I'd Love To Eat A Normal Diet Again

[DonnaEm]

I'm a 53 year old female with a 35 year history of Hashimotos. Most of my family have autoimmune disorders (Addisons, Graves, Psoriasis, Rheumatoid arthritis). About 5 years ago I started to become unwell, eventually ending up with daily diarrhoea, (massive amounts of floating, yellow stuff – sorry for the TMI) nausea, weight loss, bloating, abdominal pain, anaemia which didn’t respond to iron pills, dizzy spells, muscle pain and fatigue.

I consulted a doctor 2-3 times a year. I had heaps of tests and scans but repeatedly got told there was nothing wrong and I just needed to take my iron pills (I already was) and have a holiday! 

I finally worked out for myself that carbohydrates made me feel worse so I slowly excluded all bread, cake and biscuits from my diet which improved my digestive problems a bit but, overall, not a huge help. Finally, in desperation, I tried a different Dr.  He said that he thought he knew what the problem was and tested me for celiacs (which I’d never heard of). He never asked me about my diet.

The test was negative but I do carry the DQ2 (?) gene.  He advised me to try a gluten free diet anyway which I reluctantly did.  Within a few weeks I felt better than I had for years. I’ve been (99%) gluten-free for a year now and my former good health is mostly back which is great and I’m really grateful.

My questions: 1) could a celiacs test be negative if someone is still eating a small amount of gluten? (ie muesli a few times a week and pasta once a week)

2)  if I do not have celiacs then is it ok to eat normal food sometimes?  Bread is completely out but I do seem to be able to tolerate an occasional bit of pastry. Sometimes I would choose to eat "normal" food when out but is it causing damage if it does make me sick? 

 

I don’t really want to talk to the Dr about it – my faith in them is pretty low!

[cyclinglady]

Yes, results can be negative on celiac testing if you are not consuming gluten daily! You need to make sure you had the complete celiac panel. I have Hashi's and I tested positive on only the DGP IGA test. The others were all negative yet I had moderate to severe intestinal damage. If you do not have celiac disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance, or even a wheat allergy, then eat gluten! If you do have celiac disease, every gluten exposure sets off an autoimmune response and your intestines get damaged. It may even impact your Hashi's. It can certainly interfere with the absorption of your thyroid replacement medication (that should be gluten free too).

If you decide to go gluten-free because you really think you have celiac disease, then no cheating ever! If you are unsure, do the gluten challenge for two to three months and get re-tested. It migh help you adhere to the diet.

[DonnaEm]

Thank you very much for your reply and your advice. I didn't realise there was more than one test. I will consider my options.