Help I'm so confused! GP is doing Coeliac Test - I haven't been eating gluten! Plus, acupuncture making symptoms worse?

[Finellie]

Hello, I don't know where to start.....

i have been seeing an acupuncturist for my ibs & acid reflux as recommended by a consultant following a clear endoscopy. The acupuncturist did some Muscle Testing and told me to stop eating gluten amongst other things. I have done this for the past week. However, my GP now wants me to have a blood test for coeliac disease and has booked it in for 2 weeks time. I told him I haven't been having gluten and he said I need to reintroduce it now and it'll be fine. Is this true? I have also spoken to the acupuncturist and she said the test is very unreliable and I shouldn't reintroduce gluten.

The other thing is, since having the acupuncture my ibs symptoms seem to be quite bad (no appetite, loose stools). Has anybody experienced this? Acupuncturist says it's the medication I'm taking for my acid reflux, I am sensitive to medication, but the day after I have acupuncture I'm up early with trots! Can anybody shed any light on these matters please? 😔

[Hidden]

Hi,

It's true that you must eat gluten in order for the coeliac disease test to be effectively carried out. Unfortunately, it seems to be fashionable to blame all digestive issues on gluten, but there's currently no evidence to suggest that it does any harm to anyone who doesn't have coeliac, in fact, recent research shows quite the opposite.

If your IBS seems to be affected by eating wheat , barley and rye and your test is clear, it could be that you're intolerant of the fructans (high-FODMAPs) they contain and that's where your problems lie.

Since you seem to have a GP who is willing to help you find some answers, I'd go with what he says for the time being, he is, after all a medical doctor whilst your acupuncturist (however well-intentioned), is not. Ask him (GP) about the low-FODMAPs diet which is successful for many of us on here including me.

Rosie

[Finellie in reply to Hidden]

Rosie thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my message. Everything feels like a bit of a minefield right now!!!! Am worried reintroducing gluten will make both my ibs and reflux my symptoms worse but like you say, maybe I should trust in my GP for now. I hadn't heard any research re the gluten, can you tell me where I can find this please? Thank you again.

[Finellie in reply to Finellie]

Also, what is a FODMAP? Sorry for my ignorance!

[Hidden]

Go to: med.monash.edu.au/cecs/gast... where you'll find all the info you need about FODMAPs - including what the acronym stands for. This site is the uni where the diet was developed and it's well-supported by the NHS.

[Finellie]

Thank you so much ☺️

[Hidden]

I would stop the acupuncture until things have been ruled out.

It's good that you GP is taking the time to do these tests.

If the test comes back negative you could then try yourown ibtolerance tests. Mibd you you coukd still be intolerant of wheat even though you may noy be ceoliac.

If you do your own intolerance tests start off by leaving one food group iut at a time, like dairy (you can substitute with non-dairy products) for at least 2/3 weeks and keep a food and bowel movement diary to see what changes there mught be

[charliema77]

Hi. To be tested for Coeliac you need to of been eating gluten for at least 6 weeks before the test. You will need to reintroduce it and rearrange your test otherwise you will get an incorrect result My test was negative but I have been gluten free for about a year and it has made a difference so you can still have issues with gluten but not be Coeliac. Hope you are having a better day.

[dachshund]

In case you are not aware, if you are having coeliac blood test, you must eat lots of gluten the week before, otherwise the test will not work unless you do have gluten in your blood.

[Finellie]

Thank you so much to everybody who has replied to my post. Having people's support during this time really makes a difference. Thank you 😍

[jojobirdie]

I am also undergoing various tests to find out why I have suffered ibs type symptoms for years. I started the FODMAP diet for 2 weeks before having a coeliac test and it came back negative but I know that bread makes me ill, the GP said it probably came back negative as I had stopped eating gluten, I refused to eat it again just for another test. Do look up the fodmap diet though, I have been ill for 3-4 days a week for 30 years, since being on the FODMAP diet for 6 weeks I was only ill for 3 days. Its a miracle!!!

[Finellie in reply to jojobirdie]

Wow that's fantastic news, you must feel like a huge weight has been lifted!

I've never found bread to be a problem for me so don't think I have coeliac disease but.... I am looking into the FODMAP diet. Where do you get your information from re this as there's so much on the Internet!

[keithfre in reply to Finellie]

To do the exclusion diet and then identify your particular triggers you need to go non-FODMAP for a few weeks. I recommend Patsy Catsos's book.

[jojobirdie]

I got my info straight from the horses mouth ie the University that developed it. med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/...

Their app is really handy, i think its about £5 for the Monash one which is the best.

Plus the NHS recognise it now, so you can get advise from an NHS dietitian if you can organise a referal via your GP.

xx