and the bad

This has been a kind of rough week for Mom. We took Zack to a Pediatric Dietary and Gastroenterology Doctor this week because his weight curve has been declining, even though he has been getting taller and following his curve. We thought it was just going to be a blow-off visit and they would tell us that Zack is just going to be small. We were surprised to hear that the first thing they will be checking Zack out for is Celiac Disease. In case you've never heard of it (we sure hadn't), the body is intolerable to gluten and when gluten is digested, nutrients are not absorbed properly and growth is stunted. We were shocked. They drew blood and want to perform an endoscopic exam in mid January. Mid January is a long time to wait. Even a week is a long time to wait as we are waiting for the results of the blood test. In one respect it would be nice to pin down the problem with Zack and eating, but unfortunately the fix is to change to a gluten-free diet... for life! But when you consider all of the terribly serious other problems that could be wrong, one that requires you only to omit certain food is not bad at all. So for now we wait.. and watch Zack continue to be a very picky eater...