Enterolab Results - 11 Units. Do I Really Have Gluten Sensitivit?

[aeshlea]

Hi, I am new here. I recently was tested for gluten sensitivity because I had been experiencing some symptoms; depression/anxiety, digestive issues, psoriasis, asthma..etc....For those of you who are familiar with enterolab, I went through them. I recieved my results and I know the range to qualify for a positive test are anywhere from 10-350 units. I had 11 units. So, my question is for those of you that have had similar low positive scores. I know it says on the website for enterolab that ANYTHING from 10 - 350 means you need to go gluten free. But I want to know if there is anyone out there who has a similar score to mine because I am wondering is it really worth it? My score is so close to being normal that I wonder if it will make much of a difference. Dont get me wrong, I WOULD LOVE it if my symptoms cleared up...but I just wonder if totally rearranging my life for a score of 11 is necessary. THIS IS DAUNTING for me...I just want to know if you guys think it will make any real difference...Thank you to everyone

[Ursa Major]

I haven't done the testing. But I know there are many people here with a score of 11 who went gluten-free, and all their symptoms cleared up. How high your score is isn't that important. If it is above ten, that means your immune system is reacting to gluten.

People with a lower score often appear much sicker than the ones with a higher score, how high it is doesn't really matter.

So, you really need to give the gluten-free diet a try, for at least three to six months to give it a fair chance, before you decide it isn't working. For some people it took even longer to see a difference, but for many, the positive results would show themselves very quickly.

Why go to the expense of testing, when then you want to ignore the results?

[aeshlea]

Why go to the expense of testing, when then you want to ignore the results?

Yes, you are very right. It is just a matter of fear I think. I know I want to be better, the whole idea of this is so BIG to me though. But its nice to know there is a forum here for help as I navigate the ins and out of this new life!

[ravenwoodglass]

Hi, I am new here. I recently was tested for gluten sensitivity because I had been experiencing some symptoms; depression/anxiety, digestive issues, psoriasis, asthma..etc....For those of you who are familiar with enterolab, I went through them. I recieved my results and I know the range to qualify for a positive test are anywhere from 10-350 units. I had 11 units. So, my question is for those of you that have had similar low positive scores. I know it says on the website for enterolab that ANYTHING from 10 - 350 means you need to go gluten free. But I want to know if there is anyone out there who has a similar score to mine because I am wondering is it really worth it? My score is so close to being normal that I wonder if it will make much of a difference. Dont get me wrong, I WOULD LOVE it if my symptoms cleared up...but I just wonder if totally rearranging my life for a score of 11 is necessary. THIS IS DAUNTING for me...I just want to know if you guys think it will make any real difference...Thank you to everyone

Yes the diet will make a difference, you may be surprised how many things will improve and even more importantly how many things you can help to prevent from becoming gluten free. Waiting until your numbers are higher risks the development of problems that may not resolve completely gluten free. These include impact on the nervous system, thyroid, bones etc. I would give the diet a strict try for a bit. It can be daunting at first but is quite doable once you get used to it. You have come to a great place for information and support. Read as much as you can and feel free to post any query you need to.

[CarlaB]

If you're not sure about the test results, go 100% gluten-free for a couple months, then start eating gluten again and see how you feel. That may be the best way to confirm for yourself.

[hathor]

I agree with Ursa Major. Once you hit 10, it isn't supposed to matter how high your score is.

The only test where the absolute number matters, I believe, is the malabsorption score. Did you happen to have that test done? If you do, it gives a baseline for measuring later progress. At least, Enterolab wants folks to do testing one a year to check.

I didn't have an 11 on anything related to gluten (which test did you have done BTW?). I did have 11s on egg and yeast, though. I have a more dramatic and immediate response to egg than to anything else. I'm unsure about the yeast, having cut it out (I thought) and not noticing a difference. So I'd moved back into having yeasted items. However, I finally made myself ask Enterolab if this means I can't have wine and gluten-free beer. Yesterday, they told me, "Yes, it means that."

