Endoscopy while gluten free?

[dirhamlane]

Is there any point in having an endoscopy to confirm coeliac disease if I've been completely gluten free (and pain free) for the last 3 months?

I've been given an appointment in a month's time and asked to start having gluten now.

(I'm in poor health and don't think I'd be able to tolerate the 6+ hours of stomach pain I had daily while I was having gluten.)

Can you explain that to whoever referred you? I guess it depends on whether you must have the diagnosis. I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy, and then it was suggested I have the endoscopy a few months later. I point-blank refused to consume wheat and gluten again unless they planned on hospitalising me for the six weeks they were suggesting, as I would have been too poorly to care for my children so would also need childcare. I never have found out if I officially have an allergy or intolerance to gluten or if I have celiac disease, but I do have that official wheat allergy in black and white, so for me, it wasn't so crucial to have further diagnosis.
I'd need to recheck the research into how long it takes to heal, whether three months of not inflaming it means it's all returned to normal. They want to see the damage it's done to you, so yes, I think you need to eat the gluten or the test is pointless.

My husband asked a few years ago to be tested and the doctor said he'd have to eat two slices of bread daily for a month or else the test will be a false negative
Ask your doctor who referred you for advice

Nope you may have already healed and you may get a false negative diagnosis

Apparently reintroducing gluten for only a month is not enough. I think on Coeliac UK it says it has to be 3.months... and the longer the better.

I decided not to bother. I know I can't tolerate it and I don't want to do a whole load of new damage by eating gluten again.

It's the hospital consultant that's asked me to start eating gluten again. They left a message today so hopefully I can speak to them tomorrow.

I decided not to bother. I know I can't tolerate it and I don't want to do a whole load of new damage by eating gluten again.
@whatisheupto this was my first thought!

I've had 4 coeliac blood tests during the last 5 years (due to severe fatigue and gastro symptoms) and not once was I asked by any of the GPs whether I had gluten daily (I hadn't and unsurprisingly my results were always normal). I'll admit to not knowing anything about coeliac at the time. I gradually became more and more ill while my test results continued to be in the normal range. Finally was diagnosed with ME/CFS and have been housebound for 2 years now. Being pain free is more important to me now than an official diagnosis - I might have thought differently if I were younger.