Ad nauseum

Maladies
mostly the same
back
to haunt, test 
teach
ebbing, for awhile
freedom it seems
but not for long
not forever
sliding again

***** 

When we last left off with Fruit Bat's school social woes, he'd just begun hanging around a girl in his class. She ate lunch with him, she was his faithful recess playmate, they occasionally visited each other's houses. I really liked her. She was soft spoken, kind, and, best of all, she dug my boy.

But now? I kind of want to flick her. Hard. I'm sure she's still a good kid. She's ditched Fruit Bat, though, and she's not looking back. He's sad about it, plaintively asking why she won't play with him. And I, of course, don't know how to respond. 

Except to explain that children (people, especially of the female persuasion) can be fickle. That she may come back around. Or she may not. But that he should focus on finding other kids to hang out with.

He has no idea how to go about this. He's not the type to jump into ball games. Or approach a gaggle of girls and ask if he can join in. And from here...from my perch as the mom, there's not much I can do. Except squirm and watch and listen to him and have faith that everything will work out okay.

There is one silver lining. And it is that I'll have good reason to avoid making conversation with the girl's mom.

*****

Here we are, too, back at possible celiac for Kitty Cat. Back with her pediatrician who wants more blood work (because three positive draws plus one negative scope isn't enough for him). I thought that, last fall, we'd put all this talk of gluten intolerance to rest. At least for a few years.

But, no. Kitty Cat has been complaining of stomach aches often (though never very severely or for any length of time) and he wants more data. I suspect this has a lot to do with his wife having celiac and his feeling left out of the initial diagnosis made by the gastroenterologist. Maybe not as much to do with an immediate need to get Kitty Cat re-tested.

How to handle it? Capitulate to another trip to Children's? Go gluten free for a few months to see what happens, which, considering Kitty Cat's vague symptoms, will probably not be much? Do nothing, as is my inclination?

*****

There's more too. Round and round. The same issues cropping up year after year, like fuzzy, yellow dandelions in spring.

Comments

[Kristy]

You are the mom. If you don't feel like her symptoms seem severe or like Celiac's, or that cutting out gluten will make a big difference, why do it? I have a friend whose son has this and his growth was stunted, belly bloated, no energy, so the diet made a huge difference for him. It doesn't sound like that's where y'all are.

[All Adither]

You're absolutely right, Kristy! I knew I liked you.

[slouchy]

Ugh. Sorry to hear the news on both fronts. But I don't think you should go ahead with testing unless YOU feel a need to. You know your kid best.

[Carrie]

I know exactly how you feel - which I HATE to say.

After giving back rubs and pepto tablets last night to my middle, going over all the seemingly benign things he'd eaten that day that might be causing the tummy hurt he said, "I'm just going to make another list of foods that make my stomach hurt." And a quesadilla, with prob only 1/4 cup cheese, at most - was his culprit. Although last week, when he ate it, nothing happened.

Ugh. Sigh. Shrug.

And the beat goes on...

[JJ]

Did they check her for diabetes?I know that may not be much better - but my daughter's friend was diagnosed at the age of six and it started out with her complaining about stomach aches.
And how bad do the stomach aches affect her? Is it at the same time - she may be stressing out about something else. My son had a kid at his preschool who made him nervous - the kid never was mean to him or even really interacted with him , but it brought on the stomach pains. Never really found out why - it passed.

[kcinnova]

No answers here. Only sympathy.

[Kimberly Loomis]

When we tried going gluten free, my son only had stomach aches...we only tried it because I have celiac dz. Once he was off for a couple of months, though, we realized that a lot of his behavioral/physiological "quirks" (like stuttering, occasional hyperactivity, struggles with articulation and with being able to put thoughts onto paper, sugar cravings, etc.) went away as well. We just thought those things were developmental. I suppose you never know until you try. Gluten free can be a total pain in the arse but there are SO many resources out there now and you can even get gf stuff like brownie mix and frozen pizza now...it's a pain, but totally doable.

[Kimberly Loomis]

apparently I should have previewed that before I posted it...oh how the grammatical errors abound! Doh!