How Much Gluten Will Affect Blood Test

[1974girl]

My daughter was diagnosed in December. She doesn't have any reaction outwardly to gluten so I am never sure if she is getting glutened or not. I am careful at home but if we eat out, never sure. Just found out that the Bath and Body antibacterial she carries is made from wheat germ oil. GREAT! She has not had her blood retested since going gluten-free. They want us to come back in July. My question...if she has been getting some that I don't know about, how much will affect a blood test? I read where you guys get "glutened" and know it.....are your blood rechecks still ok? I really want to see that her antibodies are down.

[heatherjane]

If she was just diagnosed in December, don't be suprised if her levels are still elevated some. I've been on this diet for 3 years and am very strict, but I am just getting to the point where my bloodwork is almost normal. I can't speak to how much gluten it takes to elevate the antibodies (someone else may know), but the key is to be as diligent as possible in avoiding gluten. But, I would think that if her numbers are still really elevated and don't appear to be coming down, then there's probably some gluten getting in somewhere.

I am also one of those people with milder reactions, so I don't always know when I've been contaminated. For that reason, I do make sure that anything that could be accidentally ingested (lip products, lotion on hands, etc.) is free of the bad stuff. It may also be wise to limit eating out to those places that are trustworthy in preparing gluten free food. That's usually what I do...especially since it's taken me so long to see results.

I've learned that all I can do is my very best at avoiding gluten and not to panic if/when it does happen. Healing/normalizing takes time, and with some people it takes longer than others. As long as she's getting better, that's the goal.