Anyone With Positive Blood Tests After Being Off Gluten?

[parrfunkel]

Hello. I've been mostly lurking here for a few months. A couple of mints ago my internist suggested I try eliminating dairy and gluten to see if it helps my stomach issue (bloating, gas, medication resistant reflux).

She mentioned that testing for gluten intolerance had I high rate of false negatives so she encouraged me to just give it a try. I've been gluten free for about 8 weeks and have been referred to a gastro because the reflex is still an issue. I just switched my thyroid med to tyrosint this week after learning that synthroid is not gluten-free

Saw the gastro today and I will be having and endoscopy on friday. She also ordered a celiac blood panel. I pointed out to her that I'm not consuming gluten, but she wanta to run the test anyway.

I've read a great deal about the fact that tests will not be accurate when not consuming gluten. Just curious if anyone here has had a positive blood test after going without gluten.

Thanks. I've learned a great deal reading here.

[T.H.]

There are some celiacs who will have a positive blood test after a few weeks gluten free, but there are also some who won't, so it's a crap shoot, really. My brother, for example, had a negative test (he was already diagnosed, though), and then he cheated for about three or four days before another test, later on, and that was enough to give him a mild positive. But I've heard of some who test negative with only a few weeks off of gluten, too, so really: crapshoot.

Her competence kind of depends on why she wants to run the test. If she's going to say: it's negative, but you're off gluten, so looks like your diet is working.' then that's not so bad.

If she's going to say: your test is negative, so you don't have celiac disease, then she's an idiot, but she's not alone. The university of chicago did a survey study of GI docs, worldwide, and over 50% thought that someone who had been off gluten for YEARS would have a positive blood test if they had celiac disease.

Really, really pathetic.

You might want to double check that she's going to take multiple biopsies on the endoscopy, too, as this blood test part of things might not be encouraging. Just in case.

[Jaymie Jaymz]

Saw the gastro today and I will be having and endoscopy on friday. She also ordered a celiac blood panel. I pointed out to her that I'm not consuming gluten, but she wanta to run the test anyway.

My GI did the same thing. I don't get why they even bother running the panel when you clearly tell them you are not consuming gluten, therefore, there are most likely NO antibodies running amok in your blood.

Sure enough, mine came back negative. I already knew it would be before I called and asked them for the results. Maybe it's a money thing. I don't know.

Is there any way you can push back your endoscopy procedure so you can at least do a proper gluten challenge?