nasalady

Interesting.

I think Ken is right on target about one's degree of sensitivity affecting how you deal with this issue. I happen to be very sensitive, unfortunately.

I tried to just go gluten free without making the family go gluten free. Maybe I just wasn't organized or careful enough, but I was constantly being glutened by crumbs. So after a couple of months of hell, I decided to cook gluten free meals exclusively.

Now, I have to say I don't believe that I imposed any great hardship on my family by doing this. I've always been the cook in the house, and I learned how to make gluten-free substitutes for almost any of my family's favorite meals or desserts; they like my cooking.

But the important thing to say here is that we discovered that every single one of us has some degree of gluten sensitivity! We never would have known this if I hadn't put the entire family on the gluten free diet.

Within a few weeks my son and daughter experienced significant improvements in their chronic skin conditions (keratosis pilaris and eczema). My daughter was diagnosed "Failure to Thrive" and has always had great difficulty gaining weight.....she has suddenly had a growth spurt, amazing her pediatrician and her gastroenterologist! Testing reveals that Emma has the HLA DQ2 gene marker and even though she tested negative for the autoantibodies I would argue that she has celiac, just because of her spectacular response to the gluten free diet and the family history of celiac disease. The celiac blood tests are notoriously inaccurate in small children.

The next surprise occurred when my husband decided to drink some beer during Superbowl weekend, after being gluten free for several weeks. Within a short period of time he broke out in the nastiest blistery rash which turned out to be dermatitis herpetiformis (aka DH), plus eczema and a HORRIBLE case of psoriasis.

Surprise, surprise!! My husband has celiac disease too! He had absolutely no idea, which is fairly typical for those who tend to present with DH....they are frequently asymptomatic or "silent celiacs".

So from my experience, I would argue that you are not doing your family any favors by allowing them to continue to ingest gluten. This is particularly true for your children, because half of their DNA came from YOU....and you have celiac or NCGI or you wouldn't be here.

OK....I'm climbing down from my soapbox now!

I agree that ZPizza's pizza is pretty blah....

However....I'm lucky enough to live near a Garlic Jim's Pizza that offers gluten free pizza, and WOW, is it good!

Also, they have very good protocols in place to prevent cross-contamination; my husband and I are both extremely sensitive and we have never been glutened by Garlic Jim's. Pei Wei's yes, Garlic Jim's no.

Since we have now gone grain free as well as gluten free, we're no longer frequenting Garlic Jim's and I miss it. If any of you have a Garlic Jim's close to you call and see if they have the gluten free crust....it is so much better than ZPizza!

Here's their website....note the link to the gluten free menu is prominently displayed on their home page!

Open Original Shared Link

I didn't know how to vote on the first question because I never ever TRIED to get pregnant. I was almost always using some form of birth control but it never seemed to matter....I got pregnant anyway!

Is this abnormal for someone with celiac disease?

I got married at 18 and had all four of my children by the time I was 25....I didn't have severe celiac symptoms until after my last pregnancy (my son). Perhaps four pregnancies in 6 years helped the celiac disease get worse?

I was meant to find this site , to be sure! I am pretty convinced that my fibromyalgia condition is related to gluten I had a negative blood test also however I had been off gluten for about three months and resumed gluten two weeks prior to the test , I read that you have to resume gluten for about five months in order to get an accurate diagnosis , having said that I resumed a gluten free diet for another four months and found that my flares were not as bad plus my stomach issues were better, however I broke the diet again and resumed gluten , WHAT PUZZLES ME THOUGH is that it took about a month before I reacted and came down with the worst flare ever , the pain has been incredible , so now I am confused , can it still be celiac and take this long to react, I suspect that's my problem but I am not sure , I know I also react to fructose which I had ( onions and dates on top of the bread ) all I know is that I would gladly go without gluten if I knew it would keep me from having a flare like I just went through , I actually cried all week , still it's a huge commitment to make when one is guessing I already have so many food allergies that my diet is severely limited , does anyone know if the reaction can take a while to surface after resuming gluten , I would be thankful for any insights anyone can provide.

Miche

Hi Miche,

Welcome!!

This is a VERY old thread....you might want to start a new thread so that you get more attention and more answers...?

