Post Diagnosis Followups for Celiac

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Well it has been over two years since my Celiac Diagnosis and that means that I get to go in for a whole battery of follow up tests including the dreaded Endoscopy.  Those that think that the testing is over once Celiac is confirmed are going to be very unhappy with this post.  

At about two years after the initial diagnosis and Endo, the doctors will need to see how well you are doing and how much healing has occurred.  I already know that my IgA numbers are up to 70, this is a significant leap from the 40's that they were prior to being gluten free.  However, I will get to start the whole battery of tests over again.  This is to see if there is a marked improvement not only in how I feel, but how my body really is.  Coming on the 29th, I will be scheduling my second Endoscopy since this all started.  I am not looking forward to this one.  The last time they used the wrong gas and I was bloated and had issues for an extra day.  I am really hoping that doesn't happen again.  

Other then another Endoscopy, I will be undergoing a battery of blood tests and another 24 hour urine test.  Oh Joy!  Now, what follow up tests are going to change depending on the Doctors.  I will also be doing a bone density test to see how far I have to go in the healing process.  

The reasons for each of these tests are to see how well your body is responding to the Gluten Free Diet.  Some people are two years out and only need the occasional check up after that.  Others may not be responding as well as the doctors had hoped.  While the person may be feeling better, they are not healing correctly.  These tests will determine how well you are healing and how far you still have to go.  They also may show that there are more issues than the initial celiac diagnosis.  

If your doctor does not have a follow up schedule for you, then I highly recommend that you talk to them about it.  Follow up testing can start as early as 6 months from the start of the gluten free diet.  The sooner you know if there are more issues, the sooner you can start fixing things.  

Celiac and Lupus

Those are not freckles, that is an example of a butterfly rash.  

Who would have thought that there is a connection between Celiac and lupus?  Well there is one, those who have Celiac are at higher risk for Systematic Lupus. It wasn't until I ran into someone who had been diagnosed first with Celiac, and then with Lupus, that I even knew there was a connection. Since Celiac and lupus can be found on the same DNA sequence, it seems they can also be activated at the same time. Those with Celiac should probably get a basic blood test to make sure that Lupus is not even a possibility for them.  I will be doing so just to make sure that this is not an issue for me, more of a ruling out test.  

Long Term effects of Untreated Celiac

Many people who have any form of gluten intolerance don't treat themselves.  Currently the only treatment for this is going on and sticking to a gluten free diet.  Some of the long term effects as pulled from celiaccenter.org are

Interpreting test results for Celiac

There are four basic tests that are used to diagnose Celiac these tests are IgA, IgG, tTG, and ELISA.  Of these tests the most commonly used are the IgA and the IgG tests.  Many people will get test results without knowing what those test results mean.  I have seen instances where the test results are mailed to the person with Normal, Abnormal, Low or High next to a number and a range.  Well that is completely useless for most of us since we have no baisis of what this means.