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

Just Had My Endoscopy Today...confirmed My Celiac


scott-in-pa

Recommended Posts

scott-in-pa Rookie

Hello everyone,

I just had my endoscopy this afternoon which confirmed my Celiac (had tested a "strong positive" on my bloodwork from about 3 wks ago). The results revealed Duodenitis with ulcerations (lots); evidence of scalloping og mucosa as well. They took multiple biopsies, too, but those results won't be back for about 2 wks. My question is...what comes next? Should I contact my G.I. offices and ask to meet with the dietician? Or just dive right into Gluten-free eating? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much,

Scott-in-PA


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



confusedks Enthusiast

I'd start the gluten free diet! Good luck! Ask lots of questions here on this site...it's the best around!

Lisa Mentor
Hello everyone,

I just had my endoscopy this afternoon which confirmed my Celiac (had tested a "strong positive" on my bloodwork from about 3 wks ago). The results revealed Duodenitis with ulcerations (lots); evidence of scalloping og mucosa as well. They took multiple biopsies, too, but those results won't be back for about 2 wks. My question is...what comes next? Should I contact my G.I. offices and ask to meet with the dietician? Or just dive right into Gluten-free eating? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much,

Scott-in-PA

Welcome to the Club Scott!

Most of the information regarding the gluten free diet can be found here. With your biopsy concluded, you can begin the diet immediately.

I would recommend a good metabolic panel to see if you are deficient in vitamins and minerals and go from there. Start the diet simply. Meat, seafood, rice potatoes, fresh veggies and fruit prepared simply is a good start. You can add things as you master the diet. A new toaster is a must as is older wooden spoons and scratched non-stick pans which would hold gluten from your pre-dx'd time.

The diet is fairly complex overall. Learning to read labels is the only way to be safe and cross contamination is a common trap. Reading here is the best information you can find.

Again, welcome.

scott-in-pa Rookie
Welcome to the Club Scott!

Most of the information regarding the gluten free diet can be found here. With your biopsy concluded, you can begin the diet immediately.

I would recommend a good metabolic panel to see if you are deficient in vitamins and minerals and go from there. Start the diet simply. Meat, seafood, rice potatoes, fresh veggies and fruit prepared simply is a good start. You can add things as you master the diet. A new toaster is a must as is older wooden spoons and scratched non-stick pans which would hold gluten from your pre-dx'd time.

The diet is fairly complex overall. Learning to read labels is the only way to be safe and cross contamination is a common trap. Reading here is the best information you can find.

Again, welcome.

Thanks very much for the advice-- the whole thing is a bit overwhelming. Starting simple is a good idea!

  • 2 weeks later...
ThatlldoGyp Rookie

Hi Scott, Dive in, do not wait. The sooner you start the sooner you can start feeling better. Start by eating whole foods for now, and getting all the "gluten free eating" literature that you can find. There are many, many good ones on this site. Then, get a gluten-free shopping book/bible and go through everything in your cabinets. Clean out anything that is gluteny or possibly cross contaminated (peanut butter, etc. that might have bread crumbs in it for example) I gave all my gluten stuff to the food pantry, so a clean out and a good deed at the same time.

I highly suggest that if you have a spouse or sig. other that they consider going mostly gluten-free as well. The risk of cross contamination is really high when you have gluten products in your home. If they are not ok with going gluten-free, then designate a gluten cabinet for their stuff and a section of the counter for them, the rest must be gluten-free. Also, designate a "gluten" dish sponge or cloth and one for yourself, and ne'er the 2 shall meet. Please follow Ma Goose's advice to change out your glutened cooking stuff, it really does help!

Next, try to go as "whole food" as you can. Your crock pot should be your best friend at this point. Processed foods are hard enough to digest, so especially in the beginning, you want to be as gentle with yourself as you can.. Also, no more buying anything from those bulk bins or open bars.. all it takes is one careless person dipping the wrong sccop or spoon into a gluten-free product to xcontam it.

