What Did I Eat Wrong?

[DavinaRN]

I know it's advised to eat at home in beginning, but lunch date planned months ago. Had my blood work thins am (already decided going gluten free today-not willing to do biopsies when it doesn't change treatment). So I had Mexican buffet-lettuce, cheese, refried beans, beef with onions, chicken with onions/peppers, tortilla chips. That's it other than diet coke. Any ideas?

[frieze]

just the fact that it was a buffet would be enough. no control on CC.

[GottaSki]

It could have been anything. There is no way to know on your first day gluten-free. I would not consider a buffet to be gluten-free. The food could also just have been hard on your system. Eating out takes time to learn to do safely and even when all precautions are made, accidental gluten ingestion is a very real possibility.

Read the "Newbie 101" thread and ask questions where there is confusion. The transition to gluten-free living is not an easy one. You will make mistakes and you will likely become frustrated. It will get much easier with time.

Hang in there!

[tylerevelyn]

I know it's advised to eat at home in beginning, but lunch date planned months ago. Had my blood work thins am (already decided going gluten free today-not willing to do biopsies when it doesn't change treatment). So I had Mexican buffet-lettuce, cheese, refried beans, beef with onions, chicken with onions/peppers, tortilla chips. That's it other than diet coke. Any ideas?

I had a very bad reaction to restaurant corn chips not too long ago. They're fried with flour tortillas. And, I highly doubt that they're made of JUST corn.

[DavinaRN]

Thanks everyone. I'll read 101 thinking this may be a lot harder Than I thought

[1desperateladysaved]

Oh, sorry. I hope you will be feeling better soon.

Yes, it is quite a trip on the road to better health. Keep treking, though.

Diana

[Skysmom03]

I would stay away from foreign foods in restaurants! I would do thd endoscopy. It is better to know. No reasOn to do the diet if you don't really have to.

[mushroom]

I would stay away from foreign foods in restaurants! I would do thd endoscopy. It is better to know. No reasOn to do the diet if you don't really have to.

If you react to gluten it doesn't matter what the tests say -- you have to do the diet.

[Skysmom03]

That isn't necessarily true. There are false positives. There is a reason the drs make you do the endoscopy. That is the only thing that confirms diagnosis. If blood work was all it took there would be no need for her to even go to the specialist. Also the endoscopy can also indicate whether there are other issues other than the celiac.

[mushroom]

That isn't necessarily true. There are false positives. There is a reason the drs make you do the endoscopy. That is the only thing that confirms diagnosis. If blood work was all it took there would be no need for her to even go to the specialist. Also the endoscopy can also indicate whether there are other issues other than the celiac.

No, Sky'smom, I'm not talking about testing or diagnosis at all. Not saying you shouldn't try for a diagnosis either. Just saying, no matter what turns out, as a general rule if gluten bothers you it makes eminent sense to avoid it

[psawyer]

That isn't necessarily true. There are false positives. There is a reason the drs make you do the endoscopy. That is the only thing that confirms diagnosis. If blood work was all it took there would be no need for her to even go to the specialist. Also the endoscopy can also indicate whether there are other issues other than the celiac.

There are several possible blood tests, some of which are more accurate than others. DGP IgA is the newest. It is sensitive and highly specific to celiac disease. Many doctors will now diagnose celiac disease based on a positive DGP IgA result.

Yes, the endoscopy can find other conditions besides celiac disease.

ETA: mushroom and I were typing at the same time.

[kareng]

That isn't necessarily true. There are false positives. There is a reason the drs make you do the endoscopy. That is the only thing that confirms diagnosis. If blood work was all it took there would be no need for her to even go to the specialist. Also the endoscopy can also indicate whether there are other issues other than the celiac.

Even if you don't have Celiac, you may have gluten intolrance and would need to eat gluten-free.

Fromthe Univ of Chicago Celiac center:

"What is gluten sensitivity?

Gluten sensitivity is an adverse food-induced reaction, possibly immune-mediated, but for which we have no diagnostic test available. This is a reaction in the digestive tract that causes gastrointestinal symptoms just like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It may also lead to other body systems problems, such as fatigue, headache, etc. Unlike celiac disease however, it’s not restricted to people that are HLA-DQ2 and/or DQ8 (the genes that must be present for celiac disease to exist), and it might be transient. Also, there is no known association with autoimmune conditions, and it’s not known to be associated, if untreated, with long-term risk of malignancies.

Although there is currently no diagnostic test (even an intestinal biopsy would be normal), we’re actively involved in research to define a biological marker that could be used to support a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity."

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[ravenwoodglass]

That isn't necessarily true. There are false positives. There is a reason the drs make you do the endoscopy. That is the only thing that confirms diagnosis. If blood work was all it took there would be no need for her to even go to the specialist. Also the endoscopy can also indicate whether there are other issues other than the celiac.

False positives are extremely rare however false negatives are common. There are doctors who are now diagnosing with just positive blood tests now that the newer tests that are very specific for celiac have come out.

If I had waited for a positive blood test I would be dead. And my GI wouldn't do an endo without one. There are also false negatives on endoscopy for a variety of reasons.

IMHO response to the diet and reoccurance of symptoms when injesting gluten after being gluten free is one of the most reliable tests there is.