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‘She stopped breathing and went floppy’: Inverbervie mum’s gluten terror

Jessica Davidson is 'anxious' whenever she's apart from her daughter Sophie, in case she's accidentally eaten gluten.
Jessica Davidson is 'anxious' whenever she's apart from her daughter Sophie, in case she's accidentally eaten gluten.

Jessica Davidson’s four-year-old daughter went blue and stopped breathing – but doctors doubted her suggestion it was down to gluten.

The 31-year-old Inverbervie mum has coeliac disease, a condition where her immune system attacks itself whenever she eats gluten – a protein found in grains like wheat and rye.

She spent her “whole life” feeling unwell, but was only diagnosed eight years ago after years of feeling dismissed by medics.

She said: “I think I’ve had it all my life, but I’ve been diagnosed for eight years now.

“I’ve always been very unwell and given tablet after tablet – and just pushed away.”

‘I was looking like a liar’

In 2020, Jessica suspected her daughter Sophie had inherited the condition, but getting a diagnosis proved a difficult task.

“At the beginning, I was told she just had a long bug and it would just go away,” she recalled.

“There was one night I called the NHS because she was really lethargic and they took her up.

Sophie Davidson who has coeliac disease sitting on the grass smiling
Sophie Davidson

“With coeliac disease, once the gluten is out of your body you become bright again.

“And by the time she got to the hospital she was running around like nothing ever happened.

“I was looking like a liar most of the time with her.”

‘She went blue and floppy’

But things changed one night when Sophie became very ill, even choking on her own vomit.

“She went blue in the face, she actually stopped breathing and went floppy because she was being sick so much,” Jessica said.

After arriving at hospital, she pleaded with doctors to test her daughter for coeliac disease.

But she was met with the reply: “It’s very unlikely she’s got coeliac disease at two years old.”

‘Its broken me’

Jessica continued to push, and they found that Sophie, now 4, does indeed have the condition.

She now requires gluten-free foods to prevent her from experiencing the excruciating complications that come with coeliac disease.

Sophie who has coeliac disease laughing and enjoying an ice cream in the garden
Sophie enjoying an ice cream in the garden

However, Jessica was left horrified when Sophie returned from a day out vomiting and in agony.

“I went to go and collect her, they came out holding her hand and she was crying her eyes out: ‘Mummy I need a nap, I’m sore.’

“As I came around the corner, I had her in my arms and she was vomiting so much, I was in the middle of the road and she came out of my arms.

“She was lying there kicking, screaming and begging me to take the pain away from her.

“This is the first time it’s broken me.”

‘Internally destroying her’

After leaving Sophie to “sleep off” the pain, she phoned the health visitor who confirmed Sophie had eaten a meal containing gluten.

Jessica Davidson sleeping in her crib after suffering coeliac disease symptoms
Sophie sleeping in her bed

Jessica feels coeliac disease isn’t taken as seriously as other allergies, leaving her in a state of constant worry.

“What annoys me is the fact people take nut allergies, milk allergies, everything seriously, but not coeliac disease.

“They don’t understand that it’s not just a day she’s unwell, it’s internally destroying her.

“I’m anxious all day because I wonder ‘has she eaten gluten?’ I’m constantly on edge.”

She added: “At birthday parties as well, I can’t take my eyes off her for a minute because there are buffets out so I have to take a special lunch.

“All the kids line-up for the buffet, it breaks my heart but I’ve got to take her out the line.

“She doesn’t understand why she can’t eat the food yet, it’s a constant battle.”

Read more:

Grainne Gilson-Smith: Be aware of food allergies before you fire up the barbecue

‘She could stop breathing. It is terrifying’: Why Natasha’s Law is long overdue for people with food allergies

North-east pupil raises awareness about food allergies to encourage more research

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