Biopsy While On gluten-free Diet?!

[Teriw]

My family doctor was treating me for IBS but when nothing was working I asked for more tests. He sent me for more bloodwork and referred me to a Gastroenterologist. I went to the Gastro who continued to give me a different medication for IBS. I found out from my family doctor a week later that I tested positive for Celiacs in my bloodwork. He didn't say I MAY have it he said i DID. He was going to refer me to a gastro again but I reminded him he already sent me to the other doctor and I have an appointment in a month. He told me to go on a gluten-free diet but offered no help in doing so.

When I saw the gastro a month later he said my antibodies were very high. I told him I was gluten free for almost a month and feeling alot better. He told me to stay on the diet and that he would do a biopsy.

Is there any other reason to do a biopsy other than to confirm the diagnosis? It doesn't make sense that he would ask me to go gluten-free and have a biopsy almost 4 months later(the earliest time available) since going gluten-free for that long would likely make my biopsy come back negative. It has me confused.

[GFinDC]

You are right, doing the biopsy that long after going gluten-free is a waste of your money and time. If your symptoms have improved that is.

[Cara in Boston]

This makes no sense.

Your biopsy would very likely be negative after being gluten free (things can heal very fast in some people) and then your doctor (who obviously does not know enough about celiac disease) may refuse to diagnose you with celiac.

Or, perhaps your doctor just wants to monitor your healing and if nothing is found, he will (rightfully) attribute it to the diet and tell you to continue what you are doing . . .

I think it is a waste of time and resources at this point.

Cara

[Skylark]

I wonder if your GI is just wanting to have a look and rule out other problems? I'd personally only go with the biopsy if I still had symptoms at appointment time. If the gluten-free diet heals you in 4 months, which it definitely can, there is no point to undergo an invasive procedure.

[nora-n]

yes I think they want to rule out other things. You have had a "diagnosis" of IBS before so they want to check.

[MitziG]

It isn't a bad idea to have them see how things look, but you can almost guarantee that you won't get a positive celiac biopsy, so my only concern is that then they will tell you it isn't celiac after all. This is way too common and absolutely astounds me that doctors continue to be so ignorant of the basic facts of this disease.