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Gluten Amount Before Testing

Anya78

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Anya78 Explorer
Anya78
Posted

My blood tests point to Celiac Disease (which I did after my father was diagnosed -- we've had similar symptoms for years) and I felt great during three weeks of going gluten free. My doctor wants me to do the endoscopy/biopsy since it's the "gold standard" of diagnosis, so I have to start eating gluten again for the next three weeks so the test will be accurate. Any idea how much gluten I need to consume for these next three weeks before the procedure? I'm not sure if I should be loading up (and thus feeling awful) or just eating a minimum amount. Has anyone ever received any guidelines on this topic? Thanks.

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lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

The general advice for someone who have been gluten-free for a while is the equivalent of two to four slices of bread per day for three months. You've been gluten-free for just three weeks so you shouldn't have to eat it for three months. Whether eating for the next three weeks is enough just depends on the person.

If you feel you need the "gold standard" then definitely have the biopsy. Make sure your doctor knows to take a minimum of 10 samples (some say as many as 20) as damage can be patchy. But if your father has celiac disease, you have the same symptoms and those symptoms have subsided on the diet, and you have have positive blood tests, I think you already know you have celiac.

richard

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