<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> John Dennis wrote: > I'm 44 and have been been diagnosed since about 1978 as having > Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My first question is: Have you recently been diagnosed as a celiac, or have you made your own "self-diagnosis" based on symptoms? If it is the latter, I strongly recommend seeing a gastroenterologist, preferably one that already has some celiac patients, and getting an official diagnosis. Otherwise, you may be trying to treat the wrong disease/condition by going on a GF diet. > So as not to "create a scene," I peeled away the breading and ate > the fish, knowing full-well that some "contamination" had likely > occurred. Rule #1: If you are a confirmed celiac, NEVER eat anything that you suspect may have gluten. It is far better to get used to "making a scene", then to continually damage your small intestine. However, I've found that with patience and a firm but positive approach to the constraints of this diet, there won't be too many "scenes". > Does the gut of a celiac become much more sensitized to gluten > intake within days of starting a GF diet? This varies a lot from one person to another. Some people (the unlucky ones, in my opinion) can accidentally eat a little gluten and not experience any ill effects afterwards. Some people gradually become more and more sensitive to small amounts of gluten as the intestine heals and their health returns. And some people react as you have. > Does embarking on a true GF diet involve a sort of "you can't go > home again" increased sensitivity to gluten?? If you are a confirmed celiac, my understanding is that you will remain sensitive to gluten for the rest of your life. It isn't the diet that makes you sensitive to gluten, it's your own immune system. I believe that some newly-diagnosed celiacs, because of their general poor health, may have a depressed immune system that is unable to respond as well as it does later when the GF diet brings back good health. That may explain why they appear to be more sensitive to gluten after being on the diet for awhile. At any rate, "once a celiac, always a celiac" should be the governing phrase. > Given that a small bowel biopsy can be done in as little as 15 > minutes and that going GF means giving up my favorite foods, > perhaps I should suggest to my GI...that one be done despite the > negative blood test? Also, can someone advise me as to how long > evidence of damaged villi persists in the gut after a GF diet is > adopted? My understanding is that it takes several months or even a year for the villi to completely heal. Healing begins quickly after starting a GF diet, which is why you can often see almost immediate improvement. However, it is a long and slow process before the healing is complete. If you have just started a GF diet, and are going to have a biopsy, I'd suggest you have the biopsy done ASAP. The longer you wait, the more healing will occur, and the harder it will be to establish whether or not you really do have celiac disease. Let me close by making it clear to all that I am not a doctor; my comments here are based on what I've learned as the parent of two celiac children, and from being involved with this list and with my local support group. --- Jim Lyles ([log in to unmask]) --- --- location: southeast Michigan, USA ---