To Gluten Or Not To Gluten?

[cait]

Long story short:

I have chronic pain and fatigue and misc other health issues. My dad has Celiac. My blood tests in September were negative. Stomach symptoms have been increasing over the last year. Went off gluten a few days ago to see what would happen and am surprised to already see changes for the better. Have an appointment with a GI in a week to discuss all of this and determine if further testing is needed.

I know test results will be skewed if I'm gluten free. Should I be adding it back in until the appointment? Should I wait and see what the doc says since I've already had the blood tests and it's not like they can scope me on the spot? How big of a difference will it make if I've been gluten free for 1.5-2 weeks when the doctor sees me? I'm kind of scared of gluten now, but I know that if I'm sensitive/intolerant/celiac my reactions to it are only going to get stronger the longer I'm off (and given that I'm wondering if my increase in pain/fatigue/GI distress today is related to minor cross-contamination, that's a little unnerving). Also wondering if the fact that I feel worse today means that I somehow invented the improvement because I'm desperate for something to make a difference.

Sigh. Thoughts?

[ravenwoodglass]

If you feel you need a doctors diagnosis you really need to stay on gluten, even then you may still have a false negative. Do be sure to tell the doctor your father is diagnosed and the results of the elimination and reactions to adding it back in.