Coeliac biopsy

Hi Rhiannon - I had to wait around 5wks for the biopsy and when I had it everyone was very good. I opted for sedation and I really don't remember a thing! It only sedates you for a short while but worth it I think.

Afterwards a cup of tea and a biscuit with no after effects at all, for me anyway.

Hello. If you have been eating gluten for at least six weeks then you can have it done as soon as the hospital has a free slot for you. If you have previously been on a gluten-free diet it is very important to make sure that you have been eating gluten for the required period of time. You have presumably been eating gluten in preparation for the blood test, but you don't say how recently that was or whether you have changed your diet since. There does not seem to be a long wait for the biopsy procedure. In my case the hospital actually offered me one so early that I had to turn it down because I hadn't eaten gluten for long enough.

I had the procedure without sedation and immediately afterwards had a colonoscopy for which I also had no sedation or analgesia. I didn't find the procedure particularly pleasant, but it wasn't particularly awful anyway, and if I had to have it done again I would refuse sedation again (the same goes for the colonoscopy). What I did have was a banana-flavoured topical anaesthetic spray, similar to the anaesthetic sprays that you can buy over the counter to treat a sore throat. This simply numbs the surface of the skin. They ask you to bite on something which I can only describe as a rectangle of plastic. They then pass the gastroscope down your throat. This feels a little uncomfortable but is not painful. The important thing is to breathe slowly and not to worry about swallowing saliva. If you breathe fast or try to swallow you will cough violently and feel like you are vomiting (although I don't think anything will come up). I really didn't feel anything at all when the gastroscope was inserted. The unpleasantness was to do with the feeling of having the tube in place. The whole procedure takes a few minutes. The worst part was actually the following day when my throat was sore (like it would feel if you had the beginning of a cold).

Wow, my history is/was nearly identical to yours!!  Plus, I have a young son with Coeliac. However, my endoscopy ruled it out. Now I'm going for sonogram/scan just to see if there's anything to see...otherwise, I guess it's IBS and some low vitamins.

Please tell me you're getting injections for B12...the pins & needles and fatigue will subside when you're no longer low, but getting there with drops alone isn't likely enough. 

I got my results the same week as the endoscopy and like Stephen, I had colonoscopy at the same time (with sedation).

You seem to want a diagnosis, but I hope it's not CD for your sake!  I hope you'll feel better when your vitamin levels are increased. Much of what you have could just be that.  I'm nearly GF anyway since we don't have it at home for my son, but I was SO relieved that I don't have CD. Autoimmune issues tend to come in multiples...all together things I'd like to skip (but would take if it meant my son were free of it all).

Good Luck!!