The hardest bit? remembering to double check every little thing that goes into or gets near your mouth. This includes gum, lip balm,lotion,mints, etc. Good luck and congrats on your diagnosis!

happygirl Collaborator

Scott, I'm not sure where in PA you are. If you are near Harrisburg/Hershey, they have a great Gluten Intolerant Group (G.I.G).

Harrisburg:

Gluten Intolerance Group

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,477
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    JA917
    Newest Member
    JA917
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • aperlo34
      Title says it all. I’m at 4 months since Dx/starting gluten-free diet but the last month and a half I’ve had pretty irritated eyes. Originally they started really dry and sensitive to light, especially in the morning. Saw the eye doc and he said eye strain/dry eyes due to season change/radiators turning on in my apartment. I’ve been using a heat mask and eye drops and that helped a lot. However my eyes still feel tired and red and gunky, but not really dry anymore. Just a bit irritated.    any thoughts?   THANKS!
    • Mmar
      Hello! I have been on a strict gluten-free diet for 20 years after my initial diagnosis, but in July had an endoscopy that showed villous atrophy (but multiple ttgs have all been normal). I have gone through everything in my house to eliminate any gluten and have been eating almost no processed foods, and will be getting a second endoscopy in a month because my GI doctor thinks it could be refractory celiac. She told me that if it’s refractory, I would need to see a “specialist” because she doesn’t know enough.  I live in Philadelphia and the Celiac Center at Jefferson has 0 appointments with any doctors, I keep trying. Does anyone know of either a doctor in Philadelphia that treats refractory celiac or a doctor elsewhere that does virtual appointments to treat refractory? Thank you!
    • knitty kitty
      @GardeningForHealth, On my journey, I found following the Autoimmune Paleo Diet most helpful in reducing reactions to various foods.  It's very restrictive, but it really helps improve gut health.  It's worth the effort for a few weeks or months. Tea from any grocery store; Tea, organic; Tea, grown in USA, never-sprayed, loose leaf Tea contains TANNINS which can inactivate Thiamin resulting in Thiamin deficiency.  Tannins inhibit the absorption of other vitamins and minerals, especially iron. Tannins can inactivate digestive enzymes.  So drink tea between meals.  Choose a tea with lower levels of tannin, like green tea or Oolong tea.  Oolong tea contains amino acid Theanine which reduces inflammation in the digestive tract. Dairy; Rice, any brand, even after washing 3 times Many people develop Lactose intolerance because damaged villi in the intestinal lining of the digestive tract cannot produce the enzyme Lactase needed to digest the sugar in dairy, Lactose.   Many people with Celiac Disease react to the protein Casein the same as they react to the protein Gluten.  This is because both Casein and Gluten, as well as the protein in rice, carry a similar segment of a protein building block chain (33 mer peptide) that triggers the autoimmune response in Celiac Disease.  Basmati rice is less likely to carry this protein chain and may be better tolerated.  Don't wash rice before cooking.  The added vitamins get washed away.  Some of those grains of rice are extruded vitamins.  They dissolved into the cooking water and are reabsorbed into the grains as the rice cooks. Organic catchup, Potatoes; Tomatoes are a member of the Nightshade vegetables which have been shown to increase gastrointestinal permeability and "leaky gut syndrome."  Potatoes, Peppers and Eggplant also belong to the Nightshades, and should be avoided until healed.  Catsup usually is acidic which can be irritating to the digestive system. Any and all brands of gluten-free breads and dessert items; Cassava flour; Gluten-free flour Often these contain cross contamination with gluten.  @Scott Adams recently posted a new article about this.  Gluten free products are not enriched with vitamins and minerals needed to digest and process them.  They are high in insoluble fiber and saturated fats.  These may also contain microbial transglutaminase, see below. Sausage, Any processed meat These foods contain microbial transglutaminase, a flavor and texture enhancer, called "meat glue" in the food processing industry, which triggers and provokes anti-gluten antibodies to attack the microbial transglutaminase as well as the tissue transglutaminase produced by our own bodies as with Celiac Disease.  