Home Test

[Slr38]

Hello Everyone,

My Biocard home Celiac test arrived today. There was a very faint line in the test window, I mean, Very faint.

I'm not sure how to interpret this! I will ask the doctor to do a lab blood test anyways but I was curious as to what experiences you may have had. I believe Nicole had a very faint line as well...

Is there a normal range for Celiac blood tests in a lab?

Thanks!

Stephanie

[mushroom]

  On 10/9/2012 at 6:21 PM, Slr38 said:

Is there a normal range for Celiac blood tests in a lab?

Yes, every lab sets their own ranges though. You will get a negative, equivocal, and positive range given with each result.

[Slr38]

  On 10/9/2012 at 7:51 PM, mushroom said:

Yes, every lab sets their own ranges though. You will get a negative, equivocal, and positive range given with each result.

Thanks for your reply.

So a faint positive result on a home test could come out negative from a lab I guess.

[mushroom]

  On 10/9/2012 at 8:31 PM, Slr38 said:

Thanks for your reply.

So a faint positive result on a home test could come out negative from a lab I guess.

I have seen a poster say they had a faint positive on a Biocard that came out positive in a celiac panel test.

[Slr38]

  On 10/9/2012 at 8:31 PM, Slr38 said:

Thanks for your reply.

So a faint positive result on a home test could come out negative from a lab I guess.

Yes, I think that was nsvmom.

Thanks.

We'll see what the lab says. I think I am finally narrowing in on what is wrong with me after all of these years!

[nvsmom]

  On 10/9/2012 at 6:21 PM, Slr38 said:

Hello Everyone,

My Biocard home Celiac test arrived today. There was a very faint line in the test window, I mean, Very faint.

I'm not sure how to interpret this! I will ask the doctor to do a lab blood test anyways but I was curious as to what experiences you may have had. I believe Nicole had a very faint line as well...

Is there a normal range for Celiac blood tests in a lab?

Thanks!

Stephanie

Oh no. That's a positive test. Those Biocard tests are like home pregnancy tests, a positve line only shows up if its, well... abnormally positive (for ttg IgA).

You're right, I too had a very faint positive test. VERY faint. I first read the test in dim lighting and I almost dismissed it but then I ran over to a light to have a better look. I had a hard time believing it was positive when I did my test so I did a bunch of googling and kept coming up with the fact that a light or dark positive line does in fact indicate celiac. Here's another site that says the same thing:

Open Original Shared Link

I also found this site interesting because it was a study about how the medical workers would interpret the tests and their varying darkness. Nurses were shown four positive tests and asked to judged which would be negative or positive. They wrongly judged the faint lines to be negatives where as a negative is ONLY if a second line does NOT appear at all. No lines at all (in either window) would indicate an IgA deficiency. Anyway, on page 5 there are some pictures... my test looked similar to the faintest test (3rd) or possibly the 1st test:

Open Original Shared Link

I did have labs run by my doctor too (good memory you have). My lab run ttg IgA test was >200 with a reference range of 0-20; basically off their chart. I think the doctor run tests are more sensitive, but that's just a guess.

I would interpret your test as positive. If doctor ordered lab tests come back negative, I would consider a biopsy because something is wrong to give you that positive ttg IgA result. Remember to keep eating gluten until you are satisfied that the testing is complete. And if all the doctor ordered tests do come back negative, I would suggest you try going gluten-free for at least a few months before you dismiss a celiac diagnosis... and at the very least retest in 6 months to a year.

Good luck. I hope this is the answer and you see great results going gluten-free... and hey, if you want more info on gluten-free stores and the support group in Calgary, just contact me.

[Slr38]

Thanks for the reply.

I too read that any line, even very faint, is considered positive. I was just doubting it because so far I have tested negative for every single test I have been ever tested for ( except pregnancy! ).

I made an appointment with my doctor (again) but can only get in to see her next Wednesday. I was proactive though and booked an appointment for blood tests at CLS (market mall) for the following morning.

I will definitely ask you for local info if I get the positive diagnosis. (Are you in the NW?)

Do you have any idea what the wait time is for an endoscopy in Calgary?

Thanks for the support!

[MoMof2Boyz]

How long did it take to get the test kit? It's from Canada right??

