Waiting for diagnosis and not sure what to do

[Seekingthelight]

I’ve had two months of diarrhea and bloating after having the flu (which I read can trigger celiacs) I am waiting for first gastroenterology appointment….over a month away. My dr advised I cut dairy first. Two weeks no improvement. Then I cut gluten. I had one morning of relief, but then diarrhea back in night and next morning. I know I’m just getting started figuring this out. Now I don’t know if I start to heal, will they be able to detect disease? 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @Seekingthelight!

No, you should not begin the gluten free diet before all testing for celiac disease is complete. Inflammation begins to subside, antibody levels begin to decrease and the villous lining begins to heal. Obviously, this will affect test results and could easily result in false negatives in both the blood antibody testing and the endoscopy/biopsy. Have you already had antibody testing performed and now are awaiting possible endoscopy? Or, have you not had any testing done at all?

The good news is that there is still time to effect a reliable "gluten challenge" if you are willing. Gluten challenge guidelines are a bit in flux at this point but evolving in a more aggressive direction. The current thinking is that you need to consume at least 10g of gluten daily (the equivalent of approximately 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for at least 2 weeks before testing. Since you are over a month out before your gastro appointment I would suggest starting the gluten challenge now just to make sure the testing produces valid results.

[Seekingthelight]

That is very helpful! I really appreaciate the informtion.

[Scott Adams]

I also want to add that one day gluten-free, even if you had celiac disease, would not likely be enough time for you to tell whether or not gluten is the cause of your symptoms.

Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy:

Quote

"...in order to properly diagnose celiac disease based on serology and duodenal histology, doctors need patients to be on gluten-containing diets, even if they are causing symptoms, and this is called a "gluten challenge."

• Eat gluten prior to celiac disease blood tests: The amount and length of time can vary, but is somewhere between 2 slices of wheat bread daily for 6-8 weeks and 1/2 slice of wheat bread or 1 wheat cracker for 12 weeks 12 weeks;
• Eat gluten prior to the endoscopic biopsy procedure: 2 slices of wheat bread daily for at least 2 weeks;

and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day: