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

Gluten Sensitive? Neg Test Results

birdie22

Recommended Posts

birdie22 Enthusiast
birdie22
Posted

Could I still be gluten sensitive with few symptoms and normal test results?

About a year ago (about 6mos after the birth of my 2nd child) I started having daily heartburn. I attributed to hormone fluctuations. In Sept 2010 I had the Mirena IUD inserted and a month or so later started having severe bloating episodes a few times a month, I was also having cyclical headaches, extreme fatigue and canker sores. After about 9mos I had the Mirena removed thinking that it was causing these symptoms. A few months after removed the symptoms continued. The bloating seems to happen about once a week or 1-2x's every other week. The canker sores happen at least monthly. The bloating makes me look pregnant and I feel great discomfort right under my rib cage. The heartburn I notice most at the base of my throat. It isn't severe, but noticeable. Since the symptoms hadn't resolved I took up the issue with my GP. She had me do a 6wk trial of prilosec and an upper GI to rule out GERD and hernia. Prilosec corrected the heartburn, but not the bloating. Upper GI was normal. Had blood tests for liver profile, CA 125, anti-tTG IgA and IgA. All results were normal.

Anti-tTG IgA was <10 (reference range 0-19)

IgA was 221 (reference range 70-400)

Since those tests were normal but discomfort continued I had an abdominal CT done. Results were also normal (aside from a few incidental benign findings).

GP suggested a trial of elimination diet. She first had me do only chicken, rice, banana for a week then slowly add in veggies, meats, dairy, gluten, etc. Right now I am doing gluten-free, but have added in everything else.

Could I be gluten sensitive if only symptoms seem to be bloating that gets worse as day progresses and resolves overnight, plus monthly canker sores? My GI health is otherwise normal. I'm not constipated, nor do I have diarrhea. No cramping. No painful gas. Just stomach bloating that is visible and uncomfortable.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

The most common form of celiac nowadays is patchy celiac, and the ttg test is known to only be close to reliable with total villous atrophy. even then it misses 20% or more (depending on how hight the trhreshold in the lab is set) of those with severe celiac.

With patchy celiac, only 40% will test positive.

Now the newest test, the deaminated gliadin test, is much better at picking up patchy celiac.

chrissyinnj Apprentice
chrissyinnj
Posted

Also, I have read on several sites (plus my lab) now that the AGA (anti-gliadin antibody) is an indicator of gluten sensitivity (NCGS) You might want that test run as well.

My son's results were negative for the celiac tests and strong positive for the AGA. (He was back on gluten for 9 weeks when the test was run). The lab noted that it was an indicator of gluten sen and he may want to try a gluten free diet. btw- He had responded to the gluten-free diet before we decided to run the tests.

birdie22 Enthusiast
birdie22
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for those two suggested tests. I am assuming that as with the other tests I would need to have gluten in my diet at the time of testing?

nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

Yes you would still need to eat gluten, but the IgG versions of these antibodies often hang around much longer, up to a year. I can

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. Flash1970
      - Flash1970 commented on Scott Adams's article in Additional Concerns
      1

      Inmate with Celiac Disease Wins $630,000 After Jail Denies Gluten-Free Food

      He should have gotten millions. How much is your life worth?
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to hjayne19's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      15

      Insomnia help

      @cristiana, I react the same way. Dairy consumption flushes out my digestive system within an hour, too! As casein is digested, it forms casomorphins that bind to opioid receptors in our bodies. This is similar to digested gluten peptides being able to attach to opioid receptors in our bodies. We have opioid receptors throughout our...
    3. knitty kitty
      0

      About Celiac Remission

    4. TheDHhurts
      - TheDHhurts posted a topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      0

      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

      Hi, I bought Naked Nutrition Creatine. It lists itself as gluten free but is not certified. (It used to be, but they dropped it in the past year or two apparently.) I wrote the company and asked them what testing results they had for creatine and they sent me the attached, which says the test result for gluten is <0.025MCG. I'm used to seeing...
    5. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to hjayne19's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      15

      Insomnia help

      When I was still recovering my gastroenterologist suggested I bought lactofree product as I was very bloated. So I bought some from the supermarket and from memory, I drank a nice big glass of milk - and it went right through me literally within an hour or so, if my memory serves correctly. I came off dairy completely next and it worked like a charm...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,106
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Maggie1349
    Newest Member
    Maggie1349
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Insomnia help

