Been Gluten Free For 1 Week, But Have Not Gotten Blood Tests Or Biopsy Done Yet...what Should I Do?

[Saladin]

Hi everyone,

I've had diarrhea for as long as I can remember...

For a few days, I was eating a lot of wheat products and I noticed that my symptoms (especially bloating) became unbearable. I experimented a little bit and found a definite link with wheat.

I removed wheat from my diet, and just to be safe, I've eliminated gluten as well. I still have bowel movements about 6+ times per day, although now my stools are well-formed, which wasn't the case before I went gluten/wheat-free.

I'm trying to get a GI appointment sometime in the week. I've been gluten free for a week...if I got my blood test done, would it come back negative since it's one week? Would I really have to reintroduce wheat/gluten into my diet again? I REALLY don't want to do that, because I have an anal fissure due to all my diarrhea...the fissure healed, but I am worried that if I go back on wheat/gluten, then I will have crazy diarrhea and end up opening up my fissure again.

So what should I do? Again, it's only been 1 week since I've been gluten free. Would the blood tests be positive still, and do I really need to reintroduce gluten?

[Ursa Major]

If your test number would have been sky high a week ago, they would likely still be positive. If they weren't, they might end up being false negatives, even if they would have been positive a week ago.

If you want a biopsy done, again, unless you can have it done in a week or so, you don't need to bother unless you start eating gluten again. It would still be accurate for a couple of weeks, your villi usually don't heal that fast.

Really, you have an answer. If you don't want to go back on gluten for tests, you might have to be happy with a self-diagnosis. If you want an official diagnosis, you may have to go back to eating gluten, unless you can have the testing done right away (which is possible with the blood test, but not likely with a biopsy).

[Saladin]

If your test number would have been sky high a week ago, they would likely still be positive. If they weren't, they might end up being false negatives, even if they would have been positive a week ago.

If you want a biopsy done, again, unless you can have it done in a week or so, you don't need to bother unless you start eating gluten again. It would still be accurate for a couple of weeks, your villi usually don't heal that fast.

Really, you have an answer. If you don't want to go back on gluten for tests, you might have to be happy with a self-diagnosis. If you want an official diagnosis, you may have to go back to eating gluten, unless you can have the testing done right away (which is possible with the blood test, but not likely with a biopsy).

Thank you for your speedy reply.

[white ridges]

Hi everyone,

I've had diarrhea for as long as I can remember...

For a few days, I was eating a lot of wheat products and I noticed that my symptoms (especially bloating) became unbearable. I experimented a little bit and found a definite link with wheat.

I removed wheat from my diet, and just to be safe, I've eliminated gluten as well. I still have bowel movements about 6+ times per day, although now my stools are well-formed, which wasn't the case before I went gluten/wheat-free.

I'm trying to get a GI appointment sometime in the week. I've been gluten free for a week...if I got my blood test done, would it come back negative since it's one week? Would I really have to reintroduce wheat/gluten into my diet again? I REALLY don't want to do that, because I have an anal fissure due to all my diarrhea...the fissure healed, but I am worried that if I go back on wheat/gluten, then I will have crazy diarrhea and end up opening up my fissure again.

So what should I do? Again, it's only been 1 week since I've been gluten free. Would the blood tests be positive still, and do I really need to reintroduce gluten?

[white ridges]

Wow, you certainly seem to have found your answer. I wouldn't want to go back to consuming gluten again for the sake of a test either. You may want to consider EnteroLab. They did a fecal test for me which is more sensitive thatn the blood test and they also tested for casein, eggs, soy and yeast. I was sensitive to all of them. Perhaps you may have reactions to more than gluten, as well, and avoiding those might improve the remainder of your symptoms. They can also do a DNA test. I have a gene from each parent predisposing me to gluten sensitivity. Reading Dr. Fine's paper on the Lab's website is very enlightening. Just go to EnteroLab.com and click on Resources and Education in the left hand column and then click on the report, 'Early Diagnosis of Gluten Sensitivity: Before the Villi are Gone'. Good Health to YOU.