5 replies to this topic

[kkenny]

Hi all,
I found this website a few days ago and am eternally grateful for the answers, help and sense of validation I now feel. I had never connected many of the symptoms I experience to gluten. I too thought I was a hypochondriac at one point. With that said; here's my story and my question.

I had been experiencing symptoms exactly like morning sickness for about two years and, after many pregnancy tests every month, I finally decided to go see a doctor. After being tested for everything under the sun and taking every ct scan available, ruling out lupus, MS, etc. etc. my doctor informed me my blood work showed I was allergic to wheat. Next step, a biopsy with the GI.

The next available appointment was a little more than a month away. I had eaten very little carbohydrates to begin with and with the prospect of having Celiac's Disease, began a gluten free diet (Oops). You see, I was never informed that for the test results to be valid there has to be gluten in your system. The test result came back negative.
I continue a gluten free diet regardless of the test results because my body feels better but my question is this; knowing what I know now, should I reintroduce gluten to my system and re-take the test? Is there an upside to having definitive results even if I have already changed my diet?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Kelly

[Jen_1984]

I am just curious, what blood tests did you have done that showed you had a wheat allergy? I also went gluten-free before my endoscopy so it came back neg, but had blood work done that indicated celiac. Do you feel better going gluten-free? I maybe wrong, but I think there maybe a difference from celiac and a wheat allergy, but I could be very wrong as I am new here, too.

[mushroom]

It is a reasonably common belief that celiac disease is an allergy to wheat, when it is in fact an autoimmune response where the body attacks itself, not the gluten. The OP may have had allergy testing, but I suspect that she had celiac testing.

[kkenny]

Hi Jen,
I am unsure as to the specific blood tests my family doctor conducted. I only know that the results he told me were: I am severly allergic to dust/dust mites and wheat. He told me to go to the GI doctor for the endoscopy. He seemed to think testing for Celiac's was the next logical step. I do feel much better when I am eating a gluten free diet but, who knows that could be attributed to simply eating more healthy.
Kelly

[kkenny]

I see this is a common question as another post addresses this exact issue. I'll lurk on that post :-) Thanks for the help.

[GFinDC]

HI Kkenny,

You could go ahead and get endoscopy with biopsies for celiac testing. And get the celiac antibodies first. There isn't a whole lot of benefit to diagnosis for USA'ers right now. But you could be become of part of a statistic, whoop whoop! In the future maybe things will change though. Celiac clinical trials are one thing that usually require a biopsy confirmed diagnosis. If you need a diagnosis is reallyhup to each person to decide.