Coeliac - correct diagnosis or should I get a 2nd opinion?

Try just stop eating grains (wheat, barley, rye and oats) and see if the symptoms go away. My understanding is that true coeliac disease requires genetic testing. Otherwise, you may be wheat intolerant.

You can of course have both IBS and coeliac disease. It does sound as if the fibrous foods are giving you diarrhoea, but how were you tested for coeliacs? There is a blood test now which seems to be getting more accurate year by year but the definitive diagnosis is by endoscopy where they can examine and biopsy the lining of your intestine: if it is quite flat, that is the feathery villi that usually line it in a healthy person are gone, then you have coeliacs (which is an auto-immune disease). If you intend to go for this method of diagnosis you need to keep on with a normal diet for the time being (ie not avoiding gluten) or the diagnosis won't be accurate. You could alternatively, as pat101 says, try giving up all wheat, barley and rye (oats are fine) and see if that makes a difference.

One reason you might want to seek a diagnosis is that untreated coeliacs disease can lead to an increased risk of developing gut-related cancers; and in the UK some people like to receive gluten-free foods on prescription, for which you do need a formal diagnosis.

Thanks so much for the replies. Living here in Slovenia makes things like this doubly scary and daunting so its nice to get some English advice! I have only had blood tests so far. The specialist originally said i would need an endoscopy but then when he called yesterday with the coeliac diagnosis he said i wouldn't need this and i just have to start following a gluten free diet. But i really would like to get more inestigation done to be sure. I don't mind coming back to the Uk for tests if necessary. Have you any further advice how i should go about this and should i continue eating normally for the time being or not?

I think I would start by asking your specialist why he is so certain you have coeliacs. He might explain that the particular blood test he did is very reliable, or reassure you in some similar way (there are several possible blood tests).

I guess if you want to come back to the UK for an endoscopy you would have to start by seeing a UK GP as the referral would be via him/her. The general consensus is that you should eat a normal gluten-containing diet for about six weeks before having an endoscopy, to make sure your intestines are showing sufficient reaction to gluten. Bear in mind that if you go gluten-free in the meantime you might react quite badly if you resume eating gluten which could be very uncomfortable for you!

If you do turn out to have coeliacs, the good news is that you don't have to take any nasty medication, and as we know, drugs always have side effects! – you just have to follow a strict gluten-free diet and you will be in effect "cured". My partner has coeliacs and has been on a gluten-free diet for 24 years – it's not a problem. The bad news for you is that you may have IBS as well/instead, which is a different matter...