CELIAC DISEASE AND FOOD ALLERGIES - HELP!
#8620 - 05/08/03 12:07 PM
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Well, I just came back from the doc. I was tested for food allergies (which I understand are different from food intolerances). I cannot tolerate wheat gluten but I found that I was allergic to, of all things, tuna, crab mix, tomato and apple! I would have NEVER GUESSED! I told the doc (this is a new one) about my IBS and he took a blood test to test me for celiac disease. (Heather you even told me I should be tested, so thanks!) I have been on a "diet" for the past week of potatoes and rice with a little chicken (white meat only) and a few finely chopped up vegies and so far everything has calmed down (which is a BLESSING!). Does anyone know what the celiac blood test consists of? What they are looking for? I meant to ask my doc but I wasn't thinking at the time! The doc also told me that if the blood test confirms celiac then that is followed up with a scope test and biopsy... (oh joy!)  Any good websites you can recommend for me to read about celiac? Thanks!
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I'm trying to figure out if I have Celiac as well! Look at celiac.com, delphiforums.com, csa.com, clanthompson.com, and yahoo.com also has celiac groups. Read everything you can--there's hidden gluten in everything (even medicines and vitamins)! Most people with Celiac have food allergies along with gluten...I can't eat corn, soy, or bananas!
I hope this helps. Please keep in touch with me--we're in the same boat! When do you get your test results back? Keep in mind, Celiac blood tests are not always accurate--if you feel good without gluten, don't eat it!
I wish you all the luck in the world!
(((hugs)))
Ruchie
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Hi - The blood test for celiac will check for antibodies to gluten. If you have celiac, your body is responding to gluten as if it's a foreign invader, and having an autoimmune response (causing the GI symptoms, as well as other possible non-GI problems).
If the blood test is positive, they will do a small intestine biopsy to check for cell damage, which will confirm the celiac diagnosis.
Check celiac.com for great info. Good luck and keep us posted!
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Heather,
I've been doing TONS of research on Celiac...I haven't been able to answer this question in lamens terms...what are the chances you have Celiac if the blood test is negative? Thanks in advance for your help!!
(((hugs)))
Ruchie
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Thanks Ruchie for your response.  Yes, I will keep you informed. I asked the lab tech when I should call back to get the results and she said I should call back in about a week so I'll definitely let you know what they find out. Thanks for the web sites. I'll go check them out. Good luck on your adventure!
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Thanks, Heather! I will let you all know sometime next week (when I hear back from the doc). I would sure like to get a handle on this thing so I can understand all that is going on but little by little it's getting there. Thanks again.
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Hi Ruchie - I haven't seen any stats on that. I just know that you can definitely test false-negative for celiac, especially if you've been avoiding gluten before taking the test. In fact, this is true not just for the blood test, but for the intestinal biopsy as well. If someone realized they had a problem with gluten before it caused permanent physical damage to their GI tract, and then carefully avoided gluten, their intestines could look normal on the biopsy. The biopsy will reveal damage - if past damage wasn't permanent and the person recovered, and prevented future damage by avoiding gluten, their intestine would look (and be) normal.
The best current info I've seen on celiac was in the periodical Today's Dietitian from February 2003. Unfortunately, that info is not posted on their website. You might check your local library (especially if you have a local university or medical library you can access) for this periodcal, or talk to the librarian about having them track down a copy for you. The article was excellent, and it discussed in detail all the various tests for celiac (tests I'd never even heard of or seen described anywhere else), what their false negative rates were, the different types of celiac and which tests are best for the different types, and more. You might also be able to order a back copy from the magazine website web page
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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