Dear All
I received my Enterolab results today and unfortunately it seems I have a lot of sensitivities. I'd already cut gluten, lactose and egg from my diet about 6 weeks before the test and am not surprised to see that I am above the 10 unit threshold for all of them (plus soy) after reading Wayne's book and some of the articles on this Discussion Board.
The things that surprised me most about my results are the following:
1. The high quantitative microscopic fecal fat score (1,294 vs normal range of less than 300). It looks as if there could be issues with my small intestine or pancreas and so I will discuss this with my gastroenterologist. I previously had a blood test that had a negative result for Celiac but I understand that blood tests are not always conclusive. I've never had an Endoscopy and only ever had one Colonoscopy which was the one about 2 months ago that diagnosed me with LC (I'm very grateful that a biopsy was performed!).
2. I have 2+ sensitivity to beef, pork and chicken and 3+ to tuna. I'm not sure when I last had tuna but I assume trace amounts in my diet were enough for the purposes of the test. I eat a lot of beef and chicken. It would seem I have to give up all of these 2+ and 3+ foods (and so the only meats I could eat are lamb, wild game etc) or please let me know if that's incorrect.
Any thoughts on what else I can eat will be appreciated. Since being diagnosed with LC about 2 months ago I'm having a lot of rice cereal (gluten free), rice milk, sweet potatoes and cooked vegetables (plus mainly beef and chicken as discussed above). Any other tips/thoughts will be appreciated.
Looks like some difficult times ahead but I see this MC diagnosis as a blessing and so am remaining positive.
Many thanks,
Charles
Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score 1294 Units (Normal Range is less than 300 Units)
Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 26 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 50 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 14 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-soy IgA 30 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 16 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
While all of the foods tested can be immune-stimulating, the hierarchy of reactions detected were as follows:
Food to which there was no significant immunological reactivity:
Oat
Rice
Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+):
Corn
Cashew
Walnut
Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+):
Beef
Pork
Chicken
Almond
White potato
Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+):
Tuna
Within each class of foods to which you displayed multiple reactions, the hierarchy of those reactions detected were as follows:
Grains:
Grain toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Corn
Meats:
Meat toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Tuna
Meat toward which you were next most immunologically reactive: Beef
Meat toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Pork
Meat toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Chicken
Nuts:
Nut toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Almond
Nut toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Cashew
Nut toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Walnut
Nightshades:
You displayed immunologic reactivity to white potato, the member of the nightshade family usually consumed most often and in greatest quantities. While this does not necessarily mean you would react to all other nightshade foods (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant), it is possible. In the realm of elimination diets for immunologic disorders, nightshades are usually eliminated as the entire food class (i.e., all four previously mentioned foods in this class). This is especially important to the clinical setting of arthritis.
Enterolab results received today - any help appreciated
Moderators: Rosie, JFR, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Charles,
Here are my thoughts on your results, FWIW.
I'm surprised that your fecal fat score is so high, considering that I would expect your anti-gliadin antibody result to be much higher, based on the amount of small intestinal damage that your fecal fat score suggests. Normally, the fecal score increases as the damage from gluten increases over time. Often, a higher fecal fat score indicates celiac disease. But it could just mean that you have been reacting for a long time to something else (such as casein, since your casein result is relatively high). Or it could just mean that you were eating much, much less fat than a normal diet when you caught the sample, because that test assumes that the subject has a normal amount of fat in their diet. I'm guessing that might have been the main reason for the high score. Both your casein and soy results are higher than for most of us. That suggests that you may have been reacting to them for quite a while, and the combination may haqve added to the small intestinal damage. At any rate, I wouldn't worry about it because if you clean. up your diet that small intestinal damage (if it even exists) will fade away.
I wouldn't worry about pancreatic inflammation either, because many (possibly most) of us have pancreatic inflammation while out MC is active. After we're in remission for a while, all that other inflammation (in other organs) fades away also.
Your overall score on the 11 other antigenic foods is relatively low (11). Because of that, the individual food scores have lowered importance. The 1+ foods, for example might not be a problem. If I were in your shoes, I would probably avoid all those foods while I was recovering, but after you have been in remission for a while, they might not be a permanent problem. You'll just have to experiment with them at that point, to determine of they're still a problem. Many of us have similar individual food scores, but our overall result is much higher.
