My son has spent years feeling exhausted, sick stomach and heartburn. We visited the doctor on numerous occasions and had multiple blood tests, all being normal. The answer we received was "he is a teenager, they are always tired." In the meantime he continued to wake up tired, come home tired, couldn't motivate himself to do anything except play playstation or watch TV. Yes, I know that is quite normal for a teenage boy, but coupled with constant heartburn, wind and stomach ache I knew something was wrong.
On our last trip to the doctor our usual one was away so we saw someone else. He did the usual blood tests but also advised us to try testing for lactose, fructose and sorbitol malabsorption. During the tests my son had to eat a special diet which contained no lactose, fructose or sorbitol, within 3 days he became a different person. Suddenly he had a normal amount of energy, he was far more positive, no stomach aches and stopped eating Tums like lollies!
The tests were positive for fructose malabsorption, but that has now given me a new learning curve. I love to bake, he can't eat wheat. I love cooking and onions are definitely off the list as well as a host of other foods. We are visiting the Sue Shepherd clinic and the dietician is helping us to come to terms with this new form of cooking and eating.
The hardest part is trying to eat out, or even take away. We tried today and it was murder. Even then the cafe got it wrong and gave him flour and onion salt, even though I specifically asked it either were in the meal. Ho hum, I'll keep posted on that one. In the meantime I have been experimenting with different recipes, some total failures, but some have been a success, so I decided to publish those that have worked for anyone else who is in our situation.