I know that I have both fibro and celiac disease, and if I eat anything with gluten I have symptoms about 12 - 36(max) hours later. Definitely not anything like a month. But everyone is different!

So I don't know what to tell you.....except that fibro is somehow linked to autoimmune diseases, that's for sure. It shows up most often in people who have various autoimmune disorders. But the medical profession still doesn't understand that much about fibro.

I've been gluten free for a year now. Most of my classic celiac disease symptoms are gone: the mouth sores, the diarrhea, the migraine headaches, the stomach pains. But I have several other autoimmune diseases plus fibro: I have a lot of symptoms that are NOT gone. In fact, I'm currently in a lupus flare condition, which is not a good thing at all. Vertigo, nausea, double vision, photosensitivity, yuck. I'm still hoping that my other conditions will go into remission; lots of people on this board have had miraculous recoveries, even if it took a while!

In any case, the best thing you can do is listen to your body. What is it telling you? Do you feel better when you are gluten free? Then don't eat gluten! You don't need a doctor's diagnosis to figure out if you feel better gluten free or not....thank goodness!!

Good luck to you!

JoAnn

For those of you who have been following my threads (or for those I have yet to meet), I have been diagnosed highly gluten-sensitive, non-Celiac. Gene tests (DQ 2 and 8), and biopsy negative.

Something haunts me, though. For nearly 10 years, I had reoccuring sores in my mouth -- slits that would appear out of nowhere and hurt like heck. Thay are gone now, thanks to eating gluten-free.

My question: Are sores in the mouth a symptom of gluten-intolorance as well as Celiac . . . or Celiac only?

Hi Lynayah,

I asked the same question several months ago....were all of the same symptoms experienced by those with celiac disease and with non-celiac gluten intolerance? The answer I got was "yes". There is no way to differentiate the two disorders based on symptoms.

It sure would be nice though, wouldn't it?!?

BTW, I'm one of those radicals who think that NCGI and celiac disease are the same thing; that maybe NCGI is an earlier stage or something.

There are LOTS of people here who agree, and there are LOTS of people here who disagree.

Take care,

JoAnn

I've recently discovered I am gluten-intolerant, I have always struggled with allergies and anxiety and heard about the elimination diet and sure enough, I took out gluten and my allergies and anxiety are almost entirely gone. However, I am looking online to see if there are any adverse effects to taking out gluten (mainly wheat I guess)? Perhaps higher chance of a certain vitamin deficiency? Anyone know?

I've been gluten free for a little over a year. At first I was using the standard replacements for wheat: rice flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, etc. But these are all grains too....and it turns out that many people on this board (including me) feel better completely grain free.

You might be interested in trying almond flour, which is MUCH more nutritious than rice or sorghum or whatever. I've recently been baking with almond flour and coconut flour (grain free) because I discovered a couple of websites with great recipes and nutrition info:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

If you decide that you're interested in learning more about the grain-free lifestyle, there's also the Specific Carbohydrate Diet thread on this board (which is a monstrous 160 pages long!!):

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=62006

Good luck!

JoAnn

The iceberg is HUGE....

When I first discovered that I felt better gluten free, and read about the role of celiac disease in opening the door for other autoimmune diseases to develop (Open Original Shared Link), I warned my entire family via email that they should seriously consider going gluten free.

My father had rheumatoid arthritis, two of his sisters died from complications of lupus, one of my daughters has Hashimoto's thyroiditis and her daughter has celiac disease diagnosed via biopsy. Another of my daughters has lupus and Addison's disease and my adopted daughter (biological granddaughter) is definitely gluten sensitive if not celiac. My niece has Grave's disease. The whole idea of going gluten free to prevent "leaky gut" from triggering more autoimmune diseases is particularly important for families with a medical history like mine!!

But it isn't just limited to my blood relatives!! I put my entire immediate family (me, husband, two adopted kids = my biological grandkids) on the gluten free diet last January. My husband drank some beer after being gluten free for several weeks and promptly broke out with a horrible case of dermatitis herpetiformis! He had absolutely no idea that he had a gluten problem until that moment...he was just eating gluten free to make things easier for me! So surprise! he has celiac disease too!

I agree with previous posters....humans are not designed to eat grain, period!

