Finally Getting Tested...do I Need To Eat Gluten Prior ?

[SarahJ]

I'm new here. I've basically been eating gluten free for about two years, with the occassional slip-ups and "accidents" along the way. It all started about two and a half years ago, when I started to notice that when I ate gluten, I had stomach bloating, upset, and my scalp and face would break out in the most nasty pustule-type things. It's very yucky. So, I tried an elimination diet, and it seemed to do the trick. Recently, I finally got health insurance and my doctor has ordered the Ig A, Ig G, and Ig A endomysial tests at my request, but now I need to know if I will need to purposefully ingest some gluten prior to testing, and if so how much prior to the testing, and could it just be one piece of bread? I really want to know definitively, but eating gluten long-term is soo hard on me. Plus, if I do test positive, what's the next step? I have my healthcare thru Kaiser and they tend to do the absolute minimum, so I need to know what I should be requesting from them next if it is positve. Thanks in advance. BTW, does anybody else get the pustule-things I mentioned? All I need to do is have one small slip-up and within 24 hours they are starting to pop up.

Thanks in advance,

Sarah

[Lisa]

Sarah:

I am curious, after being gluten free for over two years and feeling better, why you want to be tested? It would seem to me that positive dietary response, it would be clear that you either have Celiac or and intolerance.

But, yes, to get the blood panel, you should eat the equal amount to three pieces of bread a day for a period of time, I can't recall. Your panel will not be accurate if you have been gluten free for so long.

And then you will feel crappy again.

I am sure other will post soon.

Lisa

[Jestgar]

For 1-3 months. Is it worth it? What would change if you had the results?

[CarlaB]

I've heard it's 3-4 months ...

[tarnalberry]

three slices of bread a day for three months is what I've heard (for adults).

[Rachel--24]

Plus, if I do test positive, what's the next step?

Hi Sarah....welcome to the board.

To answer your question if you test positive the next step would be the gluten-free diet....which you are already on.

Kaiser wont do much for you. They sent me to their dietician who knew next to nothing about Celiac and was frantically trying to print stuff off the computer. At that point I'd already spent time on this board, visited all the sites she was printing info from....and just knew alot more than she did about the diet.

If you need a definate diagnosis through testing you would need to eat gluten (and plenty of it) for at least 3 months prior to testing. It takes a long time for antibodies to show up in the blood...unfortunately one slice of bread wont do it.