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Getting Back On Gluten For Tests

codyb87

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codyb87 Rookie
codyb87
Posted

I went on a self prescribed gluten free diet about 3-4 weeks ago. My blood test came back IgA deficient so I had to book a GI appointment so I can talk with the GI and hopefully get a endoscopy soon. Only problem is the appointment isn't until April 8th :(

I seem to be in some weird recovery process but with lots of fatigue and headaches. So I am not sure that if I get back on gluten now, will that month pause of no gluten effect my endoscopy? Or can I wait even a little longer to purposely damage myself, because even if the appointment is on April 8th the procedure wouldn't be for another few weeks after that.

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Gfresh404 Enthusiast
Gfresh404
Posted
I went on a self prescribed gluten free diet about 3-4 weeks ago. My blood test came back IgA deficient so I had to book a GI appointment so I can talk with the GI and hopefully get a endoscopy soon. Only problem is the appointment isn't until April 8th :(

I seem to be in some weird recovery process but with lots of fatigue and headaches. So I am not sure that if I get back on gluten now, will that month pause of no gluten effect my endoscopy? Or can I wait even a little longer to purposely damage myself, because even if the appointment is on April 8th the procedure wouldn't be for another few weeks after that.

A gluten free diet will effect the endoscopy. Length times will always vary person to person and there is no way determine how long it takes for the villi to heal, each person is different.

fripp017 Apprentice
fripp017
Posted
I went on a self prescribed gluten free diet about 3-4 weeks ago.

Or can I wait even a little longer to purposely damage myself, because even if the appointment is on April 8th the procedure wouldn't be for another few weeks after that.

I did the same thing ... I was on a gluten free diet for a week. After 3 days, my pain noticably decreased. After the third day, my energy returned and my irritibility went away. Everyone thought I was a different person. I had my GI appointment so I was doing research on Celiac and read that you "should not start the gluten-free diet BEFORE you are diagnosed because it can affect your test results." After going back on the gluten, my symptoms came back ten-fold. I wish I never knew how good it was off gluten.

If you want to be diagnosed, then start eating gluten, and lots of it!! If you are pretty sure you know you have a reaction to gluten then stay on the diet and feel good. I only say that because I want to be diagnosed and I continue to suffer while my doctor tries to rule out every other diagnosis first.

Good luck!!!

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
If you want to be diagnosed, then start eating gluten, and lots of it!! If you are pretty sure you know you have a reaction to gluten then stay on the diet and feel good. I only say that because I want to be diagnosed and I continue to suffer while my doctor tries to rule out every other diagnosis first.

Good luck!!!

Is there any way you can get your doctor to look for celiac first rather than last? Have you told him about the good response you had to the diet? I would insist on making celiac the first rather than the last priority. The diet may resolve a lot of issues and negate the need for further testing once it is decided you need the diet. At the very least could you request that they do an endo before any other testing? Not that the endo is for sure diagnostically, there are still false negatives with that, but so many have to go through the discomfort of the prep for a colonoscopy and then hear that everything is fine and get rescheduled for another appointment for the endo, which does not require the prep that the colonoscopy does. You also do have the option of going back on the diet and continueing to heal, you don't need a doctors permission to be gluten free and sometimes the best test is our resolution of problems.

gfb1 Rookie
gfb1
Posted
Is there any way you can get your doctor to look for celiac first rather than last? Have you told him about the good response you had to the diet? I would insist on making celiac the first rather than the last priority. The diet may resolve a lot of issues and negate the need for further testing once it is decided you need the diet. At the very least could you request that they do an endo before any other testing? Not that the endo is for sure diagnostically, there are still false negatives with that, but so many have to go through the discomfort of the prep for a colonoscopy and then hear that everything is fine and get rescheduled for another appointment for the endo, which does not require the prep that the colonoscopy does. You also do have the option of going back on the diet and continueing to heal, you don't need a doctors permission to be gluten free and sometimes the best test is our resolution of problems.

rwg has good advice (as usual)... please re-read the last sentence.

i am often concerned about the effect of the 'on again, off again' gluten diets. since a large component of celiac disease is related to the bodies response to an antigen; i worry that cycling the diets INCREASES the chances of hyperresponsiveness to the gliadin/gluten antigen. think about how an allergy to bee stings progresses...

at least in the case of my wife and her relatives; their sensitivity to gluten has increased over time. i suspect that this is due to the years of misdiagnosis; when the only thing that would calm her medical problems would be to go on a rice/banana diet. then, a few weeks later; when symptoms subsided -- back to a 'normal' diet (which included gluten). several weeks later -- gi symptomology returned, usually worse.

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