Jump to content

  • 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

Follow-up Biopsy Results

Moondanse

Recommended Posts

Moondanse Explorer
Moondanse
Posted

I am 32 years old and I was officially diagnosed with Celiac Disease in January '07 through blood tests and biopsy.

I have done really well following the gluten-free diet - I check all my labels, I've changed my hair products and cosmetics, I call pharmaceutical companies to check my meds, etc.

I have had ongoing health issues that have had me in and out of the doctor's office this last year though. In addition, I lost about 25 pounds starting about 9 months in to the gluten free diet - they have not been able to determine why. My gut is in a far worse state now than it was over a year ago. It's tender to the touch, constantly bloated and never at rest (gurgly). I do not, however, have any diarrhea. (which is different from pre-Celiac diagnosis).

I'm working with a new holistic doctor who has run a whole host of new/different labs, including a speciment test through Genova Diagnostics that checks for yeast/bacteria/overall gut 'environment'. I'm seeing her today for those results, which I am anxious to get.

I also just had my first colonoscopy and a follow-up endoscopy done because of the ongoing issues.

The colonoscopy was clean. My pathology report on the biopsies came back stating:

celiac disease 3 antibody demonstrates a focal increase in intraepithelial T lymphocytes supporting a diagnosis of celiac disease. Serologic correlation is warranted. Appearances suggest early disease or possible incomplete response to a gluten free diet.

The note from my doctor recommends seeing a nutritionist to review my diet as he feels that I'm still ingesting gluten.

I have a very, very difficult time seeing how that is possible with all of the care that I take on this diet. Not to mention the fact that I have no diarrhea - which has been the indicator for me when there was contamination (the time between blood tests and biopsy when they made me eat gluten and once contaminated by a medication).

Here's my question:

Could the appearance of the biopsies suggest late healing, rather than early disease? Can they differentiate between something that is trying to heal vs something that is just recently damaged??

If they can make that differentitation, then I will have to accept that I am somehow ingesting gluten. But, I just don't want to over-react and cut things out of my diet again if it is not necessary.

I know that adults don't heal as quickly as children and I would assume that my healing process would probably be a bit slower given the fact that I've been dealing with other medical issues too. So, I wouldn't find it hard to believe that my intestine is not totally healed. What the report doesn't state is whether or not the damage they saw was new damage or old damage or if they can even tell.

I hope that I've made some sort of sense here as I've been rambling. I'm trying to write this quickly since I am at work.

Any insight you might have would be much appreciated.

thank you,

Kelli

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


gfpaperdoll Rookie
gfpaperdoll
Posted

I am just finishing up my lunch & computer time!! But could you post what you are eating?

Moondanse Explorer
Moondanse
Posted
  • Author
I am just finishing up my lunch & computer time!! But could you post what you are eating?

Oh geez - here's a high-level look in to things I might eat:

Envirokidz Amazon Flakes

Health Valley Rice Crunch Ems

Bananas (at least one every day)

Stoneyfield Farm Organic Fat Free Yogurt

Chicken

Beef

Gluten Free Pasta (Glutano Tagliatelle, Biaglut spaghetti, Trader Joe's Brown Rice Pasta)

Potato (mashed/baked)

Green Beans (Del Monte)

Peas (La Seuer)

Carrots (store brand or fresh)

Almond Milk

Vitamin Water

Water

Green Tea (Good Earth)

Tazo Tea (Passion)

Hard Boiled Eggs

Gluten Free Bread (Whole Foods)

Gluten Free English Muffin

Ben & Jerry's Phish Food

Nestle Sno Caps

Rice Chips (Lundberg)

Shredded Cheese - brand varies, but I only buy bags that have allergen statements and identify ingredients

Moondanse Explorer
Moondanse
Posted
  • Author

I got my results from the doctor on all the other tests I had done. They seem to add some insight:

Allergies (food only): cheese, egg white, egg yolk, garlic, milk, wheat, food molds (really high)

All news to me, though I had my suspicions. I've had skin prick allergy testing done, but this was MAST testing and they did the delayed IgG testing, which was more telling.

Vitamin D deficient and low DHEA

Absolutely no detectable Lactobacillus bacteria in my gut - not good

An overgrowth of miscellaneous bacteria

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,398
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Megannnnn
    Newest Member
    Megannnnn
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Coeliac UK Research Conference 2025

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thanks for sharing this!
    • Scott Adams
      Shingles - Could It Be Related to Gluten/ Celiac

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had the same thing happen to me at around your age, and to this day it's the most painful experience I've ever had. For me it was the right side of my head, above my ear, running from my nerves in my neck. For years before my outbreak I felt a tingling sensation shooting along the exact nerves that ended up exactly where the shingles blisters appeared. I highly recommend the two shot shingles vaccine as soon as your turn 50--I did this because I started to get the same tingling sensations in the same area, and after the vaccines I've never felt that again.  As you likely know, shingles is caused by chicken pox, which was once though of as one of those harmless childhood viruses that everyone should catch in the wild--little did they know that it can stay in your nervous system for your entire life, and cause major issues as you age.
    • trents
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By trents · Posted

      Keep us posted.
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By Mmoc · Posted

      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.