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

Repost: Bloodwork After Being Gluten Free


Peppa-minto

Recommended Posts

Peppa-minto Apprentice

My last post got a little beyond what I needed...basically I have been gluten free for a month and am now wanting to get a blood test. My doctor gave me the paperwork and told me to get the test in two to three weeks. I have mostly easy to live with symptoms... Dizziness, fatigue, constipation, bloating, gas, loose stools... My sister has celiac which is why I suspect this is where my symptoms come from. I am on a fairly high gluten diet, much more than just four slices of bread. Definately felt better gluten free, but I can manage a few weeks eating this way... I just don't k ow of my eating a lot of gluten makes a difference in two to three weeks being long enough or not.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



tom Contributor

It's long enough for a lot of celiac patients. :)

https://www.celiac.com/articles/22973/1/Histological-Serological-and-Symptomatic-Responses-to-Gluten-Challenge-in-Adults-with-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

"The team concludes by noting that a 14-day gluten challenge at or above 3 g of gluten/day triggers cellular, tissue, and blood changes in most adults with celiac disease."

You always have the option of continuing to eat gluten after the test and then if it comes back negative continuing however long and scheduling another test.

Peppa-minto Apprentice

I'm just starting to doubt I even have celiacs because my symptoms are not as bad as other people on this forum, for most people here the idea of eating gluten is terrifying. If my results come back negative I'll be even more in dpubt

tom Contributor

Maybe you don't have celiac but the people who stay active on forums are understandably those most affected in the first place, from what I've seen, so you shouldn't place much significance on not being as bad off as many members here.

Almost 50,000 ppl have joined this forum and the majority aren't currently active. I like to think that most of them are out there living healthy lives w/out gluten and just don't need further celiac info or support or whatever originally made them register an acct.

Good Luck w/ the test Peppa :)

MitziG Enthusiast

Don't discount the possibility just because you don't react severely to gluten. As a 30+ year un diagnosed Celiac, I had what would be considered mild reactions. I ate gluten regularly, and had some digestive issues, but nothing that could be directly attributed to what I ate. My biggest complaint was chronic fatigue. After being gluten free for several monnths, my reactions changed however, and became severe and immediate. When you eat gluten all the time, your immune system becomes so wore down it often can't muster more than a weak response. Once you are gluten free and it recovers, it will let you know loud and clear if gluten is the problem. That is the case for most of us anyway. There are a few "silent celiacs" who never get a noticeable reaction, but that is the minority.

Christine0125 Contributor

I was fully functional on gluten just some annoying symptoms but never enough to call in sick. I did a 2 week challenge prior to my blood test and it was enough to get positive results.

GFinDC Veteran

Hi Peppa-minto,

Symptoms don't usually start out at the worst stage, just like cars don't go from 0 to 100 in zero seconds. But ongoing inflammation and damage does take a toll and most likely your symptoms would worsen after awhile. How soon that would happens is anybody's guess though. Some people develop additional auto-immune diseases and go to the doctor for that and then they get diagnosed for celiac.

Whether or not your doctor will diagnose you after a week challenge is for him/her to answer, we can't tell you what the doctor will do.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



tom Contributor

I was fully functional on gluten just some annoying symptoms but never enough to call in sick. I did a 2 week challenge prior to my blood test and it was enough to get positive results.

Ahh Christine, glad you posted.

Do I remember correctly that the 2 week challenge was after 7 weeks gluten-free?

Peppa-minto Apprentice

I just realized I never checked to see if my elmiron prescription was gluten free... Did a google search and got mixed results.... Maybe I was never gluten free after all?

Jestgar Rising Star

I'm just starting to doubt I even have celiacs because my symptoms are not as bad as other people on this forum, for most people here the idea of eating gluten is terrifying. If my results come back negative I'll be even more in dpubt

My gastro symptoms were mild - it's the long term neuro things that got to me.

Peppa-minto Apprentice

Well my symptoms are worsening a little again. I don't know if there is gluten in the elmiron capsules... But if there is, maybe the fact that I didnt stop taking them when I thought I was gluten free will help the accuracy of my bloodwork. Of course, idk what I will do when I go gluten free again. Maybe empty the capsules into water and take them that way?

GFinDC Veteran

Well my symptoms are worsening a little again. I don't know if there is gluten in the elmiron capsules... But if there is, maybe the fact that I didnt stop taking them when I thought I was gluten free will help the accuracy of my bloodwork. Of course, idk what I will do when I go gluten free again. Maybe empty the capsules into water and take them that way?

I don't know about the elmiron capsules. It would be better to get some that are known to be gluten-free. Regarding your symptoms not being too severe. Most people in the USA who have celiac don't know that they have it. There are many reasons for that but some are:

Most people with celiac do not have digestive symptoms.

Most people with celiac are not tested by their doctors.

etc

Judging your possible celiac by your digestive symptoms is not a good idea. If you have digestive symptoms and they improve on the gluten-free diet, that is a reasonable thing to assume you have a gluten reaction.

