'Today' Anchor Dylan Dreyer Offers Update on 6-Year-Old Son Suffering From 'Constant Pain'
Today Show co-host Dylan Dreyer's son Calvin was living in "constant pain" to the point that she and her husband Brian Fichera thought that his appendix might have burst. He had a stomach ache that would never go away and had an earache for a year. Calvin, 6, also developed a rash on his scalp and his hair started falling out. After his doctors ran tests, Dreyer and Fichera learned Calvin has celiac disease.
"There was one time the pain was so bad that we thought maybe he had something like his appendix burst," Dreyer told Today.com, adding that Calvin was "hunched over in pain." Calvin also complained about his earache, even though his ears were fine. He would also "just drop his fork" while eating, Dreyer said.
Dreyer and Fichera took Calvin to an emergency room, where they learned his appendix was fine. So they went to other doctors and a gastroenterologist. After several appointments and tests, including an endoscopy, Calvin was diagnosed with celiac disease in March. Afterward, Dreyer's family switched to a gluten-free diet and bought new kitchen equipment.
"Not only is it not feeding him any wheat products but it's also the cross-contamination risk," Dreyer said. "All of my stuff in the kitchen had to be thrown out, all of our wooden spoons, wooden cutting boards, anything that had a scratch in it... any rivets on the inside of the pot where the handle is. All of that had to be thrown out because gluten can hide everywhere."
The changes made Calvin's life so much happier. All of the pain he felt was tied to celiac disease, including the weakness in his hands, the stomach pain, and the rash. "He was just in constant pain," Dreyer told Today. "He finally feels good... (for) the first time in a year. He's happy we discovered this because it's like, 'OK, good. I can finally feel like myself.'"
Celiac disease can be difficult to differentiate from a wheat allergy and gluten intolerance. Unlike those though, celiac disease is an "autoimmune condition," Dr. Lisa Fahey, co-director of the Celiac Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Today. "In this condition, eating gluten triggers an immune response, and that can create a variety of symptoms for patients." Some celiac disease patients might not show symptoms, but gluten can still cause damage to the intestines.
Some symptoms of celiac disease include vomiting, stomachaches, diarrhea, bloating, lack of appetite, constipation, irritability, headaches, rash, stunted growth, brain fog, and trouble sleeping. Children may not show all symptoms, and some children might not show any. If there is a known family history of celiac disease, it is important to have children screened.
Dreyer shared Calvin's story to raise awareness of celiac disease and debunk myths associated with it. "The misconception is it's something that makes you feel uncomfortable, like a dairy allergy, where it hurts your stomach," Dreyer explained. "It's so much more than that because it actually destroys his insides. He literally had a stomach ulcer because of it. His hair was falling out because of it."
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