Ibs or coeliacs

[Coco24]

About 2 and a half years ago i was diagnosed with ibs after going to the doctors with frequent severe stomach cramps, loose stools, wind etc... i had a colonoscopy and some bloods taken and i think may have been tested for coeliacs.
Nothing came back on my tests so was sent to a dietician to discuss a low fodmap diet for ibs.
Having tried the fodmap diet i cut out gluten and dairy as i found these were what upset me the most.

My sister in law has just been diagnosed with coeliacs and my husband is now being tested so i have been doing some reading up on it for him and i noticed a lot of my symptoms were the same and i then read that to have a positive blood result for coeliacs you have to be regularly eating gluten at the time. I'm not sure i was eating enough gluten when i was tested before as i had already started to cut bck on foods to see what upset me.
So i have started to introduce gluten again to see what happens, i have had a range of symptoms that come and go, headaches, tummy ache, cramps, loose stools, constipated, wind, feeling a bit sicky sometimes.
Ive been eating it everyday for 2 weeks now, not sure what to do really do i go to my gp and ask to be retested for coeliacs, or will my gp just say no as i've been tested before.
I think i'm just concerned as i've read a lot about people with coeliacs being diagnosed with ibs for years first.

I dont want to waste anyones time, i would just like to be certain. X

Were you eating any gluten at all when you were first tested? As I think even the smallest bit of gluten would show coeliac disease.

The advice is to eat gluten daily for 6 weeks prior to testing, so if you had been cutting it out it is possible the test would not have worked.
Your GP should test you again if you explain your symptoms.
Bear in mind you will probably have to be eating gluten for longer than 6 weeks though. In my experience it is unlikely that the GP will diagnose coeliac disease even if your bloods come back positive. You most likely be referred to a gastroenterologist who will retest and then perform an endoscopy to confirm a diagnosis.
My DH most probably has coeliac disease (both our children are diagnosed and DH reacts badly to gluten) however he has not been tested as he cannot bear the thought of consuming gluten. Our GP has been really good and gives him yearly blood tests just like he would have if he had a diagnosis.

Do you get symptoms immediately or approx 1.5-3 hours after gluten? If the former you may have wheat/gluten intolerance or non coeliac gluten intolerance, if the latter and your intestines really force it out then it's coeliac.....

If I have any gluten, even a crumb then 1.5 hours later my intestines growl and I get pains and then 2-3 episodes of expulsion followed by brain fog and joint pain for 24-48 hours....

Thanks for your replies everyone, i think i will perservere with introducing gluten for a couple more weeks then head to my gp and see what he says. I had read that you have to be eating gluten everyday for more than 6 weeks to be tested and if you need further tests.

The timings with symptoms vary really, if i get tummy cramps it happens fairly soon after eating they gradually get worse then i have to rush to the loo once or twice till its all gone. I feel like i have a headache all the time so struggle to work out what that is. Some mornings i wake up feeling really sicky and like my tummy is full but its not!!!

Hi there

Worth checking out Coeliac UK's website about getting diagnosed. Here is a link with lots of info: www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/getting-diagnosed/ you could also complete their online assessment (link to this is on the above) and take the results to your GP.

They also have a helpline number so if you have any questions I should give them a call!

Good luck and hope you get some answers.