Hello all,
I just received my daughter's results.
132 for gluten (not a surprise)
22 for dairy
33 for egg and chicken
67 for soy
After that they just tell me that the mean value of all other foods is 22. She basically seems to react to everything tested. Where do we go from there? What can she eat? No grains, no potatoes, no meat, no nuts, no tuna? Is the only way forward an elimination diet then?
I'm quite discouraged. Thanks for your feedback!
Enterolab results are in and we're still in the dark
Moderators: Rosie, JFR, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
That overall result should have been followed by rankings of the various foods into 4 categories, ranging from negligible (0) to significant (3+). Those rankings are important, because she might be able to eat most or all of the foods in the 0 category, and some of the foods in the 1+ category (if there are any foods in those categories).Mary wrote:After that they just tell me that the mean value of all other foods is 22.
Her high antibody levels indicate that she has probably been reacting to those foods for quite a while — maybe for years. We have many members here who have had similar test results. They work out a diet that eliminates the foods shown to be a problem by the EnteroLab results, and do trial and error testing to determine which alternate foods will work safely for them. For example, if beef, pork, chicken, and tuna are off limits, then turkey, duck, goose, pheasant, venison, antelope, lamb, rabbit, etc., are usually safe options (but probably not bison, because most bison have domestic livestock genes in their DNA these days). If white potatoes are a problem, sweet potatoes might be safe. Many people who cannot eat tuna, can safely eat salmon, or some other fish.
To answer your question in your second post, yes, reaching remission is typically more difficult when there are so many problem foods, but it's doable, and those who are motivated to get their life back are usually able to control their symptoms by diet alone. Some who have an extremely limited selection, sometimes use a very low maintenance dose of budesonide (such as 1 capsule every other day, or every third day) to allow them to add a few of the least problematic foods back into their diet. As in anything, dedication and perseverance pay off with improved results.
If you don't get any responses from others who are in this sort of situation, try posting your questions in the Main Message Board forum. Many members don't seem to read all of these forms, and they concentrate on the Main Message Board.
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 Mary,
My mean value for all 11 foods tested was 30! That was 1& 1/2 years ago. I eat venison, elk, turkey, lamb & some haddock. I eat squashes & carrots (cooked). I eat coconut & sunflower seed butter. I eat a small amount of blueberries & banana (cooked).
I'm close to remission, but it takes time & patience.
My mean value for all 11 foods tested was 30! That was 1& 1/2 years ago. I eat venison, elk, turkey, lamb & some haddock. I eat squashes & carrots (cooked). I eat coconut & sunflower seed butter. I eat a small amount of blueberries & banana (cooked).
I'm close to remission, but it takes time & patience.
Linda :)
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
Maryse
I reacted to the big four, didn't have the other test. It is possible to work around it. Keep it simple. Find a few foods that have 1 - 3 ingredients and build a plan around those foods. After some healing other foods can be added. Banana, rice chex, almond milk, avocado, meats that are tolerated, gluten free bread, peeled and well cooked veggies & fruits, potato chips, fritos.
Definitely stay away from high fiber foods.
Check out Dee's Kitchen there are a lot of good recipes there.
I reacted to the big four, didn't have the other test. It is possible to work around it. Keep it simple. Find a few foods that have 1 - 3 ingredients and build a plan around those foods. After some healing other foods can be added. Banana, rice chex, almond milk, avocado, meats that are tolerated, gluten free bread, peeled and well cooked veggies & fruits, potato chips, fritos.
Definitely stay away from high fiber foods.
Check out Dee's Kitchen there are a lot of good recipes there.
Theresa
MC and UC 2014
in remission since June 1, 2014
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. ~Jim Rohn
MC and UC 2014
in remission since June 1, 2014
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. ~Jim Rohn
-
seeljanerun
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 11:33 am
Maryse,
It is a lot to take in, especially if your daughter has been eating a fairly traditional diet.
I would say the enterolab results are a starting place. On the optimistic side of things, like Tex said, she may still be able to tolerate some of the +1 foods. However, the test also does not take in to account other sensitivities that may be happening: fodmap intolerance, histamine intolerance, salicylate intolerance, or just plain fiber intolerance (which most of us seem to have due to a very irritated gut).
