What Do I Need To Eat Before celiac disease Blood Test?

[guyshahar]

Hi there

I am very sensitive to gluten and want to be tested for celiac disease.

I know that you need to eat a load of gluten before the tests, and eating wheat bread would be intolerable for so long - I would be laid out for the whole time!!!

I know that Spelt has less of an effect on me, and I would only be deeply uncomfortable for the period if I was eating Spelt bread. (And it would give me a few weeks to enjoy the wonderful Sourdough Spelt loaf that I used to love, even if I have to suffer for it...)

Is Spelt as good as standard wheat to eat before the test?

Thanks for any advice

Guy

[RiceGuy]

Well, we're all different, but I'd have to guess that a lesser outward reaction could mean a lesser immune response. Thus it might make the test results even more unreliable than they already are, if you were to eat spelt instead of wheat.

However, if the blood test is like the biopsy in terms of how long you need to be eating gluten, you're looking at at least six weeks of misery. And if you've already been gluten-free for awhile, the reaction may be worse. IMHO, you already know you cannot eat wheat, and if other gluten grains also effect you, then whether or not it is Celiac doesn't seem to make much difference in terms of diet. But, if it helps you to stick with it, then by all means get tested. Just keep in mind that the test results may be negative for Celiac, even if you do have it. Especially since you've apparently been gluten-free. In addition, if you decide to go for the biopsy (which many doctors insist upon before giving a firm diagnosis of Celiac), you would have to intentionally damage your small intestine by ingesting gluten for a sufficient period of time. How long that is seems to vary from person to person, but the two weeks which doctors often suggest has been repeatedly shown to be inadequate. Six weeks is usually suggested here on the board, as a minimum.

[gfb1]

Well, we're all different, but I'd have to guess that a lesser outward reaction could mean a lesser immune response. Thus it might make the test results even more unreliable than they already are, if you were to eat spelt instead of wheat.

not necessarily.

However, if the blood test is like the biopsy in terms of how long you need to be eating gluten, you're looking at at least six weeks of misery. And if you've already been gluten-free for awhile, the reaction may be worse. IMHO, you already know you cannot eat wheat, and if other gluten grains also effect you, then whether or not it is Celiac doesn't seem to make much difference in terms of diet. But, if it helps you to stick with it, then by all means get tested. Just keep in mind that the test results may be negative for Celiac, even if you do have it. Especially since you've apparently been gluten-free. In addition, if you decide to go for the biopsy (which many doctors insist upon before giving a firm diagnosis of Celiac), you would have to intentionally damage your small intestine by ingesting gluten for a sufficient period of time. How long that is seems to vary from person to person, but the two weeks which doctors often suggest has been repeatedly shown to be inadequate. Six weeks is usually suggested here on the board, as a minimum.

it really depends on which test. more than likely gliadin antibodies will be present in your blood as long as you are consuming gluten (whether wheat/rye/barley/spelt). there does, however, need to be sufficient intestinal damage to result in the breakdown of the endomysium (hence, endomysial antibodies) or TTG (tissue transglutaminase).

the intestine repairs itself very quickly; remember that the intestinal tissue (just like your skin) grows quickly and replaces itself by sloughing off older cells. this means that even with a week off of gluten, you will have much less endomysial protein or TTG in your blood to stimulate the production of antibodies. it is also why you need to be consistently consuming gluten if you intend on having an endoscopy.

[guyshahar]

Thanks RiceMan and gfb1

I have been looking into it today, and do not think I can go through the 1-2 months of agony!!!! I will just assume that I am coeliac and live accordingly. It can't do me any harm. It means that I won't get all my gluten free food free on the NHS (I am from the UK), but to be honest, I know what a couple of days is like on wheat, and cannot imagine a couple of months!!!

[TiffLuvsBread]

Guy - I couldn't agree more with what RiceGuy said about suffering for something you already know to be true. I'm happy to read you are going to forgo the test, because honestly what does it do for us? We eat gluten-free and are finally HAPPY and feel GREAT, then we have to torture ourselves and destroy our bodies, for a doctor to call us and say "oh, yep, you were right." Or even worse, they call and say the test shows a negative. But you were SO miserable leading up to the test, so you will go back to gluten-free anyway because that's the only time you feel great. I agree you will be happier just continuing to eat gluten-free knowing your own diagnosis.

If it was required to have a diagnosis in order to receive treatment that would be different - but since the only treatment is changing the foods you put into your body, receiving the diagnosis is just kind of.... pointless. NOW, if you had no or low symptoms (which some Celiac's do) while eating gluten, the test would be helpful since the symptoms are so mild it is hard to tell if the diet works.

Consider you have it, and consider you might pass it on as there can be family history of Celiac.

That's how I roll.

[guyshahar]

Thanks for this, TiffLovesBread

BTW - what bread do you love and how to you make it? I made my first gluten-free (sourdough) bread today using Rice, Tapioca, Potato, Gram and Sorghum flours, with a brown rice flour starter and small amounts of Xanthan Gum, sugar, honey and live yoghurt. Tasted great, but heavy as a brick!!! Any idea how to make it lighter???

[nora-n]

It might be possible to use baking powder, I use that, or you can try the artisan bread recipe where you keep the dough (gluten-free) on the kitchen counter for 8 hours, and heat a cast iron pot in the oven to very hot, and then dump the dough into the hot pot and put the lid on. I read long threads about that method where they rave about it. Should be somewhere online.

In your shoes, I might still consider going back on gluten for the diagnosis. my daughter did , despite of awful symptoms. She did get a diagnosis despite of negative tests because of these terrible symptoms on gluten and that they all went away off gluten. We get about 200dollars a month with an official diagnosis. (in cash)