Coeliac blood test: Is 2 weeks eating gluten enough after 1 week off? And do these symptom fit?

[SmallGreenBabies]

Hi all, advice would be much appreciated.

Been suffering for a while with extreme fatigue despite ample sleep, aches and pains, headaches, and nausea. Also upset tummy and reflux but that's normal for me for years. I had a lightbuld moment after speaking to someone recently diagnosed that it could be coeliac/gluten intolerance. I also have subclinical hypothyroidism with raised TPO which can be linked. For those who have been diagnosed coeliac, does that sound familiar?

I stopped gluten for a week to see if it helped. Now the GP has offered a coeliac blood test in 2 weeks. Is 2 weeks on gluten after 1 week off enough to avoid a false negative? From what I've read coeliac antibodies fall slowly so a week off won't really have made a dent. I think I eat enough gluten usually to meet NHS guidelines pre test.

Thanks!

A week off won’t have been enough to cause antibodies to fall, so I wouldn’t be concerned about that. Bear in mind that the blood test can give false negatives even with good gluten intake so doesn’t 100% rule it out.

Although it’s definitely worth checking for coeliac, your symptoms could also be from hypothyroidism. Many people feel very unwell with raised antibodies, even if their thyroid hormones are not yet where they need to be in the U.K. for a diagnosis (in other countries the TSH level is much lower). There may be an argument that you can make for starting on medication now as your antibodies are raised. I would take your latest results and symptoms and post on the Thyroid U.K. forum on Health Unlocked for advice about this.

Also note that hypothyroidism is associated with vitamin deficiencies as it affects your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. It can also make your periods very heavy, causing low iron. I had low ferritin way before my thyroid results indicated an issue. Low vitamins can cause symptoms very similar to low thyroid and the symptoms you outline, so if you haven’t done so already make sure you test for the common ones: d, b12, ferritin and folate.

Hope that helps.

I had extreme fatigue, I described it as first trimester and newborn twins rolled up into one miserable little package! It was so bad I’d randomly fall asleep at work and whilst caring for my DTs who were toddlers at the time. My only other symptom was breathlessness, even stupid stuff like whipping the hoover round had me gasping for breath. All the other ‘normal’ symptoms weren’t a thing for me.

I don’t know about the two weeks on one week off of gluten thing for your blood test, sorry. I didn’t know I’d been tested for coeliacs, it was a chance test my GP ran after chatting to her friend who had coeliacs and I didn’t even know I’d been tested for it until my results came in.