Negative Biospy

[sspitzer5]

Hi,

I just got my first official biopsy results and they were completely normal. I started on a gluten free diet about three months prior to the test. Would that be enough time to reverse the damage?

I was tested through Enterolabs back in February and the results were positive, that's when I started on the gluten-free diet.

I have to admit, I should be happy with the normal results of the biopsy, however I wish I had a concrete diagnosis, so I am oddly disappointed. I'm feeling like a hypochondriac and that maybe I'm being a gluten Nazi for no reason. I do feel better on the diet, although it hasn't resolved everything.

I have hashimoto's thyroiditis (autoimmune thyroid disease). Is it possible that the immune system just attacked my thyroid as a result of the gluten and not my small intestine?

Any insight would be appreciated.

Susan

[Carriefaith]

I started on a gluten free diet about three months prior to the test. Would that be enough time to reverse the damage?

Yes, 3 months would be enough time to reverse the damage and give a false negative result on the biopsy. I think that if enterolab said that you have problems with gluten and if you feel better on the gluten-free diet, then your body definatley has issues with gluten. It is probably worth staying on the diet. You can get a gene test to see if you have the gene for celiac, this may be more concrete.

[KaitiUSA]

Yes, you need to be on gluten heavily(equal to 3 pieces of bread a day) for 3 months prior to testing. If you are gluten free that will heal damage. So those results are NOT accurate at all.

Even if you were on gluten and the biopsy came back negative-it would not rule celiac out because you could have sporadic damage that they miss or no damage yet.

Did you ever have blood tests done while you were on gluten? If so, did you have the complete panel? Or which tests?

Thyroid disorders are highly connected with celiac too. I have Graves disease(hyperthyroid)

I would go with the Enterolab results. That is a good test to have done and it came back positive for a reason.

And if you feel better on the diet then go with that. Your body knows what is bad for it so listen to it but don't expect all your symptoms to go away overnight. It took me 8 months to get back to normal but I saw improvement after 3 months gluten free. Have you also made sure lipsticks/cosmetics/shampoos/soaps and all that stuff is gluten free?

[sspitzer5]

Thanks Carrie and Kaiti. I wasn't sure if 3 months would be enough to heal damage. And, as you say, it might just have missed the damaged areas. I had accidental gluten slips ups in those 3 months, but certainly nothing like 3 pieces of bread a day!

And, no, I haven't checked all my makeup/etc. yet. I was just about to look into that. I think I've finally got the diet down and am feeling reasonably comfortable with it. Now I need to track down any remaining sources.

Thanks again!

Susan