Gluten antibody test

[Kairos87]

I started feeling really sick around the beginning  of October And finally got in to see a GI doctor about two weeks ago, he said my symptoms might be due to celiac disease even though I have zero family history of the disease or a family history of any stomach or auto immune disorders at all. I got my test results back saying my ttg was 45 u/ml and I stopped eating gluten about 10 days ago and I seem to feel better, but now I’m freaking out that I definitely have celiac

[trents]

Many people with Celiac Disease are "silent" celiacs. That is, they don't experience significant GI symptoms. Couple that with the fact that in order for you to have a family history of Celiac Disease your relatives and ancestors would have to have been diagnosed with the condition. There could be celiacs in your family tree but they were silent celiacs and were never diagnosed. In previous generations, very few people were diagnosed with celiac disease, even those with significant symptoms, because so little was known about it. Only in the past 25 years or so has the medical community had an awareness of celiac disease and now many more people get diagnosed. But even so, most don't get diagnosed.

What is freaking you out about your diagnosis?

[Kairos87]

12 minutes ago, trents said:

Many people with Celiac Disease are "silent" celiacs. That is, they don't experience significant GI symptoms. Couple that with the fact that in order for you to have a family history of Celiac Disease your relatives and ancestors would have to have been diagnosed with the condition. There could be celiacs in your family tree but they were silent celiacs and were never diagnosed. In previous generations, very few people were diagnosed with celiac disease, even those with significant symptoms, because so little was known about it. Only in the past 25 years or so has the medical community had an awareness of celiac disease and now many more people get diagnosed. But even so, most don't get diagnosed.

What is freaking you out about your diagnosis?

Mostly just that I was really hoping for a different diagnosis, everything I’ve read seems to say that celiac is very serious and may even lead to increased morbidity. I’ve been a cook all my life and food and cooking are my biggest passion so it’s a massive change in how I have to live my life and I have to constantly every minute of every day be concerned about what I’m gonna eat

[trents]

I hear ya. All of us who have celiac disease struggle with that but over time you will adjust to this new reality and find ways to minimize the limitations it will impose on you.

But because of your love for cooking and your culinary skills, maybe look at this as an opportunity to invent some truly delicious gluten-free recipes that will bring joy to the pallets of others with this condition. Who knows, maybe someday you will have your own gluten-free cooking show on cable TV. I can see it now: "The Gluten Free Chef." And, though I'm being a little lighthearted here I'm not just joking. 1% of the population have celiac disease. Someday, someone will come up with a gluten-free channel. Maybe it could be you.

[GFinDC]

Most of the time there is an endoscopy done after the celiac blood tests to confirm that gut damage exists.  The endoscopy is done by a gastroenterologist and may be scheduled months after the blood tests.  if you are not eating gluten for a few weeks before the endoscopy the endoscopy will be useless.  So check with your doctor on that.

The gluten-free diet can be a very healthy diet to follow.  We tend to eat less processed food than most people and eat cleaner less chemically laden food.  More whole foods.  Less sugar and carbs.

Learning to eat gluten-free is a real change and a good challenge for a chef IMHO.  You may really enjoy the experience.  Wink wink.   

 

[DJFL77I]

you could have much worse

and ttg 45 is high enough to probably say yes its celiac..

mine was 100+ when first diagnosed..  after 5 months off Gluten its now at 13...  little more time to go till its down to nothing i guess..

My Dr said how high the number is doesn't really matter.. what matters is that it drops

[DJFL77I]

On 11/30/2020 at 4:31 PM, trents said:

1% of the population have celiac disease.

its def more than that

21 hours ago, GFinDC said:

The gluten-free diet can be a very healthy diet to follow.  We tend to eat less processed food than most people and eat cleaner less chemically laden food.

 

we know you're waiting for the new gluten free Oreos

There will be two new gluten-free Oreos available: the classic Oreo cookie and the Double Stuf variety. Both of the new gluten-free cookies have been approved and certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America.

jan 2021

[skifreedom]

I've just been told I most likely am celiac. I also have a thyroid autoimmune disorder so seems to follow.

 

My TTG blood test was 18, which the doctor said is "weak positive" but am guessing the endoscopy will confirm this? I don't know if weak positive just means I have feet symptoms or might not have it?

[GFinDC]

18 minutes ago, skifreedom said:

I've just been told I most likely am celiac. I also have a thyroid autoimmune disorder so seems to follow.

 

My TTG blood test was 18, which the doctor said is "weak positive" but am guessing the endoscopy will confirm this? I don't know if weak positive just means I have *weak* symptoms or might not have it?

Hi skifreedom,

Yes, the endoscopy is usually done after positive blood antibody tests to confirm damage to the gut characteristic of celiac disease.  The endoscopy isn't accurate if you aren't eating some gluten for 2 weeks prior.

Antibody levels do not equate directly to a certain level of gut damage.  So a low positive may be found or a high positive in people but the gut damage can vary greatly. 

[AlwaysLearning]

Already being a cook is a great thing if you are recently diagnosed. You're likely to have a bit of a shock when start to realize how many foods are no longer safe, and many of them foods that "should" be okay but are actually being produced in ways that allow for cross contamination or have hidden ingredients. And you might find that your reactions to gluten become a lot stronger once you go gluten free, so don't beat yourself up if you start to make mistakes and suffer for them. You'll get better at it.

I would embrace cooking for the next few months. Try new recipes that are based on whole, unprocessed ingredients over which you have complete control. Treat yourself to some fancy items so that you feel less deprived. You really can have most of the things you used to have, but you likely will have to cook many of them for yourself. So try to have fun in the kitchen. 

Beginner tip: Cook gluten free pastas at low temperatures, like a very low simmer, never a boil. 

[DJFL77I]

mine dropped to around 18 from 100+ after 5 months off Gluten.....   that number is still described as "high" in the Lab report..

The Dr said he was expecting it to be something around 25'ish at this point.. 

I'm happy it dropped though on my diet..  shouldn't take too long till it gets to normal range from this point I guess