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and-h

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and-h Newbie
and-h
Posted

I wondered if anyone could give me a little advice and am sorry if this gets a little gross but i'm kind of worried about it all...

I went to my dr regarding a few things lately grey looking stools being one of them and my dr said it sounds like your having trouble absorbing fat properly the other thing was a back ache i have been getting a lot but she just sugested an appointment with a physio for it. Me being me i am naturally curious about things i do not understand especially if it has been something that has been worrying me.

So i came home and googled fat malabsorption which gave me amongst many others a page with celiacs symptoms on it. I read through the symptoms and well a lot of it that was on there i could associate with myself ie: grey stools, bad gas, back ache, dry skin, fatigue and either i'm constipated or i have diarrhea never inbetween it's either one or the other.

I did have a test for it a couple of years ago but it came back negative but before i had the test my doctor did suggest i tried a gluten free diet for a little while and see if it helped at all then after a couple of weeks like that i was given a blood test.

Is it worth going back and asking for them to test again or do further tests or something or am i just being silly?

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HAK1031 Enthusiast
HAK1031
Posted

Not silly at all. In fact, it sounds like a very high possibility. Just be warned that testing isn't very accurate and false negatives are common. The best diagnosis is improvement on a gluten-free diet- but if you do want testing, going gluten-free with mess up your results. But definitely mention celiac, there aren't many conditions associated with fat malabsorbtion, and it sounds like celiac is a match for you.

lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

Welcome to the Forum!!

So, did you try the gluten-free diet? If you did, how did it go and are you still gluten-free?

If you are currently consuming gluten, then now is the time to be tested. The tests are not known for their accuracy, but if you cut out gluten, you will significantly reduce your chance at getting an accurate answer.

It's never silly to want to know what's wrong so you can start feeling better.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Hi and welcome:

Here is the Celiac Panel you should request from your doctor:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level

You should not begin the diet until after you have been tested. As others have said, the blood test can rule Celiac in, but it can't rule it out. It would be good to be tested and if needed it can be followed up with an endoscopy/biopsy exam.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

and-h Newbie
and-h
Posted
  • Author

I'm not following a gluten free diet now no but when my dr tested me for it previously which was just over 2 years ago he put me on a gluten free diet to see if things improved BEFORE he did the tests it was only about 2 or 3 weeks before but even so if it can affect the results i don't understand why he did it. Then because i got a negative result and my dr said it wasn't that i just ditched the gluten free diet.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
I'm not following a gluten free diet now no but when my dr tested me for it previously which was just over 2 years ago he put me on a gluten free diet to see if things improved BEFORE he did the tests it was only about 2 or 3 weeks before but even so if it can affect the results i don't understand why he did it. Then because i got a negative result and my dr said it wasn't that i just ditched the gluten free diet.

You had another celiac stupid doctor who virtually guarenteed you would show up negative in the tests by having you go gluten-free for 3 weeks before the test. The tests are notorious for false negatives even when we are actively consuming gluten, having you cut it our before testing made this almost a certainty.

You could try Enterolab for stool testing for antibodies or you can do a good strict trial of the gluten free diet for a couple of months. The diet and your response to it is the best test there is. Welcome to the board and read, read, read. Ask any query you need to.

and-h Newbie
and-h
Posted
  • Author

Ok well thanks for the advice i think i will go and see my dr again on monday and ask for them to test again. Hey you never know maybe this is a partial cause of the depression i have had for the last 12 years that they decided to pump me full of allsorts of pills powders and potions for that didn't help in the slightest.

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
Hey you never know maybe this is a partial cause of the depression i have had for the last 12 years that they decided to pump me full of allsorts of pills powders and potions for that didn't help in the slightest.

Hey you never know, it may be the only cause. For some of us, like myself and others in my family that has been shown to be the case.

  • 3 weeks later...
and-h Newbie
and-h
Posted
  • Author

Just thaught i would give a quick update...

I went to my GP and had to see a locum at least i think that's what there called.

After a long talk with them i said to her i would like you to do some tests please to find out if this is the cause i was then told by her there are no tests for this we usually just ask you to stay away from it and see how you go from that.

Well i found this very very odd and responded with well not to sound like i am being funny but i know there are tests you can do and would like you to do them after saying that i was told that she couldn't authorise any tests and i would need to bring in any info about said tests that i can because as far as she is concerned there are no tests for it.

I must say i am losing confidence in my doctors surgery at the minute i mean they are supposed to be there to deal with any health issues people may have and be trained to do what they do and they do not know about something as simple as a test for this..... or am i just blowing this out of proportion.

and-h Newbie
and-h
Posted
  • Author

YAY i'm getting somewhere.... I managed to get to speak to my own dr on the phone ( couldn't go see him they have a stupid appointment system that if you don't ring before 10am you can't have an appointment and you cannot book an appoinment in advance ).

I explained the situation to him and what the other dr had said, he said that's not strictly true the 1st step is to get some blood tests done if nothing comes from that the 2nd step is a biopsy and has booked me in for the blood tests doing on friday.

lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

Congratulations!!! Stick with your regular GP... he sounds much more informed. Keep asking... eventually you will find your answer.

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    • Wheatwacked
      is my cleiac disease gone?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

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    • trents
      is my cleiac disease gone?

      By trents · Posted

      It would be interesting to see if you were tested again for blood antibodies after abandoning the gluten free diet for several weeks to a few months what the results would be. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not necessarily suggesting you do this but it is an option to think about. I guess I'm saying there is a question in my mind as to whether you actually ever had celiac disease. As I said above, the blood antibody testing can yield false positives. And it is also true that celiac-like symptoms can be produced by other medical conditions.
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    • numike
      is my cleiac disease gone?

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      Check out this celiac story  I was diagnosed early 2000s with the blood test  since then I have for the most part maintained a gluten-free diet  Recently (August 2025) I drove from Southern Illinois to Lake Erie Ohio On the drive back I was extremely hungry and I had a coupon at a hamburger chain and I stopped and forgot to request gluten-free bun etc and quickly consumed two hamburgers. I promptly ate both of them and had absolutely no problem since then I've been eating plenty of gluten  Is my celiac gone?  Insert: No, celiac disease cannot just end because there is no cure for it; however, a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet allows the small intestine to heal and symptoms to go away. To manage the condition effectively, you must strictly avoid all sources of gluten, including wheat, barley, and rye, which are common in the American diet. Sticking to the diet can lead to significant symptom improvement and intestinal healing, but it requires ongoing commitment and monitoring with a healthcare professional  Regarding medical test I had My stools analyzed Giardia Ag Cryptosporidium Ag and they came back negative  I had the lactulose test and it came back high so I'm on two weeks of heavy antibiotics That still has not stopped me from eating gluten. Here's what I think is going on and I hope to have your opinion regarding it  Since I've been gluten-free for so long my intestinal tract has repaired itself consequently anything I eat with gluten now just bounces right off with no damage to my gut  however  when I asked AI what was going on the reply was celiac has not gone away and  if I continue to eat gluten I'm going to have problems   I look forward to your sage advice as to what the heck is going on with me Thank you for reading Mike 09112025
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