Scope/barium Enema

[lisaemu]

I found an awesome gastrologist (in SE Michigan, if anyones curious) because I've been having very bad stomach problems for the past few years. He talked to me for a quite a while, and sent me for a blood test for celiacs (the complete panel? i had been tested before at a regular dr, but he said these can be inaccuate) because my sister had tested for celiacs a year or two from a blood test (tho they told her she doesnt have it, but im not sure why) i've read that you're not supposed to go gluten free before the testing, but ive stopped eating gluten and dairy since the visit (he asked me if there were certain foods that bugged me, and i told him wheat and dairy and he suggested avoiding these to see if it helps). im not sure about my test results yet, but i feel so much better not eating gluten that i dont want to go back! my question is...im having a sigmiodscopy and a barium enema in 3 weeks, am i suppposed to continue eating gluten until then? i used to eat gluten free a few months ago and i know the diet helps me a lot, but i started eating it again when dr's told me i just had ibs and should take medicine.

[nikki-uk]

I'm not sure how long you've been gluten-free but if you have cut gluten out for any length of time it will skew your blood panel for celiac disease and possibly give you a 'false negative'.

Regarding the sigmoidoscopy and barium enema - it will not matter whether your eating gluten or not.

The sigmoidoscopy is looking at your large bowel (coeliac affects the small bowel) and the barium enema also involves looking at the large bowel (or colon)

Any further tests for celiac disease (other than bloods) would involve an endoscopy with biopsies taken.

Hope that helps