I think this will be the first recipe I try with the new almond flour. Have you tried making dumplings with it yet maybe? I sure miss Chicken & Dumplings...

Hi Elizabeth,

I was just thinking that the biscuits might be good for Chicken and Dumplings! I haven't tried that yet but want to soon. If you do please let us know how they are as dumplings!

JoAnn

Although Elana's Chocolate Chip Cookies aren't bad, her Chocolate Chip Brownies are to die for! And they are not only gluten free casein free, but totally grain free!!

Open Original Shared Link

My three-year-old daughter, four-year-old son, husband, and I all got our H1N1 shots together a week ago. No bad side effects....I insisted on the thimerosal-free injections for all four of us. They wanted to give the flu mist to the four-year-old and I said "no" because my husband and I are both on prednisone right now and I'm on Imuran as well, so our immune systems are compromised. No live virus (even weakened) will be administered to ANYONE in my household!

But no way no how will I or any of my family members go without flu shots!!

I used to have bronchitis and/or pneumonia at least every other year until I started getting the flu shots on a regular basis. I haven't had bronchitis or pneumonia for several years now.

Jackie, the other posters have given you a lot of good advice. I just wanted to affirm that it's very possible (highly probable even) you have one or more additional autoimmune disorders on top of celiac disease.

Besides celiac, I've been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, psoriasis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and rheumatoid arthritis + SLE lupus = "rhupus". I also have fibromyalgia. I'm experiencing a lot of the same symptoms that you are, and I'm currently in a rhupus "flare".

My daughter Cheryl has lupus too, but she has SCLE (subcutaneous lupus erythematosus). She thought she just had really bad acne before diagnosis.

Have you ever been tested for other autoimmune disorders?

I hope you feel better soon!

JoAnn

Hi everyone,

The last time I was here (about six months ago) I was struggling to figure out some ongoing health problems... abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, joint pain, headaches, chronically dry eyes, episodes of anaphylaxis, a weird skin rash, etc... After extensive testing to rule out other things (I saw two allergists, four primary care doctors, a dermatologist, rheumatologist, endocrinologist, immunologist, gastroenterologist, opthamologist, and two gynecologists), my doctors and I are finally confidant that I have <drumroll please> mast cell activation disorder (MCAD):

Open Original Shared Link

The symptoms and treatment are the same as for someone who has mastocytosis (too many mast cells, which protect your body from bacteria and viruses but also cause acute allergic reactions), but my mast cells just trigger very easily. I still don't know exactly why... I'll probably never know... but in my case this appears to be a systemic (body-wide) autoimmune disorder. All kinds of things will set me off... hot showers, hot drinks, cheese, leftovers with meat, exercise... and gluten (whether in the form of celiac disease or NCGS) is a known trigger for a lot of people with mast cell disorders!

So... I feel like I made a really smart decision more than a year ago when I decided stop eating gluten Thanks to anyone who remembers me... I use the tips I learned here ALL THE TIME.

Hi MOJ.....I remember you!

I'm not happy to hear about your diagnosis, of course, but I'm so glad that you've found your answer!

I know how frustrating it can be to float in diagnostic limbo....kudos to you for your perseverance!

Take care,

JoAnn

I have made the gluten free coconut pizza crust and the crust for the gluten free cheesecake. The pizza crust is awesome and so was the crust.

Open Original Shared Link

Hi Roda,

Yes, I've tried the Tropical Traditions pizza crust too, and my husband and I really like it! It's hard to believe that it's grain free!

Cheers,

JoAnn

I've been experimenting with coconut and almond flours, attempting to replace all of the other gluten-free flours that I've become accustomed to using because my husband and I are trying to go totally grain free.

Here is a very nice drop biscuit recipe I want to share that uses both almond and coconut flours, as well as a bit of flax meal; my husband says they taste very much like Bisquick biscuits, only better.

I like the flavor and the texture of the almond-coconut flour combo.....I continue to experiment!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/4 C coconut oil, melted

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 C coconut flour

1/4 C almond flour**

1 1/2 T flax meal

1/2 tsp baking powder

1-2 T agave syrup or honey (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut oil (and agave if using) thoroughly. Combine the salt, coconut and almond flours, flax meal and baking powder in a separate bowl, then stir into the egg-oil mixture, blending well.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 16-20 minutes (start checking them at about 16 minutes), until beginning to develop golden-brown spots on tops. Makes 8 biscuits.

