Blood Tests Results Are In...

[sarahelizabeth]

Everything came back negative for celiac.

Antigliadin Abs, IgA: <1 (0-4 normal)

Antigliadin Abs, IgG: 3 (<9 normal)

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA: <1 (0-3 normal)

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgG: 2 (0-5 normal)

Endomysial Antibody IgA: Negative

Immunglobulin A, serum: 125 (70-400 normal)

My CBC was totally normal too... hgb was 14.4 so no anemia. Thyroid panal was completely normal too. The only things my Dr considered abnormal was my blood sugar was 110 BUT that was NOT fasting (he thought it was)... I ate a good sized breakfast before going in so that is still normal... and my cholesterol was high I guess I should have figured that... need to work on lowering that!!

His notes say that celiac is unlikely. He didn't say anything about seeing the GI Dr which he had originally referred me too for the scope. I am thinking at this point I will pass. The blood tests weren't even borderline so I am not sure there is a point of going through all of that. If I am still feeling bad down the road then maybe I will do it then but it seems like a waste now.

Honestly I am very surprised. I've been SOOOOOOO fatigued I thought for sure at least I would be anemic!! I still have no explanation for the stinky floating stools, IBS symptoms (not all the time though... they come and go), lactose intolerance, AWFUL gas 20 cavities in the past 4 years, frequent headaches, etc.

The worst part is this doesn't give us a reason to soley pursue celiac in my oldest son who has stopped growing. Now the Drs are going to want to do all sorts of other testing on him to figure out the cause and I was REALLY hoping to avoid that for his sake

[CarlaB]

You still may feel better off gluten. I do. My tests came out negative as well.

Besides GI symptoms and headaches, what other symptoms do you have?

[confused]

Have you ever tried the gluten free diet to see if u feel better off gluten, or did u do the test to start with?

paula

[happygirl]

It most certainly would be worth trying the diet. Maybe its not "true" Celiac, or maybe its not showing up on tests, or... who knows? Try the diet, see if it works.

Bring your doctor literature about Celiac and delayed growth and demand to have him tested.

What are the symptoms of celiac disease?

Celiac disease affects people differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person may be irritable or depressed. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children.

from NIH: Open Original Shared Link

Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following:

gas

recurring abdominal bloating and pain

chronic diarrhea

constipation

pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool

weight loss/weight gain

fatigue

unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue)

bone or joint pain

osteoporosis, osteopenia

behavioral changes

tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)

muscle cramps

seizures

missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)

infertility, recurrent miscarriage

delayed growth

failure to thrive in infants

pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers

tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis

[aikiducky]

It's not uncommon, especially for adults, to have negative blood tests but a positive biopsy, I wouldn't consider celiac ruled out until you've had a biopsy and tried the diet. Only if the biopsy is negative AND you try the diet and your symptoms don't change, I'd say look for some other reason.

I'm not saying that you necessarily have celiac, but you can't rule it out by negative bloods alone, false negatives are way too common for that.

Pauliina

[Kari Anne]

Hi there,

Has your Dr. considered Crohn's disease? My nephew had very similar symptoms and although many are common for various health issues there are specifics for Crohns.

[Nantzie]

I had negative tests as well. But I respond to the diet just as dramatically as someone with positive tests. Tests are notoriously inaccurate and provide a lot of false negatives. There are a surprising number of people who had either negative or inconclusive tests here.

Please try the gluten-free diet just to see if it helps. If I hadn't, I would still be house-bound because of my symptoms. Just by trying the diet, my life changed completely.

I had ALL of your symptoms, so I know what you're going through.

It's worth it at least to try the gluten-free diet for a few months. If nothing else than to rule it out.

Also keep in mind that other foods can cause serious reactions as well. There are a lot of people here with additional intolerances that can help you sort things out.

You could always do the Enterolab tests www.enterolab.com . It might help to sort out if you're barking up the right tree. They also do testing for a few other food intolerances you could look into as well like soy, egg, yeast and dairy.

Nancy