Is It Worth Testing?

[padronalisa]

i have been on a gluten free diet for almost 7 months now, and have seen a major change in symptoms

a brief history:

-mild to severe D almost everyday for the past 13 years (since age 11)

-diagnosed with IBS at age 16, treated with medication with little to no success, pepto bismol and immodium worked better but not completely

-severe joint cracking and mild shoulder and back pain

-weak tooth enamel and prone to cavities (esp compared to my sister who has always eaten the same things as me, but has stellar teeth)

-slow hair growth, weak brittle nails, moderate acne

-general fatigue

all of these symptoms have vanished or lessened with the removal of gluten from my diet. especially the D. i noticed a little bit of irritation recently, and removed dairy and things have improved a lot.

i have relapsed a few times, and each time i eat large amounts of gluten i will get fatigue and stomachaches for the first 48 hours and then D 4-7 days later for 48-72 hours. during that week after i have ingested gluten, anything really acidic or spicy or processed will also trigger D, so tomato sauce or peppers, things like that. however, if i have not had gluten recently, those things do not bother me at all.

with such a significant change, is it worth reintroducing gluten just so i can get tested? i'm pretty posivite i have either celiac or gluten intolerance, but im not sure what to tell people mostly because i havent been *officially diagnosed*

any thoughts? thanks!

[lesliev523]

I went off of gluten for a few months, as well, and noticed vast improvement. But then I would have a gluten binge fest, and tell myself that it is ok because I don't have Celiac.

Then I would feel like crap again....

I decided to go back on gluten to get tested because if I do have Celiac Disease, I will take my diet much more seriously. I had my blood test last week, and waiting on the results. The last few months on gluten has been icky... and if anything it has made me more resolved to stay away from it even if my blood test is negative.

So for me, I wanted the test. But if you can go gluten free and know that it makes you better, I don't know if the test is really necessary.

[danielleb]

I began a gluten-free diet last Fall after I started seeing a 'non-traditional' medicine doctor. I've had digestive problems my entire life, and now that I know more about gluten sensitivity, I realize that some other symptoms may be caused by GS. I was diagnosed with IBS by means of colonoscopy a few years ago, and my traditional doctor is attributing all my digestive problems to it. When I told her that I suspected a gluten intolerance based on my symptoms, and that I was considering a gluten-free diet, she sent me for a blood test and told me that I didn't have Celiac disease. My n-t doctor told me that a blood test is not conclusive unless it is positive. There is another test I could get done, but it's expensive. He told me that based on my family history (my dad has colitis and his sister has Celiac), plus my own symptoms and the results of my body chemistry tests (ex., vitamins D is low, I suffer from gout...) that he was 99% sure that I was gluten sensitive, and that even if I weren't, that it's a good diet to follow.

I am following it, though not as seriously as I probably should. I always assumed that an intolerance was less serious than Celiac, so I haven't been overly concerned about cross-contamination and occasionally have restaurant gravies, which are likely thickened with flour, and the occasional beer. My bowel problems haven't gone away, and they have even changed in a way that worries me, so I'm tempted to ask my doctor to put me through another colonoscopy or get the $250 test done or both.

I have so many questions and there seems to be so many unknowns. I'm also lactose intolerant, at least I think I am, but I can sometimes have a little bit of milk and cheese without problem, but I can't have a glass of milk and cream makes me very ill. (Does that make sense?) I've always attributed my severe hair loss to family genes (my grandmother was almost bald) but now I wonder if this gluten intolerance may be responsible. Perhaps she was gluten sensitive but we didn't know anything about it then. I've also been diagnosed through biopsy with Sarcoidosis, which is thought to be an autoimmune disease, although that hasn't been determined. I'm 53 years' old, and suffer from arthritis, and my gout attacks were caused by aspirin and pasta, of all things. I just wondered if others have all or some of these symptoms and whether a strict gluten-free diet has actually helped these other conditions and symptoms.