Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Can Biopsy Give Useful Info 8 Months After Gluten-Free?

Chakra2

Recommended Posts

Chakra2 Contributor
Chakra2
Posted

I had a chance today to ask questions of my mom's GI doctor -- kind of an informal second opinion. I went gluten-free in January trying to address other health issues before I got celiac testing done. My original GI doc said celiac was likely but no need to do challenge or biopsy since my genetic test showed celiac genes and I was doing so much better after going gluten free. My mom's GI doc said he agreed about not doing a gluten challenge (no need to feel miserable) but that I should get a biopsy. He said that a really skilled pathologist can see signs of old damage even months after being gluten free.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to do it -- hassle, expense vs maybe getting a formal diagnosis.

Has anyone gotten useful info from a biopsy many months after going gluten free? Has anyone's biopsy late in the game still shown damage?

I'm 33 and think I might have had celiac disease since infancy, in case that's relevant.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

Do you care what they find? Would it change anything you're doing? If the answer is 'no', then why do it?

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

There was a person on here that opted out of the biopsy initally and then many months later had the EGD and biopsy because I believe she was still having problems. From what I can remember her biopsy was positive and they were able to address some other issues as well. I think it was foodiegurl so maybe she can chime in and talk to you. Celiac isn't the only thing that can show up on an EGD. I have had two, one before gluten free after my positive blood work and a repeat one just in April. I hesitated on the repeat EGD for four months but then decided to have it done. My small bowel biopsy was good this time but they found a gastric ulcer. So I'm glad I had it done again because the ulcer was new as I didn't have any on my scope I had in 2008. You just need to weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that is best for you.

nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

I know about one person who was very ill with celiac, and had a positive biopsy.

Then he ended up in a different hospital after going gluten free. After some weeks gluten free they happened to do another biopsy which was clear.

They denied he could have had celiac in teh first place and refused to read the diagnosis or any paperwork from the first biopsy, and said it would be impossible for anyone to go completely gluten free. But he had a degree in chemistry and another degree and actually had mamaged to go completely gluten free.

Anyway, they found the small intestine was healed.

I really think it varies how fast the gut heals.

Some say it heals fast with children, and slower with adults.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. SilkieFairy
      - SilkieFairy replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      I am doing a gluten challenge right now and I bought vital wheat gluten so I can know exactly how much gluten I am getting. One tablespoon is 7g so 1½ tablespoons of Vital Wheat Gluten per day will get you to 10g You could add it to bean burgers as a binder or add to hot chocolate or apple sauce and stir.
    2. Scott Adams
      0

      Celiac Disease Beyond the Western World: Hidden Populations, Changing Diets, and Growing Awareness

    3. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      Raising you vitamin D will increase absorption of calcium automatically without supplementation of calcium. A high PTH can be caused by low D causing poor calcium absorption; not insuffient calcium intake. With low D your body is not absorbing calcium from your food so it steals it from your bones. Heart has priority over bone. I've been taking 1...
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it. Gluten is the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part. Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein. Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat...
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3. Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C. Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine. Weight...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,360
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Known1
    Newest Member
    Known1
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Known1
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Known1 · Posted

