How Much Gluten Before A Biopsy?

[germangirl]

I am in the diagnostic process, and several of my tests came back as "inconclusive" but "above normal," so my doctor has said that he's going to be sending me to a GI for an endoscopy. The problem is that ever since I suspected what might be wrong (and I've been very lucky to have a friend who is a diagnosed celiac to help along the way) I've stopped eating gluten, allowing only one item per day "for testing purposes." (Sure enough, when that item is consumed, it causes all sorts of issues.)

Now I'm concerned that the GI I'm being sent to, who may or may not be the most wise when it comes to this disease, won't see enough of an impact on the villi for an accurate diagnosis.

And mostly, I'm asking myself if it even really matters. Maybe I should just go gluten-free and see if I feel better? The only problem with this is that my mother, who has many of the same symptoms, won't get tested unless she knows I've got a "medically confirmed diagnosis."

What's a girl to do?

[penguin]

If you're going to do a biopsy, you have to be eating the equivalent of 4 slices a bread a day for 3 months to have a chance of it being accurate. It sucks.

[germangirl]

Wow, that really does suck, because I don't eat that much gluten-containing food, even under normal circumstances! I rarely eat pasta or bread, unless there's pizza involved, or brownies... and my test is Sep. 5, so I wonder if I even have enough time to eat enough gluten... gah. So annoying.