New To All Of This

[LyndaK]

Ugh. This all seems overwhelming right now for me. I have been told that I have allergies to wheat and rice (but not oat). I have had the celiac sprue blood test last week but don't know yet but am also going in for a colonoscopy this Thursday.

If I test negative, can I have oat?

What are my best bets for gluten-free and rice free?

Thanks a bunch!!!!

[Rikki Tikki]

Welcome Lynda:

For me gluten free also means oat free as I have gotten quite sick eating oats. If your test comes back positive I would stay away from the oats. I am not sure on the rice. It can be very overwhelming, just take it slow and be sure to read labes carefully. If you do not have celiac and are allergic to rice and wheat those are fairly easy to watch for on the labels.

Anyway, just wanted to say welcome.......

[LyndaK]

This is all new to me. I have just been told that I have allergies to wheat and rice (but not oat). I have had the celiac sprue blood test... don't know yet. But I am also going in for a colonoscopy this Thursday.

If my test comes back negative, can I have oat?

What are my best bets for gluten-free and rice free?

Thanks a bunch!!!!!

[GreySaber]

There's better people here then me to answer your questions, but I'll toss out a few things until they show up to tide you over.

With oats, we don't really know if oats would be alright, the trouble is that oats are almost always testing positive for gluten, but that's due to cross contamination with other things. They might be ok if you could get safe organic oats, but even if you could, we wouldn't be sure.

[flagbabyds]

Oats make me violently ill, no matter what, even if they say they are gluten-free.

JUst read labels, I have no idea about rice I basically live on it...

sorry

[Ursa Major]

Why are you having a colonoscopy? It is not a useful tool for diagnosing celiac disease, you would need an endoscopy for that, with biopsies taken from about six sites.

Also, gluten free doesn't just mean wheat free, but you'd have to stop eating rye and barley as well, and yes, oats, and everything that is made with those grains.

[ladyx]

Ugh. This all seems overwhelming right now for me. I have been told that I have allergies to wheat and rice (but not oat). I have had the celiac sprue blood test last week but don't know yet but am also going in for a colonoscopy this Thursday.

If I test negative, can I have oat?

What are my best bets for gluten-free and rice free?

Thanks a bunch!!!!

colonoscopy is for crons or colon polops in your lower gi tract... biopsys should be take from your upper gi through your stomach... I too think oats are bad...when I read that some oats were ok I was excited. I gave my son who is supper sensetive to gluten, some gluten-free oat cookies that stated no cross contamination...he threw up for two days...couldn't even keep water down.....even when nothing was in his stomach he threw up his own gastric juices...my mom who is a nurse asked what in the world I was thinking...that oats is one of the highest sources of gluten you can find so I am not sure I believe all this hipe about oats beeing ok. As far as flours go there are a couple dozen kinds of flours you can try that are wheat and rice free...potato, tapioca, millet, buckwheat, arrowroot, dare I say soy around here, garbonzo bean, corn ect.

Well, good luck with all your tests and if they all come back negitive you might want to get a second opinion from a doctor who actually knows which in to stick the scope in in order to do your tests lol.

[Guest schmenge]

This is all new to me. I have just been told that I have allergies to wheat and rice (but not oat). I have had the celiac sprue blood test... don't know yet. But I am also going in for a colonoscopy this Thursday.

If my test comes back negative, can I have oat?

What are my best bets for gluten-free and rice free?

Thanks a bunch!!!!!

I'm not sure I have any exact answers, but at least my response will push this post back to the top of the list.

From what I have read you can have a wheat allergy, be gluten intolerent or have Celiac. These are three seperate things. A blood test can not conclusively tell you that you do not have Celiac. I don't think the colonocopy will tell you this either, that would take an upper GI.

Oats are typically cross contaminated by wheat (the oats themselves are not bad) and hence most people avoid them. You can find oats that are processed in plants that do not process wheats. If it turns out that you do not have Celiac, only the wheat/rice allergy you will not need to avoid foods with gluten, only the foods with wheat and rice. You'll still need to to a lot of label reading!

