Worth getting tested?: I obviously have... - Gluten Free Guerr...

Gluten Free Guerrillas

10,815 members4,408 posts

Worth getting tested?

Gettingbetter profile image
4 Replies

I obviously have gluten sensitivity. after going without for a few months, am feeling much better. I am wondering if it is worth being tested for celiac with a biopsy or if I should just continue on with the diet not knowing. I know to have the test you need to reintroduce gluten, which does not seem very appealing right now. Is it worth the time, money, etc.?

Written by
Gettingbetter profile image
Gettingbetter
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
4 Replies

Hi, I recently asked this question too, see the thread below called to diagnose or not to diagnose. The overwhelming response was in favour of getting a diagnoss.

Lynxcat profile image
Lynxcat

Hi Gettingbetter, It is really difficult to self-diagnose and there are occasional chances that it could be wrong and there may be something else going on. You do not have to pay for being tested as a possible coeliac and it is now common practice to check patients that have IBS symptoms. Sadly, at the moment you would need to eat food items containing gluten so that when a blood test is taken it will pick up on either HLA-DQ2 gene (the most common present for people who have coeliac disease) or HLA-DQ8 gene (this is only found in about 8% of coeliacs) are present making a positive result. Your doctor would then discuss with you any further tests that he considers you may need and that would then depend upon whether you wished any further of the invasive tests.

As HJA says above this has recently been discussed on the following link and it will be worth you reading the points that have been made there:

glutenfreeguerrillas.health...

Whatever you choose to do - good luck - and please carry on asking if there are other queries you'd like to know about.

Gettingbetter profile image
Gettingbetter

Thanks so much. Sounds like it's probably worth it. maybe I'll wait until after the holidays and have my last hurrah this year with pies and baguette!

earthwitch profile image
earthwitch

I always advise folk NOT to give up gluten until they get tested, because it does make it incredibly difficult to reintroduce it and have to go through all those problems again. I think its very important to get medically diagnosed - for a start it reinforces to you the absolute need to stay GF, whereas if you just make the decision yourself it becomes too easy to cheat and think "i'm not actually coeliac". So many folk I know who probably are coeliac have tried and given up on GF diets, and now just eat low gluten, and I think a lot of the failed diet has been because they didn't actually know enough to go strictly GF, so weren't responding properly because they kept getting gluten in their diet, but also didn't have enough gluten to show positive on blood tests.

Coeliac disease doesn't just cause gut problems - if you have it, you need to be diagnosed to avoid some of the other more sinister complications (osteoporosis, small bowel cancers, gluten ataxia, coeliac arthritis, etc)

You may also like...

Getting a test on Friday

this is a antibody test? Is the test she's ordered the right test? Finally, anyone know how long...

When to get gluten intolerance/coeliac test?

Hi guys, I'm new, and I have not been told I have a gluten intolerance. It was more an assumption I

Places to get private tests for Coeliacs done?

confirmed as having CD, and I do currently eat gluten containing foods. I already have a thyroid...

Some advice please...should I get re-tested for Coeliac Disease?

that I had to have gluten in my system for the test to be accurate, so obviously it came back...

Where can I get coeliac gene testing?

Hi, does anyone know where I can get tested for the coeliac gene/s, preferably as cheaply as...