Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Blood Test Results

nhite

Recommended Posts

nhite Newbie
nhite
Posted

I've had abdominal pains for the last 20 years. I have had discoid lupus for 31 years (I'm 37). I've had several symptoms of Gluten Intolerance and not known it. Have seen my GP for 2 years with blood work every 3 months, the latest round has been checking the beta carotine levels (even the lab tech had to look it up). I finally see a chiropractic neurologist for some unrelated pain and he thought the rash on my arms was similar to a gluten rash, not lupus. He ordered the celiac panel. One test came back positive. The Gliadin AB IGG was a 31 (greater than 30 is a moderate to strong positive). I saw my GP today as recommended by the chiropractor. My GP thought he had ordered the panel (until I told him no) and he said the result was minimal and unlikely a gluten intolerence but if I wanted he would refer me to a gastro (I saw him last year for a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and small bowel series, diagnosis: IBS). Also, my GP said that since I didn't have water blisters on the rash, it couldn't be related to gluten but he could refer me to a dermatologist. (oh, I don't have the weight loss by any stretch of the imagination, if anything, it's a major gain)

I don't know what to think. I'm tired of being at my GP's mercy. I know there's something wrong (more than lupus). I've been trying to eat gluten-free but after seeing my GP, I had Pizza Hut breadsticks! (wrong choice but it was good). Now my arms are starting to itch.

Does anybody have any advice for me? I don't really care to go back to the GI Dr. He was nice enough but I can't say I'm overly confident about seeing him and I don't know that I trust seeing a derm that my GP recommends or not.

Please help!

Natalie

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Guest jhmom
Guest jhmom
Posted

Hi Natalie, welcome :D

I was also told I had IBS for over a year, my GI doc performed every test known to man and they all came back negative, except the endoscopy which showed "patchy inflammation" but it still was not enough for him to accept Celiac as my diagnosis. I finally ordered a stool panel test from enterolab.com and it came back positive and I immediately started a gluten-free diet and could tell a difference within a couple of days, my abdominal pain was going away!

I do not know much about DH but I am sure it could be mistaken for the lupus rash. If I were you since one of your test results was positive you could always try the gluten-free diet to see if your abdominal pain improves as well as the rash. OR you may be able to find another GI doc which specializes in Celiac but that is only if you want to continue consuming gluten for additional test he/she may want to perform but if not try the diet!

Ironically my doctor suspects I have Lupus too. So far 2 of my blood test have come back positive and I have 6 of the symptoms from the criteria list?!?!? All this related, could be I guess, who knows!!!!!!

I hope you get answers soon and begin to feel better!

travelthomas Apprentice
travelthomas
Posted

Natalie,

I would suggest the gluten free diet before wasting too much time and money on doctors. A year ago people suggested that I get tested for parasites because of all my travels to third world countries. This winter, while down in Mexico, I had my blood and stools tested in a lab run by Italians. Because I am so careful about what I eat I knew what the results would be. Negative for any parasites. In Mexico those test cost me $42 U.S. :D

A gluten free diet is a healthy lifestyle anyway. On a brown rice, chicken, fish, and vegetable diet, it is really hard to put on weight. Just look at the billions of people who live on such a diet. Then look at the millions of people who live on a gluten diet. Who do you think looks healthier? :lol:

Good luck! B)

lauradawn Explorer
lauradawn
Posted

the IGG test can signify other things too, not just Celiac. I don't know much about DH but I agree form my understandding it can be very similar to lupus, but for different reasons. IT will be interesting to see what they find out, but here's another suggestion. If your rash is acutally DH, a biopsy of the rash will diagnose you Celiac. You wouldn't have to see a GI for the dx. If you have Dh you have Celiac.

nhite Newbie
nhite
Posted
  • Author

Just an update to last week's message. I went back on a gluten diet after 3 days off and I have an unbelievable rash now. I have an appointment with an internist on this coming Friday so I kind of want to keep the rash going a bit so he can see it. I did have an allergist appointment yesterday and she agreed that it looks like gluten and did a biopsy right away! I am so excited that I'm not imagining this and that there's another Dr. who agrees with me. Depending on what the internist says, I will be drafting a letter to my GP explaining why I'm dumping him and probably going to see the other physician in the office!