[Slr38]

  On 10/10/2012 at 12:49 AM, MoMof2Boyz said:

How long did it take to get the test kit? It's from Canada right??

I ordered mine through the pharmacy at London Drugs. I ordered Thursday and it arrived today. They don't tack on shipping charges. A few other websites I looked at said 2 - 5 business days.

Are you in Canada? The websites I saw said they only ship to addresses in Canada.

[MoMof2Boyz]

  On 10/10/2012 at 1:07 AM, Slr38 said:

I ordered mine through the pharmacy at London Drugs. I ordered Thursday and it arrived today. They don't tack on shipping charges. A few other websites I looked at said 2 - 5 business days.

Are you in Canada? The websites I saw said they only ship to addresses in Canada.

No, I"m in the U.S.

I didn't see that the company only ships within Canada.

can you post a link to the product on the london drugs website? it's not coming up in a search...

[Slr38]

  On 10/10/2012 at 1:27 AM, MoMof2Boyz said:

No, I"m in the U.S.

I didn't see that the company only ships within Canada.

can you post a link to the product on the london drugs website? it's not coming up in a search...

Maybe there are companies that ship to the US! If it does not mention any shipping restrictions then you should be okay. I called the pharmacy at my local London Drugs directly...

[nvsmom]

  On 10/10/2012 at 12:38 AM, Slr38 said:

Thanks for the reply.

I too read that any line, even very faint, is considered positive. I was just doubting it because so far I have tested negative for every single test I have been ever tested for ( except pregnancy! ).

I made an appointment with my doctor (again) but can only get in to see her next Wednesday. I was proactive though and booked an appointment for blood tests at CLS (market mall) for the following morning.

I will definitely ask you for local info if I get the positive diagnosis. (Are you in the NW?)

Do you have any idea what the wait time is for an endoscopy in Calgary?

Thanks for the support!

I understand, I did a double take when my test showed a positive too.

Yes, I'm in the NW. Probably further up Crowchild than you; Crowfoot is near me.

I have no idea about the wait time for an endoscopy. My doctor didn't push the endoscopy at all; he left it up to me. Ttg IgA and EMA was enough for him to call it celiac. That was fine by me since I didn't see the need for it in my situation.

After doing an online search a few months back, I found that the wait to see a GI specialist for celiac was about a year, but I'm assuming that is only if your GP isn't pulling any strings for you. I'm sure it varies significantly. At the Calgary Celiac Newbie meeting, there was one man who was in for an endo (with some pushing) in a week (he was having serious throat and eating issues from it though), there was another guy who waited under a month, and a lady who was still waiting after a couple of months... I think it depends on how hard your doctor advocates for you, but again this is just my guess. (I never did see a GI specialist.)

I really wish you the best. I remember that first month when I wasn't confirmed by my doctor, I was so distracted thinking about it... stressful time. On the positive side, I used that time to research and start setting up my gluten-free kitchen since I had decided to go gluten-free no matter what the doctor said.

Good luck.

[Slr38]

Do you know if you can still claim the tax credit for buying Gluten Free foods without having the endoscopy? Can the dr. give a medical certificate declaring celiac disease on Bloodwork alone?

Thanks.

P.S.

I'm in Varsity so we are very close! Small world...

[nvsmom]

Huh, Silver Springs. Small world is right!

I'm assuming as long as the doctor diagnoses you as celac, and you provide Revenue Canada with that info, you'll probably be fine. I've been saving receits but I doubt it would be worth the work for me. I've also heard (just on-line so it should be taken with a (large) grain of salt, that one is more likely to be auditted if you claim foods for celiac... I have no evidence to back that up though...I should have asked about that at the Celiac Newbie meeting I think.

[Slr38]

  On 10/10/2012 at 2:28 PM, nvsmom said:

Huh, Silver Springs. Small world is right!

I'm assuming as long as the doctor diagnoses you as celac, and you provide Revenue Canada with that info, you'll probably be fine. I've been saving receits but I doubt it would be worth the work for me. I've also heard (just on-line so it should be taken with a (large) grain of salt, that one is more likely to be auditted if you claim foods for celiac... I have no evidence to back that up though...I should have asked about that at the Celiac Newbie meeting I think.

Wow, we are neighbours!

Thank you once again for the info.

I am going to try and lie low and stop Googling until after my blood tests. I am driving myself crazy!