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @cristiana,  I react the same way.  Dairy consumption flushes out my digestive system within an hour, too! As casein is digested, it forms casomorphins that bind to opioid receptors in our bodies.  This is similar to digested gluten peptides being able to attach to opioid receptors in our bodies.   We have opioid receptors throughout our bodies including lots in the digestive tract. Casein raises tTg IgA antibodies just like gluten consumption does, which leads to further intestinal damage and continuing inflammation.  No wonder our bodies react to it by pushing the "emergency evacuation" ejection seat button! The mother of my childhood friend was British and introduced me to drinking tea properly with milk or cream.  I miss it so much.  And chocolate ice cream.  Not worth the after effects, though.  I've found taking Omega Three supplements (flaxseed oil, sunflower seed oil, evening primrose oil) helps shake those dairy cravings.   Green leafy veggies like broccoli, kale, and greens (mustard, turnip, collards) are great sources of calcium.  Avoid spinach as it is high in oxalates that block calcium absorption and may cause kidney stones.  Yes, more leafy greens are needed to reach the same amount of calcium in a glass of milk, but the greens have other benefits, like increased dietary fiber and polyphenols that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and promote health.   Exposure to gluten (and casein in those sensitive to it) can cause an increased immune response and inflammation for months afterwards.  The immune cells that make tTg IgA antibodies which are triggered today are going to live for about two years. During that time, inflammation is heightened.  Those immune cells only replicate when triggered.  If those immune cells don't get triggered again for about two years, they die without leaving any descendents programmed to trigger on gluten and casein.  The immune system forgets gluten and casein need to be attacked.  The Celiac genes turn off.  This is remission.   Some people in remission report being able to consume gluten again without consequence.  Another triggering event can turn the Celiac genes on again.   Celiac genes are turned on by a triggering event (physical or emotional stress).  There's some evidence that thiamine insufficiency contributes to the turning on of autoimmune genes.  There is an increased biological need for thiamine when we are physically or emotionally stressed.  Thiamine cannot be stored for more than twenty-one days and may be depleted in as little as three during physical and emotional stresses. Mitochondria without sufficient thiamine become damaged and don't function properly.  This gets relayed to the genes and autoimmune disease genes turn on.  Thiamine and other B vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are needed to replace the dysfunctional mitochondria and repair the damage to the body.  
    • TheDHhurts
      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

      By TheDHhurts · Posted

      Hi, I bought Naked Nutrition Creatine. It lists itself as gluten free but is not certified. (It used to be, but they dropped it in the past year or two apparently.) I wrote the company and asked them what testing results they had for creatine and they sent me the attached, which says the test result for gluten is <0.025MCG. I'm used to seeing test results as ppm, so I'm not sure what <0.025MCG means. Can it be converted to ppm easily? I want to confirm that it is safe to use.
    • cristiana
      Insomnia help

      By cristiana · Posted

      When I was still recovering my gastroenterologist suggested I bought lactofree product as I was very bloated.  So I bought some from the supermarket and from memory, I drank a nice big glass of milk - and it went right through me literally within an hour or so, if my memory serves correctly.  I came off dairy completely next and it worked like a charm, but started to reintroduce quite gradually it as I missed it! To this day, if I overdo dairy products, they work like a mild laxative.  I've never wanted to give up milk completely as I like it so much, and my mum had osteoporosis and it's an easy way of getting calcium.  But it doesn't really 'sit' well with me.   You may need to experiment a bit as when I was healing certain dairy products were worse than others - I could cope with one brand of Greek yoghurt, but I got extremely and painfully bloated with another brand of live British yoghurt.  
    • wellthatsfun
      nothing has changed

      By wellthatsfun · Posted

      i have been strictly gluten free for 7 months. this includes avoiding anything that may contain gluten and making sure surfaces and appliances are clean. i am 18 years old in australia and my tTG-IgA results were 69U/mL, pretty low compared to most people's, for reference. i feel the exact same as before. sure, i was pretty much asymptomatic/silent. the worst i'd get was occasionally bad stools and pitting of the nails/brittle hair since early childhood - and i was diagnosed with low iron and vitamin d which checks out due to easy bruising and such. but those symptoms have remained. maybe i'm jumping the gun, sure. i know it can take years to fully heal. but being over half a year in, i feel that i should be, y'know, healing. i'm nearly at my wits end and wondering if i should have a piece of bread or something to see how i go - to see if i possibly have refractory? my mental health is declining as i feel myself wanting to bang my head against a damn wall out of frustration every day. cravings haven't gotten better. look, i love the stuff i still can have, like salads and such. OH! i haven't lost any weight, which is mind boggling considering i eat very healthily now! i've always been on the chubbier side which is atypical of coeliac. i just don't know what's going on with me. i try to remain hopeful but i'm just so sad all the time. thanks for reading  
    • trents
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By trents · Posted

      @Charlie1946There is a PM (Personal Message) tool built into the forum website that allows you to send a private message to other forum users. Just hover over their name with your mouse cursor and the menu containing that tool will pop up. This is useful if you want to communicate with an individual without everyone else involved in the thread seeing it.  Are you realizing that in my PPI taper down recommendations in an earlier post above, I was responding not to your posts but to @Caligirl57? If you must use a PPI, I certainly would advise taking the lowest dose that is effective for you.  
×
×
  • 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.