How Long After Starting A Gluten Free Diet Will Symptoms Recede?

[Omiak]

Went to my doctor originally thinking I have a stomach parasite. I've had some recurring digestion issues that started just after I returned from a bicycle tour in central america (I drank the water a lot of places I probably shouldn't have).

 

The doctor did a blood test and told me I have Celiacs disease. My tissue transgutimase results were abnormal (a 21 with normal range being 0-19). He refused to write a referral to get a biopsy by a gastroenterologist (no idea why). I'd read that the biopsy is necessary to diagnose celiacs disease so I went to another doctor and asked for a referral. He told me that I probably didn't have celiacs disease and wrote me the referral to speak to the gastroenterologist but they couldn't get me in for over a month and a half. In the meantime I've been gluten free for a little over two weeks and my symptoms haven't changed. I did accidentally eat falafel once in the middle there.

 

I'm aware that I need to be on a gluten diet for an extended period before I have the biopsy.

 

Just wondering if anyone knows if two weeks of eating gluten free is normally enough time to see some change or reduction in symptoms. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[cyclinglady]

No, it can takes months to YEARS to have symptoms resolve! Some people do not have any symptoms at all!

I would strongly do some research. The University of Chicago has a great celiac website and discusses testing. Doctors, even GI doc get it wrong all the time. Just read all the threads in this forum.

You do have to be eating gluten to get tested. Since you are just mildly positive, I would take the blood test over in a few weeks after consuming gluten and ask for biopsies (up to six).

I was barely positive and my biopsy showed a moderate to severe damage. My only symptom was anemia at the time of my diagnosis. ,

You could also still have a parasite issue on top of celiac disease. Was that eliminated?

Here is a list of the tests:

-tTG IgA and tTG IgG

-DGP IgA and DGP IgG

-EMA IgA

-total serum IgA and IgG (control test)

-AGA IGA and AGA IgG - older and less reliable tests largely replace by the DGP tests

-endoscopic biopsy - make sure at least 6 samples are taken

Welcome to the forum and let us know how it goes!

[Omiak]

Thanks. It seems much more reasonable to me to get the biopsy right away rather than to try and spend months or years trying to diagnose myself by trial and error with the diet. I'm not sure why the first doctor I saw refused to write the reference. I asked both doctors this question about how long it would take to see improvement by changing my diet and both of them said they didn't know.

 

DGP IgA and IgG were both negative (9 and 4 respectively).

 

I was given metronidazole for possible parasite issues but it did not resolve my symptoms. I know that some stomach parasites are treated with other drugs such as praziquantel, but I'm not sure if those parasites are immune to treatment with metronidazole. Things to ask the GI specialist I suppose.

[cyclinglady]

Obtaining a biopsy is still considered the "gold standard" by leading experts in diagnosing celiac disease. It is nice to know or have a benchmark of damage and to check for cancer.

My husband went gluten-free 14 years ago per the advice of my allergist and his GP. It worked. He feels great. But he would be the first to tell you that I get a ton of support from family, friends and medical staff having a firm celiac disease diagnosis two years ago. Plus, our doctor did not blink an eye when we asked (and will continue to ask) for testing for our kid even though she is symptom free!

There is no way for my husband to do a gluten challenge. He knows and we know that gluten makes him sick, but it took a lot of trial and error and that constant wondering if he really has celiac disease (though we are pretty sure since autoimmune disease runs very strongly in our families -- kid is doomed!)

I wish you well!

Oh, and a biking adventure! Maybe when I retire!

[ravenwoodglass]

Did your doctor do stool testing to check for parasites? If not that should be done. The medication that you were given does have D as a side effect so even if the diet was helping (if you are in fact celiac) the side effects of the med may be masking any improvement. 

 Meanwhile get back on gluten and get full panels done along with the biopsy. How soon it takes to improve on the diet varies. For some folks it takes a long time to see symptom resolution but for others it can happen pretty quickly. In my own case the digestive issues cleared up within days (although mistakes on the diet brought them back full force until I eliminated all sources of CC) but other problems took much longer to resolve. 

Hope this gets figured out and you are feeling better soon. 

[nvsmom]

Just wondering if anyone knows if two weeks of eating gluten free is normally enough time to see some change or reduction in symptoms. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

 

In some people, two weeks on the gluten-free diet is enough to see improvements in some symptoms, although not all.  I had less bloating and fewer stomach aches within days of going gluten-free.  Headaches and a few other symptoms were getting better at about a month gluten-free.  After a year gluten-free, my arthritis improved.  It really depends on the person and the symptoms.

 

Also, some people get worse before they get better.  I had withdrawal for about 10 days - I still remember that headache.  after 2-3 months gluten-free, my arthritis and fatigue became much worse.  I really started to feel like I was getting well after being gluten-free for 6 months.  2 weeks is really nothing.  

 

I am somewhere between both of those doctors; I think your weak positive tTG IgA probably points to celiac disease because 95% of positive tTG IgA tests are from celiac disease.  Those weak positives are usually the ones caused by other issues (like crohn's, colitis, thyroiditis, liver disease, diabetes, or a serious infection) when it is not caused by celiac disease (which it usually is).  My guess is that you probably have celiac disease, but can't state it with 100% certainty.  

 

The biopsy requires a gluten challenge of 2-4 weeks of eating about 1/2 to 4 (1-2 is average) slices of bread per day.  If a biopsy is ordered you will need to resume gluten.  If your Gastro wants to retest, you should go back on gluten immediately because 2-3 months of gluten is needed for accurate blood tests. You may not want to go gluten-free yet.

 

If you retest your tTG IgA after some months gluten-free, and your result is down, that could also be confirmation of a celiac disease diagnosis.