I Need A Bit Of Advice

[brittanyrk]

Hi. I'm new here, but have been mostly gluten free for 5 years now.

My question is, when I was tested (blood test) for celiac disease (at age 13), I had not been eating any wheat for several weeks prior to. I didn't realize at the time that that made a difference. My symptoms were rather mild and I was only tested because my dad had tested positive. So my parents decided it was best for me to stay gluten free. So fast forward to just recently, I local restaurant got in a new item, which I checked out and loved. It had modified food starch. I never got sick and I ate the several times before I remembered to check out the MFS further. Turns out it was Wheat. So, being the adventurous 18 year old I am, I started eating other things with wheat in them. I'm feeling fine! no symptoms at all. I've started eating a tiny bit daily the last few weeks and I can't notice any difference.

So what I'm getting at is- should I be retested? or just eat as long as I don't go overboard?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

[Guest Bobbi]

I am surely not a doctor but my advice would be to be retested. If you did not test positive for celiac when you were younger it may have been because you were not eating gluten prior to taking the test or that you do not have celiac. The blood screening test is easy and if you have been "glutenated" you might as well be tested now. It would be silly to live "gluten-free" if it is not necessary. Just remember you need to be eating products with gluten in it prior to the test or it will not be accurate. Good luck....I hope you continue to feel well!

[CarlaB]

I would say to continue your binge for four months, then get retested. That is how long it takes for the damage to show up in testing. If at any time you start showing symptoms, then it's up to you whether you want to continue until time for testing, or quit because you know it's a problem for you.

You will want to eat the equivalent of three or four slices of bread daily.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd want to know for sure just like you do.

[Lisa]

Hi. I'm new here, but have been mostly gluten free for 5 years now.

My question is, when I was tested (blood test) for celiac disease (at age 13), I had not been eating any wheat for several weeks prior to. I didn't realize at the time that that made a difference. My symptoms were rather mild and I was only tested because my dad had tested positive. So my parents decided it was best for me to stay gluten free. So fast forward to just recently, I local restaurant got in a new item, which I checked out and loved. It had modified food starch. I never got sick and I ate the several times before I remembered to check out the MFS further. Turns out it was Wheat. So, being the adventurous 18 year old I am, I started eating other things with wheat in them. I'm feeling fine! no symptoms at all. I've started eating a tiny bit daily the last few weeks and I can't notice any difference.

So what I'm getting at is- should I be retested? or just eat as long as I don't go overboard?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Brittany, may I call you that.?

You tested positive for Celiac, which mean that you cannot have wheat, barley, rye, malt and selective oats. Being diagnosed with Celiac is a bit complex. You might overload and get hit hard by gluten symptoms and it might build up and may be dibiliatory at some time.

Perhaps you doctor caught this early and you have few symptoms. But this will be with you for life. Even if you do not have symptoms, you could still be doing damage to your intestines. Some here have silent symptoms, but that damage still continues.

If you are diagnosed with Celiac, please read as much as you can from this site. It is the best source for information that you can find. We are a good group of folks and are wiling for afford you any information that you need. Ask away.

Regarding Modified Food Starch in the US if it is derived for wheat, by law it would be included in the labeling statement on the ingredients.

Welcome to Celiac land.

[CarlaB]

You tested positive for Celiac

By her post, I was assuming her test was negative. If it was positive, I agree with Momma Goose.

[brittanyrk]

they said the results showed borderline positive.... any idea what that means?

[Lisa]

Your key work is "positive"... Take time to read from some of these post. You might find a light bulb moment?

Welcome, and please continue to join us.

[debmidge]

Borderline Positive and you were eating gluten....I think you might have to consider yourself as having celiac or at worst wheat intolerant. I think you answered your own question...now the problem is whether to purse a second opinion/test.....in order to make a re-test accurate you have to eat the gluten (as Carla stated) in order to get your anti-body levels high enough to be found on the test.

You might not feel ill by eating gluten but if you have celiac or are intolerant I'll catch up with you one way or another.

If you want to be re-tested, then make up your mind when you are starting the gluten diet and then definitely get the blood test -- don't eat gluten, then change your mind, then change your mind again and go back and forth as you'll affect the test resuts. Focus on eating the gluten for however many weeks/months it takes -- get tested -- then upon finding out the results make your final determination if you need to stay gluten-free or not.

Best wishes.

Deb

[jerseyangel]

Hi,

I'm thinking if you tested borderline high, and had been gluten-free for a few weeks beforehand, that's a positive result.

Celiac can wane during the teenage years, and become symptomatic again as you go through your 20's. I can see how tempting it is to eat whatever you want, as you're not presently having symptoms. That, however, dosen't mean that your intestine isn't being damaged.

To avoid complications in the future, I think you should remain gluten-free.

[cruelshoes]

Hi. I'm new here, but have been mostly gluten free for 5 years now.

My question is, when I was tested (blood test) for celiac disease (at age 13), I had not been eating any wheat for several weeks prior to. I didn't realize at the time that that made a difference. My symptoms were rather mild and I was only tested because my dad had tested positive. So my parents decided it was best for me to stay gluten free. So fast forward to just recently, I local restaurant got in a new item, which I checked out and loved. It had modified food starch. I never got sick and I ate the several times before I remembered to check out the MFS further. Turns out it was Wheat. So, being the adventurous 18 year old I am, I started eating other things with wheat in them. I'm feeling fine! no symptoms at all. I've started eating a tiny bit daily the last few weeks and I can't notice any difference.

So what I'm getting at is- should I be retested? or just eat as long as I don't go overboard?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Borderline positive is positive in my book. We just had an appointment with the pediatric GI doctor this week. We discussed this very issue. He said it is nearly impossible to get a false positive on the celiac bloodwork. False negative maybe, but a false positive, no. It's like being a little bit pregnant.

Very ofter, teenagers experience what is known as a "honeymoon period". The hormones coursing through our bodies during puberty can make the celiac symptoms seem to go away. The internal damage is still continuing, but the symptoms go away. No symptoms does not mean no damage. When my son was diagnosed at age 6 he had no symptoms. We screened him as a first degree relative after I was diagnosed. He had no symptoms, but his bloodwork numbers were as high as mine were, and he had severe damage in his intestines. I was near death, but he seemed to be fine. Outward symptoms do not equate to internal damage.

What do your parents say abut the matter?

[CarlaB]

they said the results showed borderline positive.... any idea what that means?

If you had borderline positive while gluten-free or gluten-lite, then I'd say you have celiac.

I don't think there is such a thing as borderline positive ... I think it's more like a pregnancy test ... it's either positive or negative.