Looking For Affirmation...

[Vanquish]

So my doc did a blood test on me and my results came back positive for anti-endomyseal and anti giladin, does this mean i have celiacs then? I am getting an endoscopy on the 2nd of june but i was still in limbo about these results and how right they can be. Anyone shed some light on my situation? What happens next? Im on the gluten free diet btw and it cleared up what my derma said was DH pretty rapidly.

[Ursa Major]

Looking at your blood work results, and that your DH cleared up is plenty of proof that you have celiac disease. Unfortunately, being on the gluten-free diet already may give you a false negative biopsy result.

Still, you need to be gluten-free anyway, and I hope you won't go back to eating gluten if your biopsy is negative.

[Vanquish]

Hmm, i've been eating a wheat wafer every day just to keep some gluten in my system for this biopsy and i intend to have my very last "cheat" day the day before i go in, and i will continue the gluten free diet even if it does come back negative because its always been important to me to have a healthy, fit body and mind. I was just curious if those results are the smoking gun in terms of a diagnosis or if they can be wrong in people without celiac disease, being the only one in my family for many generations about to get diagnosed i just want to have closure through one of the tests, so that i can move on with the diet and my life.

[lizard00]

Celiac blood tests are specific. They are notoriously inaccurate because they don't catch all the people that DO have Celiac. So, no, if those numbers were elevated and your blood test actually caught it, consider yourself among the few. The tests only rule Celiac in, not out.

[Ursa Major]

I am afraid one wheat wafer a day may or may not be enough. Normally they say you need to eat four slices of bread a day to ensure a positive biopsy.

On the other hand, if the damage was severe enough, in some people it is still not gone after six months to a year and would still result in a positive biopsy (assuming they biopsy a damaged spot).

[Vanquish]

Hmm maybe ill have to endure more then a wheat wafer then since i had DH i really didn't have any GI symptoms thats why it took me 6 months to see a dermatologist cause i figured the rash would go away on its own if i didn't itch it. As of right now i have some mild stetorrhea (mild being once a day at most) and alittle gas with some abdominal pain on my lower right side by my bellybutton. Apparently all symptomatic of celiacs, but as you say there is no false positive on the blood tests i guess i have it, im not sure why im getting the biopsy, maybe just to see how bad the damage is.

[aikiducky]

If you have DH you could also try to have the skin near the rash biopsied, a positive for DH means celiac full stop, no other testing necessary. But the anti-endomysial is very specific for celiac, I really don't know what else it could be. Time to start learning about ingredients I think.

Pauliina

[ravenwoodglass]

Hmm maybe ill have to endure more then a wheat wafer then since i had DH i really didn't have any GI symptoms thats why it took me 6 months to see a dermatologist cause i figured the rash would go away on its own if i didn't itch it. As of right now i have some mild stetorrhea (mild being once a day at most) and alittle gas with some abdominal pain on my lower right side by my bellybutton. Apparently all symptomatic of celiacs, but as you say there is no false positive on the blood tests i guess i have it, im not sure why im getting the biopsy, maybe just to see how bad the damage is.

You would be better off getting a knowledgeable dermatologist to do a biopsy. There is a good chance that the endoscopic biopsy will come back normal. This will not mean you are in the clear celiac wise. With a positive blood test you have had your diagnosis. If you have DH you are celiac no matter what the endo says.