Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Had Blood Tests Today


chb

Recommended Posts

chb Rookie

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I turned 38 this year and have felt like I've been falling apart. The constant fatigue has been worse and my migraines that started a couple of years ago have turned into this daily bouts of flashing lights and mental dullness or brain fog. Of course the neurologist's solution was to take medicine for it--doesn't help.

I came across some info for celiac's quite accidentaly. I had no knowledge that it was an autoimmune disease. I just thought it had something to do with digestive stuff. I have also suffered in the past from unexplained rashes that last a month or two when they come on. On top of that, my DH and I have been married for 15 yrs and only have one 8 year old little blessing even though we have done our part to have more.

I tried a gluten free trial for a week and a half and felt so much better! I knew I had to start eating it again and get an appointment for a diagnosis, before I really felt so much better that I wouldn't even consider going back for a short time.

I went to see my doctor today. He didn't seem to know a lot about Celiac. Didn't seem to like the fact that I didn't have any digestive symptoms. We go to Kaiser Permanente and I really was just expecting a referral to a GI. He did listen well though and ordered the following blood work. No referral yet.

They drew blood for a celiac diesease antibody panel, CBC, Basic Metabolic Panel, Hepatic Function Panel, Amylase, Lipase, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, and Vitamin b12.

He said he had only ordered one other antibody panel before and didn't know how long it would take to get those results back. Does anybody have a clue as to how long I might anticipate it taking? Thanks !

Christine


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



KristaleeJane Contributor
Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I turned 38 this year and have felt like I've been falling apart. The constant fatigue has been worse and my migraines that started a couple of years ago have turned into this daily bouts of flashing lights and mental dullness or brain fog. Of course the neurologist's solution was to take medicine for it--doesn't help.

I came across some info for celiac's quite accidentaly. I had no knowledge that it was an autoimmune disease. I just thought it had something to do with digestive stuff. I have also suffered in the past from unexplained rashes that last a month or two when they come on. On top of that, my DH and I have been married for 15 yrs and only have one 8 year old little blessing even though we have done our part to have more.

I tried a gluten free trial for a week and a half and felt so much better! I knew I had to start eating it again and get an appointment for a diagnosis, before I really felt so much better that I wouldn't even consider going back for a short time.

I went to see my doctor today. He didn't seem to know a lot about Celiac. Didn't seem to like the fact that I didn't have any digestive symptoms. We go to Kaiser Permanente and I really was just expecting a referral to a GI. He did listen well though and ordered the following blood work. No referral yet.

They drew blood for a celiac diesease antibody panel, CBC, Basic Metabolic Panel, Hepatic Function Panel, Amylase, Lipase, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, and Vitamin b12.

He said he had only ordered one other antibody panel before and didn't know how long it would take to get those results back. Does anybody have a clue as to how long I might anticipate it taking? Thanks !

Christine

Mine only took 2 days, I am in Canada though, not sure if that matters. Normal range for the antibody is 20, and mine was 92. Now waiting to see the doc for the biopsy. Good luck!

healthygirl Contributor

I am also in Canada and had the TTG IGA only done. It took 3 weeks, reference range being <4 negative, 4 - 10 weak positive, >10 positive. It is obvious we two Canadians had different panels run (various labs will use different panels and will have different reference ranges). You may want to follow up with your doctor or the lab and see what the length of time is expected to be for results. When you get the results, find out what the reference ranges are for each test and your results (a copy of your results is helpful as it usually indicates the reference ranges on it).

Make sure you stay on gluten if anticipating a biopsy as next step. I was off and on and have ended up at the point where I would need to go on gluten for 3 - 6 months (minimum 4 slices of bread a day) before the gi will perform the endoscopy. I decided to forgo the "official diagnosis" and am just off gluten now.

Good luck!

  • 2 weeks later...
KristaleeJane Contributor

I have the biopsy in one week, cannot wait to get that over and go gluten free. My doc never did any vitamin blood work on me, but I am going to ask her to because I have been so tired and a lot of headaches. The test that we had could have been the same but like you said maybe at different labs they run different ranges. I did get a copy of my test and It says:

(NEW) ANTI TISSURE TRANSGLUT AB (CELIAC SCREEN)

92 UNITS- NORMAL RANGE BEING 20 UNITS

PRESENCE OF IgA ANITBODY TO TISSUE TRANSGLUAMINASE SUGGESTS GLUTIN SENSITIVE DISEASE. SENSITIVITY SPECIFICITY FOR GLUTEN ENTEROPATHY ARE APPROXIMATELY 95%.

So that pretty much explains it, but my doc wants to do the biopsy to confirm.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,342
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Setb1210
    Newest Member
    Setb1210
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      My reaction to a gluten bolus exposure is similar to yours, with 2-3 hours of severe abdominal cramps and intractable emesis followed by several hours of diarrhea. I don't necessarily equate that one large exposure to gluten with significant intestinal lining damage, however. I think it's just a violent reaction to a what the body perceives to be a somewhat toxic substance that I am no longer tolerant of because I have quit exposing myself to it regularly. It's just the body purging itself of it rather than an expression of significant damage. Before diagnosis, when I was consuming gluten daily, I had little to no GI distress. I was, for the most part, a "silent celiac". The damage to my small bowel lining didn't happen all at once but was slow and insidious, accumulating over a period of years. The last time I got a big shot of gluten was about three years ago when I got my wife's wheat biscuits mixed up with my gluten-free ones. There was this acute reaction after about two hours of ingestion as I described above. I felt washed out for a few days and fully recovered within a week or so.  Now, I'm a 74-year-old male. So, I'm not worried about being pregnant. And I don't want to contradict your physicians advice. But I just don't think you have done significant damage to your small bowel lining by one episode of significant gluten ingestion. I just don't think it works that way.
    • Skydawg
      Wondering about some thoughts on how long to wait to try to get pregnant after a gluten exposure?  I have been diagnosed for 10 years and have followed the diet strictly. I have been cross contaminated before, but have never had a full on gluten exposure. I went to a restaurant recently, and the waiter messed up and gave me regular bread and told me it was gluten free. 2 hours later I was throwing up for the whole evening. I have never had that kind of reaction before as I have never had such a big exposure. My husband and I were planning to start trying to get pregnant this month. My dr did blood work to check for electrolytes and white blood cells, but did not do a full nutritional panel. Most of my GI symptoms have resolved in the past 2 weeks, but I am definitely still dealing with brain fog, fatigue and headaches. My dr has recommended I wait 3 months before I start to try to get pregnant.   I have read else where about how long it can take for the intestine to fully heal, and the impacts gluten exposure can have on pregnancy. I guess I am really wondering if anyone has had a similar experience? How long does it take to heal after 1 exposure like that, after following the diet so well for 10 years? Is 3 months an okay amount of time to wait? Is there anything I can do in the meantime to reduce my symptoms? 
    • ShadowLoom
      I’ve used tinctures and made my own edibles with gluten-free ingredients to stay safe. Dispensary staff don’t always know about gluten, so I double-check labels or just make my own.
    • Scott Adams
      It's great to hear that there are some good doctors out there, and this is an example of why having a formal diagnosis can definitely be helpful.
    • RMJ
      Update: I have a wonderful new gastroenterologist. She wants to be sure there’s nothing more serious, like refractory celiac, going on. She ordered various tests including some micronutrient tests that no one has ever ordered before.  I’m deficient in folate and zinc and starting supplements for both. I’m so glad I decided to go to a new GI!
×
×
  • Create New...