Am I Improving?

[JessieFree]

I had a positive biopsy but still waiting on the blood test results. My GI wants me to do the gluten-free diet for 3 months to see if I improve before he diagnoses me officially. I've been gluten-free for a little over a week. I haven't had muscle spasms in a few days and I have more energy. However, I'm still bloated all the time (though not as bad) and the gas and belching hasn't let up at all. Could this mean it may be something else or could those just be the last things to improve?

[mftnchn]

It can take 1-2 years for adults to recover. You'll find out on this site that people's improvement happens on very different time schedules.

Also you'll need to learn all about cross contamination and personal care products that often contain gluten.

Hope things keep improving for you.

[lob6796]

I had a positive biopsy but still waiting on the blood test results. My GI wants me to do the gluten-free diet for 3 months to see if I improve before he diagnoses me officially. I've been gluten-free for a little over a week. I haven't had muscle spasms in a few days and I have more energy. However, I'm still bloated all the time (though not as bad) and the gas and belching hasn't let up at all. Could this mean it may be something else or could those just be the last things to improve?

Doctors frustrate me so much! They know so little about Celiac disease that they give people mixed signals and WRONG information. If your biopsy was positive, you HAVE celiac disease. There is no reason to do blood work. In fact, alot of people who have celiac disease have negative blood work for various reasons. One of which is that the IgA test (which is "the" celiac test) often comes back negative because 3% of all celiacs are IgA deficient. It also has to do with how your immune system is reacting to the gluten. You are supposed to have blood work first (since it is a less invasive test) and then move on to a biopsy. The biopsy is the last thing they do because if it comes back positive, then you are 100% for sure that you have Celiac disease. I hate to call your doctor an idiot but....

Oh and I also wanted to add that since your ability to digest lactose is usually the first thing to go with Celiac, you should try removing dairy from your diet. I'd be willing to bet it is what is causing the residual bloating and gas. You can try adding it back in after a month or two and see if symptoms return. Sometimes once the intestines have healed some, you can regain the ability to digest lactose, although most people never do.