Natalie

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,316
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Steffieg
    Newest Member
    Steffieg
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Mari
      Ocd making gluten fears unmanageable. Need advice

      By Mari · Posted

      I havesome of the replies to your post(which by the way is a gread piece of writing) and think that it will take lots of time and reading to decide what you are going to do. I would like to give you some practical suggestions. Your anxieties and OCD are a perfectly natural response when your body is sending signals that you have physical problems. The body does not use words it uses biochemistry and electric interactions. Celiac disease is not a killer disease so you are not going to die in the near future if you get glutened.  It can be a disabling problem unless you stay gluten free. For OCD attacks I have used spearmint or peppermint teas to relax. I also sitorlay down , relax as much as possible and review what I have been eating for the last few days and can usually identify that I have been eating too much of something and not enough of other foods that would balance my body. My body may have become too acid when it needs to be slightly alkaline. For me this means eating more vegetables and less starches and proteins. There are some websites that will list acid forming foods and alkaline forming food and many foods that are in between. Just admit that you are anxious about gluten being present in foods and anything that is used to prepare foods or even in your environment. When you eat anything that makes you anxious take a capsule of an anti-gliadin enzyme. I use a brand called GliadinX. It works in the stomach and will break down small amounts of gluten. Look up online the amount of plain water your body height and weight needs every day. Two years ago I was 5' 4" and weighed 100 lbs and needed 48 oz. every day.  Even if you can't drink the full amount if you just drink more water you will notice some improvement in your digestive system.  That's enough for tonight and it's way past my bedtime. Don't hesitate to ask more question or ask for more information.       
    • Scott Adams
      Canker sores

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Canker sores can definitely be frustrating, especially when you're already managing a strict gluten-free lifestyle and have been diagnosed with celiac disease for so long. While these painful mouth ulcers aren’t exclusive to celiac disease, they can be linked to nutritional deficiencies—particularly of iron, folate, or vitamin B12 (as @trents mentioned )—which are common in people with celiac, even those who are very careful with their diet. Ongoing fatigue and aches might also suggest that your body isn’t fully absorbing nutrients or that there’s some underlying inflammation. It could be helpful to get bloodwork done to check for these deficiencies, and possibly even a full nutritional panel. Sometimes, new sensitivities or hidden sources of gluten or additives like sodium lauryl sulfate (common in toothpaste) can trigger symptoms like canker sores too. Since your reactions are so severe and you're highly vigilant, it might also be worth considering whether any other autoimmune conditions could be involved, as they can develop over time and overlap with celiac. Consulting with your doctor or a celiac-informed dietitian may help pinpoint the cause and bring relief.
    • knitty kitty
      Ocd making gluten fears unmanageable. Need advice

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Dora77, You shouldn't worry about getting glutened through your skin.  You would have to touch a gluten infested doorknob and then put your hand in your mouth.   I'd be more concerned with your mom's heating up gluten bread in the oven and boiling gluten noodles.  These methods cause particles of gluten to become airborne which would then enter your nose and be swallowed, going into your digestive tract.  I have to avoid the bakery aisle at the grocery store for this reason.  An M95 mask helps. If you get nutritional deficiencies corrected, your immune system will calm down and be less reactive to gluten expose.  Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system.  Thiamine and Niacin help make digestive enzymes which would help digest any accidental gluten exposure.  Thiamine helps Mast cells not to release histamine, an inflammatory agent released as part of the reaction to gluten, and also a neurotransmitter that causes alertness and anxiety, and the flight or fight response.  Pyridoxine will help improve the OCD.  Remember your brain is part of the body.  Vitamin deficiencies affect your brain and mental health as well as the rest of your body.  
    • Jacki Espo
      Canker sores

      By Jacki Espo · Posted

      I do not have evidence other than anecdotal but I am certain when I have gotten these it's the result of eating gluten (back when I did).  I don't get them now that I don't eat gluten. 
    • Dora77
      Ocd making gluten fears unmanageable. Need advice

      By Dora77 · Posted

      What really bothers me is if worrying about getting cc‘d from touching the same door knob as others touched is valid. Seems like an extremely unlikely way to get glutened but i read people saying that.    If thats true then theres realistically zero chance i dont get cc‘d in a non gluten-free household unless i Cook Everything myself and wash my hands multiple times in between and store all of my stuff separately
×
×
  • Create New...