Jump to content

  • 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):

Two Test Questions---Any Help Please?

coryjmclaughlin

Recommended Posts

coryjmclaughlin Newbie
coryjmclaughlin
Posted

I've had severe diahrea since March and have had a colonscopy and been put on antibiotics, Librax and Nexium. Nothing has worked. I also have Lupus and recently had my prednisone increased which slightly helped my diahrea but now that I am tapering down the diahrea is back again. My GI doctor says I need to just live with it as everything is "normal" so I decided to go for a second opinion. I picked up my records today and two things made me a little uneasy. My fecal fat test was Positive and my IgA serum was low at 73. Could either of this be indicative of Celiac's? I also get bloating and very uncomfortable after eating.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

It could. Keep in mind that you need to be eating a full gluten diet for any testing to be valid (3-4 slices bread or equivalent per day).

Testing is generally a good idea if you have access; just make sure you go in with a list of the full panel. Often, they'll only run one or two tests on the panel and it sounds like you need to have the IgG versions of the tests run. If you have IgA levels below normal, the most common celiac tests are not valid. If your tests are positive, equivocal, or your MD thinks you likely have it, you may be referred for an endoscopy (through the mouth to the intestines).

I don't know how or if prednisone would affect any testing.

After you are done with testing, you can also try a strict elimination diet to see if that helps your symptoms. Read and ask questions!

beachbirdie Contributor
beachbirdie
Posted

I've had severe diahrea since March and have had a colonscopy and been put on antibiotics, Librax and Nexium. Nothing has worked. I also have Lupus and recently had my prednisone increased which slightly helped my diahrea but now that I am tapering down the diahrea is back again. My GI doctor says I need to just live with it as everything is "normal" so I decided to go for a second opinion. I picked up my records today and two things made me a little uneasy. My fecal fat test was Positive and my IgA serum was low at 73. Could either of this be indicative of Celiac's? I also get bloating and very uncomfortable after eating.

You have lupus. There is a genetic connection between that and other autoimmune conditions like autoimmune thyroid (Grave's and Hashimoto's) and celiac.

I would see about getting genetic test and endoscopic biopsy done, it is in the realm of possibility that you have a gluten issue. You do need to have been eating gluten for a while to get a "real" result. If they just do blood tests, you might get a skewed result as your IgA is low. Is there a possibility you could see a different GI? Do you have anyone in your family with gluten or other autoimmune conditions?

I am a Hashimoto's sufferer myself, I am making the choice to go gluten free. I think if I had lupus I would do the same. After testing you can try the gluten free diet and see if you feel better.

Best,

beachbirdie

coryjmclaughlin Newbie
coryjmclaughlin
Posted
  • Author

You have lupus. There is a genetic connection between that and other autoimmune conditions like autoimmune thyroid (Grave's and Hashimoto's) and celiac.

I would see about getting genetic test and endoscopic biopsy done, it is in the realm of possibility that you have a gluten issue. You do need to have been eating gluten for a while to get a "real" result. If they just do blood tests, you might get a skewed result as your IgA is low. Is there a possibility you could see a different GI? Do you have anyone in your family with gluten or other autoimmune conditions?

I am a Hashimoto's sufferer myself, I am making the choice to go gluten free. I think if I had lupus I would do the same. After testing you can try the gluten free diet and see if you feel better.

Best,

beachbirdie

Thanks for the info. I am seeing a new GI doctor on Friday afternoon. My colonscopy biopsy stuff also showed "chronic mucosal injury". I have been eating as normally as I can which means I haven't been limiting any food so I should have enough gluten in me.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

If you have a low serum IgA then any IgA testing for celiac disease would be invalid. Keep up the gluten and hope that your new GI is clued in to celiac. :)

Good luck on Friday.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to ThomasA55's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Iron loss and potential celiac.

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @ThomasA55! Before I give my opinion on your question about whether or not you should undergo a gluten challenge, I would like to know how you react when you get a good dose of gluten? Are you largely asymptomatic or do you experience significant illness such as nausea and diarrhea? You mentioned intermittent joint...
    2. Joseph01
      - Joseph01 replied to bethmon's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      14

      We Keep Getting Glutened With Vegetable Oil

      This is way past due for your post. I have Celiac and have been recovering for more than a year. Doing well. Used Essential oil to day to fry some chicken. Read the label all good. Then ate some chicken. Here comes the gluten reaction. I haven't had a gluten reaction since year. I am angry. I have been so careful with this crap and don't wan't any...
    3. ThomasA55
      - ThomasA55 posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Iron loss and potential celiac.

