Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Lost on Results


MadFuriosa

Recommended Posts

MadFuriosa Newbie

The last time I saw my doctor was a brief visit and we didn't get to discuss but he said that I am celiac and handed my results that said

IgA - TTG high

Endomysial negative

Symptoms: fatigue, MAJOR bloat, weight gain 

I decided to try going gluten free since I can't see him for another month to even discuss further testing and my symptoms are gone! It's only been 3 weeks but I feel like a different person and I'm losing weight which I haven't done in 8+ years despite trying everything.

I am afraid he will suggest a endoscopy with biopsy since I feel so good and I'm also not sure it would be necessary at this point? I'm also not sure what to ask him when I do see him? Or should I stop my trial just in case?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



trents Grand Master

The proof is in the pudding. You have a positive tTG-IGA and you feel much better after cutting out gluten. What more do you need? Ask the doctor to write in your medical chart that you have celiac disease and tell him you feel no need for the biopsy. He himself has already said you have celiac disease. Just ask him to put it in your chart.

Scott Adams Grand Master

As long as you don't need a piece of paper from the doctor to keep you on a 100% gluten-free diet for life, then an official diagnosis certainly isn't required for any reason. 

For those who have symptoms (not all celiacs do), I almost believe that the diagnosis protocol should be change--if someone has a positive blood test for celiac disease, they should just go gluten-free for 2 months and their symptoms go away the diagnosis could be made at that point. This method would make life a lot easier and alleviate lots of extra time being miserable while eating gluten to get a biopsy done, and in some cases the biopsy might be negative anyway...then what? Many people in this situation remain in limbo for years because their doctors tell them to keep eating gluten...oh well, I'm just ranting here! 😉

trents Grand Master

It would be nice to have in your medical record so other doctors you may go won't look at you sideways when you tell them you have celiac disease.

frieze Community Regular
On 12/15/2022 at 5:41 PM, Scott Adams said:

As long as you don't need a piece of paper from the doctor to keep you on a 100% gluten-free diet for life, then an official diagnosis certainly isn't required for any reason. 

For those who have symptoms (not all celiacs do), I almost believe that the diagnosis protocol should be change--if someone has a positive blood test for celiac disease, they should just go gluten-free for 2 months and their symptoms go away the diagnosis could be made at that point. This method would make life a lot easier and alleviate lots of extra time being miserable while eating gluten to get a biopsy done, and in some cases the biopsy might be negative anyway...then what? Many people in this situation remain in limbo for years because their doctors tell them to keep eating gluten...oh well, I'm just ranting here! 😉

This is, of course how it was done before the money making biopsy came into play...

trents Grand Master
27 minutes ago, frieze said:

This is, of course how it was done before the money making biopsy came into play...

Actually, I believe the biopsy was the only diagnostic test available for celiac disease until about 30 years ago when the antibody tests were developed. And since most GPs don't do endoscopies, they don't make money by referring their patients to GI docs for endoscopies.

Wheatwacked Veteran

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck. You get sick eating gluten. If the doctor can't prove that it is, are you planning to eat gluten? Not proving it is, is not the same as proving it is not. Be sure to get enough of all the essential vitamins; especially D and you'll do fine. The hard part is dealing with the social abuse.

 


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



frieze Community Regular
On 12/17/2022 at 12:21 PM, trents said:

Actually, I believe the biopsy was the only diagnostic test available for celiac disease until about 30 years ago when the antibody tests were developed. And since most GPs don't do endoscopies, they don't make money by referring their patients to GI docs for endoscopies.

