Did you know that an additional step is being recommended for Celiac disease testing?

Did you know that an additional step is being recommended for Celiac disease testing? 

The consensus at the 15th International Celiac Disease Symposium is that it is essential to be retested 1 year after the initial diagnosis, in order to confirm that healing is occurring and no further damage is being done. This means a 2^nd endoscope and biopsies.  Though it may feel unnecessary and inconvenient, it is worth the time, effort and money.

Being retested can give a person with Celiac Disease the peace of mind that their body is healing and on the path to health. It can also let you and your doctors know if the healing process is slow or nonexistent, which will help direct the changes that need to be made in order to promote healing.

One member of our group (who has chosen to remain anonymous) decided to be retested because he/she had attended an O.C. Celiac event when chairman, Mary Schooler and founder, Cecile Weed presented a summary of the 15th International Celiac Disease Symposium.  He/she walked past Mary as she was discussing retesting with another member. A light bulb went on in this person upon hearing this information. This person had not been feeling well for a long time. The blood test results continued to show that little improvement was being made in the healing process, even though he/she was extremely careful about what he/she eat and about cross contamination. The doctor kept telling her the blood test results were false positives.  Even with the continued negative blood test results his/her doctor never suggested doing another endoscope to see what was actually going on. After the O.C. Celiac meeting, he/ she went to the doctor and requested a retest. The results were shocking. 

He/she had stomach cancer. The cancer is contained and localized, so that the specialist will be able to remove the cancer and hopefully it will be fully healed. Had he/she waited any longer to be retested, the cancer may have grown and spread. Retesting has saved he/she from unknown possible medical issues and maybe even death.

Unfortunately, as many of you with Celiac Disease know, stomach and small intestine cancer is real and is a serious possible side effect of Celiac Disease. The longer it takes for the initial diagnosis, the greater the possibility of other health issues arising.  So please push aside the excuses and go get retested NOW.  Please see the web links from Celiac Central and WedMd to read up on cancer and Celiac Disease.

The O.C. Celiacs goal is to touch lives and make a difference. Our motto, Celiacs Helping Celiacs, rings true for us. Even if we can help change just one life, it would be worth the time and effort we put into this support group.  Well, that has happened and we at O.C. Celiac are so thankful that our “voice” has made a difference.

Love and prayers to all our members!