Testing - How Long After Starting To Eat Gluten?

[kampingal]

Hi...I stopped eating gluten on 12/15/09 at the advice of an acupunturist who gave some electrode alergy test. Then friends told me they had heard these tests are invalid and told me to see a "real" doctor. I've contacted a doctor who I am scheduled to see at the end of the month. I started eating gluten on 1/9/10 (at least 2-3 pieces of wheat bread a day plus some crackers, cookie, or pasta). I've been getting progressively more sick since I started eating wheat again and I was wondering if I might be able to go in this week for the test.

Symptoms include constipation, lactose intollerance, bulky/yucky BM's, canker sores, extreme fatigue, heart palpatations, dizziness, light-headedness, temporary blindness in one eye and blurred vision, night sweats, back and joint pain, carpel tunnel symptoms, overall feeling of being not well. This morning I felt like I had just woken up after having food poisening or something.

I have had lots of blood work over the past 4 years trying to figure out what is wrong. I have often shown borderline anemic results but I also had two children during that time so I've always been told this was due to childbirth. I had a Celiac blood test 4 years ago but I hadn't eaten gluten for 3+ weeks when I had the test (under the advice of an physicians assistant at a gastroenterologists office). When it came back negative she diagnosed me with IBS and I just stopped eating dairy.

HELP!!! I'm so sick of being tired. I'm a yoga teacher in training and a VERY healthy person. I excercise daily and don't eat processed food. I eat a mostly organic, whole foods diet and take B-complex, fish oil, probiotics, etc... daily. I'm so sick of trying to by hyper-healthy just to feel like I'm not dying. Saw a cardiologist who says my heart is in excellent condition.

Thanks,

Kathy

[tarnalberry]

2-3 slices of bread a day (or the equivalent) for 3 months.

[RiceGuy]

Welcome to the board.

Sad to say, the tests are typically very inaccurate, and thus the typical advice is to be eating gluten for at least six weeks before getting tested. Even then, false negatives are common.

What test(s) are you looking to have done? There's a Celiac blood panel that can be done, and also a biopsy of the small intestine. If neither has yet been scheduled, you might be faced with additional weeks of glutening yourself.

Personally, I think you know that gluten harms you, and I cannot imagine that you'd continue eating it if the tests came back negative. It is ultimately up to you. If you feel you need the tests, then you'll have to continue to damage your intestines in the hopes that it will be confirmed. But again, six weeks of gluten-filled misery at a minimum is what you're looking at.

[kampingal]

The desire for testing is somewhat for myself but also out of concern for my 2 children and my younger siblings who have similar symptoms but no health insurance to do further testing like myself.

There is also the temporary blindness and heart/circulation which cause me some concern since I can't seem to find a definitive link to Celiac. Although, it does seem like there isn't sufficient research yet.

I'm certain I will be avoiding wheat regardless of my test results but I'm not sure if I need to "avoid" it because it makes me feel yucky or if I need to eliminate because it is harmful.

I'm not sure what tests the doctor will do but she is supposed to be very experienced and has Celiac herself.

Thank you!