Home testing for gluten reliable?

[mystic]

Hey guys, since I am not 100% sure if I have gluten issues, I am thinking of getting tested for it to get a definitive answer. I have Psoriasis and is the reason why I am doing diet elimination, since going gluten-free for a month or two now, my Psoriasis plaque situation seems to be getting "slowly" better, also since going gluten-free I notice my stomach feels different now. Actually it feels sort of like when you have mild diarrhea even though I don't actually have diarrhea so that suggests to me that I do have some connection with gluten.

I am seeing a home testing option here:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Does anyone know if that's reliable please?

 

[tessa25]

I don't know anything about enterolab. In the US you can order your own blood tests though.

The full celiac panel includes:

TTG IGA
TTG IGG
DGP IGA
DGP IGG
EMA
IGA

You can either have a gastroenterologist order the full celiac panel plus whatever else they typically test for, or you can order your own test at a site like walkinlab.com. At walkinlab.com it's called the celiac comprehensive test and costs $298.00 (not covered by insurance). Then if any one test comes up high you can give it to your  gastroenterologist so they can do an endoscopy. The blood draw is done at your nearest Labcorp. You get your results in less than a week at walkinlab.com .

You have to be eating gluten until all testing is done.

[Ennis-TX]

The above from tessa is some good info, but do recall you will have to do a gluten challenge first, this involves eating gluten daily for 12 weeks about 1/2 a slice of bread a day at least. If you want to make sure it is a GLUTEN issue and not some other ingredient we have had members use vital wheat gluten and wheat germ by the tsp daily for the challenge. Point is the blood antibodies are what they test for, it takes awhile for them to build up in your gut before going into your blood. Some people will test negative despite having the disease in I think it was 10%? This is where the endoscope becomes the golden standard where they take 6 or so biopises of the intestines and look for damaged and blunted vili under a microscope...but again the intestines have the surface area of a tennis court. Look up more heres
Open Original Shared Link
Open Original Shared Link

[mystic]

Thanks guys. I have hear some people saying they had gone to an Allergist to find out which foods they might be allergic to, would that work for this purpose?

[cyclinglady]

Here is what the celiac experts have to say about Enterolab:

Open Original Shared Link

I just attended a celiac lecture and again, this lab is not recognized by the American Gastroenterologist Association.  I would save my money and do the standard celiac tests.  Since you have been gluten free, you would need to get back on a full gluten diet for 8 to 12 weeks.  Why so long?  It can take some people that long to build antibodies up enough to be found in the bloodstream.  How long will it take you?  Who knows?  Best to take a conservative approach.  

As far as Allergy testing, it can be dicey.  It is possible to have a true IgE response to wheat and includes typical allergy symptoms (e.g. hives, swelling, breathing and GI issues).  But celiac disease is not a true IgE (Type 1 hypersensitivity) allergy.  You would need the antibodies tests that Tessa listed.  

One to two months of being gluten free is not even enough time for a celiac to heal.  You said you were seeing some results.  Why not stay the course for four more months?  If you are not successful, then consider a gluten challenge.  

[mystic]

Good advice I know but I am scheduled to start taking Methotrexate from next week for Psoriatic Arthritis which will also control Psoriasis plaque.  That means I will have no idea if gluten-free diet would be helping?

[cyclinglady]

2 hours ago, mystic said:

Good advice I know but I am scheduled to start taking Methotrexate from next week for Psoriatic Arthritis which will also control Psoriasis plaque.  That means I will have no idea if gluten-free diet would be helping?

Remember your 5th grade science project?  Changing variables mid-stream can dilute the end result and your original hypothesis bombs.  You and your doctor know your situation, so only you can determine what your best course of action should be.  

[mystic]

Just curios guys, since many have said it takes some months for the Celiac's "gut to heal", dies that mean Celiac's or gluten sensitive people have an "infection" in their gut?

[Ennis-TX]

5 minutes ago, mystic said:

Just curios guys, since many have said it takes some months for the Celiac's "gut to heal", dies that mean Celiac's or gluten sensitive people have an "infection" in their gut?

Not an infection....your villi are blunted....imagine a bunch of little fingers in your intestines they poke and and your blood goes through them and they allow nutrients in the broken down food to be absorbed into your blood stream....with celiac your immune system has attacked them as your body reacts to the gluten in said broken down food paste. This causes blunting/destruction of said villi so your body can no longer absorb nutirnets effectively. It can take months - years for them to heal back, and a few months for you body to let its guard down after a exposure. Your body rallied up the antibodies to attack the gluten, and can take a few weeks to a month to let the guard back down and the antibody count to go down and stop attacking. NOTE this is a overly simplified explanation trying to be made for ease of understanding. Open Original Shared Link

[mystic]

Thanks. If you are on a gluten-free diet but once on a while you may consume a meal with gluten in it, does that delay the healing process? I read an article the other day which said almost everything we eat has some gluten in it.

[Ennis-TX]

3 minutes ago, mystic said:

Thanks. If you are on a gluten-free diet but once on a while you may consume a meal with gluten in it, does that delay the healing process? I read an article the other day which said almost everything we eat has some gluten in it.

I think you read a fear monger post ignore it...I got to admit it gets in to some odd things and but as long as you wash your produce and avoid processed foods your generally alright. Seems as of late most grains and legumes are having constant CC issues thank god I am paleo/keto now days lol. But yeah I got CCed by hemp and shared facility coconut in the past 6 months

I estimate from my expirece you get set back about 1-2 months in healing from 1 day exposure to a gluten that triggers a reaction. I mean it took over 3 weeks for my stool to form up after that issue in December I assume that was the antibodies coming back down and I just assuming tack on a month to heal the damage done after.

If you have nerve damage....well you got decades to heal, I will probably start noticing pain again in about 4-8 months gluten free....I go numb in my hands and feet and lose sensations of hot/cold or surface/skin damage...like cut myself and not feel it, pick up a hot pan and not feel it, drink liquid not knowing it is over 170F til it hits my stomach (had to get a temperature control mug a year ago for this)