Blood Test While gluten-free

[laurelfla]

hi, guys --

i'm sure this has been covered before but i've been super busy lately and haven't had time to search on it. my dad went to get tested for celiac disease because both his daughters have been diagnosed with it. his doc told him to go gluten-free and scheduled the biopsy for a week or two later, i can't remember. while on the diet, Dad notes his bowel movements are different (i can talk about this stuff with the best of 'em now! ) but claims it is probably due to not getting as much fiber in his diet. previously he had been having them 3 times a day or so.

the biopsy results are that some of his villi are rounded (i.e. *some* damage). the doc says it is inconclusive, and schedules bloodwork for the next week as well as bacteria tests (he refused to do the Celiac panel initially bc he said the tests weren't that accurate). my dad goes back for the bloodwork after i think 3 weeks on the gluten-free diet. the nurse has not given him the official numbers yet, but she told him they looked normal.

am i just crazy? granted i don't know all there is to know about this (but y'all do and that's why i'm asking you ), but it seems to me the dr. should have started with bloodwork BEFORE telling him to go on the diet, to get accurate numbers, then based on that perhaps and the response to the diet, ordering a biopsy. so now the biopsy and the bloodwork are going to be inconclusive, i imagine, and my dad is not really going to know what's up. he hasn't ever really had any symptoms, btw, other than insane back/disc problems.

what do you guys think? thanks!!

[Rachel--24]

hi, guys --

i'm sure this has been covered before but i've been super busy lately and haven't had time to search on it. my dad went to get tested for celiac disease because both his daughters have been diagnosed with it. his doc told him to go gluten-free and scheduled the biopsy for a week or two later, i can't remember. while on the diet, Dad notes his bowel movements are different (i can talk about this stuff with the best of 'em now! ) but claims it is probably due to not getting as much fiber in his diet. previously he had been having them 3 times a day or so.

the biopsy results are that some of his villi are rounded (i.e. *some* damage). the doc says it is inconclusive, and schedules bloodwork for the next week as well as bacteria tests (he refused to do the Celiac panel initially bc he said the tests weren't that accurate). my dad goes back for the bloodwork after i think 3 weeks on the gluten-free diet. the nurse has not given him the official numbers yet, but she told him they looked normal.

am i just crazy? granted i don't know all there is to know about this (but y'all do and that's why i'm asking you ), but it seems to me the dr. should have started with bloodwork BEFORE telling him to go on the diet, to get accurate numbers, then based on that perhaps and the response to the diet, ordering a biopsy. so now the biopsy and the bloodwork are going to be inconclusive, i imagine, and my dad is not really going to know what's up. he hasn't ever really had any symptoms, btw, other than insane back/disc problems.

what do you guys think? thanks!!

You're right about that. The doctors shouldn't be telling him to start the diet and then come back for tests. His results are going to be inconclusive or negative.

I dont understand this about doctors??? Why do they always tell people to go gluten-free BEFORE the tests....its like they WANT people to have negative results when it comes to celiac disease. I just dont get it. You would think that the doctors would know this *one* very important factor about testing for Celiac...HELLO. It totally baffles my mind.

[Felidae]

I'm no expert but if his villi are rounded, meaning some damage, isn't that good evidence? His doctor doesn't seem very informed.

[Rusla]

I find most doctors are not well informed, I truly wonder why they went to school for 7 years, or did they. Most of us are more informed than they are and this includes specialists.

I talked with another Celiac today who lost her best friend to the disease because they never diagnosed her until she was on her death bed. The blood tests were always negative and they told her because she was overweight that she couldn't be celiac.

I don't know how they can say that your fathers test results inconclusive.I think we all need to see veterinarians.

[aikiducky]

Rounded vili doesn't sound inconclusive to me???

Pauliina

[jerseyangel]

I thought the same thing. Its almost as if that Dr. is trying not to find Celiac!

[laurelfla]

well, the way my mom put it (and bear in mind this is highly scientific talk), "most of the villi were standing up, waving proud and tall, but every now and then there would be some rounded ones". apparently the damage was not enough to call the biopsy conclusive, but to my mind with the family history there's really no reason to be checking out bacteria.

[Rachel--24]

well, the way my mom put it (and bear in mind this is highly scientific talk), "most of the villi were standing up, waving proud and tall, but every now and then there would be some rounded ones".

Your Mom has a great way of explaining things. I like that kind of "scientific" talk!