**Note: I am following Elana Amsterdam's suggestion and using ONLY finely ground blanched almond flour. Some almond flours on the market simply are not fine enough to give a good texture to baked goods. For example, Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour just doesn't work. The flour that I'm currently using is Honeyville's Blanched Almond Flour.

Hello everyone. Oddly enough, I who read every label before purchasing, for some reason decided to buy some red licorice for a *holiday treat* without checking the ingredients. Silly me. Looked on the back this morning after having a sick headache for three days in a row and the second ingredient is wheat flour. Whoda thought?

Anyone know if wheat can trigger migraines?

The very first symptom that I experience when I've been "glutened" is a screaming migraine headache....it feels like the top of my head is coming off! Usually symptoms start (for me) about 12 - 24 hours after I've eaten something with gluten.

I hope you feel better soon!

I don't have the HLA DQ2 marker (I'm HLA DQ8), but here are some links that may be helpful.....

A thread from this board about a year ago:

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=52131

Some Wikipedia articles with info on HLA genetics:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

And here is a JPEG version of the Prometheus risk table:

http://bp3.blogger.com/_oSrs_NcPb_U/R6-EvV...20for%20web.webp

Sounds as though you do have a higher risk of developing celiac disease than most.

I guarantee you that there are LOTS of members here that are double DQ2! I hope you hear soon from one of our resident genetic experts....

Here is my converted recipe...it has less fat and sugar than most recipes but tastes amazing:

Open Original Shared Link

To make muffins just reduce the time and test with a toothpick. I make some with chocolate chips...oh so yummy!

If you are interested I also have recipes for: sour cream chocolate, lemon yogurt poppyseed, oatmeal chocolate chip, and peanut butter cup.

IF we're INTERESTED? Are you kidding????

Pleeeease post them all!

I was always told that there is no difference between the symptoms of celiac disease and the symptoms of non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGI). Any symptom associated with celiac can be experienced by someone with NCGI. That's one reason there's been such controversy about whether or not NCGI is just celiac disease at an earler stage.

Hi Brooklyn,

Welcome to the board!

But I'm so so sorry to hear about the circumstances that brought you here!

You're definitely not alone; I have autoimmune hepatitis and take prednisone, too.

Up until April 2008, the only AI diseases I knew I had were Hashimoto's thyroiditis and psoriasis, plus asthma. I was OK with that...I felt I could deal with those. But in April I started to think something else was wrong, made an appointment to be checked out and found out that my AST and ALT were each over 1400! I had a liver biopsy in May and was told on June 6th that I had AIH. Started on 40mg of prednisone and 100mg of Imuran the next day.

But that was just the beginning...in July I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, in August with rheumatoid arthritis, and finally by November I went gluten free as my gastroenterologist was fairly certain that I had celiac disease as well. I've been in a wheelchair since August 2008 because of severe back pain if I walk too far or stand too long (probably the fibro)....also because I had lots of neuro symptoms like vertigo and peripheral neuropathy (that I've blamed on celiac, mostly).

I did start to feel better on the gluten free diet; my gastro symptoms mostly went away and my headaches and vertigo got better too! But in the past several weeks I've been feeling worse. I developed the lupus "butterfly" rash on my face and high levels of anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies in my bloodwork. My rheumatologist has now started me on Plaquenil, because he thinks I may have lupus and/or lupus/polymyositis/MCTD.....diagnoses pending. I'm also having weird vision problems (vertical double vision??).

I have tapered down to 5 mg prednisone at this point, so maybe that allowed a lupus flare-up? I don't know.

Here are all the meds I'm currently on: Prednisone, Imuran, Plaquenil, Lyrica, Cymbalta, Levothyroxine, Atenolol, Cozaar, Mirapex, Zyrtec, Fosamax, Albuterol, Prilosec. They all have their side effects; I'm really sorry I can't tell you how to minimize the effects of prednisone....I wish I knew! Maybe someone else on this forum has advice on that.

