Celiac Disease

Robinredbreast said:

Hi just saw this and can I ask a question? is it your wife that is living gluten free with you? because to be tested for Coeliac disease you must eat gluten or the test would come back as a false negative, so gluten, wheat, Rye, barley and oats must still be eaten ( In a healthy person the Villi in the stomach would be vertical( upright) and in a Coeliac the Villi are flat( horizontal) meaning possible extensive damage and the villi cannot process the nutrients from the food. I hope the test will be a good result for your wife. With best wishe.

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Unlike antibody tests and small intestine biopsies, DNA testing is accurate even when a person is already on a gluten-free diet. For this reason, a genetic test can be useful in patients who have not had a small-intestine biopsy to diagnose celiac disease but who have been gluten-free for a long time. A positive test would increase the likelihood that their symptoms were caused by celiac disease, but would not prove it. (The only way to prove the diagnosis would be to have them resume eating gluten and then undergo a biopsy.) A negative genetic test, however, would mean they don’t have celiac disease.

This is why we're doing the DNA because if it is positive she'll get the confirmation that she's positive for the genes for it and the under medical supervision do what needs doing to have the rest of the tests dun, since going GF she's not had a seizure attack and her GP doesn't won't her going on gluten without good reason to do so, not if its part of the cause for her trigger for seizures. Before going GF with me she was having a min of one complex seizure a week and several partials a day, since going GF she might have a break through but compared to how her life was before its vastly improved.

@rijohnston I also don't have signs of it which is why it took me close to 6 months to even believe that I had it, but damage was spotting when they did the biopsy so there is no way I'm eating gluten with intent, just not happening (by accident is another matter) I have regular testing to make sure my gluten load is as close to 0 as possible (so far so good).

I've been vegetarian for over 20 years, and strict vegetarian for 5 years, I eat as fresh as possible (but frozen isn't uncommon) and as unprocessed as I can find it. I might on occasion buy GL baked goods if they are vegan as well, but so few are that its just not an option (I'm allergic to Dairy and Eggs, which are in a world of a lot of GF items).

Eating as naturally GF as you can isn't as hard as some people might think, but it does take some getting use to if its not something you've been doing for a while or grew up with. My wife grew up on fast processed food at almost every single meal (lunch and dinner coming from a fast food place, it was uncommon to have it cooked at home) yet she was under weight when we connected (97 pounds and 6 feet - not a good combo) I've since managed to put some meat on those bones though non-animal based means and her sister who has been told she has CD a few years ago is having the B of a time with food choices, since she's brought up her family and herself on processed fast foods, fresh food and unprocessed foods are something she has a major issue with (she doesn't really know how to cook, never mind bake from scratch). Its sad that she continues to suffer from CD and her T2 is uncontrolled because of it (she is on ever increasing amounts of Insulin and other meds) I've tried to coach her on eating healthier and if someone cooks it for her she does, but left her own devices and demands from her family (hubby and two adult kids) doesn't happen (which is annoying since its killing her).

@JANROU there are oh so many books on the market aimed at Gluten Free living (some for Celiac's other's more for those who are looking for an alternative eating option), I've not read a lot of books on the topic, the few I have read though are…
Adam’s Gluten Free Surprise
Beyond Rice Cakes: A Young Person's Guide to Cooking, Eating & Living Gluten-Free
Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic

I actually have a subscription to Allergic Living magazine its a source of great information
I also have a subscription to Living Without Magazine, its another good resource with great information
I also have a subscription to Simply Gluten Free, its alright not as good as the above two, but worth the current subscription
Been looking at Easy Eats their site is interesting and filled with various GF baking and cooking ideas
Don't have a subscription to it but I do buy on occasion if the issue interests me Gluten Free Living