Well I got my Enterolab results last night. I was expecting to have the test say that I have Gluten sensitivity, but was surprised to find out that I am also sensitive to both soy and eggs. Not sure how I feel about all of it, but I am trying to look at the positive side that I now know what direction to head in. I happened to have a follow up appointment with my Osteopath doctor, so I brought the test results to him along with the Genova Labs Intestinal permeability test results (which were within range). I was pleasantly surprised that he knew of both labs and thought they were both good. Now I have to try and learn how to live with this new lifestyle. Since I have the tendency to look at the glass as half empty, in addition to learning what I can't have, I want to make a list of all the foods that I CAN have.
I am curious if most people go beyond the basic panel that I have which tested gluten, soy, egg, and dairy and have other food sensitivities tested?
Thanks,
Kim
Kim's Results
Moderators: Rosie, JFR, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Kim,
If you aren't sensitive to casein, then you're luckier than most of us. I agree that avoiding soy is tough though, because it's in so many products. And eggs are tough to give up, because they're such a good protein source, and so important if you like to bake.
Quite a few members do seem to order the "C" panel of tests also, but many are able to attain remission without it. And those who continue to react after eliminating the foods found to be reactive in the first round of testing, can always order the additional testing later.
You have the right idea by focusing on the foods that you can eat, rather than the ones that you cannot eat, because the foods that cause us to react are no longer food, as far as we are personally concerned — they are toxic to our digestive system, so they no longer meet the definition of "food". Food nourishes our body and helps us to maintain good health. The things that we previously considered to be food, but that now cause us to react, no longer meet that definition.
Your Osteopath sounds like a keeper. Good for him. Good luck on your journey back to health, and please keep us posted on your progress.
Tex
If you aren't sensitive to casein, then you're luckier than most of us. I agree that avoiding soy is tough though, because it's in so many products. And eggs are tough to give up, because they're such a good protein source, and so important if you like to bake.
Quite a few members do seem to order the "C" panel of tests also, but many are able to attain remission without it. And those who continue to react after eliminating the foods found to be reactive in the first round of testing, can always order the additional testing later.
You have the right idea by focusing on the foods that you can eat, rather than the ones that you cannot eat, because the foods that cause us to react are no longer food, as far as we are personally concerned — they are toxic to our digestive system, so they no longer meet the definition of "food". Food nourishes our body and helps us to maintain good health. The things that we previously considered to be food, but that now cause us to react, no longer meet that definition.
Your Osteopath sounds like a keeper. Good for him. Good luck on your journey back to health, and please keep us posted on your progress.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Kim,
Response times vary widely. A few people see improvement within a few days or a week, but for most of us, it takes months. This is because the antibodies to the main gluten peptide that causes most people to react, have a half-life of 120 days. And to make matters worse, the body continues to produce antibodies to gluten for at least a year or 2 after gluten is withdrawn from the diet (at a slowly decreasing production rate). That ensures that the immune system will remain at a condition of high alert (looking for gluten), for a long time, and if even trace amounts of gluten exist in the diet, the antibody production rate will be kicked up a notch or 2. That makes careful attention to the diet essential for recovery.
On the average, most of us will see significant improvements within a few months to 6 months or so. There will be good days and bad days. Many describe the recovery process as a progression of "2 steps forward, and 1 step back". But dedication and perseverance pay off.
The other foods to which many of us react (such as dairy, soy, eggs, etc.) typically cause the production of antibodies that have approximately a 6-day half-life, so that eliminating any of those foods from the diet will usually bring improvement within a day or 2 (or 3), if those foods were causing a reaction. Note however, that gluten usually trumps everything else, so as long as we are still reacting to gluten, we will not be likely to show a response to the removal of other foods from the diet. After we are no longer reacting to gluten, then we are able to accurately assess the testing of other foods in our diet.
Also please be aware that as long as a single food that causes us to react remains in our diet, we cannot experience remission — all inflammatory foods must be removed from the diet. That's why testing foods one at a time and then adding them back into our diet is pointless.
Many members take budesonide (Entocort EC) while they are waiting for their gut to heal from the diet changes, because the corticosteroid will mask the symptoms to make life much more pleasant until healing is sufficient to bring remission by diet alone. Weaning off the budesonide must be done very, very slowly though, because otherwise there tends to be a rebound effect as mast cells repopulate, and that rebound effect can trigger a relapse.
Many of us here have reached remission without the use of medications. It's strictly a matter of personal choice. MC is not an easy disease to bring under control, but it's certainly doable, and it's definitely worth it, to get our life back.
Good luck with your treatment, and please keep us posted on your progress. And never hesitate to ask questions, because quite often, the correct answers to those questions can prevent days of unnecessary misery.
Tex
Response times vary widely. A few people see improvement within a few days or a week, but for most of us, it takes months. This is because the antibodies to the main gluten peptide that causes most people to react, have a half-life of 120 days. And to make matters worse, the body continues to produce antibodies to gluten for at least a year or 2 after gluten is withdrawn from the diet (at a slowly decreasing production rate). That ensures that the immune system will remain at a condition of high alert (looking for gluten), for a long time, and if even trace amounts of gluten exist in the diet, the antibody production rate will be kicked up a notch or 2. That makes careful attention to the diet essential for recovery.
On the average, most of us will see significant improvements within a few months to 6 months or so. There will be good days and bad days. Many describe the recovery process as a progression of "2 steps forward, and 1 step back". But dedication and perseverance pay off.
The other foods to which many of us react (such as dairy, soy, eggs, etc.) typically cause the production of antibodies that have approximately a 6-day half-life, so that eliminating any of those foods from the diet will usually bring improvement within a day or 2 (or 3), if those foods were causing a reaction. Note however, that gluten usually trumps everything else, so as long as we are still reacting to gluten, we will not be likely to show a response to the removal of other foods from the diet. After we are no longer reacting to gluten, then we are able to accurately assess the testing of other foods in our diet.
Also please be aware that as long as a single food that causes us to react remains in our diet, we cannot experience remission — all inflammatory foods must be removed from the diet. That's why testing foods one at a time and then adding them back into our diet is pointless.
Many members take budesonide (Entocort EC) while they are waiting for their gut to heal from the diet changes, because the corticosteroid will mask the symptoms to make life much more pleasant until healing is sufficient to bring remission by diet alone. Weaning off the budesonide must be done very, very slowly though, because otherwise there tends to be a rebound effect as mast cells repopulate, and that rebound effect can trigger a relapse.
Many of us here have reached remission without the use of medications. It's strictly a matter of personal choice. MC is not an easy disease to bring under control, but it's certainly doable, and it's definitely worth it, to get our life back.
Good luck with your treatment, and please keep us posted on your progress. And never hesitate to ask questions, because quite often, the correct answers to those questions can prevent days of unnecessary misery.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.