Are Blood Tests More Accurate If Done More Than Once?

[Ox on the Roof]

Hi, all. This is my first post here.

I've been sick for 1 1/2 years. My first symptoms were neurological but soon turned into both neuro and gastro. I was sent down the "must be anxiety so try out about six different anti-depressants and make her even sicker" road until it was discovered eight months later that I was deficient in vitamins D and B12.

After starting on high doses of D and bi-weekly shots of B12, the neuro symptoms finally went away. WOOHOO! But the gastro symptoms still persist. In September, they told me that my gallbladder was only functioning at 11%, so I had that pulled; felt good for a while, but it came back again.

This whole time, the most persistent symptom is BELCHING. (If you've seen the movie "Elf," I often want to say, "Did you HEAR that?!?!") Of course, with all that air in my stomach, I don't want to eat and I get nauseated. If one more doctor tries to tell me I am swallowing air....BLAH!

I also suffer from fatigue, and I just FEEL BADLY in general, especially in the mornings. Again, the doctors all start trying to tell me it's because I have three small kids (8,5, and 3). I think if you don't go into the appointment acting like you are dying, they don't take you very seriously. Sorry if I seem jaded towards the medical community. It's hard to be nice when twelve different doctors can't tell you what's wrong, and the bills are rolling in.

ANYHOW! Back to my original question. I've apparently been tested two or three times for Celiac, by three different doctors. No one has been forthcoming about which tests were run, or what the values were. But they all said my results were negative. I've read on this website that the blood tests aren't as reliable as a biopsy (they did an upper endoscopy when I first became ill but apparently did not check for Celiac). So my question is, does the reliability of the blood tests go up if you've been tested more than once?

Thanks for any information/stories/empathy you can provide!

Jenny

[ravenwoodglass]

It depends on the person. I was tested over and over and never came back positive. Some of us just show false negatives on the tests. Have you tried the diet yet? Also if you are in the US you have a legal right to copies of those test results. If you post the results here someone might be able to help. Sometimes tests are not as negative as doctors fell they are. Do be sure to include the labs reference ranges.

[Ox on the Roof]

Thanks for the kind reply, Ravenwood. I will try to get my labs after the holiday. I haven't tried the diet yet but it's worth a try. I guess today might not be the best day to start! LOL!