Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Ttg Results And Symptoms Relationship?


Bookie53463

Recommended Posts

Bookie53463 Rookie

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what people's experiences have been regarding their tTG results and their symptoms after they have become gluten free...

Before going gluten-free, I had a tTG score of about 180 (where a high positive is > 30)

1.5 years later, my tTG is only 70, so still a strong positive but not as positive

My primary symptom of a [essentially constant] bloated/distended/uncomfortable gassy stomach did not change at all over that 1.5 years (i.e. I'm 6'2'', 170 lbs, and still wear pants with a 36 inch waist despite being a muscular guy).

My symptoms are the above mentioned bloated stomach and moderate constipation/sense of incomplete evacuation (the latter which is helped by miralax but alleviating the constipation has done little to help the other more concerning symptom).

--> Have other people had these symptoms and had a high tTG?

--> Will I have to wait until my tTG is much lower to experience any improvement?

Thanks guys


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Tallforagirl Rookie
--> Have other people had these symptoms and had a high tTG?

--> Will I have to wait until my tTG is much lower to experience any improvement?

Thanks guys

A year and a half seems a long time to not see any improvement. Are you certain you have eliminated all sources of gluten from your food-sources and medication?

Having said that, tTG can take a long time to normalise, a year or more is not unusual. Anti-gliadin IGA is more reactive and will normalise more quickly with removal of gluten from the diet (and vice versa), so it is better for use in monitoring the diet.

Have you considered you may be lactose or fructose intolerant? These can both cause bloating/gas. A lot of celiacs have lactose intolerance (mostly temporary) because of the damage to the villi, which normally release lactase enzyme from their tips.

There is a hydrogen breath test you can take to diagnose these, so maybe ask your doctor about it.

In regard to a link between high tTG and symptoms, in my case my tTG was >200 when diagnosed, and went down to 132 after four months. I never had any symptoms to speak of, apart from ongoing nausea and fatigue which I now put down to low B12, as it cleared once I had a course of B12 injections. The low B12 was most likely from malabsorption due to the gut damage.

Bookie53463 Rookie

I know I'm a bit lactose intolerant and as such, have very little lactose containing products

My primary symptom of an uncomfortable distended bloated abdomen doesn't seem to cycle with what I eat that much --> it only seems to feel less uncomfortable if I avoid food in general

I've tried a 3 week elemental diet under the theory that this might be some sort of bacterial overgrowth but it didn't help (and such a diet would have been free of lactose/fructose/gluten for that time) -- I still felt pretty bloated during those three weeks making me think this symptom may be a function of ongoing inflammation as opposed to some sort of other process

also re: dietary compliance -- I was compliant as I could ever really be (my anti-gliadin was negative); if i became any more compliant I'd rule out eating out entirely (e.g. I would usually just eat mexican food like tacos which could have a spec of a gluten in them from a fleck of flour landing on them in the kitchen -- though if that's enough to set me off I should wear a mask everywhere...)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,348
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    claire1520
    Newest Member
    claire1520
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @Ginger38, Diabetes and Celiac often go hand in hand.  Having more than one autoimmune disease is common with Celiac.  I'd err on the side of caution and go gluten free.   I did not want to go on insulin, either.  I got my diabetes under control by following the low histamine version of the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (Dr. Sarah Ballantyne).  My diet now does include carbs.   We're supporting you through this difficult time.  
    • knitty kitty
      @Ginger38,  I've been there with horrible symptoms and diarrhea accidents and diabetes and the insulin conundrum!  My doctors were just as frustrating!   I had nutritional deficiencies.  I know your doctors refuse to test for this.  So did mine, saying "I can't make money prescribing vitamins."  Some members say a naturopathic doctor is more open to testing for deficiencies.  Remember not to start supplementing until after testing is done.  Otherwise the supplements will raise your blood levels falsely.   I had studied Nutrition at university, so I decided to supplement essential vitamins and minerals.  A B Complex, extra Thiamine (Benfotiamine) for the diabetes, magnesium and Vitamin D are the supplements I started with.   The B vitamins are water soluble so any excess is excreted easily.  Thiamine even in high doses is safe and nontoxic.  Diabetics lose more thiamine in urine because of weird kidney stuff.   I wanted to get my blood glucose levels under control because gluten free foods made my level spike for long periods, too.  I absolutely did not want to go on insulin.  Once you do, the pancreas stops making it.  Very scary.  Best to help the pancreas function with thiamine in the form Benfotiamine. I began the low histamine version of the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (developed by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, A Celiac herself).  It's a low carb, very strict diet at first, then expanded.  I considered it similar to feeding a sick baby.  You don't give hard to digest foods to a baby.  You give easily digestible foods.  This allows time for the gastrointestinal tract to calm down and heal.  Symptoms started to calm down quickly.  With the vitamins, I started feeling much better.  My blood glucose levels stabilized.  I did not go on insulin.  I do not take anti-glycemic pharmaceutical drugs like Metformin.  Just diet.  You're making the right decision to live as a Celiac.  Your body is telling you clearly.  You can get through this.  You're strong and you're fighting for yourself and your baby.  Good job!  You have the Tribe behind you!
    • maryannlove
      Though trying to diligently eat gluten free, recent bloodwork was bad so searching for culprits.  Eat lot of (preferably mixed) nuts.  Most allergen labels say may be processed on equpment that also processes wheat, etc.  Finally found ONE kind (unsalted mixed) at BJ's.  Wessley (their store brand) that did not contain that warning.  Says in large letters "A GLUTEN FREE FOOD."  Well, all nuts are a gluten free FOOD!  Have been eating and now wonder if this is intentionally decieving.  So stopped eating until find culprit.  Nuts are so good for protein and fiber (especially if trying to not eat meat).  'Tis so frustrating.  Thanks to above, I'll look into Tierra Farms.   
    • somethinglikeolivia
      Fascinating! This was very helpful, thanks for sharing
    • maryannlove
      Despite being very diligent about eating gluten free, my recent bloodwork was bad.  So been on a mission to find the culprit(s).  During Covid my daughter found "certified gluten free" Yasso mint chocolate chip yogurt bars at Costco.  I was elated and have been eating them since.  When delving into possible culprits I discovered that the boxes with 12 bars at both Costco and BJ's no longer say "certified gluten free."  But the boxes with 4 bars at groceries and Target still say "certified gluten free."  Contacted the manufacturer and was told to go by what the box says.  So guess different machinery is used.  Was also told they were in the process of changing boxes.  Will be interesting to see what that brings.  
×
×
  • Create New...