Gluten or wheat?

widdle · Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 3

Newbie here please be gentle!

About 3 months ago I stopped eating wheat as I suspected it was causing me problems. As if by magic my diarrhea, blouting, excessive gas, moodiness, tiredness, etc all cleared up. I hadn't even noticed some of the symptoms but felt an awful lot better. A couple of times since I ate some wheat, by mistake or in a moment of weakness (mmm... pizza!) and got really bad stomach cramps.

I mentioned about it to my doctor who said I'd done the right thing by stopping eating wheat but if he was to do tests I'd need to start eating wheat again for a while, which I really don't want to do.

Does it matter if I don't know whether it's wheat intolerance or coeliac?

milkymum · Joined: 15 Sep 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Nottingham UK

I am in the same situation at the moment with my 2 year old EJ. I had him on a gluton free diet for only 2 weeks and noticed he was a different child. We are know on day 4 of a gluton diet and he is back to were he was when I was adviced to experienment with a gluton free diet. My doctor will be seeing my EJ again next week on Tuesday and he will decide then what step to take next. I am hoping they test him just so that I know for certain what things he is allergic to and then we don't have to have further tests in the future if he reacts to allergens again. We are also in the same boat with my almost 5 year odl daughter LC she is dairy intolerant and we will be seeing a ped next week on Thursday and they will be doing a patch test first on her skin before they go down nblood tests and stool samply tests. There are loads of different tests they can do even a test on your hair which I can't work out myself

coldautmun · Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 3

I think it would be better if you have it checked out. I mean, it would be for the best to know exactly what is ailing you.

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taszoo · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 22

Yes, regrettably you have to start eating gluten again before you undergo the tests to see if you are a coeliac, otherwise you can return a false negative reading.

It is a short term problem but for a long term gain. You would not want to live a life of gluten free if you were not.

Have a look at www.gf-glutenfree.com - it is a coog (non-medical!! site giving out general information.

susanwhite25 · Joined: 06 Mar 2010 Posts: 6

Widdle,
Yes, it would be very beneficial to have the testing performed. If you are dealing with celiac disease, you will need to avoid all forms of gluten. If you are dealing with a wheat allergy only, you will be able to include more things in your diet. Also, gluten can be found in many cosmetics, medications, play-dough, etc. and therefore you will need to be much more mindful of these hidden sources if you are indeed suffering from celiac disease. Rather than limit yourself to a completely GF lifestyle, you should first have the testing performed to see if this is absolutely necessary. I would recommend checking out the book "Healthier Without Wheat" to help you differentiate the different types of gluten-intolerance, as well as take a peek at The Center For Food Allergies website for some helpful information on this topic.