Should I Get Tested?

[vulpess]

I am 20 years old, and I am wondering whether I should be tested for gluten intolerance. Three and a half years ago, I moved to a new school and was very stressed. I lost a lot of weight and have not been able to gain any of it back, except when I was put on birth control. No matter how much I eat, I still cannot gain. Recently, I have been having a lot of lower GI problems, and nausea. I've heard that this disease can pop up under stressful conditions, even when you have had no problems before. Sometimes when I eat foods instead of feeling better, I feel worse (dizzy, nausea). My parents and my doctors think that I'm just exaggerating and I need to eat more, but it is just getting worse, particularly the dizziness and joint pain. I think I am malnourished, but it is very difficult to eat sometimes when I get so sick. I just can't handle sometimes feeling good, and sometimes not after I eat. Do these sound like symptoms of Celiac disease (or something else)? If so, what kind of tests should I get? I almost never get sick when I eat meat, eggs, beans, etc. and I always feel better after drinking the gluten free Ensure weight gaining milkshake. Thanks!!

[lizard00]

Hi there and welcome to the Forum!

You do have some signs of Celiac, so if you are still eating gluten, it can't hurt to be tested. If you decide to get tested, stay eating gluten, otherwise you could get a false negative. You could a false negative either way, but if you go gluten-free, you have significantly reduced the chances of getting an accurate test.

You should probably also have your DR test for any deficiencies as well, since that is very common with Celiac. I started feeling better almost immediately after going gluten-free, but it wasn't until I started on vitamins that I felt like I was getting back to normal.

And yes, stress is a trigger. I think mine was my pregnancy, I can definitely look back and see that as the beginning of things going downhill. It's good that you have been able to identify when this started, which will be helpful should you decide to pursue testing.

Hope that helps and feel free to ask any questions on here! There are many wise and experienced people ready to help!!

[happygirl]

The blood tests for Celiac screening are:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level.