Our Story

Just prior to hospitalisation

Late 2008, early 2009 we were at a loss - something was wrong with our little girl.  Her belly was hard, she had some fluctuating toilet issues and she seemed to have less energy than usual.  We were living in country Qld at the time for my husband's work.

I had suspected something wasn't quite right for a while - her tummy felt very hard and I often commented to my husband about it.  During visits to the GP and paediatrician for the usual stuff - vaccinations and the like, I often brought up the stomach issue.  It felt like the matter was often brushed aside as she seemed generally well and at the time was not failing to thrive. I think it was my constant banging on about it that pushed the doctors to look further - that and the fact that other symptoms started to appear. Call it mother's instinct or whatever you want but I just knew something was really wrong.

As time went on alarm bells started to ring. The weight had just dropped off her and she looked like a skeleton with a big belly. Her ribs and pelvic bones were sticking out. Her bottom had flattened, she was pale, dark circles had appeared under her eyes and she was lethargic. Just prior to diagnosis, she had started vomiting almost daily which added to the already existing abdominal distension, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss, anaemia...

Although Abbey was looking like the poster child for Coeliac Disease and her blood test delivered a result of over 100, the gold standard for diagnosis was a biopsy.. so we anxiously waited.  A trip to Brisbane for family commitments shortly afterwards resulted in an unscheduled visit to the Royal Children's Hospital. Abbey was so sick and we were frightened.  She was admitted straight away.  We were told she was bordering coeliac crisis. As expected the biopsy confirmed Coeliac Disease and we began the road to recovery.  Abbey was 20 months old.

Happy & well today

Not long after, the rest of our family was tested and I was shocked to learn I too am Coeliac.  Shocked because I have never suffered with ANY of the symptoms that Abbey displayed and have always felt very well.  I am what you call asymptomatic.  I was in denial.  How could this be?  I questioned the result but there it was in black and white.  A biopsy confirmed everything.