Blood Tests For Celiac Disease And Having Gone Gluten-Free For A While.

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I am new to all of this and new to the forum. My doctor is having blood tests run to see if I have celiac disease. I have a rash that she believes is dermatitis herpetiformis on my fingers and the palm of my hand. I have many other symptoms - previously diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome, have poor teeth, have constipation and heart burn, and on and on. I also have a child with autism. (I read in your literature that moms with celiac disease are 3x more likely to have  a child with autism than the rest of the population.) 

 

My question has to do with the blood tests. I stopped eating gluten for a week to see if it would help. (My rash actually did start to dry up.) This was before my doctor thought to test me. I am now eating gluten again as I read that for the tests to be accurate, you have to be eating gluten. 

 

If I get my blood work done next week, which I am scheduled for, will they be accurate or will I have to have been eating gluten again for a longer period?

[1desperateladysaved]

I hope it will be definitive, but if it is negative it could be falsely negative.  I know many of the symptoms you mention.  I hope you will not have to return to gluten to get diagnosed.  Keep us informed.

 

Get Well, ***

D

[nvsmom]

If you were only gluten-free for a week, I am guessing that it won't affect your labs much. Try to eat two or so slices of bread (or equivalent) per day until your tests are done.

Good luck.

[emaegf]

Agree a week shouldn't make much of a differance but if you want to eat gluten go ahead. But you only need a half a piece of bread or a few crackers a day.  Also if you should have a skin biopsy for the rash to confirm dermatitis herpetiformis. Not hard to do it's done by a dermatologist and only takes a few minutes.

[nvsmom]

Agree a week shouldn't make much of a differance but if you want to eat gluten go ahead. But you only need a half a piece of bread or a few crackers a day.  Also if you should have a skin biopsy for the rash to confirm dermatitis herpetiformis. Not hard to do it's done by a dermatologist and only takes a few minutes.

Most doctors advise 1-4 slices of bread per day, with 2 seeming to be the average. After being gluten-free for a week, with only one week to go, I would suggest erring on the side of caution and eat a bit more than half a slice. It might not make any difference, but then again it could.