      Hey everyone. I'm a young adult who had very high iron in 2024. 64% saturation 160 ferritin. In 2025 I had far lower iron. 26% saturation and 130 ferritin. I know this is still in range but it seems to be a large drop. That combined with the fact that I developed some intermittent joint pain between the two years makes me wonder if I could be celiac. My dietary...
    4. Aretaeus Cappadocia
      - Aretaeus Cappadocia replied to Aretaeus Cappadocia's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      Sigh. I posted this yesterday based on the Safeway website. I went back again today to their website to double check. On the page where they are selling Vanilla Bean flavor, it has a distinct Certified Gluten Free label. Other flavors on the Safeway website didn't have the gluten-free statement. Today I went into the store. None of the flavors I...
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Aretaeus Cappadocia's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      Do keep in mind that many of the newly diagnosed have lactose intolerance. This is because the villi lining the intestinal tract are damaged, and can no longer make the enzyme lactAse which breaks down the milk sugar lactOse. When the villi grow back (six months to two years), they can again produce the enzyme lactAse, and lactose intolerance is resolved...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      134,086
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      10,442
    Joseph01
    Newest Member
    Joseph01
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.7k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Iron loss and potential celiac.

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @ThomasA55! Before I give my opinion on your question about whether or not you should undergo a gluten challenge, I would like to know how you react when you get a good dose of gluten? Are you largely asymptomatic or do you experience significant illness such as nausea and diarrhea? You mentioned intermittent joint pain before you began experimenting with a low gluten diet. Anything else?
    • Joseph01
      We Keep Getting Glutened With Vegetable Oil

      By Joseph01 · Posted

      This is way past due for your post.  I have Celiac and have been recovering for more than a year.  Doing well.  Used Essential oil to day to fry some chicken.  Read the label all good.  Then ate some chicken.  Here comes the gluten reaction.  I haven't had a gluten reaction since year.  I am angry.   I have been so careful with this crap and don't wan't any set backs!!!!! Good luck to you with your post.   Celiac is HELL!
    • ThomasA55
      Iron loss and potential celiac.

      By ThomasA55 · Posted

      Hey everyone. I'm a young adult who had very high iron in 2024. 64% saturation 160 ferritin. In 2025 I had far lower iron. 26% saturation and 130 ferritin. I know this is still in range but it seems to be a large drop. That combined with the fact that I developed some intermittent joint pain between the two years makes me wonder if I could be celiac. My dietary intake of iron was pretty steady (mostly in the form of red meat). I did carnivore (therby eliminating gluten) for a bit after the second test and felt improvements in my joints and digestion. I still consume gluten occasionally socially, for religious reasons, and through cross contamination/food sharing. For these reasons, I would need to know if I had it, because although my lifestyle is low gluten its not at the strict level it should be if it turned out I was celiac. I will get a gene test first and hope I don't have DQ2.5,DQ2.2, or DQ8, but if I had any combination of those do you guys think I need proper screening through a gluten challenge / blood test? Other context. From 2024-2025, my b12 stayed about the same in the mid 600s folate went up slightly, but I heard it takes longer for celiac to affect the absorption of these. ANA negative, CRP low, ESR low.  I don't know how much noise exists around the saturation and ferritin, but it caught my eye and Celiac seemed like a possibility. I'm under no illusion that it is probable that I have celiac, only that it may be worth screening given my overall profile.   
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

      Sigh. I posted this yesterday based on the Safeway website. I went back again today to their website to double check. On the page where they are selling Vanilla Bean flavor, it has a distinct Certified Gluten Free label. Other flavors on the Safeway website didn't have the gluten-free statement. Today I went into the store. None of the flavors I looked at, including Vanilla Bean, have a Gluten Free statement. Is it safe? Who knows. The ingredients are either safe or nearly safe (some have "natural flavor"). There are warnings about "contains milk and soy" but not about wheat - this implies they are safe, but again, who knows. On the other hand, every flavor I checked of their Slow Churn line of ice creams has wheat as an ingredient. 100% not safe.
    • knitty kitty
      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Do keep in mind that many of the newly diagnosed have lactose intolerance.  This is because the villi lining the intestinal tract are damaged, and can no longer make the enzyme lactAse which breaks down the milk sugar lactOse.  When the villi grow back (six months to two years), they can again produce the enzyme lactAse, and lactose intolerance is resolved.  However, some people (both those with and without Celiac Disease) are genetically programmed to stop producing lactase as they age.   Do be aware that many processed foods, including ice cream, use Microbial Transglutaminase, a food additive commonly called "meat glue," used to enhance texture and flavor.  This microbial transglutaminase has the same immunogenicity as tissue transglutaminase which the body produces in response to gluten in people with Celiac Disease.  Tissue Transglutaminase (tTg IgA) is measured to diagnose Celiac Disease in blood tests.  Microbial Transglutaminase acts the same as Tissue Transglutaminase, causing increased intestinal permeability and inflammation.   New findings show that microbial transglutaminase may be able to trigger Celiac Disease and other autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.   Microbial Transglutaminase is not required to be listed on ingredients labels as it's considered a processing aid, not an ingredient in the U.S.  Microbial Transglutaminase has been GRAS for many years, but that GRAS standing is being questioned more and more as the immunogenicity of microbial transglutaminase is being discovered. Interesting Reading:  Microbial Transglutaminase Is a Very Frequently Used Food Additive and Is a Potential Inducer of Autoimmune/Neurodegenerative Diseases https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537092/
×
×
  • Create New...