Should I Continue With Gluten Challenge?

[Dove314]

I started eating gluten-free after I noticed that many of the problems I have been dealing with over the last couple of years started to get better on the diet (mostly, diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain). After a month of being gluten-free I felt better than I had in almost two years. Now my doctor wants to test me for Celiacs Disease but in order to have accurate test results I have to go back to eating gluten again. Two days in, I felt just an overall sick feeling, sometimes nausea. Now four days in, I have joint pain in my wrists and neck, headache, vertigo, fatigue, and constipation. My endoscopy is scheduled for four weeks from now along with blood tests. My doctor said that if I am really miserable I should just schedule the tests earlier and stop eating it. I know the longer I am exposed to gluten the more accurate the tests will be, but I'm not sure how long I can last. Is it worth it to get to an accurate diagnosis? my reasons for wanting to get tested are: health insurance benefits, for my family (as a genetic condition to watch out for), and because I tend to second guess myself and I think it would help me stick to the diet better. Also want to know if there is anything else that might be going on health wise. I am almost 100% certain I will go back to eating gluten-free after the tests no matter what they say because I know that I feel better. Also, is it common for seemingly new symptoms to appear, such as the joint pain and vertigo, while other symptoms that were more prevalent before the challenge become less common (in my case the diarrhea)?

[kareng]

check out our current discussion of how long you need to eat gluten for an accurate test.

[Dove314]

eesh...three months? I don't think I could handle that if I'm already worried about making it for ONE month. Is it worth it to do the tests even if there is a good chance they might not be accurate?

[tom]

These situations are so tough & all-too-common.

Looking forward to the day testing is a lot easier & highly accurate.

[Christine0125]

I'm probably going to differ from many of the replies but in my opinion it's worth it to get an accurate diagnosis. My doc recommended 2 weeks of a gluten challenge for the blood tests and that was enough to get positive results. I had also done a 1 month gluten-free trial prior to that. Personally I think I would have frequently second-guessed the diet had I not been 100% sure. I'm now back on gluten temporarily until my endoscopy. I'm easing my body into it. I've only had 1 cracker the last couple days but will increase the amount slowly until my appt on 4/20. Basically the doctor told me he's certain I have celiacs based on the blood test alone but the endoscopy will be able to tell if anything else is going on. Good luck making the best decision for you. I know I read somewhere that the gluten symptoms may subside over the course of the trial as your body readjusts to it so it's possible you're through the worst of it and the next few weeks won't cause as severe a reaction.

I started eating gluten-free after I noticed that many of the problems I have been dealing with over the last couple of years started to get better on the diet (mostly, diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain). After a month of being gluten-free I felt better than I had in almost two years. Now my doctor wants to test me for Celiacs Disease but in order to have accurate test results I have to go back to eating gluten again. Two days in, I felt just an overall sick feeling, sometimes nausea. Now four days in, I have joint pain in my wrists and neck, headache, vertigo, fatigue, and constipation. My endoscopy is scheduled for four weeks from now along with blood tests. My doctor said that if I am really miserable I should just schedule the tests earlier and stop eating it. I know the longer I am exposed to gluten the more accurate the tests will be, but I'm not sure how long I can last. Is it worth it to get to an accurate diagnosis? my reasons for wanting to get tested are: health insurance benefits, for my family (as a genetic condition to watch out for), and because I tend to second guess myself and I think it would help me stick to the diet better. Also want to know if there is anything else that might be going on health wise. I am almost 100% certain I will go back to eating gluten-free after the tests no matter what they say because I know that I feel better. Also, is it common for seemingly new symptoms to appear, such as the joint pain and vertigo, while other symptoms that were more prevalent before the challenge become less common (in my case the diarrhea)?

[Skylark]

These situations are so tough & all-too-common.

Looking forward to the day testing is a lot easier & highly accurate.

Good grief yes.

I ate one sandwich and decided challenging was not worth the misery. I was in graduate school and could not afford to get sick again. Thing is, I am now on a celiac-safe diet because I opted not to challenge. It's dangerous to be possibly celiac and lack the conviction to stay on the diet.

The good news is that as Christine points out, after only a month gluten-free you may not have to challenge as long. It takes a few months for antibodies to fall. I haven't seen studies on challenges in people who haven't been gluten-free long enough to have no antibodies and normal histology. I am concerned about your joint pain because we can develop joint autoimmunity.

[tom]

....

Basically the doctor told me he's certain I have celiacs based on the blood test alone but the endoscopy will be able to tell if anything else is going on. ...

Wait, what? If the endoscopy's to check for other things (besides baselining possible existing damage from a "certain" dx), there'd be no reason to keep eating gluten.

[Christine0125]

Wait, what? If the endoscopy's to check for other things (besides baselining possible existing damage from a "certain" dx), there'd be no reason to keep eating gluten.

I believe for me they are looking for a possible ulcer since my biggest symptom is nausea. It can also tell if reflux is an issue.

my guess is my symptoms are all related to celiac but I am moving forward ith all the tests the doc ordered for my own piece of mind. The gluten challenge may not be worth it for you but because I can function normally although somewhat uncomfortably it's worth it to me.