How Long Do I Need To Torture Myself With Gluten Before My Blood Test?

[H moma]

I have been Gluten-free for 2 months and feel great. My doctor recently ordered a blood test to verify my self-diagnosis. I know I need to be on a gluten containing diet in order for the test to be accurate, but my question is how long before my test do I need to torture myself with gluten? Are we talking a few days or months? I am wondering if it is even worth it? I don't want to feel like that for months just to verify what I already knew.

Anyone have an exact timeline/suggestions?

[ravenwoodglass]

4 slices of bread a day for 2 to 3 months. Even then you may have a false negative. If the blood work is positive the doctor may want you to continue on gluten to get the biopsy which could also be a false negative. Only you can decide if it is worth it. If your doctor is willing to test your vitamin and mineral panels and to schedule a scan for osteoporosis without the challenge then if you have seen great results on the diet you don't really need the doctors permission to eat gluten free. It can be helpful in getting other first degree relatives to be tested, as they should, but sometimes your recovery will be enough to encourage them. Also some doctors will diagnose based on the resolution of symptoms gluten free and the reoccurance of problems when gluten is added back in. You may want to talk to you doctor about that.

[Kay DH]

I started with GI symptoms last September after getting the flu, and some high stress from people trying to kill me on my bike commute home (geez, you think they would leave an older woman on a bike lane alone). I started gluten-free about a month after onset of symptoms (other than the undiagnosed DH symptoms I'd had for a few decades). The Celiac panel blood test 2 months after gluten-free was negative, perhaps because I was gluten-free. Six months after gluten-free I went to a GI for my multitude of symptoms (which were gone when I went gluten-free) and he dismissed all of them and said I have diverticulitis (infected pockets in large colon). He also said I only need to be gluten-full for 1 week before the endoscopy for a positive reaction. Needless to say he was wrong. I was sick for the week before the colonoscopy/endoscopy, the diverticulitis was negative, and he only did one duodenum biopsy in the wrong place and it was negative. Only positive was minor GERD. So, I probably have Celiac but will never know because there is no way I'm going to make myself sick for the +3 weeks of +4-slices-of-white-bread-a-day diet needed to nudge a positive antibody result on endoscopy tests. Make sure that your GI is knowledgeable in Celiac, otherwise you may be wasting your time. Make sure he/she takes multiple biopsies, as well, and that you get the full results. Best wishes on your quest for knowledge. It is not fun, but it is good.

[helen82]

I started with GI symptoms last September after getting the flu, and some high stress from people trying to kill me on my bike commute home (geez, you think they would leave an older woman on a bike lane alone). I started gluten-free about a month after onset of symptoms (other than the undiagnosed DH symptoms I'd had for a few decades). The Celiac panel blood test 2 months after gluten-free was negative, perhaps because I was gluten-free. Six months after gluten-free I went to a GI for my multitude of symptoms (which were gone when I went gluten-free) and he dismissed all of them and said I have diverticulitis (infected pockets in large colon). He also said I only need to be gluten-full for 1 week before the endoscopy for a positive reaction. Needless to say he was wrong. I was sick for the week before the colonoscopy/endoscopy, the diverticulitis was negative, and he only did one duodenum biopsy in the wrong place and it was negative. Only positive was minor GERD. So, I probably have Celiac but will never know because there is no way I'm going to make myself sick for the +3 weeks of +4-slices-of-white-bread-a-day diet needed to nudge a positive antibody result on endoscopy tests. Make sure that your GI is knowledgeable in Celiac, otherwise you may be wasting your time. Make sure he/she takes multiple biopsies, as well, and that you get the full results. Best wishes on your quest for knowledge. It is not fun, but it is good.

It took you for a long time to turtune yourself with Gluten before your blood test. I just only need 2 weeks.