You all have been so helpful to me that I wanted to give you all a quick update.

My blood work results just came back and my friend called me with some news. She is not an actual doctor, well, she is a chiropractor but you know what I mean. Anyway, she said that she wasn't sure what it meant but one of the tests (she didn't mention the exact one) was off of the charts. She said that a positive result for Celiac would start at 17 and my number was 45. So, now she has recommended that I find a gastroenterologist in my area to get more testing.

Tomorrow I will get the actual paper work from my blood tests. I will know more then but I just wanted to say thanks for all of your support!!! Geez, I have never been so happy to be ill before.

Actually, your chiropractor IS a doctor, a doctor of chiropractic. They study every bit as long as every other doctor, and actually get more classes in nutrition, diagnostics, x-ray and others than your regular doctor. I find my chiropractor is a lot more knowledgeable than any other doctor I know. When I have a health problem, he is the first one I'll consult.

Are you sure you want to wait to go gluten-free and get more testing done? You could just try the gluten-free diet. I am glad you are getting some answers! It is so frustrating to be ill and not knowing why you feel bad.

I have already started on the gluten free diet and already I feel so much better. In fact, I never want to eat gluten again.

Question: would a doctor ever diagnosis you with celiac if you haven't done the biopsi but responded well to a gluten free diet? I am terrified of the biopsy.

My gastro told me to start the diet immediately and refused to biopsy me because I was so close to death. A year later I wanted to do the biopsy and he was going to let me, but I got too sick too quickly to every make it long enough to get a positive biopsy. I am diagnosed Celiac with no biopsy.

Angie,
I see that you are from Pennsylvania-so am I!! Are you from the Philly area? If so, can you share who your doctor is???Thanks!!

If you are already on the diet a GI doctor is going to want to do an endo and he is going to want you to do a gluten challenge. For that to be effective it needs to be about three months long. Thats 3 months of eating something that you know already is making you sick. You have had a good response on the diet, the only treatment is the diet, you never want to eat gluten again so... I would say you are diagnosed. It is up to you but I would skip the GI for now, get on the diet and consider seeing the GI in a couple of months if your problems haven't resolved.

Is there any benefit to getting an official diagnosis?

My GI diagnosed me without a biopsy. He said with positive blood test results and a positive reaction to the gluten-free diet, that was enough for him to diagnose celiac disease. Good thing, too, because there is NO WAY I'm EVER going to do a gluten challenge... I get SOOOOO sick if I get CC'd that the thought of purposely eating bread is out of the question!

I did go ahead and get tested by Enterolab after his diagnosis, and I tested positive there, too. Plus I have both the DQ2 and DQ8 genes .

For me, the biopsy wouldn't change a thing. Celiac disease or gluten intolerant, the only "fix" is the diet anyway.

Thanks for sharing your experience!!!