[rosielee]

my 14 year old sons blood test came back negative for celiac, i was gobsmacked, i was convinced, he cant eat wheat and we have cut out gluten he is much better afetr four weeks but not cured totally- but hes has d for three years or more i didnt expect it to go away within a weekhow reliable is this blood test? how can he have an intolerance and yet not be a celiac? hism intolerance is pretty significant- but he hasnt lost weight- doesnt have stomach ache, pains gas- no other symptoms but d whcih has been relieved without wheat- if nhe was still eatign wheat i dont think he would be here still- he would ahve topped himself i reckon- how much can i rely on this test for the true picture? how come hes not a cleiac and yet cant have gluten

 

[Kathleen M.]

Did you just cut out wheat? Gluten free diet is more than just wheat.Some people do seem to have a wheat intolerance that is not celiac and not as damaging as celiac but they feel better when they limit wheat (but may not need to get rid of every last trace of it like a celiac would).Also depending on the blood test...how long was he gluten free before you went for testing? A lot of the tests you need to be eating gluten regularly for several weeks before the test for it to be accurate.

 

[IBD/IBS Author]

Kathleen is spot-on. Gluten is more than wheat. And if he was gluten-free for more than a week before the blood test it could have been a false-negative. That said, he could be just gluten-intolerant. I am and it came on just in the past 18 months - I'm 42. I've been gluten-free for nearly a year now and have to say it took a good 4-6 months being totally gluten-free before I really felt better. Do your research on what gluten is and what contains gluten. Be aware of cross-contamination. And realize that not everything that is advertised as gluten-free is actually 100% gluten-free. If it's not produced in a designated gluten-free facility then cross-contamination with gluten products can occur. We have a pizzeria in my town that advertises gluten-free pizza. But, they make the dough in the same kitchen/facility as the regular wheat/gluten-based dough, so there could be cross contamination that can cause problems. Hope your son feels tip-top soon. Cheers,Elizabeth