Is A Gi Spec. Necessary?

[KarenLee]

Hi...I am new, but my symtoms are not. I am 43, with many symptoms listed on other posts. A very good friend was diagnosed a few years ago and thought my symptoms sounded similar...I am wondering if I should just order the test from Enterolab- if that seems to be the test to order as the last step(because of false negatives w/blood). I have no insurance and was wondering if a Dr.'s viisit was necessary. I have been told I prob. have IBS...I have normal colonoscopy test results (my Mom died at 49 of colon cancer...hmm, I wonder if she had it and didn't get diagnosed.) Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks, and what a great site.

Karen

[CarlaB]

Welcome!

I did go to Enterolab as the last resort after negative blood tests and biopsies. If you are okay with the fact that they are not widely accepted by the medical community, I would say go to them first. No need to wait to go gluten-free either, you can start today as Enterolab's tests will still pick up your intolerance even if you're gluten-free. I was almost three months gluten-free for mine.

Oh, and with Enterolab, the only reason you would need a doc is to rule out other things. You can go gluten-free on your own without a doctor's supervision. I generally ask my ob/gyn to do some yearly blood work to see if my iron, cbc, etc. are okay. He has accepted my diagnosis based on my dietary response.

[Jestgar]

Since the treatment is changing your diet, and you don't need anyone's permission to do that, you can just stop eating gluten. A friend of mine stopped eating gluten just based on my results, and has never even considered asking a dr's opinion.

[happygirl]

I suggest you check out a recent thread, from someone who was pre-dx but suspected Celiac:

Open Original Shared Link

Hope this helps!