Not Sure What To Do

[MammoMaven]

I have been gluten-free since 2011.  I was having horrible GI issues---would have to RUN to the restroom after just a couple of bites of food.  I thought it was lactose intolerance, but avoiding milk didn't completely make me better.  I figured out cutting out gluten and lactose made me completely better.  I was able to add milk back into my diet after about six months of being gluten-free.  Now, I feel that people think I am crazy or just avoiding gluten because it's a fad.  This couldn't be farther from the truth.  I would love to be able to eat bread.  I have had genetic testing, and I do have the HLA DQ2 gene, which would allow me to develop celiac, but I have had no other formal testing.  The question is: should I eat gluten for 12 weeks to be tested, or should I just ignore others' opinions and keep eating gluten-free because I know that I feel better?  The problem is that if I eat gluten, I am miserable and I become so mean that I make my entire family miserable for several days, so I'm not sure if we could take 12 weeks of gluten.  What do you think?

[GF Lover]

Here are some revised guidelines.  It covers a Challenge.

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Colleen

[NatureChick]

I personally don't care for the pressure that seems to be placed on people to get tested, and then retested to check progress because a certain percentage of that is always going to be doctors finding ways to make money. But I do understand that there are societal pressures.

But if I were in your shoes, I'd skip the gluten challenge for now and hope that they finish developing new testing that requires much less time consuming gluten for accurate results, days rather than weeks. 

[MammoMaven]

Thank you for your quick responses!

[IrishHeart]

The latest guidelines suggest that a 14- day challenge would raise anitbodies enough for testing. I just read this latest pub med article.

 

I am pretty sure it is the same one Colleen has linked to as I shared it with her. 

 

How important is a celiac diagnosis to you? Only you can decide what to do, I'm afraid.

 

There's no pressure from any of us on here to get tested. We just want you to be okay with your decision.

[GF Lover]

In my opinion, it is important to have a diagnosis so a possible other cause isn't missed.  There are so many cross-over symptoms that shared with other diseases, conditions etc.  Of course if a Challenge debilitates you then it should be stopped.  

 

Colleen