Can anyone recognise the symptoms my son has?

[benjac64]

my son 14 - now gluten and dairy free, he gets a strange feeling in his chest and throat which is causing him anxiety can this be a lack of something mineral or vitamins? He is constantly eating every hour even during school time but still feels hungry any suggestions. Tested negative for coeliac but definitely NCGS, last week introduced oat cakes and constipation returned could this be the strange feeling and hunger? any suggestions greatly appreciated.

[Regalbirdy]

Hi,

I'm really not sure how to help you. The obvious answer is to take him back to the GP.

Reading your post though, I wonder if he has got erratic heartbeat, i.e his heart skips a beat. It would cause a fluttery feeling in his upper chest and throat. It's usually nothing to worry about but does feel funny! Ironically being anxious makes it worse.

He's probably much too young to have thyroid issues, which if severe enough can upset the heart over the long term.

It would probably do no harm to ensure that he is getting enough trace minerals such as selenium, magnesium, zinc and iodine. Obviously to be healthy you also need a sufficient quantity of vitamins. If he is dairy and gluten free, do ensure he is getting enough calcium, vitamin D and B12; otherwise he risks having osteoporosis as a middle aged adult. Please do not overdose! Some of the above are harmful in large doses because they are fat-soluble and will be stored by the body rather than excreting the excess.

Good luck with your son.

[benjac64 in reply to Regalbirdy]

He is under the consultant currently who has have ruled major problems but it does not help when he gets symptoms which make him anxious and then they are quick to state its anxiety. We think he may have had dairy and this may have caused the issue it just returns with vengeance though! I am going to ask that he gets his bloods tested for vits and minerals next time.

He has lacto-free milk which contains (according to dietician) the same calcium and vits content as normal milk. maybe as suggested by Jessie it is taking longer for the gut to heal and his craving for food will settle down soon

Thanks for the help

[Jessiepup]

Hi, my son was 9 when he got referred because had suffered from reflux since he was a baby. He would eat meals ok but liquid would come back up 10 min later while he was playing or watching TV, it didn't cause pain but just dribbled out in quantity. I am guessing that if it was still happening now the muscles might try to keep it down and mabey cause the uncomfortable feeling your son has - mine is 16 now and these symptoms disappeared on exclusion of Gluten and Dairy (we reintroduced dairy about 6 months later) he, like your son (and me) is NCGS.

As for the eating all he time - both my boys at age 13-14 ate constantly due to growing needs, though it could be because his gut has been malabsorbing due to food intolerances which would cause cravings, as the gut heals this may het better. Hope this helps

Ps. Can you be sure he is 100% GF / DF they find it difficult to resist restricted foods around friends at this age. My son quite a few times didn't want to feel left out so ate something he shouldn't

[benjac64 in reply to Jessiepup]

Thanks for the help, I am also classed as NCGS and because it was a while ago you forget how long it takes to get the gut to heal and how much I ate during this time. He is now gaining weight and last week put on nearly a kg so we are getting there since giving up dairy. It just seems to be a long journey

[Hidden]

Hi benjac64, I'd have thought that by eating every hour could cause indigestion and that often causes chest pains and it might help if he ate more but less often.

When someone feels hungry all the time it is often a sign that their body is undernourished and is craving those nutrients. So it could be well worth you both seeing a dietician and you should definitely consult his GP over this.

And it would not hurt to give him multi vit's with minerals as you'd know he was getting his RDA in the meantime.

If eating oats is causing constipation then I would take him off oats as he could be reacting to oat gluten.

And good luck,

Jerry

[Hidden]

Hi Benjac64

Sorry to hear about your sons symptoms. I like regalbirdy was thinking irreg heart best as I have that ( throw off an extra ectopic beat now and then) and it feels exactly like you describe. I get a flutter in my heart and then this woosh feeling up into my throat which often makes me cough. I'm presuming the specialist has checked your sons thyroid (children do get thyroid issues). My son was glutened recently and became very constipated so this too is a possibility or like Jerry says maybe he is reacting to oat gluten. I know what it feels like to worry about a son. Not nice! Sorry I can't be of any help. Hope you get it sorted/ he recovers soon. KiKi x