Eating Gluten Between Blood Test And Endoscopy?

[nikkijayne28]

Thanks to some really helpful comments on here to my last post, I'm having my bloods taken on Friday to test for coeliac (along with thyroid problems, colitis and IBD).

 

Now, my doctor reckons I have IBS with NCGS - before I went to the doctor I stopped eating gluten and felt great, so she's recognised I definitely have a problem with it - and boy, doing this challenge has really hit home how much I have a problem with it! I forgot what it's like to need to rush to the loo multiple times a day!

 

Anyway, she said after I'd had my blood tests I could resume eating gluten-free. Now I've been thinking, if my coeliac screen comes back positive, won't I be referred for an endoscopy which means I have to carry on eating gluten? I've been SO looking forward to coming off gluten in a few days and all of a sudden I realised I might have to continue eating it for months! Is this correct? I'm in the UK and had an endoscopy earlier this year for my acid reflux, and from my referral to my appointment was about 2 months. My coeliac blood results will take 10-14 days to get back to the doctor - would it matter if I was off gluten just for those 2 weeks? I'm so fed up of walking around looking like I'm 6 months pregnant!

[Solandra]

If it makes you sick, stop eating it. You might get test results that confirm it, you might not. I got a weak positive result, went off gluten, tried eating it again recently to get more testing, and was too sick after about four days that I couldn't continue. It's up to you, if you want to get the endoscopy you should continue to eat it, if it's enough that it makes you ill and you don't want to continue to eat it, don't.

[nvsmom]

The biopsy requires a shorter gluten challenge of about 2-4 weeks, so if your appointment is a ways off into the future, you might be able to eat gluten-free for a while and then go back to gluten as the endoscopy approaches.

[nikkijayne28]

Ahh fabulous, thank you!