Jump to content
  • 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

Getting Decent Health Care


sarah513

Recommended Posts

sarah513 Rookie

I’ve got a twofold problem, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

First: I was just diagnosed by an IgA test at my doctor’s office. (I’m going in for a biopsy next week.) I’ve been going to this doctor’s office, a regular family practice, for a few months and I’ve seen a different doctor every time—I think they have a lot of new doctors on rotation, etc. Every time I go, I explain that I’ve recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, and the doctor and med student or whoever disappears for half an hour and then comes back and hands me three printed-out pages from the Celiac Sprue Association, which they’ve obviously just run out and Googled. I keep having to educate them on the topic. I really need to find a doctor who knows what she/he is talking about and who can answer my questions! I live in New York City… anybody have recommendations?

Second: My doctor’s office referred me to a nutritionist, at my request. I called to make an appointment and the nutrionist’s office told me to check with my insurance company first. I did (I have Blue Shield of California—my employer is based in CA although I am in NY) and they told me they only cover nutritionist’s visits for diabetics! The woman I spoke to had never even heard of celiac disease! Never mind that, like diabetes, celiac disease requires a lifelong medical diet in order to maintain health, and never mind that ABSOLUTELY EVERY resource on the topic says that the first thing any newly diagnosed celiac should do is to run, not walk, to a certified nutritionist. I’m sorry I don’t have a more popular disease, but celiacs need health care too!! Argh. As you can tell, I’m just about ready to start breaking some skulls (figuratively, of course!)—it’s so frustrating to deal with a health care system that exists solely to prevent sick people from getting health care! But all of you know all this (at least, those of you in the US certainly do). Has anyone fought the insurance company to get care? Have you won? Does it help if your doctor calls? Has anyone taken them to court? I have no money, but I am willing to fight.

Thanks in advance for any help—I keep posting questions and you all have been wonderful!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Guest nini

Sarah, first of all, are you already on the gluten free diet? If so, why are they doing a biopsy? If not, are they trying to rule out celiac with the biopsy or just confirm? Either way a positive blood test is enough, if you are already having issues with your insurance company, why go through an unnecessary and expensive biopsy if you already know what is wrong?

You need to question your Dr.s on everything, especially if they don't seem the first bit knowledgeable about celiac.

Also, unless you luck out and find a qualified nutritionist out there, most nutritionists (Based on mine and others experience) don't know the first thing about the gluten free diet, OR their info is outdated.

Last. This site is full of some of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to the gluten free diet, and IT"S FREE!!!

Violet Rookie

I am so lucky to have a wonderful doctor. He is an MD, but leans heavily on the holistic side of things. I get acupuncture from him and I also get his time. He really listens, and thinks, and give me good advice. If any of you are in Western Ma (or willing to travel) he is a real blessing!

lovegrov Collaborator

A very large percentage of nutritionists are pretty much useless when it comes to celiac. You'll learn a lot more on the Internet.

But I can't understand why an insurance company wouldn't pay for a diebetic to see one -- they'd rather pay the hospital bills when the person doesn't understand how to follow the diet?

richard

Merika Contributor

Hi Sarah,

I have Blue Cross of CA and they will pay a portion of chiropractic and acupuncture. Maybe Blue Shield does too? I say this because there are nutritionists and natural medicine practitioners who will get a chiropractic license basically for insurance billing purposes. If you find one who does "both" you may get insurance to pay.

That said, I doubt a nutrionist would be worth your time, and may even give you bad information. Go online to reputable sites. Also, find your local celiac support group/organization and TALK on the phone or in person with one of them. This is the fastest and most reliable way to get info on everything, and you can get all your questions answered, and they are happy to share this info with you (for free).

Hth,

Merika

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,666
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    bailey1023
    Newest Member
    bailey1023
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Inkie
      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
    • Xravith
      Thank you for the advice. I’ve actually never checked for nutritional deficiencies, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always taken vitamin and mineral supplements — otherwise my symptoms get worse. This week I stopped eating gluten to confirm whether my symptoms are really caused by it. Starting next week, I’ll reintroduce gluten — it’s sad to go back to how I was before — but at least I’ll be able to take the necessary tests properly. I think the diagnostic process will be long, but at least I’m happy that I finally decided to address this doubt I’ve had for years.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.