I have been gluten-free fairly consistently for 30+ years since a diagnosis of ibs at group health and a food allergy elimination diet through basttyr university around the same time. My consistency the first decade was good and life changing and symptoms mostly managed with occasional severe flares. Second decade I was more loose and sick more often. Third decade I have been very strict zero gluten, caution at restaurants found myself increasingly sensitive to accidental cross contamination.  I had several really bad restaurant poisoning the last few years that made me sick for months. I have treated myself as celiac in more recent years due to the increase in severity of symptoms etc. Because of my ibs and some really severe episodes I started getting sygmoidoscopoes and colonoscopy very young. I looked through all my medical records and only once did a Dr do a celiac blood test- an IGA- but I was already gluten free and not told to eat gluten prior.  Anyway my current gastroenterologist at kaiser recommended I do an upper in addition to a lower scope this time with assorted biopsies throughout. I agreed.  I have been having strange malabsorption issues- low b12, low d etc and also long unexplained bleeding/ diarrhea issues. So here's the struggle. She wants me to do a 4-6week gluten challenge prior. It has never seemed worth it to me because I get so sick and it seems as time goes on I get sicker when exposed. It seems to be gluten and not wheat because once I accidentally bought a gluten-free flour that had wheat in it and when I realized it later I also knew I had NO reaction.  Where if I accidentally get cross contamination or take a bite of bread that was ordered gluten-free (happened last week where I thought I was safe) I am immediately sick- and progressive sicker over days, weeks , months depending how bad the reaction is. So it just never felt worth it before.  This time though I said yes. I am less than a week in. I am experiencing gastric disress, cannot stop belching and farting and feel like I will puke often, increase in my asthma, nausea, diarrhea,  exhausted,  already suffer chronic pain and now it is exacerbated,  Headaches, difficulty sleeping and severe night sweats- like drenching my sheets(new not menopausal- already did that amd came on with the gluten testing, joint pain, ear pressure, mouth pain, itchiness... I mean I am miserable and questioning how I can do this until my may 5th procedure??!!.  I am in a gluten-free group where I shared a bit and they all jumped on me and my Dr that this is insane, barbaric, I should fire my Dr etc. which caused me doubt.  When I looked on this site and read it seems important to do. So my question is are there strategies to feel the best you can, sleep, work and do this for a month?? Are there ways to do it more safely, less uncomfortable? Have you found anything helpful that won't interfere with the tests they need to do. To be clear I am pretty certain it's necessary to do rn due to the fact that they are already doing the procedures for other things (cancer screening etc) but I just want to know if you guys have tips to be less miserable.  Anyway hoping to find some connection/ support etc. 

Welcome to the forum, @CarolTN! Can you give us some background? Have you been officially diagnosed with either celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis or both?

I have had a scalp issue for years. Nothing big, just a few itchy bumps and sometimes a red, inflammed scalp. I’ve been to the dermatologist and had several stylists look at my scalp. The dermatologist said I probably have seborrheic dermatitis. Does anyone else suffer with this?

So I’ve been eating gluten free since doing a further blood test and that came back giving a positive result, they said I could go back and have another endoscopy  but just didn’t want to go through that again. I’ve been gluten free since October and do feel a lot better so have just accepted that this is the way for me now, even though results are still ambiguous. 

Any updates? Was it celiac or no?