In any case, it's such a good thing that you're getting your kids tested for celiac now; please be aware that the bloodwork and biopsies are frequently falsely negative in young children. My granddaughter Carly was tested (blood and biopsy) at the age of two; both were negative. By the time she was three, she looked like a child from a refugee camp, nothing but skin and bones, with the bloated belly of starvation. Her doctor re-did the biopsy and this time it was positive! She's gluten free and healthy now!

You should know that untreated celiac disease by itself can open the door for other autoimmune diseases to develop; please read the following article: Open Original Shared Link

I've probably had celiac most of my life. I was told it was IBS for thirty years, of course. This is the explanation for someone like me, with TONS of AI diseases. It's not lightning striking 10 times in the same spot.....untreated celiac created the perfect environment for all of these other autoimmune diseases to develop, because I wasn't gluten free because I had no idea I had celiac disease!

Which is why it's actually good that you're finding out all of this now, at an early age, instead of not knowing anything until you're 52!!

I should also tell you that I have discovered recently that just gluten free isn't enough for me; I have to be completely grain free (no rice, sorghum, millet, corn, etc.). So I'm now using coconut flour and almond flour exclusively and trying to get used to it. If I have to I will go dairy free too....hope I don't have to!

In any case, this is a wonderful place to ask questions! If you want a forum specifically about hepatitis, I've also been participating over at Open Original Shared Link. They cover all types of hepatitis though, autoimmune, hep C, alcoholic cirrhosis, etc.

Take care....and please keep us posted on you and your children!

JoAnn

Oh...I wasn't mad or anything, JoAnn! I do feel the diet should come first as a treatment plan but sometimes, meds are needed. I feel really bad because in some ways, I do know what you are going through. With a high ANA and RF factor myself, I have been avoiding a trip to the Rheumy. It's weird, I have no symptoms of lupus or rheumatoid arthritis at all so what the hell do those results really mean? Does it mean I will trigger for them, down the road? That is scary enough so I can imagine what you must be going through. I think the diet can do wonders for many and I am really hoping you notice some remission from your problems soon. However, if I was suffering really bad with pain or was told I had to take a medication or I could die, then I would be taking meds, no doubt about that.

Thanks Gemini....I certainly hope that you never end up with any other AI diseases! Yes, I agree that the diet is the only thing that most people need. I guess that there was a lot of damage done to me over the decades, so that it's taking a bit longer to heal. The only reason I take the prednisone, for example, is that it's for my autoimmune hepatitis and I don't like the idea of a liver transplant!

What I want is for a complete cure to be found for autoimmune diseases that cannot be cured or sent into remission with the gluten-free diet. Pills, maybe, without side effects. I think that's what most folks have trouble with....the side effects. Is it really too much to ask?

Wouldn't that be great??!! Meds with no side effects! What a concept!

It can be very overwhelming but you can always come on this forum and have a rant fest, if you want. If no one else does, we all understand your pain! I hope you don't have to go on disability because you have this great job, which must be so interesting. I work in a related field myself and working keeps your mind off the problems, sometimes. Keeps you focused. I just hope you have much better days ahead!

Thanks again....I've been doing more than my fair share of ranting lately, I think.

I'm just in a dark place right now. In a tunnel and I don't see the light yet. But I'm sure things will turn around for me eventually. And even though I love my job, I think I'm going to have to scale back a bit, perhaps even take some time off to heal and rest, as was suggested in another forum.

Well, you take care.....I'm really glad that you DON'T have any of the symptoms of RA or lupus! And I hope you never do!

JoAnn

So, you see, I suppose I have a problem with the willful misapplication of medicine, not medicine itself. I chose to think of medicine as the avenue of last resort and my experiences have been that it is used before all the information is not only in but also understood. I am not some nut case who thinks all science and medicine is bad so please don't infer that.

CS

Thank you CS, for sharing. It does help me to understand where you're coming from. I do not believe in the indiscriminate use of medications either. Many doctors, if not most, over-prescribe meds and treat the symptoms and not the root cause.

Maybe I have a knee-jerk reaction to criticism, real or imagined, directed towards scientific research in general. I always imagine the researchers to be altruistic and dedicated to pure science....just like me, of course!

Good for you that you have begun to heal without medications! That is exciting news!

Thanks again....take care!

