Help! Freaking Out!

[tunibell]

I just got my repeat endoscopy results back. After 8 months on the diet, my

biopsy revealed "partial healing." My doctor seems to think the celiac should

have totally reversed at this point, and now wants to send me for a CAT Scan to

rule out lymphoma. I am, naturally, freaking out. Anyone go through something

similar???

[psawyer]

After eight months on a strictly gluten-free diet, I would also expect healing to be complete. The obvious question, to me, is are you sure you are not still getting gluten from somewhere on a regular basis?

[verushka1974]

It could take up to 1 year on children and 2 years on adults....according to all the books I've read and doctors I have talked to.

But also check all the condiments/seasonings you use...I wasn't getting better and it turned out to be the hidden sources of gluten in the dried oregano, pepper, thyme, parsley, garlic powder and annatto I was using (even though it doesn't say on the label) I called the company and they did mention the cross-contamination issue when making these products. Now I keep it simple..salt only! I know that Mccormick doesn't guarantee their products to be gluten-free because of the cross contamination.

[ravenwoodglass]

I would think also that you are likely still getting gluten somewhere. I don't know why the doctor would think lymphoma because your villi are not healing, he should be thinking that you either are still getting gluten or perhaps are dealing with a rare case of refactory sprue.

Check all your toiletries, shampoos, makeup, pet foods, pet litters, all script meds and OTC meds, generics need to be checked at each refill. Are their gluten eaters in your house? If there is are you taking all the precautions you need to? Do you eat out frequently? That can be a problem for us. Do you eat a lot of processed foods? You may want to go with whole unprocessed foods for a while to help the healing.

[tunibell]

I seriously don't see how there could be any gluten in what I eat. I'm meticulous to the point of paranoia. As far as medicines, all I ever get is "we don't actively put any gluten in but we can't guarantee that the raw materials are gluten-free." I never eat out, and I replaced half my kitchen after diagnosis. I only use gluten-free shampoo and conditioner; no other body products. I'm stumped.

[ravenwoodglass]

I seriously don't see how there could be any gluten in what I eat. I'm meticulous to the point of paranoia. As far as medicines, all I ever get is "we don't actively put any gluten in but we can't guarantee that the raw materials are gluten-free." I never eat out, and I replaced half my kitchen after diagnosis. I only use gluten-free shampoo and conditioner; no other body products. I'm stumped.

How are you feeling? Are you still having symptoms? If you are have you tried tried eliminating dairy and soy?

[orchid1]

How long had you gone undiagnosed? I had celiac disease for over 10 years and not knowing. Because of my age, being over 50, it took over two years to heal the damaged villi. It can be a slow process for some.

[tunibell]

I'm not sure how long I have had celiac disease; if I had it prior to February 2009, it was completely silent.

CT scan came back normal, thank God!

[ravenwoodglass]

I'm not sure how long I have had celiac disease; if I had it prior to February 2009, it was completely silent.

CT scan came back normal, thank God!

That's great news about the CT!