Ack! So even though I'm now perfectly well-adjusted with the rest of my diet and limitations, a new restriction has once again put me in the same frame of mind you are in. Only difference is that I know that changing your diet, however much you dread doing so, IS worth it. I'm at least going to give it a good trial and see my results. I suggest you do the same.

[Guest Happynwgal2]

Hi, I am new here. I recently was tested for gluten sensitivity because I had been experiencing some symptoms; depression/anxiety, digestive issues, psoriasis, asthma..etc....For those of you who are familiar with enterolab, I went through them. I recieved my results and I know the range to qualify for a positive test are anywhere from 10-350 units. I had 11 units. So, my question is for those of you that have had similar low positive scores. I know it says on the website for enterolab that ANYTHING from 10 - 350 means you need to go gluten free. But I want to know if there is anyone out there who has a similar score to mine because I am wondering is it really worth it? My score is so close to being normal that I wonder if it will make much of a difference. Dont get me wrong, I WOULD LOVE it if my symptoms cleared up...but I just wonder if totally rearranging my life for a score of 11 is necessary. THIS IS DAUNTING for me...I just want to know if you guys think it will make any real difference...Thank you to everyone

Good Morning! First of all, Aeshlea, I understand all too well the feeling of this being DAUNTING. A gluten free diet is such a challenge when you first start, that it takes a lot of work to avoid all kind of hidden gluten - the obvious gluten such as wheat bread, is easy. Then there is the "hidden" gluten in soy sauce, in prepared foods, in a meal at a family members house that you THINK will be gluten free because you have told the person how sensitive you are to gluten, only to find out, like I have at times, that people have NO IDEA how much gluten there is in foods that don't appear to be "related" to wheat, rye and barley - and throw in oats, too, since it is for the most part cross contaminated by some gluten containing grain.

Second, all that said, even with a score of "only" 11, you need to go gluten free. My score on that same test was 185 (Dec. 2006), and I can tell you that you DO NOT ever want to become as sick as I have been, especially for the last 30 years. Since I was a child, I have been sick after eating, and it has only become worse and worse over the years. I am now in my mid 50's. Had I gone gluten free 30 years ago, when my symptoms were still manageable, I would have avoided a lot of pain, a lot of frustration, and a lot of sick time. Had I known about Celiac when I was in my early 20's, when my symptoms started becoming disruptive to my life, I would have been so much better off. I would probably have avoided getting hypothyroidism, depression, anxiety, dry skin, sleeping disorders, headaches galore, achy joints, fatigue, severe cramping and diarrhea just minutes after eating, and constant pain in my lower abdomen that I told the doctors about, only to be told nothing was wrong. I have been so sick for so long, with so many symptoms that I cannot even list them all here - you cannot imagine how much better I feel after being gluten free since Nov. 2006 - I finally diagnosed myself after years of searching for answers that I did not get from my doctors - only to have it confirmed by a blood test a month later.

So, yes, unless you want to go through what I, and thousands of others have gone through, you, unfortunately, need to go gluten free. The good news about going gluten free, is that all my illnesses have gone away - no depression, no anxiety, no cramping, no nothing, other than I still have very dry skin, and am hypothyroid.

I am still learning about being gluten free, and I am also learning about the additional food sensitives that I have. Those are not unusual when you have Celiac, and they become very clear when you cut out gluten from your diet. I am still finding what I have to avoid in addition to gluten. I still get frustrated some days, but I know have a very naturopath who has helped me a lot lately while I have found additional foods I simply cannot eat. I believe I am so sensitive to many foods because I was diagnosed a Celiac only after destroying my system with gluten for 50 years. Don't do to yourself what I unknowingly did to myself.

It is a life long diet, but it is very rewarding when you think about how much you can avoid when you start this diet before you get too sick.

Good luck - keep posting here, because there is a lot of support here!