"Mom I just wanna be normal again..."

So tonight Kalib tells me "Mom I just wanna be normal again..." I said "What?!" His reply "I just want to eat normal food, like everyone else..."
It made me feel bad at first...my initial instinct: "Ok, fine...no more gluten free"
My second and final thought: "Kalib, this is going to make our family feel so much better...don't you want to feel good all the time, no tummy pains, no hurting?"
I know this is hard on the boys...I mean they do take their lunch and they've always wanted to, but I never did...now they are getting to and of course they don't want too. I think it was just hard because yesterday was his teacher's birthday and she emailed me to send something for him since they were having cake. Then today one of his buddies brought cupcakes and daddy was suppose to take him a cupcake...and FORGOT. He was upset...left out...and just felt "different". I assured him that wouldn't happen again and I was sorry Daddy didn't remember. So I am compiling a list of 'goodies' to eat that are gluten free...even though our main mission was to be healthier...I still believe kids need to be kids. I want them to feel as "normal" as possible. So I thought I would share a few gluten free goodies that I am going to let the kids indulge in (in moderation of course)...
Snacks:Lays Potato Chips- plain, wavy and ruffle only
Fritos
Tostitos chips
Popcorn
Utz cheese balls- Sams Club
Cracker Jack
Trix Cereal
Betty Crocker fruit snacks, Sunkist fruit snacks,most fruit snacks are fine, welch's, kellogs (Of course we can't have all of these because Jax is allergic to apple)
Danimals Yogurt
Gogurt
Trix yogurt,Yoplait Yogurts

Yoplait yogurts

Kraft Cheese- sliced, block, or string
All Fruit and veggies- no dip
Candy List Reeses PB cups
Reeses pieces
Snickers
Starburst
Skittles
Tootsie Rolls and Pops
Dum Dums suckers
3 Musketeers
Nerds
Life Saver candies (gummy and hard)
Sour Patch Candies
Peeps
Hubba Bubba Gum
Smarties
Sweet Tarts
Candy corn
Baby Ruth
Almond Joy
Sugar Daddy
Hershey (bar and kisses)

 

We are still checking these out (this is a list I got from a friend of mine...so of course I'm still checking to make sure they are all "truly" gluten free!!!!

Update from the specialist today...

Took Kalib to his Pediatric Gastroenterologist today. I have mixed feelings about his treatment route, but I guess that is why I didn't graduate from medical school, LOL! For those of you tuning in that are not aware, Kalib has been through heck and back with his bowel issues. When Kalib was a baby, we noticed he did not poop like a normal baby. He would strain, have a rock hard tummy and then if we were "lucky" he would produce some little pebbles of poop. Kalib was always a very hungry baby and unfortunately had a bad reflux on top of it, so it was very common that Kalib would drink a bottle and proceed to throw it up ALL over. We're not talking a "normal" baby spitting up some formula, I'm talking exorcist, projectile vomitting. Throughout the years Kalib went to several different specialists, most of them were in Kansas City at Children's Mercy Hospital. Finally a local Pediatric Gastro opened up here and we switched immediately. She is not my favorite, but for now she is our only option. Well we went today after being urged to go by the ER doctors from last week (Kalib was very ill with a high fever, leg pain & numbness and constipation). Basically our course to a diagnosis is to start off with an MRI. She is looking for abnormalities with his spinal cord (Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome). This would explain his bowel incontinence, urination incontinence and leg pain and numbness. However, I am just not sure on the rest of the symptoms or if this is really a solution to his problems. Again, I am not a doctor and I guess she is doing what she feels is best. I just want answers for him. I hate watching my son go through this. For almost 10 years now we have stood by, helplessly going from one doctor to another and trying our best to get a diagnosis only to get the run around every time. We even went the psychological route for the last year or so because they said "it could be behavioral" and "maybe it's a control issue...maybe start there". Well we did and nothing improved. So thank you all for your continued prayers and keep them coming as we begin another long trek to hopefully getting a full diagnosis and not just another pacifier for the symptoms.