Help.. Questions About Gluten Test

[scubadooba2]

Hello,

Thanks first off for reading this and any help you can give is appreciated. I have not been diagnosed with celiac, but I have had problems with my skin being dry and cracking and GI symptoms since I was about 20. I'm 33 now. I went to a GI doc when I was 21 because I had diarrhea and stomach cramps almost daily. He did a colonoscopy and told me nothing was wrong. I have been eating gluten free for over a year now and my diarrhea is gone and the problems with my skin are also improving. When I have accidently consumed gluten I have violent consequences(if you know what I mean)! I want to go to a Dr. and find out if what is going on is really celiac or just maybe an allergy, but when I have asked my dr about it she just laughs and says "you are overweight, I seriously doubt you have celiac!" She won't even really discuss it because she thinks I'm wrong. I want to know how long I need to eat gluten again before I can test positive for celiac. I am nervous about going back on gluten, but I have been told there are advantages to having an actual diagnosis. I only want to have to go back on gluten once, so I want to get it right the first time! Also if anyone knows of a good Dr in the tacoma area it would be appreciated. Thanks again!

[sannep77]

  On 3/6/2010 at 1:16 AM, scubadooba2 said:

Hello,

Thanks first off for reading this and any help you can give is appreciated. I have not been diagnosed with celiac, but I have had problems with my skin being dry and cracking and GI symptoms since I was about 20. I'm 33 now. I went to a GI doc when I was 21 because I had diarrhea and stomach cramps almost daily. He did a colonoscopy and told me nothing was wrong. I have been eating gluten free for over a year now and my diarrhea is gone and the problems with my skin are also improving. When I have accidently consumed gluten I have violent consequences(if you know what I mean)! I want to go to a Dr. and find out if what is going on is really celiac or just maybe an allergy, but when I have asked my dr about it she just laughs and says "you are overweight, I seriously doubt you have celiac!" She won't even really discuss it because she thinks I'm wrong. I want to know how long I need to eat gluten again before I can test positive for celiac. I am nervous about going back on gluten, but I have been told there are advantages to having an actual diagnosis. I only want to have to go back on gluten once, so I want to get it right the first time! Also if anyone knows of a good Dr in the tacoma area it would be appreciated. Thanks again!

It makes me so sad to hear that your doctor and so many others say these things. I wasn't overweight but I was not super skinny either when I was diagnosed. I had to ask my doctor for the test. Everyone who has celiac disease does not have the same symptoms. Doctors are just not educated in Celiac and it makes me so mad!!!

Anyways I guess you could do something called a gluten challenge. Peter H.R. Green, a medical doctor wrote a book called "Celiac disease: a hidden epidemic" this quote is taken directly out of this book. I suggest reading it, it was so helpful to me. " Results of all tests will return normal on a gluten-free diet. Therefore a gluten free challenge- which consists of eating gluten- filled foods for anywhere from one to three months- is often needed in order to confirm a diagnosis of celiac disease. A gluten challenge involves a biopsy, not blood tests, after a period of eating gluten. There are three major reasons to conduct a gluten challenge. 1) Some people go on a gluten-free diet prior to diagnosis. This is one of the biggest hurdles to accurately assessing a patient with celiac disease. Some people are advised by a doctor, dietitian, or friend to do it on a trial basis to see if their symptoms will get better. Other people may live in a household in which family members are gluten-free and thus do not have much gluten in their regular diet. Whatever the reason, people much be ingesting gluten for the tests to be significant. If you have stopped eating gluten before having blood work and or an endoscopy, your doctor should be informed and you should have a gluten challenge before being tested." ( Dr. Peter Green)

Hope this helps. If you are had a GIG gluten intolerance group, they probably have a website with a list of doctors that specialize in celiac disease.

[sannep77]

  On 3/6/2010 at 1:16 AM, scubadooba2 said:

Hello,

Thanks first off for reading this and any help you can give is appreciated. I have not been diagnosed with celiac, but I have had problems with my skin being dry and cracking and GI symptoms since I was about 20. I'm 33 now. I went to a GI doc when I was 21 because I had diarrhea and stomach cramps almost daily. He did a colonoscopy and told me nothing was wrong. I have been eating gluten free for over a year now and my diarrhea is gone and the problems with my skin are also improving. When I have accidently consumed gluten I have violent consequences(if you know what I mean)! I want to go to a Dr. and find out if what is going on is really celiac or just maybe an allergy, but when I have asked my dr about it she just laughs and says "you are overweight, I seriously doubt you have celiac!" She won't even really discuss it because she thinks I'm wrong. I want to know how long I need to eat gluten again before I can test positive for celiac. I am nervous about going back on gluten, but I have been told there are advantages to having an actual diagnosis. I only want to have to go back on gluten once, so I want to get it right the first time! Also if anyone knows of a good Dr in the tacoma area it would be appreciated. Thanks again!

Oh and a colonscopy does nothing to diagnose someone with celiac disease. You have to have an endoscopy that takes tissue samples from your small intestine. That is how the diagnosis is confirmed after the blood test.