Newbie And Have A Question, Please.

[Jaynine]

HELLO ALL,

I Guess you can say I have been trolling here for a month or two and decided to jump in. I kept thinking gluten-free is for celiac's right, and I am not jumping on that 'FAD' rollar coaster..LITTLE DID I KNOW

[Avalon451]

If you have been gluten-free since Thanksgiving, then yes, your tests are going to be skewed. It will likely show up negative. You need to be eating the equivalent of four slices of bread a day for 2-3 months for it to be accurate. If you've been reading on these boards for a month you'll know that so many people get the wrong advice to "try the diet" before they decide that no, they really want an official diagnosis so that people will take them seriously. But often by that time they've gotten really sensitive, and going on a "gluten challenge" makes them really really sick.

There's debate about whether an official diagnosis is necessary. Either way, you know that gluten is bad for you and you don't do well with it. The question is how seriously you will take it a few years down the line... will you say, "Oh, well, I was never officially diagnosed, maybe I can tolerate it now." And then you start eating gluten again, and if you are celiac, you'll do more damage. Or you can just commit to staying gluten-free for life, knowing it's not good for you regardless of whether you're celiac or non-celiac gluten intolerant. (or allergic to wheat, which is something else again).

Good luck!