Just Got Results Back-positive

[Jennifer2]

Hi, I just got some blood work back.

Endomysial IgA and transglutaminase both came back positive.

Doctor wants me to start a gluten free diet.

So obviously breads, flour, grains etc is out , but I'm not sure what else to worry about?

Any tips on the adjustment?

Jennifer

[ravenwoodglass]

Start out with whole foods, unprocessed. Fruits, veggies, fresh unpreseasoned meats, nut butters, beans, rice, unseasoned, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Try to avoid processed foods as much as you can. It is also a good idea to delete or strictly limit dairy until you have healed. Go easy on the specialty gluten free baked goods at first as many have ingredients that we don't commonly eat and if you should have an issue with say perhaps soy flour it will be easier to pinpoint the issue after you have healed. You also should spend some time looking over lots of the product threads as you will get a lot of info from them. The most important thing is if in doubt call the company that makes the item before you consume.

[Jennifer2]

Start out with whole foods, unprocessed. Fruits, veggies, fresh unpreseasoned meats, nut butters, beans, rice, unseasoned, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Try to avoid processed foods as much as you can. It is also a good idea to delete or strictly limit dairy until you have healed. Go easy on the specialty gluten free baked goods at first as many have ingredients that we don't commonly eat and if you should have an issue with say perhaps soy flour it will be easier to pinpoint the issue after you have healed. You also should spend some time looking over lots of the product threads as you will get a lot of info from them. The most important thing is if in doubt call the company that makes the item before you consume.

Thanks!

I'll start with limiting dairy also. Is there a general rule of thumb as to how long it takes to heal, or how long I should wait before trying to add dairy back?

[lizard00]

Thanks!

I'll start with limiting dairy also. Is there a general rule of thumb as to how long it takes to heal, or how long I should wait before trying to add dairy back?

I've always heard around 6 months before trying dairy again, but each person is different. Healing time depends on how much damage has been done and how strict you are with the diet.

At 6 months, my new GI would NOT do an endoscope on me to look for celiac because he said that chances of it being negative were pretty high. Whether I was fully healed or not, who knows. But I also didn't go years and years without being diagnosed. So maybe I didn't have a lot of damage to begin with...

[Darn210]

Thanks!

I'll start with limiting dairy also. Is there a general rule of thumb as to how long it takes to heal, or how long I should wait before trying to add dairy back?

I think it's trial and error . . . some people don't even need to limit dairy. We didn't. I did give my daughter the lactaid chewables if she was consuming a "decent" amount of dairy in one sitting. I don't even know if we needed it. It's hard to get real feed back from a six year old. We stayed on the lactaid for two or three months but we also were fortunate that during her endoscopy the GI (at my request, don't know if he would have done it otherwise) took a sample to have her lactase level checked. It showed low but not too far out of the limits.

[happygirl]

The Celiac Survival Guide ( Open Original Shared Link ) from The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (www.celiaccentral.org) is a great resource.

Also, great information from the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) on getting started can be found here: Open Original Shared Link

Information on reading labels, safe foods, etc:

Unsafe ingredients: https://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsaf...ents/Page1.html

Safe ingredients: https://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-...ents/Page1.html

A list of companies that has a clear gluten policy. If you don't see "wheat, rye, barley, barley malt, oats" on the labels, its not there, or hidden in "flavors, starches, etc." Open Original Shared Link and Open Original Shared Link This makes shopping MUCH easier.

FDA foods are required to list wheat - it cannot be hidden.

Rule #1: Never eat anything without reading the label first.

Rule #2: Consistently check labels, even of your favorite products, as product formulations can change.

Rule #3: If you are unsure of an ingredient, or the company's policy on labeling, call the phone number on the back of the product or email the company.

A great book to get started is "The first year - Celiac Disease and Living Gluten Free" by Jules Dowler Shepard.

[LDJofDenver]

A few other handy things that you may not have thought of.

If you don't live alone, you

[Korwyn]

Hi, I just got some blood work back.

Endomysial IgA and transglutaminase both came back positive.

Doctor wants me to start a gluten free diet.

So obviously breads, flour, grains etc is out , but I'm not sure what else to worry about?

Any tips on the adjustment?

Jennifer

One of the things that has been helping me survive has been: Living Gluten-free for Dummies (loaned to me by a friend) and also Gluten-free cooking for Dummies. Both excellent starter books.