testing for coeliacs disease in a child

my son is currently waiting to be tested for coliacs and has gone back on a full wheat diet for up to six weeks.
Prior to this he had unresolved mild jaundice( fully tested for all causes) ,abdo pain.mouth ulcers,skin rashes and diarrhoa and constipation. I had put him on a wheat free diet a month ago (my family has a history of allergies) and much of the symptoms resolved barr the jaundice which is only mild .
Now a week imto the diet he has bad abdo pain, offensive wind and poo,headaches,extreme tiredness and seems  really low to me.
Im wondering what I can do apart from watch this happen.
Do I have to wait 6 weeks before testing? What if its negative Will that mean its not? Are there any other illnesses that could mimic this ?
I feel so frustrated for my son .Has anyone heard of the coeliac biocard? Could I try this earlier?
Any advice would be great

[SueNYC]

My son has all your kids symptoms (except for the jaundice).  he is gluten intolerant but he does not have celiac - but you treat them the same.  Gluten intolerance is slightly better as it is more of an inconvenience while Celiac is an auto-immune.  Mostly his doctor told him to cut his gluten about 75%.  But we are careful because my family has a history of celiac and anyone who carries the genes can always develop it.

[mandyjane46]

hi Sue
Thanks for answering. I do really appreciate it when people take the time.....did you have to go through this 6 week thing for the testing..How badly does your son react? What tests did your son have? SORRY to bombard you..guess Im anxious..my son is floored at present with adbo pain .nausea and mainly severe tiredness and we are only ten days into diet...Ive heard that you can get a false negative. did you son have to go through a biopsy?
how do you know that it is not coeliacs? Did you have the genetic test done?
(answer to any of the above would be great by the way!)
MJ

[hell1971]

Hi

My daughter is eight and has been undiagnosed all her life until a few weeks ago, her complaints of tummy ache, headaches, constipation, muscle ache were put down to anxiety, my daughter has sufferred terrible over her short life, she has gone 8 years, the fist 3 were spent as milk and soya intolerent, as we had soo many problems with her at 4 we were told she had an anxiety disorder and some sensory issues, she has been seeing therapist on and off for 4 years, we new something was wrong and that anxiety made no sense anymore as she had periods of being fine and then periods off completley loosing all energy and confidence and after a huge 6months of evaluation we were told when they ran a test for diabeties that she had a positive coeliac test. She is so sensitive that she became so depressed and had hallucinations and wanted to kill herself. She becomes so overwhelmed you cannot begin to imagine. When we were told she had coeliacs we were told that this is only part of the problem and they did not expect to loose all of her behaviours and problems. So far we are only on 1.5weeks gluten free and alrerady she is a changed person, I am hopeful that this was the only problem and her mental health will become normal a few weeks down the line. The reason I am telling you this is that although it is hard you must get the diagnosis, it is only 6 weeks, just cut him some slack over these weeks and dont expect too much from a behavioural point of view, pick your fights during this time and be incredibly supportive as I have said my daughter has fallen to pieces and become so overwhelmed that she has wanted to die. I guess if you are told all your life that your symptoms are in your head and anxiety based when in fact you really have been sick then I guess it would effect your mental health.

[mandyjane46]

Thank you so very much for sharing your experiences with me. I feel very humbled by your suffering and guts. Its true that I have become frustrated and lacking patience with my son over his tiredness and lethargy.The family docter advised me that he had chronic fatigue  and "teenage stresses" and like you it did not feel right and I PERSISTED...The pediatrician advised me that he could be coeliacs but certainly not chronic fatigue...Of course you are right...6 weeks is not long to get the help he needs.I will take your advise and cut him some slack...
I am so thankful to you. It has put this into perspective for me and given me more patience. I wish you all the best for your daughterand am sooo glad she is feeling sooo much better
MJ