Diagnosed But No Reaction After 1 Year

[mclarke77]

Ok, I guess I'll start from the beginning. I was diagnosed just over 1 year ago with celiac disease after 4 years of reactions. My doctor tested via blood test, which came back positive. He said that there was no need for the biopsy as not eating gluten was already helping. Over the year I had trouble coping with not being able to eat what everyone else around me was eating (I'm 23, and explaining to friends was difficult). I lost about 20 lbs and had pretty much stopped eating entirely, food just wasn't something I wanted anymore. I had a few reactions over the year, some so bad that it made me afraid to eat anything.

A few weeks ago I went back to the doctor, and told him that I wanted to complete the biopsy. He said that the GI would get in touch for a consult in a few months. Upon getting home my boyfriend (who has been VERY supportive of the gluten-free diet) suggested that I just start eating gluten again since I would have to do it before the biopsy anyways. Reluctantly I saw where he was coming from, and the following day I decided my first non-gluten-free meal would be a Tim Hortons BLT on a bagel (my old favourite meal). To my surprise? No reaction. None. I've now been eating gluten for about 3 weeks for every meal with NO reactions.

Just to add another twist, after a year of eating a very low carb diet, and then suddenly in-taking a mass amount, I have not gained a single pound. In fact, I've lost 2 pounds in the last week and a half.

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on this. I'm only getting more and more worried.

[tarnalberry]

I would suggest that losing weight while taking in a bunch of carbs IS a symptom - that you may be having intestinal damage that keeps you from absorbing the nutrients in what you eat. It is not uncommon in the teens and early 20's to have a "honeymoon" period where you don't get much in the way of obvious symtoms. You might get headaches, or a little gas, or hunger, or maybe nothing at all. That doens't mean that damage isn't being done. (And you need to be eating plenty of gluten for three months prior to a biopsy to have any chance of it giving you a reliable result.

[heidi g.]

The beginning sounds like me i stopped eating and lost 50 pounds in 8 months. But i am not sure about the last part... All i will suggest is get the biopsy done and then see a nutritionist.