Testing

[ejf123]

Hello! I am brand new!! I haven't spent much time lurking...so I apologize in advance if my question has been answered before.

I am getting blood tests on Thursday 7/4 and I understand it's best not to cut out gluten completely until after you test. So after a blissful 7 days gluten free I started eating gluten again and I am just feeling horrible (and of course the gluten is making me depressed about it). I would like to go gluten free for the next four days and then poison myself (with gluten of course) the night before my test and then maybe have a big breakfast of french toast etc...right before the tests. My question is ... do you think that is sufficent? Or should I continue to eat gluten in moderation for the next 5 days. I just don't know how toxic I need to be in order to get a positive blood test.

Thanks in advance for your help!

erica

[jerseyangel]

Hi Erica, and welcome ,

The rule of thumb is to eat 3-4 slices of bread a day for 3-4 months prior to testing. In other words, it's important to eat lots of gluten leading up to the test. Going gluten-free or even gluten lite before will skew the results.

[tarnalberry]

ditto what patti said. unfortunately, it's better to 'overload' to reduce the chance of a false negative as much as possible. there's no way to eliminate that chance, though.

[ejf123]

Ok, darn. I was hoping to have a lovely 4th of July . I guess the acne, headaches, stomach bloat, can I say headaches again, fatigue, depression, stomach aches, IBS, burning sensation in my throat, throat swell etc. will just have to live on until thursday.

It's so amazing how I could live with all of these symptoms for SO many years and once I figure out what is going on and have a tiny glimpse at what I am supposed to feel like...5 more days of it seem just impossible. KWIM?

Anyway, we'll see what happens...

Thanks for your help!!

Erica

[mftnchn]

Yep it is hard but if you want the tests to show something--heavy glutening is the way to go. Even then you might not have positive results but you already know the diet works so regardless of the test results sounds like that will be worth it for you.

Let us know how the tests come out.