Test Results Negative

[eleep]

Well,

I dunno. My blood test results showed no nutritional malabsorption problems, and the celiac panel results were as follows:

IGG <3

IGA 3

TTG, IGG <3

TTG, IGA <3

I also have high levels of beta-carotene (although I think I was supposed to have fasted before that particular test and I didn't) and some test called LD was flagged as abnormal at 89 -- Oh and the MCH count on my hemogram was slightly high.

So, the good news is that I don't have to have an endoscopy. The bad news is that I got a pat on the head and sent home with a fructose-intolerance diet (of all things -- does this make sense to anyone? I don't eat a lot of processed foods and eating fruit actually makes me feel great). I'm sure I came across as a total hypochondriac.

However, I do feel significantly better not eating gluten -- and I know that my blood levels may be skewed by the fact that I was fairly gluten-avoidant beforehand. I guess I'm going off to the nutritionist at my school's infirmary and seeing if she can guide me through figuring out food intolerances and whatnot.

Meh. My big issue is my Type I diabetic father who gets very angry if anyone but him suggests that they might not be able to eat a certain food. When I was a vegetarian I dutifully ate meat served by my stepmother every time I visited. Now I'm just hoping I can avoid the bread basket at home without drawing undue attention to myself.

Erica

[Guest nini]

hmmm. just because your test results were negative does not mean anything. If you know you feel better gluten free, then go for it, 100%, as far as your father is concerned, don't explain it, just do it. There are ways around this. you do not owe anyone an explanation if you choose to be gluten free. The diet is a healthy one and more people are choosing to be on this diet despite having any diagnosis.

[eleep]

Thanks,

That helps a lot. I guess I'm going through that emotional uncertainty about whether this is all in my head or not -- but my body knows it isn't. The confusion I'm feeling now is emotional, the confusion I felt a week ago was a foggy brain, achey kind of confusion that made it impossible to think straight or get any writing done on my dissertation.

I'm actually starting to realize that the emotional confusion is more powerful than I thought it was. Usually, I've happily been a "things in moderation" kind of person who ate lots of veggies and fruits and whole grains -- but was able to enjoy cake or pasta or other kinds of comfort food occasionally. I had a bit of a freakout last night because we didn't have any gluten-free food in the house that was comforting -- and somehow I _wanted_ to have comfort food in a way that was scary and that I'd never experienced before. It was made harder by the fact that I have an uncertain diagnosis -- this uncertainty is a really tough one to get comfortable with when you're faced with changing all these aspects of your life so much.

So, I've decided that I'm going to stay gluten-free for a month and then do an experiment with pasta and see if it still makes me feel as lousy as before. Until I'm done with graduate school, I'm stuck with kind of lousy school insurance that won't pay for me to get the Enterolab testing, and I'd rather not tax my savings by having that testing done at my own expense right now. I'll do that when I have a "real" job.

I'm going to dig back in on the dissertation and keep trying to learn how to live comfortably with scientific uncertainty and listen to my body. I'm going to try not to freak out my boyfriend, who is also writing his dissertation and who has done his best to be supportive through all this.

Everyone on this board has been an incredible source of support -- I've found a lot of strength and information reading through posts and such -- thank you so much. You'll probably be seeing me around -- I'm going to try to be as helpful in return as people were to me.

Erica

[Guest nini]

I do know that it is harder without scientific PROOF, because I tried the gluten-free diet about 6 years ago but didn't stick with it because a) I didn't have any real proof and my ob/gyn told me to go off the diet as it was bad for my baby (yep I was pregnant at the time) I ended up having an extremely complicated pregnancy, delivering my daughter a month early and us both almost dying... took until she was 3 before I got my "proof" and was able to stick with the diet. Truth is though I knew it before then, I just didn't believe in myself enough to stick with it.

Trust yourself, trust your instincts. You know your body better than any Dr.

Good luck with it all!

[Guest Robbin]

Thanks,

That helps a lot. I guess I'm going through that emotional uncertainty about whether this is all in my head or not -- but my body knows it isn't. The confusion I'm feeling now is emotional, the confusion I felt a week ago was a foggy brain, achey kind of confusion that made it impossible to think straight or get any writing done on my dissertation.

I'm actually starting to realize that the emotional confusion is more powerful than I thought it was. Usually, I've happily been a "things in moderation" kind of person who ate lots of veggies and fruits and whole grains -- but was able to enjoy cake or pasta or other kinds of comfort food occasionally. I had a bit of a freakout last night because we didn't have any gluten-free food in the house that was comforting -- and somehow I _wanted_ to have comfort food in a way that was scary and that I'd never experienced before. It was made harder by the fact that I have an uncertain diagnosis -- this uncertainty is a really tough one to get comfortable with when you're faced with changing all these aspects of your life so much.

So, I've decided that I'm going to stay gluten-free for a month and then do an experiment with pasta and see if it still makes me feel as lousy as before. Until I'm done with graduate school, I'm stuck with kind of lousy school insurance that won't pay for me to get the Enterolab testing, and I'd rather not tax my savings by having that testing done at my own expense right now. I'll do that when I have a "real" job.

I'm going to dig back in on the dissertation and keep trying to learn how to live comfortably with scientific uncertainty and listen to my body. I'm going to try not to freak out my boyfriend, who is also writing his dissertation and who has done his best to be supportive through all this.

Everyone on this board has been an incredible source of support -- I've found a lot of strength and information reading through posts and such -- thank you so much. You'll probably be seeing me around -- I'm going to try to be as helpful in return as people were to me.

Erica

Thanks,

That helps a lot. I guess I'm going through that emotional uncertainty about whether this is all in my head or not -- but my body knows it isn't. The confusion I'm feeling now is emotional, the confusion I felt a week ago was a foggy brain, achey kind of confusion that made it impossible to think straight or get any writing done on my dissertation.

I'm actually starting to realize that the emotional confusion is more powerful than I thought it was. Usually, I've happily been a "things in moderation" kind of person who ate lots of veggies and fruits and whole grains -- but was able to enjoy cake or pasta or other kinds of comfort food occasionally. I had a bit of a freakout last night because we didn't have any gluten-free food in the house that was comforting -- and somehow I _wanted_ to have comfort food in a way that was scary and that I'd never experienced before. It was made harder by the fact that I have an uncertain diagnosis -- this uncertainty is a really tough one to get comfortable with when you're faced with changing all these aspects of your life so much.

So, I've decided that I'm going to stay gluten-free for a month and then do an experiment with pasta and see if it still makes me feel as lousy as before. Until I'm done with graduate school, I'm stuck with kind of lousy school insurance that won't pay for me to get the Enterolab testing, and I'd rather not tax my savings by having that testing done at my own expense right now. I'll do that when I have a "real" job.

I'm going to dig back in on the dissertation and keep trying to learn how to live comfortably with scientific uncertainty and listen to my body. I'm going to try not to freak out my boyfriend, who is also writing his dissertation and who has done his best to be supportive through all this.

Everyone on this board has been an incredible source of support -- I've found a lot of strength and information reading through posts and such -- thank you so much. You'll probably be seeing me around -- I'm going to try to be as helpful in return as people were to me.

Erica

Erica, You sound like such a nice person, and I want you to take control of this no matter what your family says. I have a son with type 1 diabetes, who I believe has been an undiagnosed celiac, but will not listen to me. From the reading I have been doing, (Thanks to celiac.com), I believe the diabetes is a result of the celiac and you need to be careful, especially since your father is a diabetic, too. He may even be celiac, but I know how hard that may be to convey. You can only give them the facts, give them your love, but protect your own health and life. God bless--Robbin