Is this Celiac.Please help.

[alanando]

I have been having many issues for a few years now and my GP has decided to test for Celiacs disease.

I was diagnosed many years ago with IBS which has been ongoing.

Recently I have been very tired all day,difficulty sleeping,abdomenal pain in lower abdomen and under ribs,loose stools,bloating from getting up in the morning to going to bed along with belching all day.

Abdomen gets more bloated as the day goes on.I have dry eyes,get pain in neck some nights and have a horrible taste in my mouth most of the day.I also have a numbness at times in my fingers in my right hand.

My GP has decided I should have a blood test to see if this is causing my problems and would like to know what they should be testing for so I can see what the y do tomorrow at the blood test.

Any help?

[squirmingitch]

You HAVE to have been eating gluten on a daily basis or the tests will come up false negative. Here is the current FULL celiac panel. Make him do the whole thing not just a screening. We have people who only show positive on the DGP so make sure you get everything in the panel done & then continue eating gluten until you get the test results. If they are positive, then you will need an endoscopy & still need to be eating gluten for that.

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA
Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG
Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG
Total Serum IgA 

 

Also can be termed this way:

Endomysial Antibody IgA
Tissue Transglutaminase IgA 
GLIADIN IgG
GLIADIN IgA
Total Serum IgA 
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG

[cyclinglady]

Welcome!  It sure sounds like celiac disease.  Best to get tested.  Here is more information.  Like SI stated, push for the complete panel if possible.  They should be looking for anemia too, if they also include a CBC blood test.  

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Keep eating gluten until all testing is done!  

 

[alanando]

Hi,already had a full blood count test along with thyroid,urine,glucose  and fecal calprotectin tests and all returned as normal.

Also have been very stressed since January as my mum passed away and all symptoms started to develop from then and have got progressively worse and now it is very uncomfortable in my abdomen all day.It is worse after eating meals and since September have been following a Slimming World diet which advocates wholemeal bread,pasta etc as staple core ingredients.Cant be a coincidence surely?

 

[squirmingitch]

One of the triggers that causes celiac disease to present is stress. Losing your mom qualifies & you say that's when symptoms began to develop. 

Nope, I don't think it's coincidence. Even if it were, you have enough symptoms to need to rule it out.

[alanando]

Well,been for the blood tests today.They are doing a variety of tests including

Pathology Request (Request Sent):
Amylase (Requested), CRP (Requested), ESR (Requested), Full Blood Count (FBC) (Requested), Ferritin (Requested), Liver Function Tests (LFT) (Requested), Thyroid Function Tests (TSH) (Requested), Anti TTG (Requested), Urea & Electrolytes (Requested)

 

Wonder if anything will show on these????????

Some other symptoms I have been noticing recently include Anal Itching,which I have seen mentioned in this forum along with fissures and piles,floaters in eyes which I have had for a while now, tinnitus in both ears.

About 15 years ago I suffered with a terrible scalp condition which caused bleeding scabs to develop on my head under the hairline and produced plenty of white skin flakes all the time.This lasted for about a year before clearing up with a steroid liquid.

I believe all these symptoms are possible signs of this condition????

 

[squirmingitch]

I don't see the celiac serum panel there.

[Sugarcube]

 

Well,been for the blood tests today.They are doing a variety of tests including

Pathology Request (Request Sent):
Amylase (Requested), CRP (Requested), ESR (Requested), Full Blood Count (FBC) (Requested), Ferritin (Requested), Liver Function Tests (LFT) (Requested), Thyroid Function Tests (TSH) (Requested), Anti TTG (Requested), Urea & Electrolytes (Requested)

 

The Anti-ttg is a good starting point for celiac testing.. Might be necessary to do a full celiac panel depending on the result.

[alanando]

Well,got 4 out of 9 results today which say that the FBC,ESR,Ferritin and Thyroid tests were all normal.

Still waiting for the Amylase,CRP,LFT,Anti TTG and Us + Es.

Things looking OK so far.

 

[SLLRunner]

 

The Anti-ttg is a good starting point for celiac testing.. Might be necessary to do a full celiac panel depending on the result.

The Anti-ttg is not the full story, and if one comes up negative, as it can happen, what's next?   The full celiac blood panel is what needs to be done.

[squirmingitch]

I agree.

[cyclinglady]

Hey all, based on the OP's reference to his/her "Mum" passing (please accept my condolences, Alanandro), I am guessing he/she is in Great Britian or other English-related country.  The NHS probably only authorizes the TTG test.  So, in this case, best to wait for the TTG result and then he/she can decide to pay cash for the balance of the panel (going outside NHS to a private clinic).  (I must say it would be well worth every penny!). 

[squirmingitch]

 

Hey all, based on the OP's reference to his/her "Mum" passing (please accept my condolences, Alanandro), I am guessing he/she is in Great Britian or other English-related country.  The NHS probably only authorizes the TTG test.  So, in this case, best to wait for the TTG result and then he/she can decide to pay cash for the balance of the panel (going outside NHS to a private clinic).  (I must say it would be well worth every penny!). 

Good point!

[alanando]

Hi,Yes,I am in Great Britain and am dependent on the good old NHS at the moment.

I have now got all my results back except the TTG test and they are all showing normal.

Hope to get the TTG tomorrow.

Been ill all day today with severe bloating,wind and abdominal pains and just want an answer.

Will post result when I get it.

Would it be normal for all other tests to be normal but the TTG positive?

[cyclinglady]

 

Hi,Yes,I am in Great Britain and am dependent on the good old NHS at the moment.

I have now got all my results back except the TTG test and they are all showing normal.

Hope to get the TTG tomorrow.

Been ill all day today with severe bloating,wind and abdominal pains and just want an answer.

Will post result when I get it.

Would it be normal for all other tests to be normal but the TTG positive?

Yes.  Everyone presents differently.  This is where doctors can get hung up.  Many think that you need to be a kid who is malnourished.  But old heavy people can have celiac disease too.   It is amazing how the body copes!  

[Sugarcube]

Cyclinglady - "The NHS probably only authorizes the TTG test"  - From my experience I can confirm that this is not correct.

The NHS (at the  gastro clinic),  were able to run the following additional coeliac relating panel tests for me.

So these don't necessarily need to be arranged privately.  Its possible that the GP can only request TTG, but the GI has more discretion in running the full panel.

-Endomysial AB IGA
-Gliadin IgG
-Gliadin IgA
-Total IGA

- Coeliac Gene test

[cyclinglady]

 

Cyclinglady - "The NHS probably only authorizes the TTG test"  - From my experience I can confirm that this is not correct.

The NHS (at the  gastro clinic),  were able to run the following additional coeliac relating panel tests for me.

So these don't necessarily need to be arranged privately.  Its possible that the GP can only request TTG, but the GI has more discretion in running the full panel.

-Endomysial AB IGA
-Gliadin IgG
-Gliadin IgA
-Total IGA

- Coeliac Gene test

Thanks!  I should have been clearer.  Here in the states, my families' particular health plan and provider does not allow a GP to order the full panel.  Only a GI can do it.  I found this out when my parents went in for celiac disease testing.   ?