I will keep you posted.

[Slr38]

  On 10/10/2012 at 3:52 PM, Slr38 said:

Wow, we are neighbours!

Thank you once again for the info.

I am going to try and lie low and stop Googling until after my blood tests. I am driving myself crazy!

I will keep you posted.

Any advice for someone who can't stop Googling about Celiac Disease? My appointment is not until next week and then I will probably have to wait until the following week for the blood test results. I don't know how to take my mind off of it!

[Celiac Mindwarp]

We might not be the right bunch of people to ask about googling and addiction to learning about celiac!

Good luck with testing and results

[Slr38]

  On 10/11/2012 at 7:43 PM, Celiac Mindwarp said:

We might not be the right bunch of people to ask about googling and addiction to learning about celiac!

Good luck with testing and results

[nvsmom]

LOL I hear you! Read up on it at the library instead; the CPL has a TON of books that you can go on-line to arrange a hold to go to your nearest library (as long as you know your library card number). Just type in gluten-free or celiac and you'll get 20+ books listed. Green's book, Celiac Disease: The Hidden Epidemic is really good. There are good travel books on celiac; some have restaurant cards in them, in various languages, to photocopy and give to servers and the kitchens when you go out to eat. There are also many gluten-free cookbooks; even Company's Coming has a gluten-free cookbook! Also, there are good kids books for explaining it to our kids.

Speaking of kids, this is a genetically linked disease so you might want to have your kids checked out as well.

Check out the Planet Organic or Amaranth for their gluten-free options. Even Superstore has a section that is gluten-free dedicated... it's small but it's there. I found it quite reassuring to get cookbooks and go shopping; I quickly realized how much is still available for us to eat!

...Or have your husband hide your power bar to the computer. LOL If you want someone to chat with some evening, I'll meet you for a coffee... We can obsess live rather than on the computer! LOL

[Slr38]

Hi Nicole,

Thanks for your suggestions. I actually put that book on hold for me at the library. It should be there by tomorrow. I will see what else I can find too.

I will also check out Planet Organic tomorrow when my eldest is in kindergarten. PO is two minutes away and I have never been inside! I read that Amaranth has a Celiac registry and will keep track of all gluten-free purchases and will give you a print out at the end of the year for tax purposes.

I was at Home Sense today and they had a gluten-free Baking Cookbook, maybe I should go back and get it.

Our pediatrician is great (I think even more so now after reading some posts on this forum). He tests all of his patients from the age of two regardless of if they have symptoms or not. If I do have celiac disease I will be sure to tell him so he can retest my boys in the future.

I would love to meet up some time! I will need a coach ( or would we call them sponsors? lol). Can we send PMs on this forum?

Oh and my husband is away for the week hence the boredom and constant Googling.

[nvsmom]

You're right about Amaranth. They'll give you a print-out of your purchases at the end of the year, and they mark each item on your receit as gluten-free. Very handy.

I recommend checking out the library's cook books before you buy (unless you like to collect cookbooks). There are soooo many now, and some are more appealing and complex than others. There is one on Artisanal gluten-free cupcakes that has cupcakes to die over! Mmm.

Your doctor sounds great. Hold on to him! LOL

And I wouldn't consider it a coach.... more of a "misery likes company" sort of thing. LOL

[Brenda44]

I suspect that I have celiac or NCGS.  I ordered a Biocard, but since I live in America and it comes from Canada, it took weeks to get here.  I had given up and went on the gluten free diet and was having good results.  The test finally showed up and I decided to use it on my dad because I think he has a much worse case of it.  He has eight stents in his heart, diabetes, arthritis, bruising, nosebleeds, gout, on and on and on.  I did the test on him and we just sat and chatted waiting on a result.  We were outside and didn't have a clock so I didn't time it down to the minute.  I looked at it after a few minutes and didn't see anything.  After about 10 or 15 minutes I looked and saw a very, very faint line.  It is now about 4 hours later and I can still look at the test and see that very faint line.  If it's positive, does the positive line tend to stay in the window for that long?  I know i have a pregnancy test from 17 years ago that told me my son was on the way and it still shows positive.  Just wondering if the fact that it stays there is any more confirmation that he's positive?  The instructions say not to read it after 10 minutes, but if you're negative, why would a positive show up anytime after 10 minutes?