JoAnn

hey there:

I get where you are coming from completely. I also have serveral AI issues and a demanding career. When things got really rough I decided to prioritize my health. I took some time off....rebuilt my strength and energy. Took some control back. After a few months I started to feel healthier and I made some changes, permanent ones. I scaled back. Historically I always prioritized my career over everything else: relationships, health, etc. No more.

I've become more multi-faceted and re-defined my idea of success. And there are some in my profession who surely think "oh, she just can't play with the 'big boys' anymore -- she doesn't have what it takes." That's fine. At the end of the day I will have less money in my wallet and more pictures in my photo album. And really, I can perform with more excellence because I take care of myself.

So I wonder if you can scale back. In addition to your day career, must you also teach evenings? You could take that time to engage in restorative activities...or to rest if that is what you need. Rest = awesome. Is it possible to take some time off...several months? Can you go on some sort of secondment?

KDAWG

Thanks KDawg,

Those are good suggestions....I've been thinking along those lines myself. Not to go on permanent disability at this point, but perhaps to take some time off to figure things out and just REST. Clearly I need to do something like that.

And even if I do continue to work, I should cut back. I'm just doing too much for the current state of my health. It worked for me when I was healthy but no longer. No doubt the stress levels alone exacerbate my conditions!

Thank you for sharing your own story....it's wonderful that you've discovered such balance in your life!

Take care,

JoAnn

So here's how things are now with his arm.

It never really broke out or anything, that I could see. But his arm is still very dark in that patch, and I noticed it felt much rougher than the rest of his skin. But, he said it didn't hurt and it doesn't look like he was scratching it. So, today I noticed that that patch of his skin on his arm is peeling. Mine and my husband's just faded away. That area of my skin feels slightly drier than the rest, but it's not peeling.

Any thoughts on that? His rash actually seems to be clearing up. Maybe we've escaped for now.

Could it be that small blisters actually formed and popped before you removed the bandage? The fact that it's peeling is bit suspicious.

I am sorry you have had such a hard time with everything and can empathize with you because I have 4 autoimmune diseases and the reality is lurking in the background that I could have more. I am not in a wheelchair so I would imagine that you have had a harder time than the vast majority of Celiacs. Your case is certainly atypical. Most do better on the gluten-free diet, which I still stand behind as a cure for Celiac Disease......as far as an option to taking medication which will only mask symptoms. I also know how much better I feel eating gluten-free but I still have to deal with the other autoimmune issues on a daily basis, like yourself. I don't feel wonderful every day but, compared to the state I was in at diagnosis, what symptoms I do have are a cake walk in comparison.

You also have not been gluten-free for very long and I will say from experience that it took me 3 years to come back into the normal realm....well, normal for me. You may do much better in future, no one can tell.

As far as knocking medical research, I am not sure where you picked that up in my post. The original poster had some excellent, valid points to make. There is no such thing as a magical cure and a pill which will create that. If a person chooses to take meds for a condition, that is fine but there are dangerous risks and side effects associated with most Rx drugs out there. You have to decide whether or not the risk is worth the benefit. At least with the diet, there are no side effects to worry about. You may also be experiencing what you are due to any meds you take, which may make it difficult for the diet to do it's job. I'm really sorry you are feeling this badly and hope, with time, the diet will improve things.

Gemini...sorry about that. You agreed with the previous poster who seemed to be saying that medical research is just about trying to make excuses to prescribe more and more medication to make money for the drug companies, so I lumped the two of you together in my response.

I was having a bad day yesterday.

Anyway, yes it's true that I haven't been gluten free that long. As I said before, the gluten free diet HAS helped me with many of my symptoms, especially the gastric issues. I no longer have to carry Imodium AD with me wherever I go!

As you know, I do have MANY other autoimmune diseases, and that complicates everything. Plus I'm on tons of medications, including powerful immunosuppressants with nasty side effects.

Well, I'm sticking with the gluten free diet no matter what, and my husband and I are currently grain free.....we'll see how that goes!

Thanks for your response!

JoAnn

I had negative results for both biopsy and blood work but my gastro said he had expected that because I was on high doses of prednisone and Imuran for my autoimmune hepatitis, and these drugs will also suppress the celiac autoantibodies and allow the villi to re-generate. He diagnosed me based on my response to the gluten-free diet, my family history of celiac disease, genetic marker HLA DQ8, and my talent for developing AI diseases.