Blood results

[trents]

Possibly gluten withdrawal. Lot's of info on the internet about it. Somewhat controversial but apparently gluten plugs into the same neuro sensors as opiates do and some people get a similar type withdrawal as they do when quitting opiates.

Another issue is that gluten-free facsimile flours are not fortified with vitamins and minerals as is wheat flour (in the U.S. at least) so when the switch is made to gluten-free facsimile foods, especially if a lot of processed gluten-free foods are being used as substitutes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can result.

There is also the possibility that she has picked up a virus or some but that is totally unrelated to going gluten-free.

[Heatherisle]

Daughter struggling at the moment, has been on gluten free diet for almost 3 weeks now as advised. Felt really good at beginning of this week but today feeling seriously depressed, very tearful and says her life is no good. Had an emergency doctor appointment today, commenced on Diazepam 2mgs and referred to psychiatrist who is going to contact her over the next few days. Has also been given a sick line for work until 4th October.She video called us really upset and distressed which has not done me or her dad any good. Unfortunately we don’t live anywhere near her, she’s on the mainland and we live on an island. Hoping to get her home next week for a few days. Luckily her flat mate is understanding. Just wondering if anyone else has felt like this? Have tried to explain to her it’s not unusual to have these feelings. Having to wait for weeks for biopsy result isn’t helping either. Thanks for any advice anyone has. I’ve told her to get in touch with a coeliac group in her neighbourhood but it’s falling on deaf ears at the moment.

[trents]

 

[knitty kitty]

@Heatherisle,

Your daughter needs to be checked for Vitamin B12 deficiency as soon as possible!  

The nitrogen compounds in anesthesia can precipitate a B12 deficiency resulting in severe depression.  Please have her checked immediately!

The nitrogen compounds in anesthesia (both gas and injected anesthesia) bind irrevocably with the Cobalt in Cobalamine Vitamin B12.  This precipitates a B12 deficiency in people with a low B12 level.  This can happen immediately, within days or weeks or months depending on B12 stores.   

I've had medical procedures that required anesthesia and been struck down by deep dark depression and uncontrollable crying immediately, and also within weeks of the exposure.  My doctor put me on antidepressants which only made things worse.  Antidepressants don't correct a vitamin deficiency.  

Please have her checked for B12 deficiency as soon as possible!

[Heatherisle]

Hi , Thank you so much. She does have a GP appointment on Tuesday to ask about bloods and I did say to her to mention B12, so I’ll remind her

[Wends]

Hopefully the biopsy gives a conclusive and correct diagnosis for your daughter.

Im in the UK and have been in the situation a few years ago of trying to rule celiac in or out after inconclusive results. Many symptoms pointing to it including the classic symptoms and weight loss and folate and iron deficiency. You have to play a waiting game. I also had the label of IBS and likely food allergy. Genetic test showed low risk for celiac but not no risk.

It sounds like the Gastroenterologist is on it and hopefully will diagnose what it is correctly.

Food hypersensitivity (allergy) can also cause similar symptoms and inflammation as well as mimicking IBS. Milk / dairy and wheat (cereal grains) being the biggest culprits.

The “oesophagitis” and “gastritis” you mentioned can be caused by another gastrointestinal disorder called “eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders”. These are named depending on which part of the gastrointestinal tract is affected. For example eosinophilic oesophagitis, eosinophilic gastritis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and more rare eosinophilic colitis. They are antigen (allergen) driven.

When the blood test measuring anti-ttg antibodies is positive in absence of a positive ema test - which is more specific to celiac, this can also suggest food hypersensitivity (allergy). Usually delayed type allergy similar to celiac but not autoimmune if that makes sense. In this case the ttg antibodies are transient. Which happens. I’ve first hand experience.

For info, evidence of villous atrophy too can be caused by food hypersensitivity. Not just by celiac disease.

In Egid disorders the six food elimination diet, under a dietitian and gastroenterologist care, is the dietary protocol to figure out the culprit or culprits. Sometimes only two food elimination diet is used at first. The number one culprit is milk protein / dairy. Followed by wheat, eggs, soy, fish and seafood, and nuts.

Most are only reactive to one food group or two. Most are only reactive to milk.

Hope this is a helpful reply.

[Russ H]

On 10/12/2025 at 12:29 PM, Wends said:

Hopefully the biopsy gives a conclusive and correct diagnosis for your daughter.

Im in the UK and have been in the situation a few years ago of trying to rule celiac in or out after inconclusive results. Many symptoms pointing to it including the classic symptoms and weight loss and folate and iron deficiency. You have to play a waiting game. I also had the label of IBS and likely food allergy. Genetic test showed low risk for celiac but not no risk.

It sounds like the Gastroenterologist is on it and hopefully will diagnose what it is correctly.

Food hypersensitivity (allergy) can also cause similar symptoms and inflammation as well as mimicking IBS. Milk / dairy and wheat (cereal grains) being the biggest culprits.

The “oesophagitis” and “gastritis” you mentioned can be caused by another gastrointestinal disorder called “eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders”. These are named depending on which part of the gastrointestinal tract is affected. For example eosinophilic oesophagitis, eosinophilic gastritis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and more rare eosinophilic colitis. They are antigen (allergen) driven.

When the blood test measuring anti-ttg antibodies is positive in absence of a positive ema test - which is more specific to celiac, this can also suggest food hypersensitivity (allergy). Usually delayed type allergy similar to celiac but not autoimmune if that makes sense. In this case the ttg antibodies are transient. Which happens. I’ve first hand experience.

For info, evidence of villous atrophy too can be caused by food hypersensitivity. Not just by celiac disease.

In Egid disorders the six food elimination diet, under a dietitian and gastroenterologist care, is the dietary protocol to figure out the culprit or culprits. Sometimes only two food elimination diet is used at first. The number one culprit is milk protein / dairy. Followed by wheat, eggs, soy, fish and seafood, and nuts.

Most are only reactive to one food group or two. Most are only reactive to milk.

Hope this is a helpful reply.

The EMA test is an old and less sensitive test for anti-tTG2 antibodies. It relies on a technician using a microscope to check for fluorescence of a labelled substrate (typically monkey oesophagus or human umbilicus), giving a simple positive/negative result. It is similar to running a standard anti-tTG2 test but with a high cut-off, making it more specific but less sensitive. Transient rises in tTG2 can be caused by e.g. viral infections and inflammation. Very high levels of anti-tTG2 (>x10 standard range) are almost certainly coeliac disease but moderately raised levels can have several causes apart from coeliac disease.

Other food allergies can cause villi blunting but that is much rarer than coeliac disease or other non-coeliac causes.

Not All That Flattens Villi Is Celiac Disease: A Review of Enteropathies