Gluten Free..not because i want to be

vonnywaft

Interesting reading through this thread. I did get tested for Coeliac Disease years ago but as I was avoiding gluten at the time and no-one told me different the tests showed nothing - seems mad you have to make yourself ill to get a diagnosis! Anyway, I've self-managed it for years, sometimes better than other times. At the moment as I'm trying to lose weight I'm being fairly strict with the gluten as I retain gallons of water as a side effect of gluten it seems, so it messes with how much weight i can lose. Anyway, i'm off to the docs tomorrow to get results of some tests for carpal tunnel syndrome I had done recently and I've decided to raise the issue of my troublesome bowels again and see if I can get the whole issue looked at again. Can't say i'm looking forward to bringing it up, or taking further tests if that is what's needed.

jess_blonde

If you're having a blood test for Celiac's disease, don't change your diet yet. For the test to be accurate, you need to have eaten gluten at least twice per day, every day for like six weeks before the test.

Fayve

I'd just like to add on some of this. I'm not celiac, but I do work at an exclusively gluten-free bakery that makes all their own products and flours (no master blends, etc.).

I have a few coworkers that are extremely sensitive to gluten. One coworker says he can't walk into a Subway without feeling ill from all the gluten in the air. He had a blood test taken for celiac, and it returned saying that he DID NOT HAVE IT. I only say this to stress that the blood tests have a huuuuge inaccuracy rate, and the only true way to know is to get the biopsy for it, which it sounds like you might be pursuing by going to see a GI.

Also, it can take 4-6 weeks before gluten leaves your body. So you may not feel/see a difference for that long, even by cutting out gluten entirely.

vonnywaft

Well I'll bear all that in mind if I'm going to get any tests done. The way the NHS over here works I'll probably have time to start eating gluten in good time to show up any reaction by time I get tested, but I'll double check with my doc what the rules are. I did have a biopsy for coeliac years ago but as I said I'd been off gluten for some time, not knowing I needed it in my system to show up on the test. it doesn't seem to be very easy to get a diagnosis in the UK.

eating4balance

Check out these websites for gluten free recipes:

http://foodgawker.com/post/tag/gluten-free/

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/tag/gluten-free/

http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?search_term=gluten-free&ui=133&d=1

http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?search_term=gluten-free+option&ui=133&d=1

http://spoonfulofsugarfree.com/