But since most people with celiac don't have digestive symptoms, assuming your GI symptoms are mild and that means you don't have celiac is incorrect. Celiac is not an instant change for most people. The damage can build up over years and get worse and worse. And it may be symptoms in your joints, or skin, or liver, or brain to first be noticed, not your your GI tract. That's one of the reasons it is hard to diagnose celiac disease, the symptoms aren't always in the gut. So doctors don't even think to test people for it. Unless you come in to the doctor with a "classic" GI case, they don't see the connection.

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Wheatwacked replied to Heatherisle's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      34

      Blood results

    2. - Known1 replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      6

      FDA looking for input on Celiac Gluten sensitivity labeling PLEASE READ and submit your suggestions

    3. - Wheatwacked replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      31

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

    4. - Wheatwacked replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      31

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,411
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    EBeloved
    Newest Member
    EBeloved
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
    • Wheatwacked
      Celiac Disease causes more vitamin D deficiency than the general population because of limited UV sunlight in the winter and the little available from food is not absorbed well in the damaged small intestine.  Taking 10,000 IU a day (250 mcg) a day broke my depression. Taking it for eleven years.  Doctor recently said to not stop.  My 25(OH)D is around 200 nmol/L (80 ng/ml) but it took about six years to get there.  Increasing vitamin D also increases absorption of Calcium. A good start is 100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of salmon,  vitamin D from 7.5 to 25 mcg (300 to 1,000 IU) but it is going to take additional vitamin D supplement to be effective.  More importantly salmon has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio 1:10 anti-inflammatory compared to the 15:1 infammatory ratio of the typical Western diet. Vitamin D and Depression: Where is all the Sunshine?
    • Known1
      Thank you for sharing your thoughts.  I respectfully disagree.  You cherry picked a small section from the page.  I will do the same below: The agency is seeking information on adverse reactions due to “ingredients of interest” (i.e., non-wheat gluten containing grains (GCGs) which are rye and barley, and oats due to cross-contact with GCGs) and on labeling issues or concerns with identifying these “ingredients of interest” on packaged food products in the U.S. “People with celiac disease or gluten sensitives have had to tiptoe around food, and are often forced to guess about their food options,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “We encourage all stakeholders to share their experiences and data to help us develop policies that will better protect Americans and support healthy food choices.” --- end quote Anyone with celiac disease is clearly a stakeholder.  The FDA is encouraging us to share our experiences along with any data to help develop future "policies that will better protect Americans and support healthy food choices".  I see this as our chance to speak up or forever hold our peace.  Like those that do not participate in elections, they are not allowed to complain.  The way I see it, if we do not participate in this request for public comment/feedback, then we should also not complain when we get ill from something labeled gluten-free. Have a blessed day ahead, Known1
    • Wheatwacked
      Here is a link to the spreadsheet I kept to track my nutrition intakes.  Maybe it will give you ideas. It is not https so browsers may flag a security warning. There is nothing to send or receive. http://doodlesnotes.net/index3.html I tracked everything I ate, used the National Nutrition Database https://www.foodrisk.org/resources/display/41 to add up my daily intake and supplemented appropriately.  It tracks about 30 nutrients at once.
    • Wheatwacked
      Hello @catnapt, That's so true.  Every person with Celiac Disease has different symptoms.  There are over 200 that it mimics.  Too many still believe that it is only a childhood disease you outgrow.  Or it's psychosomatic or simply a fad.  Idiots.  It's easy to get angry at all of them.   You just have to pick at the answers until you find the ones that work for you.  I too suffer from not being able to take the drugs that work for "everyone else".  SSRIs make me twitch ane feel like toothpicks are holding my eye open, ARBs cripple me.  Statins cause me intestinal Psuedo Obstruction.  Espresso puts me to sleep.  I counted 19 different symptoms that improved from GFD and dealing with my nutritional defecits.  I couldn't breath through my mouth until I started GFD at 64 years old.   My son was born with celiac disease, biopsy diagnosed at weaning.   So why are we the one-percenters.  Why, after being silent for so long, does it suddenly flare? There is the possibility that you have both Celiac Disease and Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.  NCGS was not established as a diagnosis until 1980.  NCGS is diagnost by first elimating Celiac Disease as the cause, and showing improvement on GFD.  Nothing says you can't have symptoms from both.  Wheatbelly: Total Nutrition by Dr. Davis was helpful to me. We come to the forum to share what we've learned in dealing with our own symptoms.  Maybe this will help someone. Speaking of which if you don't mind; what is your 25(OH)D vitamin D blood level?  You mentioned a mysterious Calcium issue. Vitamin D, Calcium and Iodine are closely interactive. It is not uncommon for postmenopausal women to have insufficient intake of Iodine.   (RDA): Average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy individuals; often used to plan nutritionally adequate diets for individuals You are a one-percenter.  You may need higher intake of some essential nutrient supplements to speed up repairing the damages.
×
×
  • 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.