Q. Could I have Coeliac Disease? Hi, I am wanting to ask a few questions about coeliacs disease. I have not been diagnosed but show many symptoms, including bloating, severe stomach pains, nausea after eating certain things, diarrhea and am always very tired no matter what I do or how much I sleep. I have had a blood test for coeliac disease a couple of years ago but the results were negative. I have switched to a gluten free diet on my own accord and have noticed a huge difference. I have been told that changing to a gluten free diet before having tests can end up giving an incorrectly negative result and am wondering if I should go back to eating foods with gluten before I visit the doctor and if so, how long should I continue it for? If anyone could shed some light on the diagnosis process it would be much appreciated. Thanks 🙂 Justine
A. to could I have Coeliac Disease?
Hi Justine, I am not Coeliac, I am gluten intolerant, but the health effects of me eating gluten are still pretty sever, so much so, that it is good motivation for me to keep away from gluten. When I eat gluten or more than about 1/4c of carbohydrates (rice, oats, corn) I get really tired, bloat up a good 4 center meters, and my digestive system feels pretty unhappy. When I eat gluten or use conditioners that contain gluten I break out in eczema, scratch until I bleed, and also turn into what can only been described as a grumpy bitch.
If eating gluten is making you feel miserable and causing stomach upsets that stop you from getting all the goodness out of your food, and not eating it is making you feel good, there is obviously a benefit to being gluten free for you.
As far as getting tested or diagnosed goes, I have been down two roots. After years of no help from Doctors in my teenage years, I found naturopaths to be really onto it with assessing and testing for food allergies.
To get my final official of gluten intolerance (among other food allergies I went to see Dr Rodney Ford a leading Gastroenterologist, and Allergist. He ordered an IGA and IGG gluten antibodies blood test for me. For me there was no need to test for celiac disease and have a colonoscopy to see how the villie in my intenstines are going, but he also would have done this, he thought I had celiac disease.
At that point I had been cutting down on gluten, but still had the odd potato chip or bit of soy sauce and my antibody numbers reflected gluten intolerance. He also performed skin prick testing on me, to see how food allergies and house hold allergens were effecting my eczema, which is by far my worst symptom.
So to answer your question. Your elimination diet is a good way for you to decide how your body feels when you fuel it with certain foods, and if they are causing your body inflammation. A Gastroenterologist or Allergist can help you identify if you are intolerant or have celiac’s disease, or any other allergies. I discovered I had gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, I was allergic to dust mites, several types of grass, and had a condition called oral allergy syndrome that means I now can not eat stone fruits, or loads of raw fruits.
I hope that helps.
Here is an article I wrote about Coeliac Disease and the Symptoms you might like
Over to you… Do you have any tips for Justine? Leave a comment below we would love to hear from you.
*NOTE* this reply reflects my own personal experience, and is in no way meant to act or replace medical advise.