Will Test Work If Gluten Free For 3 Days

[meesha]

I've had my son try to be gluten free for the last 3 days....only to discover through this forum, that you can't get a good test result if you're gluten free. So I put him back on wheat today. He still has symptoms, and it was only a few days. If I get him in to a Dr. in the next few days will I still be likely to get good results....or am I likely to get a false negative? Should I wait for a few weeks? Again, it was only a few days...and we probably weren't perfect either. We're still trying to learn about reading labels...to find the hidden stuff.

I really do not want to get a false negative. I also don't want to keep him on wheat any longer than necessary. The sooner we have the test the sooner we can go gluten free.

Thanks for any help!

[QuinnT]

I've had my son try to be gluten free for the last 3 days....only to discover through this forum, that you can't get a good test result if you're gluten free. So I put him back on wheat today. He still has symptoms, and it was only a few days. If I get him in to a Dr. in the next few days will I still be likely to get good results....or am I likely to get a false negative? Should I wait for a few weeks? Again, it was only a few days...and we probably weren't perfect either. We're still trying to learn about reading labels...to find the hidden stuff.

I really do not want to get a false negative. I also don't want to keep him on wheat any longer than necessary. The sooner we have the test the sooner we can go gluten free.

Thanks for any help!

Hiya,

I was in a similar situation a couple weeks ago. I had scheduled an upper endo (for biopsy) and had been off gluten a few days with only . I raised the same concerns with the staff there, and did some of my own research (I have a professional background in immunology/microbiology).

You didn't mention what sort of tests you'd be getting for your son, but the chances of a few days off wheat (assuming a lifetime on it) would affect a biopsy or antibody titer are pretty small. However, you should definitely keep him back on wheat until he gets his tests, especially if you are considering an endoscopy as a child would recover from the damage much much faster than an adult. You want to control for any variables that may contribute to a false negative.

[Mack the Knife]

I've had my son try to be gluten free for the last 3 days....only to discover through this forum, that you can't get a good test result if you're gluten free. So I put him back on wheat today. He still has symptoms, and it was only a few days. If I get him in to a Dr. in the next few days will I still be likely to get good results....or am I likely to get a false negative? Should I wait for a few weeks? Again, it was only a few days...and we probably weren't perfect either. We're still trying to learn about reading labels...to find the hidden stuff.

I really do not want to get a false negative. I also don't want to keep him on wheat any longer than necessary. The sooner we have the test the sooner we can go gluten free.

Thanks for any help!

It usually takes 3-6 months for blood tests to come back as normal after starting a gluten free diet. Sometimes it can take up to a year but kids do generally recover faster than adults.

But I wouldn't worry about three days. Just put him back on gluten until you finish the testing.

[meesha]

Thanks Guys. He ended up having a bunch of blood work done this morning, and I've been worried that the results would be messed up. He goes to the GI this afternoon, and we'll see if he wants a scope or biopsy or anything else. He is back on wheat for now. We're hoping to get all the testing out of the way and go gluten free soon. I really want a good diagnosis for him as well as for the rest of the family. If he is positive then I can convince some very ill family members that they need to check into this. Not to mention myself and 3 other children, all of whom have other food sensitivities.

I really appreciate your reassurance!