Sometimes I React Sometimes I Dont

[Krystens mummy]

Ok so my daughter is gluten intollerant/ celiac no diagnosis but positive dietary response and we have celiac in the family.

I started getting sick in January of this year and went gluten free in July

I feel so much better now and yes like most people without a definate piece of paper to state it I have cheated on my diet to see what would happen.

Sometimes I will have just a quater of a piece of bread and within twelve hours I will vomit and I lose weight with numerous other symptoms

Sometimes though it seems that I can eat a whole weetbix with little or no reaction. This usually happens after I have been good for a while. I wonder if I react when there is a build up in my system. Does anyone else get this. I did have a negative blood test but got too sick while waiting for a doctor to do an endoscopy so gave up

[RiceGuy]

There were times when I didn't have as bad a reaction, or it was a different reaction than I expected. That would make me think it was something else, and not gluten. But I established that the reaction was somewhat dependent on the type of grain, origin of the grain, type of product, etc.

I'm also self-diagnosed, and sometimes I do start to wonder - just for a moment. But I only need to remind myself of all the various symptoms I had.

Then again, if you had that piece of paper, but didn't always react, you might think the doctor was wrong. After all, doctors misdiagnose people all the time. Or if the doctor said you didn't have Celiac, but you still react, does that paper really matter more than what your body tells you?

With all your symptoms, and how much better you feel without gluten, can there really be any doubt?

[spunky]

I"m self-diagnosed too... and there've been times I've been tempted to try a little and just see what happens.

But then I've read that many diagnosed people can never be sure just how much they might react when exposed... it probably depends on many other factors going on in your gut, general health, etc., at the time of exposure, just how much or little a person might react.

I think the whole gluten thing is a lot more complicated than anyone really understands...so... when I feel tempted to "test," I just compare my worst days now with my best days just about 3 years ago... and I realize I've got a good enough answer without the need to investigate any further. I.e., if you're better off gluten than you were on... that's pretty good indication, and probably more accurate than any test, whether self-induced or medical.