Have Blood Test Results, but waiting to see doc still

[Donna-R]

These results mean nothing to me yet, as my doctor's appointment is still a week away.  Can anyone help me with what these levels mean?

IgA = 255

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody IgA = 6.14

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody IgA Result = Negative

Gliadin (Deamidated) Antibody IgA = 56.69 H

Gliadin (Deamidated) Antibody IgA Result = Postive

I've been dealing with IBS for the past 30 + years, Fibromyalgia, and hypothyroidism.  My symptoms now feel different than IBS, which is what prompted the blood work and an abdominal ultra-sound.  The ultra-sound showed gallstones, so I saw a surgeon who ordered an upper GI.  The upper GI looked good, but with the results of the Celiac panel I'm waiting to talk to my regular doc before I even think about having my gall bladder removed unnecessarily.  

I'm hoping for the best, but since this blood work is flagged on my report I'm assuming this isn't good news.  

Any insight would be helpful.  Thanks!

Donna

 

[GFinDC]

7 minutes ago, Donna_R said:

These results mean nothing to me yet, as my doctor's appointment is still a week away.  Can anyone help me with what these levels mean?

IgA = 255

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody IgA = 6.14

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody IgA Result = Negative

Gliadin (Deamidated) Antibody IgA = 56.69 H

Gliadin (Deamidated) Antibody IgA Result = Postive

I've been dealing with IBS for the past 30 + years, Fibromyalgia, and hypothyroidism.  My symptoms now feel different than IBS, which is what prompted the blood work and an abdominal ultra-sound.  The ultra-sound showed gallstones, so I saw a surgeon who ordered an upper GI.  The upper GI looked good, but with the results of the Celiac panel I'm waiting to talk to my regular doc before I even think about having my gall bladder removed unnecessarily.  

I'm hoping for the best, but since this blood work is flagged on my report I'm assuming this isn't good news.  

Any insight would be helpful.  Thanks!

Donna

 

Hi Donna,

The DGP (Gliadin (Deamidated) Antibody IgA) Result = Positive means you were positive on one of the antibody tests for celiac disease.  You only need to be positive on 1 antibody for a diagnosis.  Usually though a doctor will request and endoscopy with 4 to 6 biopsy samples for microscopic examination of gut lining damage to confirm celiac disease.  Since you already had an endoscopy I don't know what they will do.  If they took biopsy samples already or if there was visible damage, they may go ahead and diagnose you with celiac disease.

You should keep eating gluten until the testing and results are complete.  Which they may be but only your doctor can say for sure.

If it is celiac disease you may have found the answer to your long years of digestive symptoms.  Celiac disease is the only autoimmune disease where the trigger is known.  Eating wheat, rye or barley triggers the autoimmune reactions that causes the damage to the gut (and possibly other body organs).  the treatment is simple, stop eating all gluten (wheat, rye, barley).

Since celiac disease interferes with the ability of the gut to absorb nutrients, you may begin to feel much better after your gut is healed.  That can take some time though.  The immune system is very determined not to let us die from noxious invaders, and the reaction (antibodies) take time to taper off and stop damaging the gut.

If you've had the mumps or measles or any other immunity shot, you know they protect you for life in most cases.  That's because the immune system learns but doesn't forget.  So the immune system always knows to kill mumps and measles germs.  In our case, it also learns to kill gluten and part of our intestinal lining.  That's no fun for us, but can't be helped.

There is a newbie 101 thread post at the top of some forums.  It has a lot of info for people new to celiac disease.  We can also try to answer your questions, although we aren't doctors.  We still like to help and we charge a lot less, as in nothing.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[cyclinglady]

GFinDC said it well!  I just want to emphasize that you only need one positive on the celiac panel.  I also was just positive on the DGP, yet my biopsies revealed moderate to severe damage (my visual on my endoscopy was normal, it was the biopsy that revealed the intestinal damage).  

I hope you are able to save your GB.  Mine was removed 10 years ago (well before my celiac disease diagnosis) because it was at 0% functionality and became infected.  I am glad of the surgery (I would have died without it), but I always wonder if I would have been able to save my GB.  It is nice to keep all body parts, if possible!