      I live in the upper mid-west and was just diagnosed with marsh 3c celiac less than a month ago.  As a 51 year old male, I now take a couple of different gluten free vitamins.  I have not noticed any reaction to either of these items.  Both were purchased from Amazon. 1.  Nature Made Multivitamin For Him with No Iron 2.  Gade Nutrition Organic Quercetin with Bromelain Vitamin C and Zinc Between those two, I am ingesting 2000 IU of vitamin D per day. Best of luck, Known1
    • SilkieFairy
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      I am doing a gluten challenge right now and I bought vital wheat gluten so I can know exactly how much gluten I am getting. One tablespoon is 7g so 1½ tablespoons of Vital Wheat Gluten per day will get you to 10g You could add it to bean burgers as a binder or add to hot chocolate or apple sauce and stir. 
    • Wheatwacked
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Raising you vitamin D will increase absorption of calcium automatically without supplementation of calcium.  A high PTH can be caused by low D causing poor calcium absorption; not insuffient calcium intake.  With low D your body is not absorbing calcium from your food so it steals it from your bones.  Heart has priority over bone. I've been taking 10,000 IU D3 a day since 2015.  My doctor says to continue. To fix my lactose intolerance, lots of lactobacillus from yogurts, and brine fermented pickles and saurkraut and olives.  We lose much of our ability to make lactase endogenosly with maturity but a healthy colony of lactobacillus in our gut excretes lactase in exchange for room and board. The milk protein in grass fed milk does not bother me. It tastes like the milk I grew up on.  If I drink commercial milk I get heartburn at night. Some experts estimate that 90% of us do not eat Adequite Intake of choline.  Beef and eggs are the principle source. Iodine deficiency is a growing concern.  I take 600 mcg a day of Liquid Iodine.  It and NAC have accelerated my healing all over.  Virtually blind in my right eye after starting antihypertensive medication and vision is slowly coming back.  I had to cut out starches because they drove my glucose up into the 200+ range.  I replaced them with Red Bull for the glucose intake with the vitamins, minerals and Taurine needed to process through the mitochodria Krebs Cycle to create ATP.  Went from A1c 13 down to 7.9.  Work in progress. Also take B1,B2,B3,B5,B6. Liquid Iodine, Phosphatidyl Choline, Q10, Selenium, D and DHEA.     Choline supplemented as phosphatidylcholine decreases fasting and postmethionine-loading plasma homocysteine concentrations in healthy men +    
    • knitty kitty
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it.  Gluten is  the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part.  Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate  ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein.   Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat, and bran is the protective covering of the kernel.   Little to no gluten there.   Large amounts of lectins are in wheat germ and can cause digestive upsets, but not enough Gluten to provoke antibody production in the small intestines. Luckily you still have time to do a proper gluten challenge (10 grams of gluten per day for a minimum of two weeks) before your next appointment when you can be retested.    
    • knitty kitty
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3.  Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C.  Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine.   Weight gain with a voracious appetite is something I experienced while malnourished.  It's symptomatic of Thiamine B1 deficiency.   Conversely, some people with thiamine deficiency lose their appetite altogether, and suffer from anorexia.  At different periods on my lifelong journey, I suffered this, too.   When the body doesn't have sufficient thiamine to turn food, especially carbohydrates, into energy (for growth and repair), the body rations what little thiamine it has available, and turns the carbs into fat, and stores it mostly in the abdomen.  Consuming a high carbohydrate diet requires additional thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  Simple carbohydrates (sugar, white rice, etc.) don't contain thiamine, so the body easily depletes its stores of Thiamine processing the carbs into fat.  The digestive system communicates with the brain to keep eating in order to consume more thiamine and other nutrients it's not absorbing.   One can have a subclinical thiamine insufficiency for years.  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so the symptoms can wax and wane mysteriously.  Symptoms of Thiamine insufficiency include stunted growth, chronic fatigue, and Gastrointestinal Beriberi (diarrhea, abdominal pain), heart attack, Alzheimer's, stroke, and cancer.   Thiamine improves bone turnover.  Thiamine insufficiency can also affect the thyroid.  The thyroid is important in bone metabolism.  The thyroid also influences hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, and menopause.  Vitamin D, at optimal levels, can act as a hormone and can influence the thyroid, as well as being important to bone health, and regulating the immune system.  Vitamin A is important to bone health, too, and is necessary for intestinal health, as well.   I don't do dairy because I react to Casein, the protein in dairy that resembles gluten and causes a reaction the same as if I'd been exposed to gluten, including high tTg IgA.  I found adding mineral water containing calcium and other minerals helpful in increasing my calcium intake.   Malabsorption of Celiac affects all the vitamins and minerals.  I do hope you'll talk to your doctor and dietician about supplementing all eight B vitamins and the four fat soluble vitamins because they all work together interconnectedly.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.