beer - low carb

Snowbird · Guest

Hi....I'm new and so thankful to find this forum! I haven't been dx with CD but just had blood work to test for it. I have researched on Net, and thought I do not have CD until last night when we had tomato sandwiches with whole wheat bread (I had four pieces bread). Last evening I had terrible flatulence, and I woke up this morning with stomach ache followed with worse-than-normal diarrhea with contiinued stomach ache.

I was dx two yr ago with ulcerative colitis but my new GI doc found NO blood in stool on Monday. He is confused and ran celiac blood test. I have not called for results. Nevertheless, I have restricted my diet for three yrs to low carb which means diet with little bread! I put myself on lo carb to lose weight. I am 60 yo

QUESTION: I do drink two lo carb beers per day, and I now wonder IF I do have CD, is beer bad? Seems like I remember that beer is made from barley.

I am so tempted to call MD for test results as my colonoscopy is not scheduled until Nov 17!! My research this morning indicates that test can be neg if I did not eat gluten prior to drawing of blood.
Thanks!

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8604 Location: WI, USA

Hi Snowbird,

Welcome!!

ANSWER: Yes beer is off-limits on a gluten free diet. Sorry Sad

I miss it too. There are GF beers tho! Bard's and Ramapo Valley Brewery are the only 2 in the US that produce it...so far. I prefer the Bard's.

I'm glad you new doc ran the Celiac tests. You really need to call and get the results. Now question becomes...have you been consuming enough gluten so the tests will show an accurate result? The numbers and length of time for consuming gluten varies...one set of numbers is 35g (a bagel) per day for 6 weeks.

Many times CD is mis-diagnosed as UC or IBS or a host of other things. You new doc seems be on the ball if he/she is checking. It might be wise to persue this a bit further.

You might check with your gastro about doing an EGD while you're getting your colo done. Then they could take biopsies of the intestine to check for villi damage (the gold standard for celiac disease).
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

Sallie · Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 1

Thanks Aklap!
Sad about the beer but good to know there is some available if I do have CD.

Also, thanks about the EGD advice. I will research that and ask the doc about it prior to colonoscopy. I had to travel two hrs to see this doc, but he has a very good reputation and worth it.

The numbers and length of time for consuming gluten varies...one set of numbers is 35g (a bagel) per day for 6 weeks.

Does this mean if I ate a hamburger (white bun) two hours before the blood work, that it would produce an accurate test? And then, the beer which I ingested the day before would make the test accurate, wouldn't it? Yes, I must call the docs office today. I want to know. I have been dealing with this for years, and I keep hoping to get a correct dx.

I signed in as guest SNOWBIRD, but I am a member under Sallie.

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8604 Location: WI, USA