: Chapter 16

How did he know?

Beth Cardall’s Diary I suppose I felt like King Naaman in the Bible being told by the prophet Elisha to wash seven times in the river Jordan and be healed. Honestly, I didn’t know what to think. I had no reason to trust this man, none whatsoever, but I was taken by the forcefulness of his conviction. I shut the door and went back inside. Charlotte was at the table clumsily buttering a piece of bread. I looked at her a moment then said, “Honey, let’s not eat that.”

“How come?”

“I just want to try something. We’re going to be very careful about what you eat the next few days. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Let me get you something else.” I looked at what Margaret had brought. Casserole, bread, dessert. Everything had wheat. I opened up a can of peaches and poured them into a bowl. “Here you go, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

While Charlotte finished eating, I went to my bedroom, shut the door and called the hospital. Dr. Hansen, who had watched over Charlotte on Friday, was on shift, but he was with a patient. I left my number with a nurse. It was several hours later, as I was putting Charlotte down to bed, that the phone rang. I kissed her goodnight, then answered the phone. It was Dr. Hansen returning my call.

“Doctor, I don’t know if you remember me. I came in Friday night with my little girl, Charlotte. She had a seizure.”

“Of course. How is she?”

I suddenly felt a little awkward. “She’s been about the same. I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, but a friend thought he knew what might be wrong.” I looked at the paper Matthew had written on. “Could she have celiac sprue?”

The doctor was quiet a moment. Then he said: “That would explain her stomach and weight problems. There are even some studies that suggest a link between celiac sprue and seizures. Your friend may be right.”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected this response. “Oh. So what do I do?”

“Celiac sprue is an autoimmune disease that’s triggered by the protein gluten, which is pretty common in our diet. It’s found in things like bread, pasta, cookies—anything made with wheat, barley and a few other grains. If I were you, I would go a week without giving her anything with gluten and see what happens. Do you have a pediatrician?”

“Yes. Dr. Benton at the Mid-Valley Clinic.”

“He can tell you more about the disease. Let’s hope that’s what it is.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good night.” He hung up.

Didn’t expect that, I thought.

Monday, Charlotte and I stayed home again. I sat down and made a list of foods she could eat. Designing a menu without gluten was like building a house without wood—it can be done, but it takes some planning.

Charlotte didn’t have a stomachache the entire day and that evening seemed to be more active than usual. The next morning I woke to find her sitting up in our bed. It was the first time in more than a year that I hadn’t had to wake her. “Can I watch cartoons?”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, surprised to be woken by something other than my radio alarm. “How long have you been awake?”

“I dunno.”

I looked over at the clock. It was eight minutes before seven. “How are you feeling, honey?”

“Good.”

“No headache or tummy ache?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Can I?”

“Yes, you may.”

I got up and turned the television on for her, then shut off my alarm clock before it went off. After showering and dressing I made Charlotte breakfast. Out of habit I put a piece of bread in the toaster but stopped myself and scrambled an egg instead. As she was eating, I called Dr. Benton’s office. The clinic didn’t open until nine and I had expected to just leave a message, but fortuitously Dr. Benton was in the clinic early that morning and answered the phone. I briefed him about our emergency run to the hospital and then, a little more confidently, asked him if Charlotte’s ailments could be celiac sprue.

“It makes sense,” he said. “I should have thought of that myself. But it wouldn’t be the first time a doctor missed it. Celiac sprue is hard to diagnose.”

“How would that affect her?”

“When someone with celiac eats something containing gluten, the gluten causes a reaction that damages the intestine and makes the body unable to absorb nutrients, which, of course, can lead to a whole host of nasty problems—weight loss, anemia, malnutrition, seizures, even cancer.”

“Cancer?”

“It can if untreated. Hold on a second, I think I have some material here on it.” He left the phone for a moment, then returned. “Symptoms of celiac sprue include gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Other related symptoms include irritability, anemia, upset stomach, joint pain, skin rash, etc. Celiac can cause malabsorption, with such symptoms as weight loss, stunted growth, cramps, fatigue, and weakness.”

“That sounds like Charlotte,” I said softly. “So what is the treatment?”

“Well, it’s simple but hard—just don’t eat gluten. If you can come by the clinic, I have some brochures on celiac I think you’ll find helpful. This brochure here even has some meal-planning suggestions.”

“I’ll try to make it by this afternoon.”

“Good. Hopefully we’ll figure out what this thing is and get her better.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” I was about to hang up when Dr. Benton asked, “By the way, how did you figure this out?”

“A friend of mine said he had a lot of experience with it.”

“Well, you should bake him a cake,” he said, then added, “Just make sure Charlotte doesn’t eat any of it.”

I hung up the phone. Curiouser and curiouser.