Symptoms Better On Nexium?!?!

[kpryan]

Hi there. I have been on a gluten challenge for almost a month now (after being gluten-free for about 2 years). I'm being biopsied on Tuesday.

When I first started the challenge I had all the usual symptoms (although on a surprisingly lesser scale). But then I started taking Nexium (which my gastro perscribed) and since taking it, my intestinal symptoms to gluten seem to have almost disappeared!!! With the big exceptions of severe bloating (looking 5 months pregnant), fatigue, irritability, brain fog, under-eye circles and just not looking "well".

So what gives?? Can Nexium help with symtpoms. I am more confused than ever and am at a loss to what the biopsy will show....

Thanks!

[Skylark]

Many GI drugs can help with the symptoms from eating gluten. If your stomach and duodenum are irritated from gluten, a proton pump inhibitor lowers the amount of acid and helps relieve the irritation. A lot of celiacs get diagnosed with IBS and prescribed antispasmodics too. I used bentyl for a long time and it did help. Immodium did too. Unfortunately, the helpful GI drugs mask the symptoms of celiac and then people don't get the right diagnosis.

Even if your biopsy is negative, I imagine the bloating, fatigue, brain fog, and all your other symptoms is enough to make you disinclined to keep eating gluten.

By the way, has your doctor seen people who were gluten-free for two years have a positive biopsy after only a month? That seems like a really short challenge for biopsy. I thought it was a month for bloodwork and 2-3 months for biopsy?

[kpryan]

Thanks for the info! That is great!

I did doubt when he said "a month should be enough time". He wanted to do an endoscopy anyhow and said it was up to me if I wanted to reintroduce gluten. At first I was very hesitant, but then decided to do it in the hopes of finally getting some answers.

I say I've been gluten-free for 2 years, but unfortunately i bet a good part of that time was hidden gluten. Really I would say for the past 6-8 months I've been very strict (my own cooking utensils, not eating out etc...)

when I first stated the challenge, I dind't think I'd make it a week. Now that I'm intestinally feeling better...maybe I could go longer.

So you think 2-3 months is the norm? That seems rough to consider.

Many GI drugs can help with the symptoms from eating gluten. If your stomach and duodenum are irritated from gluten, a proton pump inhibitor lowers the amount of acid and helps relieve the irritation. A lot of celiacs get diagnosed with IBS and prescribed antispasmodics too. I used bentyl for a long time and it did help. Immodium did too. Unfortunately, the helpful GI drugs mask the symptoms of celiac and then people don't get the right diagnosis.

Even if your biopsy is negative, I imagine the bloating, fatigue, brain fog, and all your other symptoms is enough to make you disinclined to keep eating gluten.

By the way, has your doctor seen people who were gluten-free for two years have a positive biopsy after only a month? That seems like a really short challenge for biopsy. I thought it was a month for bloodwork and 2-3 months for biopsy?

[Skylark]

I know 2-3 months sounds rough. That is why I've never gone back and challenged.

You got me curious. I'm linking abstracts for you, as they're publicly available but I checked full text for two of the papers as the challenge time length wasn't in the abstract.

Here is an article showing median time to relapse in children with gluten challenge with a low amount of gluten is 13 weeks.

Open Original Shared Link

This paper used three months with a standardized amount of gluten to challenge, mentioned in the text.

Open Original Shared Link

I checked this paper, and people on gluten challenge had eaten gluten from 1.5-4 months, with an average of three months eating about 3 slices of bread a day.

Open Original Shared Link

So, researchers are not challenging for only a month. It looks to me like three months is a more typical time to get a relapse. It's a shame your doctor has not gone to the trouble to read the literature make a better recommendation for you. You might ask your doctor about getting an anti-EMA or anti-deamidated gliadin peptide test run at this point. If either of those is positive you are almost certainly celiac.

[kpryan]

Wow! Awesome info! i will read up on all that!

i am going for blood work monday for Tissue Transglutaminase and Endonsyial AB ( I think thats what the scripts says)....

For me, I can't do the 2-3 month challenge. i know I don't react well to gluten so i'll be off it come monday anyhow. And he wanted to do an endoscopy anyway to check for other things....

I know 2-3 months sounds rough. That is why I've never gone back and challenged.

You got me curious. I'm linking abstracts for you, as they're publicly available but I checked full text for two of the papers as the challenge time length wasn't in the abstract.

Here is an article showing median time to relapse in children with gluten challenge with a low amount of gluten is 13 weeks.

Open Original Shared Link

This paper used three months with a standardized amount of gluten to challenge, mentioned in the text.

Open Original Shared Link

I checked this paper, and people on gluten challenge had eaten gluten from 1.5-4 months, with an average of three months eating about 3 slices of bread a day.

Open Original Shared Link

So, researchers are not challenging for only a month. It looks to me like three months is a more typical time to get a relapse. It's a shame your doctor has not gone to the trouble to read the literature make a better recommendation for you. You might ask your doctor about getting an anti-EMA or anti-deamidated gliadin peptide test run at this point. If either of those is positive you are almost certainly celiac.

[Skylark]

Wow! Awesome info! i will read up on all that!

i am going for blood work monday for Tissue Transglutaminase and Endonsyial AB ( I think thats what the scripts says)....

For me, I can't do the 2-3 month challenge. i know I don't react well to gluten so i'll be off it come monday anyhow. And he wanted to do an endoscopy anyway to check for other things....

Good luck. I hope the endoscopy is normal other than the possible celiac!

[MIB]

Can we get an update kpryan? Did you have the endoscopy? How long were you back on gluten and how much gluten were you eating? Did you test positive for celiac? I am going through a challenge now and am interested in as many anecdotal reports as possible.

Thanks!

[Jaymie Jaymz]

I was also wondering how Kpryan was doing.....