My enterolab results demonstrated that I was sensitive to all the big allergens, and I reacted to all the tested foods. Initially, I decided to do an elimination diet while still allowing the plus one foods, as well as including many other foods that seemed healthy: cooked vegetables, occasional salad, coconut, occasional fruit, healthy fats, bone broth, kombucha etc. However, I spent a year bouncing around on this plan without achieving remission. I continued to have chronic watery D and would get hives on my stomach. I even gave up once because I felt like It was impossible to figure out what I was reacting to, and started eating soy, dairy, and eggs again (always avoided gluten); but, immediately after this, I began to feel a lot worse: tons of generalized joint and muscle pain, increased fatigue, increased brain fog, increased hair loss, etc.
I finally took the advice of those on this board: start with a few safe foods, and stick with those until you achieve remission. It seems unfair and boring, and you have to pack food with you everywhere, but it has been definitely worth it. For me, I found out that I have multiple issues with food (sensitivities but also histamine & likely fodmap issues) so being too inclusive with my diet did not help me because I could never figure out what was causing my reactions.
I have been eating only turkey, pureed squash, ghee (I seem to digest this fat best even though it has trace casein), and occasional olive oil. I also take a small amount of psyllium fiber and citrucel capsules in the morning, a high dose probiotic called vsl #3, a high dose multi vitamin, fish oil, and amino acids.
I have tried including tea, but I could not tolerate it. I also take digestive enzymes with all meals. I usually eat 3x a day, no snacks. I have discovered that a higher fat, moderate to high protein, a low carbohydrate diet works best for my body. I do still have caffeine (max of 90mg/day), in the form of a caffeine water (who knew such things existed), as it helps me focus in class and while studying; in its pure form, detached from tea or coffee, it does not bother me.
The result after about 25 days has been profound: no more body pain, increased energy, increased mental clarity, and I am now down to only one normal BM per day! (happy dance). I do not wake up in the middle of the night to go anymore. My mood is also better; I am happier and feel more present in my own life. I am on zero prescription medications (I have tried asacol, high dose peptobismol, cholestyramine, budesonide, and none of them worked for me).
One thing that this board has taught me is that, even though we may have a similar diagnosis, every one of us is unique in terms of what diet and medications works for us. You may not have to eliminate all grains from your daughter's diet. But, my primary advice, which is derived from my year of floundering, is to start small in scope and expand outward.
I know it might seem very restrictive and difficult right now to implement such a plan for your daughter...but I would try to see the enterolab results as a gift: it provides you with valuable information to start fresh and begin helping your daughter reclaim her health.
It is a lot to take in, especially if your daughter has been eating a fairly traditional diet.
I would say the enterolab results are a starting place. On the optimistic side of things, like Tex said, she may still be able to tolerate some of the +1 foods. However, the test also does not take in to account other sensitivities that may be happening: fodmap intolerance, histamine intolerance, salicylate intolerance, or just plain fiber intolerance (which most of us seem to have due to a very irritated gut).
My enterolab results demonstrated that I was sensitive to all the big allergens, and I reacted to all the tested foods. Initially, I decided to do an elimination diet while still allowing the plus one foods, as well as including many other foods that seemed healthy: cooked vegetables, occasional salad, coconut, occasional fruit, healthy fats, bone broth, kombucha etc. However, I spent a year bouncing around on this plan without achieving remission. I continued to have chronic watery D and would get hives on my stomach. I even gave up once because I felt like It was impossible to figure out what I was reacting to, and started eating soy, dairy, and eggs again (always avoided gluten); but, immediately after this, I began to feel a lot worse: tons of generalized joint and muscle pain, increased fatigue, increased brain fog, increased hair loss, etc.
I finally took the advice of those on this board: start with a few safe foods, and stick with those until you achieve remission. It seems unfair and boring, and you have to pack food with you everywhere, but it has been definitely worth it. For me, I found out that I have multiple issues with food (sensitivities but also histamine & likely fodmap issues) so being too inclusive with my diet did not help me because I could never figure out what was causing my reactions.
I have been eating only turkey, pureed squash, ghee (I seem to digest this fat best even though it has trace casein), and occasional olive oil. I also take a small amount of psyllium fiber and citrucel capsules in the morning, a high dose probiotic called vsl #3, a high dose multi vitamin, fish oil, and amino acids.