Go back further, it was trial and error.  Endo, 1956.  Gliadin testing 1964.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      129,253
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Tamozzy
    Newest Member
    Tamozzy
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.2k
    • Total Posts
      71.5k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • lizzie42
      After my 3 year old daughter's diagnosis, we all got tested. My 5 year old son also came back positive with number 12x the upper limit.  We will confirm with another tTG and the other 2 tests in the panel.  He has zero symptoms that I have noticed. Maybe occasionally vomiting. He does have asthma. He's kind of an a**hole sometimes but also he's 5. He has SO much energy. Like miles and miles of biking, running, gymnastics. Never stops. Eats great, normal growth. It was comparing my daughter to him that made me push to figure out what was wrong with her!  Is it possible for a tTG test to just be totally wrong? 
    • CJF
      I'm heading to the UK for a vacation the end of this month on a tour with Road Scholar. I haven't been out of the US since my diagnosis so I'm a little concerned about exposure to gluten during my travels. Most of our meals are provided by the tour. Either the hotels we are staying at, or places we will visit. Road Scholar is aware of my dietary needs as well. Any helpful hints about navigating the restaurants in England is greatly appreciated. Also are there any medications out there to help mitigate the effects of exposure to gluten? Thanks in advance.
    • RMJ
      Were the two tests done by the same lab? Do the tests have the same normal ranges?  Each test manufacturer uses their own system of units when reporting results. Have your results gone down at all since diagnosis?  Are you sure you’re gluten free? Do you eat at restaurants? I would recommend that you take a really good look at your gluten free diet. It took six years for me to get all my results down to the normal range (I was originally positive for TTG IgA, TTG IgG, DGP IgA, DGP IgG and EMA). I started just avoiding wheat, rye and barley.  My results came down but one was still high.  Then I made sure any processed foods were labeled gluten free.  My results came down more but one was stubbornly positive.  Then I would only eat processed foods if certified gluten free or from a manufacturer with an excellent reputation among those with celiac disease.  All my results were finally normal. My results went back up a little when I started doing a lot of baking with a reputable but not certified gluten free flour.  When I switched to certified gluten free flour my results went back down to normal.  
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      As a more generalized response to your question, I've been contacting Costco customer service for several Kirkland products because they are either unlabeled or contain the generic warning label about being packaged in a facility that handles all major food allergens. Each time I ask, my question is assigned to a specific person who researches it and emails me an actionable response that says, more or less, "no risk", "possible risk", or "definite risk". All of the answers have the caveat in the example below. Also, they recommend that you buy the product, submit the question ***with the lot # of your purchase*,** and then return it if you don't like the risk profile. This is because some products are made at different facilities with different risk profiles. Here is an example of a recent email response: "This is [name] with the Costco Member Service Resolutions Team. I am happy to let you know we got a reply back from our Kirkland Signature team. Here is their response: This item is gluten free. This information reflects the sender's knowledge on the date the information is being provided. Ingredients and processes are subject to change without notice. I hope this satisfies your inquiry about  [product name and stock #]. If you have a follow up question for me about this item please don’t hesitate to ask. I am happy to help! If I do not hear back from you within 48 hours I will consider this case closed. " Like pretty much every food source, you have to decide who you trust and then live with that. I tend to trust these responses because a person investigates it, their answers are detailed (not generic), and also because sometimes they say "nah, don't eat it". Hope this helps.
    • knitty kitty
      There are thirteen essential vitamins:  eight B vitamins, four fat soluble vitamins, and Vitamin C.  They all work together.   If you are deficient in one, you are probably low in the other dozen.  Celiac Disease affects the absorption of all the vitamins, and the dozen or so essential minerals, as well.  Cobalamine Vitamin B12, needs Folate B9 and Pyridoxine B6 to function properly.  Pyridoxine B6 needs Riboflavin B2.  Vitamin C is needed to interact with B12 as well.  Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3 are also needed to provide the energy for these vitamins to function properly.  If one is also low in Folate and Pyridoxine, B12 Cobalamine is not going to be able to function properly and the body doesn't bother to absorb it.   Vitamin D is safe even in high doses.  Vitamin D3 should be supplemented.  Vitamin D2 is not as well utilized because it's synthetic, not a form the body can utilize easily.  Vitamin D must be activated by Thiamine Vitamin B1.  Insufficient Thiamine B1 will make one feel "dopey".  Thiamine is needed for brain function.  The brain uses as much energy just thinking as your muscles do while running a marathon.   Multivitamins do not contain sufficient amounts of essential vitamins to correct nutritional deficiencies.  Supplementing with ALL eight B vitamins, extra Thiamine (don't use the form thiamine mononitrate because it's not absorbed nor utilized well), Vitamin C and the four fat soluble vitamins will be more beneficial than just supplementing one or two vitamins by themselves. With sufficient amounts of essential vitamins, the immune system gets regulated and becomes less reactive to other things like pollen, molds and animal dander.  Sleep apnea is frequently found in Thiamine insufficiency.  The eight essential B vitamins are water soluble and easily excreted if not needed.  The B vitamins all work together.  Supplement them together. Thiamine deficiency disorders: a clinical perspective https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33305487/  
×
×
  • Create New...