Confusion! What To Do?

[ACopsWife]

Well, to sum things up I have had severe stomach problems all my life. 3 years ago they got extremely bad, bad enough I was missing work due to being in the bathroom so much (TMI, sorry). Anyways, the doctors (regular and specialists) said it was IBS, slight lactose intolerance, caffeine and stress. Well, I stopped the caffeine, lowered the lactose intake and still was getting sick all the time.

So I started researching and found Celiac disease. I went to the doctor and he told me to go on a restricted diet for a month and see what happens. It's been 3 weeks and I feel great! I don't think I have felt better in years. I have normal bowel movements and can eat with friends without running to the restroom. My concern is, they never tested me for Celiac. So how do I know if I have an intolerance or the full blown disease.

I really don't want to get glutened to find out! We are going to start trying for a family in about a year and I don't want to have to guess if I have Celiac or not.

I am so confused! What should I do?

Thanks,

Heather

[KaitiUSA]

Well if your body feels better on the diet then stay on the diet. Whether you are gluten intolerant or have celiac you still need to follow the diet. If you want to know for sure if you are celiac and do not want to get back on gluten there are a few things I would suggest:

1. A gene test....if you do not have a celiac gene then you are 99.99% likely to never get celiac. If you have the gene it can be activated at any time and you likely have it

2.Enterolab-they test for gluten sensitivity, malabsorption, ttg, celiac genes, etc. Some doctors accept it and some do not. I think it is a very good test. If you have been on gluten with in the past year I believe then they do not require you to get back on it. You can find out more on their FAQ on their website

Other then that you would have to get back on gluten to find out which does not sound like the smartest option at this point.

I'm glad you feel better so quick...my symptoms did not go away for months.

[cgd]

Sounds like you already have your answer. Unless you need an official diagnosis for insurance reasons or something like that, you have gluten issues and therefore need to avoid it. I never was diagnosed either, but I know I have issues with it because I don't have nearly as many headaches or stomach problems as I did before. It doesn't matter to me whether it's celiac disease or just intolerance or sensitivity. A gluten problem by any other name . . . Welcome!