We have articles about microbial transglutaminase, too.  Cassava also contains Thiaminase, an enzyme which destroys Thiamin. Cucumbers from a grocery store, but not from my garden, Most apples, Zucchini, Plums Cucumbers, like these other fruits and veggies, contain lots of soluble fiber, pectin, which intestinal bacteria can ferment and then make short chain fatty acids, which are beneficial.  So that's a good thing.  However, commercially produced breeds of veggies and fruits may contain higher levels of pectins than historically home grown varieties.  Excess consumption of pectins can result in gas, bloating and diarrhea.   Bottled spices  There's an article (perhaps @Scott Adams can help us find, please) about how some spices can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Gluten-free dairy-free ice cream These can cause reactions if one reacts to oats.  Products made from nuts or nut milks may contain high levels of lectins which are hard to digest and can cause all the usual symptoms.   Smoke from a fire; Strong cleaning chemical fumes These contain Sulfites.  Developing a hyperensitivity to Sulfites is possible in Celiac Disease.  We can be low in vitamins and minerals needed to process Sulfites.  I have Hypersensitivity Type Four where the immune system identifies Sulfites as something to be attacked.  Celiac Disease is another Hypersensitivity Type Four disorder. Packaged sweet potato chips; Packaged plantain chips;  Rice; Any and all brands of gluten-free breads and dessert items; Cassava flour; Gluten-free flour; Gluten-free dairy-free ice cream A High Carbohydrate diet can lead to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).  Adopting a Paleo diet like the AIP diet is a great way to change your gut biome without using antibiotics which kill off the bad with the good bacteria.  Taking probiotics may not be very effective as long as SIBO bacteria are entrenched in the digestive tract.  You change what you eat and you change what grows inside you.  You starve out the bad SIBO bacteria, repopulate and feed the good ones.  Supplementing with Benfotiamin helps because thiamine has antibacterial properties that keeps the bad bacteria in check and benefits the good bacteria.  Benfotiamin is needed to process all those carbs turning them into energy instead of them turning to fat.   I hope this has been helpful.
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum @Newhere19! Yes, we have had many forum members that for one reason or another cannot go forward with the confirmation step of the endoscopy with biopsy. Usually it is because they have already been gluten free for a significant period and react so severely to gluten ingestion that they cannot undertake the gluten challenge without endangering their health. But we also have had more than a few who have severe anxiety surrounding the endoscopy itself and cannot bring themselves to go forward with it. May I ask, what was your antibody score or scores, what was the name of the test or tests done and what were the ranges given for normal/negative vs. positive?  What symptoms do you have? What caused you to seek out celiac testing? And to answer your question, many on this forum have had to go forward with the gluten free diet without an official diagnosis for the reasons already stated. You should start seeing symptom improvement within weeks. But realize that achieving a truly free gluten lifestyle is more challenging than most of us realize at the outset. There is a real learning curve involved in order to achieve consistency. That is partly due to the many unexpected places gluten is tucked away in the food supply/supplements/medications and partly because of CC (Cross Contamination) issues. I will offer this primer to get you off to a good start:  
    • Newhere19
      I recently had bloodwork done with a GI specialist and was told that I have celiac.. .but they will not confirm the diagnosis without an endoscopy and biopsy. Due to severe trauma I cannot endure the endoscopy and they made it quite clear full sedation is not an option. So now I have to venture forward assuming this is in fact what is causing all of my symptoms. Has anyone else here had the same experience and started the gluten free diet to see if you're really suffering from celiac? If so, how long did you commit before safely saying the results are accurate? My thought was at least three months would be necessary. Much love to everyone ❤️ 
×
×
  • Create New...