Do I Need To See A Gi

[Heather S]

I have recently been diagnosed with celiac through a positive gliadin peptide result. I've been gluten-free for two months and feel ten years younger! My doctor is recommending I see a GI, but I have terrible insurance and have paid so much out of pocket to get to this point. My question is can I live my gluten-free life and not see the GI? Won't that be the end result, anyway?

I'm not cheap, and my health is important to me, but I can't afford to get the same answer.

[home-based-mom]

I have recently been diagnosed with celiac through a positive gliadin peptide result. I've been gluten-free for two months and feel ten years younger! My doctor is recommending I see a GI, but I have terrible insurance and have paid so much out of pocket to get to this point. My question is can I live my gluten-free life and not see the GI? Won't that be the end result, anyway?

I'm not cheap, and my health is important to me, but I can't afford to get the same answer.

Do you know why your doctor wants you to see a GI? If it's to do a biopsy to confirm the blood test, it might already be too late as you have begun to heal already. Are there other issues?

If your doctor just wants you to have a biopsy and wants the GI to conform that, I think I might politely decline for the above reason. Paying out more money just to be told what you already know is not my idea of a wise use of limited resources.

[Heather S]

Do you know why your doctor wants you to see a GI? If it's to do a biopsy to confirm the blood test, it might already be too late as you have begun to heal already. Are there other issues?

If your doctor just wants you to have a biopsy and wants the GI to conform that, I think I might politely decline for the above reason. Paying out more money just to be told what you already know is not my idea of a wise use of limited resources.

[kbtoyssni]

Many doctors see a positive biopsy as the "gold standard" diagnosis. So you doc may want you to get that test done. BUT you already have a positive diagnosis so it's not necessary to get a scope done. I would ask your doc if there's another reason to get a scope - sometimes a doc may want to look for other issues - but it's unlikely. Also, with being gluten-free for two months already, you've started to heal and will probably get a negative result from the scope. A scope can only re-confirm what the blood test has already told you or show that you've started to heal which you already know since you feel so much better.

[Heather S]

Thanks, this was helpful. My doc is not a GI (he's an immunologist) and I think he just wanted to make sure I was seeing someone who specializes in this. But my take on it is that I feel better on the gluten-free diet and that I should just stick with that and be healthy.

I actually threw a little party when I got my positive test result. I've been chasing down this mysterious illness for 17 years, believe it or not. Now I know the enemy and he's not so big. I'd been tested three times for Lupus, twice for rhuematoid arthritis, and I'd been told I had endometreosis (pain in my abdomen) and should have a hysterectomy. Every time I went to the doctor they did a round of blood tests, but not specifically for Celiac, and I'd come back deficient in some additional vitamin or mineral (amassing a long list of deficiencies over the years), but nothing more. I was so frustrated. Understanding what the problem is and that with proper care I can be healthy has changed my whole life. I'm 42 and felt like I was 62 before my diagnosis. I'm now thinking of hiking the Pacific Crest trail from Washington to California next summer. Couldn't have fathomed that a couple of months ago. Yippee!!

[kbtoyssni]

I actually threw a little party when I got my positive test result. I've been chasing down this mysterious illness for 17 years, believe it or not. Now I know the enemy and he's not so big. I'd been tested three times for Lupus, twice for rhuematoid arthritis, and I'd been told I had endometreosis (pain in my abdomen) and should have a hysterectomy. Every time I went to the doctor they did a round of blood tests, but not specifically for Celiac, and I'd come back deficient in some additional vitamin or mineral (amassing a long list of deficiencies over the years), but nothing more. I was so frustrated. Understanding what the problem is and that with proper care I can be healthy has changed my whole life. I'm 42 and felt like I was 62 before my diagnosis. I'm now thinking of hiking the Pacific Crest trail from Washington to California next summer. Couldn't have fathomed that a couple of months ago. Yippee!!

Good for you! I throw myself a party every year on my gluten-free anniversary. It's like a second birthday to me