[darlindeb25]

Lynda, you must also realize that even doctors mis-speak. Some call gluten intolerance a wheat allergy and it's not the same thing. An intolerance is nothing like an allergy. The reactions are completely different. I saw a new doctor at the office I go to and was telling him I have celiacs and he says to me, "So does my son, he can't have barley, it makes him so ill." I knew at that moment that this doctor had no idea what he was talking about. His son may have a reaction to barley that is different then wheat and rye, but he still can't have any of them. I didn't use to react to barley, but I still couldn't have it. Unfortunately, we can't trust the medical community to truly understand gluten intolerance or celiacs as of yet. The best info you will get will be in these forums from the people who actually have this disease, the ones who deal with it on a daily basis, not the doctors or even many dieticians, they don't always understand either. Celiacs and gluten intolerance is a very sneaky disease--try going gluten free and see how you feel. Deb

[LyndaK]

Thanks for all your input. I called my doctor today and asked if a colonoscopy was the correct thing to do or an endoscopy (I told her the patient of hers even recommended it- along with this site). But she still wanted it done. And of course, I forgot to ask why- I was at work at the time.

I'll let you all know what the results are. Thanks!!!!

[JKJ]

Hi -- I also have been sent for a colonoscopy to rule out Celiacs . (that's what the order said)

Then the specialist had me have a "celiac Screening" blood test . What tests that amounted to I don't know - it simply said on the order "Celiac Screening" -

I am beginning to suspect that it was just a good reason for my Family Dr. to get me in for a colonoscopy which she has been trying to do. It is being done after just 8 weeks back on Gluten . The specialist claims he will be able to see if I have celiac damage in that time ??? the blood testing came back negative after being on wheat/gluten for just 4 weeks.

Now I'm thinking I don't like my GI dr any better than I have been liking my family Dr.

How come He is the only one who thinks he can diagnose Celiac with a colonoscopy??

Also - I have not had the terrible repercussions that I had for 7 weeks last summer (D!) since being on wheat again . I wonder - does that mean I don't have Celiac D.?

Oh such a complex thing this is - for sure!

JKJ

[ladyx]

Thanks for all your input. I called my doctor today and asked if a colonoscopy was the correct thing to do or an endoscopy (I told her the patient of hers even recommended it- along with this site). But she still wanted it done. And of course, I forgot to ask why- I was at work at the time.

I'll let you all know what the results are. Thanks!!!!

I had a colonoscopy before I was diagnosed for celiac because they thought I had crons. My Gi told me that everything was fine and that I only had IBS...if celiac could be diagnosed that way I think she could find it...since she is in the same group as my sons pediatic GI who is the leading celiac GI in my area. When I asked him if I needed an endoscopy since I just had a colonoscopy he said yes and that you can't tell if you have celiac from a colonoscopy and I beleive him becasue around here they call him the celiac doctor...when we went to the lab at the children's hospital to get our family blood drawen after Leo was diagnosed they practically rolled there eyes and said oh, Dr. Devoid sent you didn't he. I think you should really find a doctor who knows which test to give you...and good luck!

[LyndaK]

So today was the day. I went in for my colonoscopy and while I was there I convinced the doctor to do an endoscopy on me too considering that there was a chance my blood test could come back with a false reading. He agreed with my logic and did it!!! Plus I figured I didn't want to go through all the prep again and pay for the "rent of the room" expenses again.

My blood test came back negative. The doctor could not see anything obviously wrong during the endo. or the colonoscopy. But he took stuff from both ends to get bio-oped to rule out celiac or colitis. Those results will take 3 weeks. Until then, my doctor said to continue on my gluten-free diet or at least wheat free.

Thanks for all your help, encouragement and prayers. No matter the outcome, I will for sure use this site to help me with my new diet.

Lynda