I have tried including tea, but I could not tolerate it. I also take digestive enzymes with all meals. I usually eat 3x a day, no snacks. I have discovered that a higher fat, moderate to high protein, a low carbohydrate diet works best for my body. I do still have caffeine (max of 90mg/day), in the form of a caffeine water (who knew such things existed), as it helps me focus in class and while studying; in its pure form, detached from tea or coffee, it does not bother me.
The result after about 25 days has been profound: no more body pain, increased energy, increased mental clarity, and I am now down to only one normal BM per day! (happy dance). I do not wake up in the middle of the night to go anymore. My mood is also better; I am happier and feel more present in my own life. I am on zero prescription medications (I have tried asacol, high dose peptobismol, cholestyramine, budesonide, and none of them worked for me).
One thing that this board has taught me is that, even though we may have a similar diagnosis, every one of us is unique in terms of what diet and medications works for us. You may not have to eliminate all grains from your daughter's diet. But, my primary advice, which is derived from my year of floundering, is to start small in scope and expand outward.
I know it might seem very restrictive and difficult right now to implement such a plan for your daughter...but I would try to see the enterolab results as a gift: it provides you with valuable information to start fresh and begin helping your daughter reclaim her health.
Jane
Enterolab results are in and we're still in the dark
Thank you all so very much!
Yes, my daughter is 20 years old and has had diarrhea all her life. It's taken years of tests to finally reach this MC diagnosis.
Tex, The results I got say that there were no foods with no immunological reactivity, but in the 1+ category, we have corn, rice, oat, beef, pork, cashew, almond, walnut, potato. Nothing for 2+. Tuna and chicken for 3+. I'm glad to hear that we can at least try and see if some of the 1+ can be tolerated. The only time we achieved normal BMs were with a diet limited to lamb, cooked carrots, and white rice. That was 10 years ago.
She's determined to find a way to manage this through food so she'll tackle it when she returns to the US at Christmas.
Yes, my daughter is 20 years old and has had diarrhea all her life. It's taken years of tests to finally reach this MC diagnosis.
Tex, The results I got say that there were no foods with no immunological reactivity, but in the 1+ category, we have corn, rice, oat, beef, pork, cashew, almond, walnut, potato. Nothing for 2+. Tuna and chicken for 3+. I'm glad to hear that we can at least try and see if some of the 1+ can be tolerated. The only time we achieved normal BMs were with a diet limited to lamb, cooked carrots, and white rice. That was 10 years ago.
She's determined to find a way to manage this through food so she'll tackle it when she returns to the US at Christmas.
Mary,
The safest way to use foods in the 1+ category is on a rotational basis, IOW by eating them only on 1 day out of 3 or more. However, on the day that a food is selected, it can be eaten in more than 1 meal, if desired, as long as it is on the same day. With so many foods in the 1+ group, a rotation program should be workable. Of course, you will still have to watch for reactions to any of those foods, and stop using them if problems should develop.
Lamb, cooked carrots and white rice should be a good place to start when she begins the process of deciding on a safe diet that will allow her gut to heal.
Tex
The safest way to use foods in the 1+ category is on a rotational basis, IOW by eating them only on 1 day out of 3 or more. However, on the day that a food is selected, it can be eaten in more than 1 meal, if desired, as long as it is on the same day. With so many foods in the 1+ group, a rotation program should be workable. Of course, you will still have to watch for reactions to any of those foods, and stop using them if problems should develop.
Lamb, cooked carrots and white rice should be a good place to start when she begins the process of deciding on a safe diet that will allow her gut to heal.
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.
Mary,
I had a difficult time eating lamb at first because I never ate it before. But, it is the most digestible form of animal protein, so it is a great place to start. I cook lamb chops on the grill, or make a roast the same way you'd do a beef roast. I get ground lamb too that makes a good burger.
Good luck!
I had a difficult time eating lamb at first because I never ate it before. But, it is the most digestible form of animal protein, so it is a great place to start. I cook lamb chops on the grill, or make a roast the same way you'd do a beef roast. I get ground lamb too that makes a good burger.
Good luck!
Linda :)
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....