Note that many of us are sensitive to almonds (or cashews), but we can still use almond milk (or cashew milk) safely (provided that none of the other ingredients are a problem). Most of those nut milks contain a gum as a thickener, and some of us have a problem with most gums.
Many of us who are sensitive to chicken, can eat turkey without any problems.
I hope this helps.
Tex
Here are my thoughts on your results, FWIW.
I'm surprised that your fecal fat score is so high, considering that I would expect your anti-gliadin antibody result to be much higher, based on the amount of small intestinal damage that your fecal fat score suggests. Normally, the fecal score increases as the damage from gluten increases over time. Often, a higher fecal fat score indicates celiac disease. But it could just mean that you have been reacting for a long time to something else (such as casein, since your casein result is relatively high). Or it could just mean that you were eating much, much less fat than a normal diet when you caught the sample, because that test assumes that the subject has a normal amount of fat in their diet. I'm guessing that might have been the main reason for the high score. Both your casein and soy results are higher than for most of us. That suggests that you may have been reacting to them for quite a while, and the combination may haqve added to the small intestinal damage. At any rate, I wouldn't worry about it because if you clean. up your diet that small intestinal damage (if it even exists) will fade away.
I wouldn't worry about pancreatic inflammation either, because many (possibly most) of us have pancreatic inflammation while out MC is active. After we're in remission for a while, all that other inflammation (in other organs) fades away also.
Your overall score on the 11 other antigenic foods is relatively low (11). Because of that, the individual food scores have lowered importance. The 1+ foods, for example might not be a problem. If I were in your shoes, I would probably avoid all those foods while I was recovering, but after you have been in remission for a while, they might not be a permanent problem. You'll just have to experiment with them at that point, to determine of they're still a problem. Many of us have similar individual food scores, but our overall result is much higher.
Note that many of us are sensitive to almonds (or cashews), but we can still use almond milk (or cashew milk) safely (provided that none of the other ingredients are a problem). Most of those nut milks contain a gum as a thickener, and some of us have a problem with most gums.
Many of us who are sensitive to chicken, can eat turkey without any problems.
I hope this helps.
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.
Enterolab results received today - any help appreciated
Hi Tex
Thanks a lot for your reply, that is much appreciated. I'm a newbie and so have a lot to learn but it seems you are really helping a lot of people with their MC journey and so thanks again.
I think you are right that casein has been my problem for a long time, probably a lot longer than gluten for me. I haven't had cows milk or cheese for the last 2 months or so since my MC diagnosis apart from a few lactose free yoghurts over the past few days but I think that was a schoolboy error as I see my problem is with casein (the milk protein) and not lactose (the milk sugar). Before my MC diagnosis I lived on a lot of casein (eg milk and cereal for breakfast probably about 80% of my life plus also having ice cream, yoghurt etc) whereas soy has never been a big part of my diet and so perhaps hasn't damaged me as much even though I see I do react to it.
That is good news that my score of 11 on the antigenic foods is not too bad. I will experiment after I've been in remission for a while as you suggest.
Kind regards,
Charles
Thanks a lot for your reply, that is much appreciated. I'm a newbie and so have a lot to learn but it seems you are really helping a lot of people with their MC journey and so thanks again.
I think you are right that casein has been my problem for a long time, probably a lot longer than gluten for me. I haven't had cows milk or cheese for the last 2 months or so since my MC diagnosis apart from a few lactose free yoghurts over the past few days but I think that was a schoolboy error as I see my problem is with casein (the milk protein) and not lactose (the milk sugar). Before my MC diagnosis I lived on a lot of casein (eg milk and cereal for breakfast probably about 80% of my life plus also having ice cream, yoghurt etc) whereas soy has never been a big part of my diet and so perhaps hasn't damaged me as much even though I see I do react to it.
That is good news that my score of 11 on the antigenic foods is not too bad. I will experiment after I've been in remission for a while as you suggest.
Kind regards,
Charles