Testing When Gluten Free

[one more mile]

My doctor is from a different country and I could not follow him on this one.

I have been gluten free since July. I feel better and my whole family sees a big difference in me. Everyone I know does.

In three months when I do my other panels, my dr. wants to take tests -transglutaminase antibodies and gliaden antibodies( i can not really read his writing) he says that if i am Celiac these will show that I have the antibodies even though I am gluten free.

Is that true? I will be off gluten for about 9 months at that point.

I am unwilling to get sick again just so I can pass or fail some doctors test. That makes no sense to me.

One more mile

[ravenwoodglass]

The blood tests will not pick up celiac if you have been gluten-free for that length of time. Did he do the panels before you started the diet? If so then the retest can show how much your numbers have gone down with the diet. Retests are often done to make sure that a person is dietarily compliant or to see if gluten is sneaking in somewhere. But for diagnosis after being gluten-free for that long they are worthless.

[one more mile]

That is what I though I had read here. He disagrees. He has a patient who is the head of a celiac group in the area and as her case may be very differnt from mine his information may point more to her. No medical test was done before I stopped eating gluten other then the home test --eat three pretzels and need a nap test. Oh well, I will just have to continue to get better and show him. lol.

thank you,

one more mile

[ravenwoodglass]

That is what I though I had read here. He disagrees. He has a patient who is the head of a celiac group in the area and as her case may be very differnt from mine his information may point more to her. No medical test was done before I stopped eating gluten other then the home test --eat three pretzels and need a nap test. Oh well, I will just have to continue to get better and show him. lol.

thank you,

one more mile

Show him this from the NIH if he doesn't believe the NIH I would find another doctor.

"Blood Tests

People with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain autoantibodies