Can positive toxins be a false positive?

[CorinneD]

Hello Betsy, I just wanted to say that if you've been gluten-free for a while, even if only for a couple of months, it is possible that your villi have healed enough so as not to show positive for celiac at biopsies. Your doctors may want you to undergo a gluten challenge, ingesting small amounts of gluten every day (the equivalent of a cracker) just to damage your intestines enough and get a definite diagnosis. This can be quite uncomfortable, as after you evict gluten you can react a lot worse when you reintroduce it. Ultimately, it's up to you, but if the diet gave you such significant relief you might want to stick to it no matter what the tests say. Your lingering symptoms and food intolerances should clear as inflammation dies down and you heal (can take up to a year). In case they don't, dealing with your c.diff. colonisation by doing an FMT might be worth looking into.
The forum at celiac.com is gold if you need advanced information for celiac, I cannot recommend it enough.
I hope this helps.

[BetsyS]

Thanks so much - it certainly does! I meet with my GI today to discuss. I have to have the scoping done regardless because of my cancer. But you're right, as much as I want a definitive diagnosis, I am not crazy about going back on gluten. This is the best I've felt in over 5 years.

Wishing you the best with your FMT and in your journey!