Pre-Diagnosis

[bluebnrf]

Hello,

I am new here and I am looking for some support. A few years back I’ve been having gastrointestinal issues, that I did not take seriously at the time but they acapares through this last year to a pain on the left side of my abdomen. My main symptom before this pain was diarrhea. I even went to the ER a few times and they just diagnosed me with “gastritis”. After I noticed that it has been scalating, I made an appointment with a gastroenterologist, and she thinks it can be Celiac Disease, so she sent a lot blood work, and abdominal ultrasound and a Endoscopy with Biopsy that will be performed on June 13. I am scared about this whole situation and I don’t know what to do.

My main symptoms are:

Diarrhea

Bloating (Looks like I am pregnant after I eat)

Acid Reflux

Nausea but no vomiting

Pain on left side of my abdome below the ribs.

Did anyone had similar symptoms and it resulted in Celiac?

 Do I have to continue to eat gluten until the Endoscopy and Bloodwork is done?

[trents]

Welcome to this online community @bluebnrf!

Yes, you need to continue to eat generous amounts of gluten until the endoscopy/biopsy is complete.

The blood testing you have had looks for antibodies produced by the inflammation gluten consumption causes in the small bowel lining of those who have celiac disease.

The biopsy visually microscopically looks for damage that the long-term inflammation causes to the small bowel lining. 

If you start the gluten free diet before all testing is complete the inflammation begins to subside and the small bowel villous lining begins to heal. This can confuse and compromise test results.

The symptoms you describe are common to the celiac community, especially before diagnosis. 

[Scott Adams]

Feel free to share your blood test results for your celiac disease panel (hopefully they did this). The endoscopy procedure is generally safe and complications are rare. Sedation ensures that the patient feels minimal discomfort. Most people do not remember the procedure and experience only mild side effects like a sore throat or bloating afterward.