Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Should I Start Eating Gluten Again?

abbyryd

Recommended Posts

abbyryd Newbie
abbyryd
Posted

Okay so I'm a twenty year old college student. About a year ago, I started having inexplicable stomach pain and pretty consistent diarrhea (gross). For months I just kind of dealt with it not really acknowledging that it was abnormal. At some point, I realized that my symptoms were pretty consistent with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and because I ate bread and other gluten-filled products pretty much every day, I felt like I had found the source of the problem. I decided to stop eating it for a trial period just to see how it went. Almost immediately (within a few days) I felt better. I didn't have the stomach pain anymore and the diarrhea all but went away. I have felt better since cutting gluten out of my diet, but I haven't been officially diagnosed with anything. All of the literature says you should be eating gluten for four weeks before your test to avoid inaccurate results. The thought of eating gluten for a full four weeks is terrifying - the gastrointestinal horror!

So my question is the following: Should I keep doing what I'm doing, or should I bite the bullet and start consuming gluten again? Has anyone had the same problem?

Thanks a lot for any information you guys can give :).

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Some Possible outcomes are:

1. Many people try to return to eating gluten for 3 months and find they simply cannot handle the symptoms. Result: They go gluten free and forget the testing.

2. Other people make themselves handle eating gluten for 3 months and feel lousy the whole time and still test negative. Result: They go gluten free and try to forget the lousy months of glutening.

3. Some people test positive and then are told by their Dr. to go gluten free. Result: They go gluten free and try to forget that they already knew that in the first place.

A lot of people have gluten intolerance and won't be able to test positive....but they won't be able to handle eating gluten either.

Eating something with gluten in it is enough to make me very ill and I don't need the Dr. to tell me to stop eating it.

When I asked the Dr. about testing he said, Why? So I can tell you to stop eating gluten? We already know it makes you sick. At the time I was mad, but now I see that he was right.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just giving you something to consider.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

As eatmeat4good says, you can eat gluten for the recommended two months at the rate of 3-4 slices of bread a day, and still test negative on blood and biopsy, because you have a different form of gluten intolerance than celiac disease, and they don't have any way of testing for this yet. So it is entirely up to you if you want to torture yourself for that period of time to attempt to get a label which may not apply to you :P A diagnosis is nice work if you can get it, without causing yourself too much harm, and if you need it to convince yourself that this is the way you must eat, or if you need it for some other unspecified reason, but if you know that gluten makes you sick, and you are going to eat gluten-free anyway, why bother? That is not to say that gluten is definitely the cause of your problems, but if they do resolve gluten free, then you have your answer. :) I would never go back to eating gluten to get tested. Just as I would never knowingly eat the other things that I don't tolerate. Well, actually I did that last week (because hubs had prepared a special dinner) and boy did I pay the price for eating it.

katiekay Explorer
katiekay
Posted

to abbyryd - thank you for posting this question.

to mushroom and eatmeat4good - thank you for your answers!!! It's funny because I know that I want to go gluten free but for some reason I have felt like I couldn't without a test result. Each time I see answers like these it gets me going in the right direction!! I am curious about the results from the blood test that I took today but I no longer feel like I need the test results. I'm going to immediately go gluten free and get rid of the itchy skin, headaches, tiredness, stomache stuff etc. thanks!

Kre8sioN Newbie
Kre8sioN
Posted

I'm so confused, I go for a test @ 7am tomorrow, not even sure what its for (I'll ask when I get there). I told my doctor I went gluten free and most of my symptoms went away. Gave me another blood test, cant read his writing but it says gluten panel something. Is this a test for the gene or intolerance? as I stopped taking in gluten 3 weeks ago. BTW great post eatmeat4good! :) And I need to ask doc more questions I guess. New here so I guess its time to log in whats going on In my signature....As for taking in gluten again? UGH.

abbyryd Newbie
abbyryd
Posted
  • Author

Thanks so much for your input, everybody :). I've been worrying about this for months but now I feel better!

katiekay Explorer
katiekay
Posted

eee gads... A new day and I'm once again unsure what I'm going to do. I want to be gluten free but I wish I had a diagnosis.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


abbyryd Newbie
abbyryd
Posted
  • Author

Katiekay, just do it to see if it makes you feel better :). It's really not that difficult - there are tons of "normal" foods you can still eat that don't even have to be made specifically gluten free. Just always check the label! Rice, salad, Chick fil A fries, tortilla chips, steak, tacos, chocolate, potato chips, cheese...

katiekay Explorer
katiekay
Posted

Today we are starting gluten free.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,668
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    CDR40
    Newest Member
    CDR40
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Medication

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.