Hi All,
I'm new here and recently got my EnteroLab results after being diagnosed with LC after a colonoscopy in July. I've suffered from mostly C and occasional WD for about six years. I read a post where Tex talked about how WD would more likely get us into the doctor for relief but constipation not so much! (coming off BCP's after being on them for about 10 years seemed to trigger symptoms). My lab results are as follows:
Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 600 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 109 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 129 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-soy IgA 60 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 60 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Food to which there was no significant immunological reactivity: None
Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+): None
Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+): Oat, Rice, Beef, Pork, Tuna, Almond, Walnut
Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+): Corn, Chicken, Cashew, White potato
About three weeks ago I became GF and that has helped with about 85% of my symptoms ( including C, occasional WD, abdominal pain in lower left side where my colon just seemed to ache). My brain fog seems to be going away little by little and I feel more energetic. I take 6,000 IU of D3 daily and have magnesium lotion coming (tried the Doctor's Best Chelated Magnesium and had stomach pain and change in bowel habits). I also take digestive enzymes a couple of times a day (Integrative Therapeutics Similase as prescribed by a naturopath before my diagnosis of MC).
My question comes since I feel considerably better just cutting out gluten whileI have been eating several servings of dairy daily as well as chicken eggs, Jasmine rice, homemade chicken soup with soft veggies, potatoes, and some corn products. Since I'm feeling so much better do I start at recovery level one (turkey, soft veggies, broth, etc) or is it okay to cut out one of my triggers at a time and see if I feel better/or worse if I reintroduce it? As the gluten gets out of my system will that make me react more strongly to my other trigger foods? I want to promote gut healing and not make things worse but I'm confused about my improving symptoms vs the high levels of sensitivity.
Thanks for any feedback you have. I've been a lurker for a few weeks and am absorbing a lot of information while being impressed with how caring everyone is. It's reassuring to know there are others trying to figure things out with MC!
Take care.
Amy
EnteroLab High Levels Questions
Moderators: Rosie, JFR, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Re: EnteroLab High Levels Questions
Hello Amy,
Welcome to the group. I'll try to answer your questions. Once we develop one or more food sensitivities, as long as exposures continue, antibody levels will continue to build, and as they do, sensitivity levels will continue to increase, so that additional foods may begin to trigger the production of antibodies. Therefore, relatively high results on EnteroLab tests simply mean that you have been reacting to those foods for an extended period.
Avoiding only gluten, initially, usually doesn't result in any problems, except that at some point between probably two and six weeks, although this varies by the individual, gluten antibodies will no longer dominate your reactions, and you will begin to react to the other food sensitivities, if they are still a part of your diet. In other words, it's not mandatory to avoid anything other than gluten early in the treatment, because your reactions will continue to be dominated by gluten for a while, and as long as it is, it will ignore the other food sensitivities. However, as your reactions to gluten begin to fade, the other foods will need to be avoided, also, in order to regain/maintain remission.
The reason this is possible is because gluten (anti-gliadin) antibodies have a 120 day half-life, and most other food sensitivity antibodies have a five or six day half-life. it takes time for antibody levels to decay, depending upon their half-life. Because of that, it takes, on the average, about six weeks (more or less) to get the gluten (anti-gliaden) antibodies down to a level where our immune system will be able to detect the other food sensitivities. As long as significant amounts of gluten (anti-gliaden) antibodies are still in our system, those antibodies will dominate our immune system reactions (in other words, in that situation, it will usually ignore other food sensitivities). Once the gluten antibodies drop below our reaction threshold, then our immune system will be able to detect the other food sensitivities.
If you retain those other food sensitivities in your diet, once gluten antibodies drop below the level that allows them to be dominant (as far as your immune system is concerned), then your clinical symptoms will return because your immune system is reacting to some or all of those other food sensitivities (other than gluten).
Attempting to reintroduce and test (or simply test) foods before you are in stable remission, is futile, and a total waste of time, because until you are in stable remission, and your immune system is once again able to perform normally, there is no way that you can accurately tell whether you are producing antibodies to a test food or not, due to the fact that your immune system is still unable to perform normally at that point. I hope I haven't just confused the issue.
Again welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to the group. I'll try to answer your questions. Once we develop one or more food sensitivities, as long as exposures continue, antibody levels will continue to build, and as they do, sensitivity levels will continue to increase, so that additional foods may begin to trigger the production of antibodies. Therefore, relatively high results on EnteroLab tests simply mean that you have been reacting to those foods for an extended period.
Avoiding only gluten, initially, usually doesn't result in any problems, except that at some point between probably two and six weeks, although this varies by the individual, gluten antibodies will no longer dominate your reactions, and you will begin to react to the other food sensitivities, if they are still a part of your diet. In other words, it's not mandatory to avoid anything other than gluten early in the treatment, because your reactions will continue to be dominated by gluten for a while, and as long as it is, it will ignore the other food sensitivities. However, as your reactions to gluten begin to fade, the other foods will need to be avoided, also, in order to regain/maintain remission.
