Here are some tips for those people who are considering going for a diagnosis for coeliac disease or those who are currently undergoing the series of tests that can be part of a diagnosis.

It is a difficult journey but can be made easier by understanding the process and planning ahead.

1) Don’t go on a gluten free diet! It will just make it hard to get a diagnosis. You may ask yourself if wheat and gluten products are making you ill, why not just stop eating them. Job done, surely? This is tricky.

If you eliminate gluten from your diet before diagnosis, test results will probably be unclear or even negative. Even if you then begin to eat wheat again for the purpose of further tests, the results may still not be conclusive. It really is essential to keep eating gluten-containing products until you have had the tests. 


2) Do you need to have a diagnosis? Undiagnosed and untreated Coeliac’s Disease can have various, serious health implications. There are long term risks of pernicious anaemia and osteoporosis and additionally diabetes and thyroiditis may come along for the ride. All these things can be addressed once you have been diagnosed but GPs will not readily consider them as factors affecting your overall health unless you already have a diagnosis of coeliac disease in place.


3) The bowel tests are one unpleasant part of diagnosis, however try not to worry too much about them.

I have always found the consultants and nurses extremely understanding, professional and capable. They have seen it all hundreds of times before and nothing can happen they are are not fully prepared for. 

However, you can be good to yourself by making preparations in advance.

These tests involve a trip to the hospital, normally for an endoscopy or colonoscopy. Prior to the test, give yourself a helping hand by taking a day off or working from home.
 
Give yourself a break: Plan to be in for the entire day before the test- you will be fasting and simultaneously taking strong laxatives to clear your bowels. This is so that the camera is never obscured by undigested food matter during the test.
 
Stock up: You’ll find it useful to get a few things from the shops in advance.

 
a) Lucozade

While fasting, you are only allowed to drink clear fluids. Buy plenty of Lucozade glucose drink which will keep your energy levels up and your brain fed! Without this boost you could suffer from a ‘foggy head’, lethargy, headaches and a lack of balance.

Top tip: Don’t buy the Hydroactive variety as this doesn’t contain much glucose.

b) Lots of veg, then throw it away!
For lunch and dinner the best thing to do is make a clear, vegetable broth. They are easy to make and packed full of vitamins which will keep you going.

Just simmer a large selection of vegetables in water for a minimum of two hours in order to boil all the goodness out of them (reversed logic required!) You then strain and discard the vegetable matter,
leaving just the clear broth liquid.

This is a great, healthy meal that you can eat on the day of fasting as long as no vegetable skins are still in the broth! 

This is my favourite recipe for broth and it’s quick to make because you don’t have to think about how the vegetables will look at the end – just wash them and roughly chop them.
 


1 turnip
2 carrots
3-4 sticks of celery
Parsley
1 clove of garlic
2 small onions
700g tomatoes
450g potatoes
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 litres of water
 

c) A fridge full of ready-made meals.
After the test itself you will be starving and low on energy so it’s best to make yourself plenty of food in advance. The last thing you want to do after returning from the hospital is start cooking a meal!

I learnt this the hard way after coming out of a test back in 2007 only to find Sheffield had completely flooded.

I had to trek 5km home in starving desperation and never before have I been so happy to see a shephard’s pie in my fridge! Hopefully this won’t happen to you, but it’s worth planning ahead all the same.

d) Take the sedation! As part of my advice to be fair to yourself, opt for the sedation if you possibly can. It will relax you during the procedures and make the
whole experience seem shorter and less onerous. Of course, sedation means you will not be able to drive home, so ask a friend or relative to pick you up or plan for a taxi to collect you.
 
Finally, if you are supplementing your diet with iron tablets – don’t forget to stop taking them 7 days before the test!