Awaiting celiac diagnosis, go gluten free?

[ChimChimeny]

DD was ill for a couple of weeks over Christmas so we took her to the doctor, had a blood test and results indicated she could be celiac but not conclusive so She's been referred. She's been fine since eating as normal until today, bit of diarrhoea and stomachs ache.

Would you switch to gluten free now or cut down or just carry on as normal?!

Unless it’s changed recently you have to keep eating gluten to get all the tests done

She needs to be eating gluten if she is going for more tests

Coeliac UK advice is to keep eating gluten until you get the results from the gut biopsy. I'd recommend looking at their website.

No. Definitely do not stop eating gluten until she has had further bliss and biopsies the intestines must be exposed to plenty of Gluten to demonstrate the changes needed to diagnose coeliac disease by a biopsy (the only definitive way). She must be eating gluten to be diagnosed

How old is she?

Thanks everyone, we'll carry on as normal until we know more

@StephanieandKate she's 11

They sometimes recommend starting the diet sooner in younger children (pre biopsy) but as they have not recommended it and as she is 11 they will want to do a biopsy to confirm so it's important to continue eating gluten or the biopsy will not be accurate.

There is a 1 in 10 chance of all her first degree relatives having it, so worth screening the whole family if your GP will do it, or anyone else displaying symptoms. Typically they will have gastrointestinal manifestations, but sometimes they will not have any gastrointestinal symptoms and may display other symptoms including anxiety, panic attacks and anaemia.

My primary symptom was terrible anxiety and secondarily fatigue due to anaemia, but because I also have diagnosed anxiety and depression and have very heavy periods, I was ignored for a long time. I hadn't realised it could be down to celiac disease initially but my anxiety largely resolved and panic attacks vastly improved when I did change my diet. So if anyone in the family has any other symptoms, whether gastrointestinal or not it may turn out to be the route cause.

I hope her biopsy happens soon and you can get some answers and move forward with the gluten free diet.