Questions About Testing

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Due to severe recurring abdominal pain, I had the Celiac panel blood tests done at my doctor's office. However, I had been avoiding gluten for 3 days at the time the blood was drawn. Would this render the test ineffective? It came back negative.

Also, I had a EGD done for the same symptoms and the GI doctor didn't mention Celiac specifically, only said that my stomach was acutely inflamed (and hadn't emptied all contents...which is odd) and that he took biopsies of my stomach and my duodenum. We do not have the results of the biopsies back yet. I was gluten free for 5 days at the time of the test. Would the biopsies show Celiac?

There is a family history, but I am still at a loss for if this is what is really wrong with me. I was eating gluten free and 'attack' free for 3 days and then all of the sudden I had 'attacks' 2 days in a row (while still gluten free). (What I'm calling an 'attack' is horrible stomach burning pain that moves through my intestines. There is sometimes diarrhea, sometimes not. Nothing helps, and it leaves as quickly as it came after anywhere from 1-5 hours.)

I'm typing this while nursing my baby, so it's seeming dis-connected - if you have any questions please ask!

[Dixiebell]

Welcome to the forum! It's possible that not eating gluten could cause it to be negative. It's also possible it could be a false negative. With the biopsy, the damage can be patchy, so the damaged areas can be missed.

Make sure you get copies of all your tests results and you can post them here and get feedback from the members.

You have a family history of celiac?

Has the GI checked for Intussusception or a blockage? My G-mother had that happen many years ago and caused her a lot of problems. I would think you could get an x-ray to check for something like that. The Dr. was able to see that my son was 'backed up' on an x-ray.

I hope your biopsy gives you some answers.