Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Colonoscopy?

Terch

Recommended Posts

Terch Apprentice
Terch
Posted

Hi,

I had an endoscopy that was negative for Celiacs. After the endoscopy I went gluten free because I needed to try somthing to help myself. I have been gluten free since September and have noticed a huge improvement in my health...which by the way I felt so ill that I no longer recognized my life. My gastro said he could do a colonoscopy if I wished to have one since he has since diagnosed me with IBS and I know that IBS stands for "IT"S BULL poop" so my question is this...

Can celiacs only be diagnosed with an endoscopy or can the damage also show up in the large intestine and be viewed with a colonoscopy. I am not sure whether or not I would atually do it as I believe that no matter what I will stay away from gluten regardless of the diagnosis but just wondering if any of you know whether they can see celiacs or villi damage with a colonoscopy?

Thanks

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

A colonoscopy cannot diagnose celiac. The damage is in the small bowel.

richard

LyndaCanada Rookie
LyndaCanada
Posted

Actually, they can still see flattened villi on a colonoscopy, in my case they did I had a colonscopy first and they could see the flattened villi and they wrote "strong suggestion of Celiac Disease" on my biopsy report. My doctor then ordered the blood test that came back negative. They did eventually do and endoscopy after I had eaten gluten-free for about 2-3 weeks. They could still see the damage but it did show signs of healing.

Lynda

chocolatelover Contributor
chocolatelover
Posted

I was under the impression that they can only see the damage done to the small intestine, since that it what celiac primarily affects. Having just had a colonoscopy this week, I highly recommend that you not have one unless you or your doctor think it's absolutely necessary. The colonoscopy isn't going to help with a celiac diagnosis. I say that if you feel that much better being off gluten, then that is diagnosis enough!

ElizabethN Apprentice
ElizabethN
Posted

I personally would not do it unless you have to for another reason. I had two done before I was 23 and the prep is terrible. And the general anesthesia didn't treat me so well either. From everything I have read/heard they need to biopsy the small intestine to diagnose.

They never diagnosed me (looking in the wrong end I guess) but I diagnosed myself and feel worlds better. Family members have been diagnosed so I have no doubt anyways, but I think most people would agree if you feel better then that is all you need.

LyndaCanada Rookie
LyndaCanada
Posted

Yes, I would say if you DON'T have to have a colonoscopy, then don't it's truly awful. The preparation involved with drinking all kinds of horrible stuff not to mention the enema is HORRENDOUS!!

I think in my case they were trying to rule out a colan infection, Colitis, Chrohn's Disease and Cancer hence why the doctor ordered the colonoscopy first.

Lynda

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms. The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines. While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten...
    2. Trish G
      - Trish G replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement

      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of.
    3. trents
      - trents replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    4. trents
      - trents replied to kpf's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      15

      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
    5. trents
      - trents replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement

      Another great fiber option is dried apricots. Four of them give you 3g of fiber and I find they don't produce all the gas that some other high fiber options do. They taste good too. Costco sells a large bag of them that are labeled gluten-free so you don't have to worry about cross contamination issues like you might in bulk grocery settings.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,347
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Emhope1107
    Newest Member
    Emhope1107
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Is this celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms.  The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines.  While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten per day for for several weeks are required to provoke sufficient antibody production so that the antibodies move out of the intestines and into the blood stream where they can be measured in blood tests.  Since you reduced your gluten consumption before testing, the antibody production went down and did not leave the intestines, hence lower than expected tTg IgA.   Still having abdominal pain and other symptoms this far out is indicative of nutritional deficiencies.  With such a severely damaged small intestine, you are not absorbing sufficient nutrients, especially Thiamine Vitamin B 1, so your body us burning stored fat and even breaking down muscle to fuel your body.   Yes, it is a very good idea to supplement with vitamins and minerals during healing.  The eight essential B vitamins are water soluble and easily lost with diarrhea.  The B vitamins all work together interconnectedly, and should be supplemented together.  Taking vitamin supplements provides your body with greater opportunity to absorb them.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins cannot be stored for long, so they must be replenished every day.  Thiamine tends to become depleted first which leads to Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a condition that doctors frequently fail to recognize.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi are abdominal pain and nausea, but neuropathy can also occur, as well as body and joint pain, headaches and more.  Heart rhythm disruptions including tachycardia are classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  Heart attack patients are routinely administered thiamine now.   Blood tests for vitamins are notoriously inaccurate.  You can have "normal" blood levels, while tissues and organs are depleted.  Such is the case with Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency in the digestive tract.  Eating a diet high in carbohydrates, like rice, starches, and sugar, can further deplete thiamine.  The more carbohydrates one eats, the more thiamine is required per calorie to turn carbs into energy.  Burning stored fats require less thiamine, so in times of thiamine shortage, the body burns fat and muscles instead.  Muscle wasting is a classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  A high carbohydrate diet may also promote SIBO and/or Candida infection which can also add to symptoms.  Thiamine is required to keep SIBO and Candida in check.   Thiamine works with Pyridoxine B 6, so if Thiamine is low and can't interact with Pyridoxine, the unused B 6 accumulates and shows up as high.   Look into the Autoimmune Protocol diet.  Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is a Celiac herself.  Her book "The Paleo Approach" has been most helpful to me.  Following the AIP diet made a huge improvement in my symptoms.  Between the AIP diet and correcting nutritional deficiencies, I felt much better after a long struggle with not feeling well.   Do talk to your doctor about Gastrointestinal Beriberi.  Share the article linked below. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Trish G
      Fiber Supplement

      By Trish G · Posted

      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of. 
    • trents
      Is this celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    • trents
      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

      By trents · Posted

      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
    • trents
      Fiber Supplement

      By trents · Posted

      Another great fiber option is dried apricots. Four of them give you 3g of fiber and I find they don't produce all the gas that some other high fiber options do. They taste good too. Costco sells a large bag of them that are labeled gluten-free so you don't have to worry about cross contamination issues like you might in bulk grocery settings.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.