The reason this is possible is because gluten (anti-gliadin) antibodies have a 120 day half-life, and most other food sensitivity antibodies have a five or six day half-life. it takes time for antibody levels to decay, depending upon their half-life. Because of that, it takes, on the average, about six weeks (more or less) to get the gluten (anti-gliaden) antibodies down to a level where our immune system will be able to detect the other food sensitivities. As long as significant amounts of gluten (anti-gliaden) antibodies are still in our system, those antibodies will dominate our immune system reactions (in other words, in that situation, it will usually ignore other food sensitivities). Once the gluten antibodies drop below our reaction threshold, then our immune system will be able to detect the other food sensitivities.
If you retain those other food sensitivities in your diet, once gluten antibodies drop below the level that allows them to be dominant (as far as your immune system is concerned), then your clinical symptoms will return because your immune system is reacting to some or all of those other food sensitivities (other than gluten).
Attempting to reintroduce and test (or simply test) foods before you are in stable remission, is futile, and a total waste of time, because until you are in stable remission, and your immune system is once again able to perform normally, there is no way that you can accurately tell whether you are producing antibodies to a test food or not, due to the fact that your immune system is still unable to perform normally at that point. I hope I haven't just confused the issue.
Again welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
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.
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mellowyellow
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2022 10:01 pm
Re: EnteroLab High Levels Questions
Thank you for the quick reply, Tex. I hope this Sunday finds you doing well down in Texas. We are having a rare sunny day here in Alaska and I need to get outside and enjoy it.
What you say makes perfect sense. I think like many others I'm hoping for a speedy trip to remission but need to slow down and start at the beginning of the elimination diet. I've often said to my family that everything seems to bug my stomach at times, causing bloating, C, and a pain in my side, and it makes sense as my intestines have been inflamed for years. Fat and too much fiber are big triggers. I'm sure liking this likely temporary improvement in my symptoms from going GF but realize I need to eliminate the other big triggers--dairy, eggs and soy--as well as eliminating the antigen foods starting with level 3. I have a couple more questions if you have a chance:
You mentioned in another post I think you stated that you weren't sure if nightshades are actually as huge of an issue except in cases of arthritis. Do I have any wiggle room with white potatoes unless they cause me GI distress? I usually eat Yukon Gold and know that I should try sweet potatoes as I may be more tolerant to those.
Rice is a level 2 for me which is disappointing as it seems to be okay for most folks. How bad is it to keep some Jasmine rice in my diet? Are there other grains to try?
My other question is about milk in coffee. Although almond and rice are level 2 antigens, is using those types of milk as problematic as eating the foods themselves?
I appreciate your help and am learning so much from your book and this forum.
Take care.
Amy
What you say makes perfect sense. I think like many others I'm hoping for a speedy trip to remission but need to slow down and start at the beginning of the elimination diet. I've often said to my family that everything seems to bug my stomach at times, causing bloating, C, and a pain in my side, and it makes sense as my intestines have been inflamed for years. Fat and too much fiber are big triggers. I'm sure liking this likely temporary improvement in my symptoms from going GF but realize I need to eliminate the other big triggers--dairy, eggs and soy--as well as eliminating the antigen foods starting with level 3. I have a couple more questions if you have a chance:
You mentioned in another post I think you stated that you weren't sure if nightshades are actually as huge of an issue except in cases of arthritis. Do I have any wiggle room with white potatoes unless they cause me GI distress? I usually eat Yukon Gold and know that I should try sweet potatoes as I may be more tolerant to those.
Rice is a level 2 for me which is disappointing as it seems to be okay for most folks. How bad is it to keep some Jasmine rice in my diet? Are there other grains to try?
My other question is about milk in coffee. Although almond and rice are level 2 antigens, is using those types of milk as problematic as eating the foods themselves?
I appreciate your help and am learning so much from your book and this forum.
Take care.
Amy
Re: EnteroLab High Levels Questions
Until last weekend, It was so hot, so quickly, most days this summer that I stayed indoors most of the day virtually every day. Highs were between 105 and 110°, almost every blooming day. I'm too old to be working in the heat. But it was so cool today (low to mid 90s), that I did some tree limb trimming in the middle of the afternoon, for a change, to catch up on some of the work yard work that I've been postponing because of the heat. And we actually had some rain, for a change. The summer has been mighty dry, in this part of the world.
Russets are the most difficult potatoes to digest, because of their starch content. Yukon golds are easier to digest and red potatoes are probably even easier to digest. But if you're actually sensitive to potatoes, the color may not matter. Sweet potatoes are okay for most people, because they're not related to regular potatoes. If Rice doesn't trigger a noticeable reaction, you might be able to eat it in a rotation diet, but if you're sensitive to all grains, including rice, it might be safer to eat substitutes like quinoa, amaranth, millet (if you can find some that's not cross-contaminated), teff, ragi, Job's tears, and buckwheat. Ragi and Job's tears are also called adlay.
Most of us are able to use almond milk, even though we're sensitive to the almonds themselves. There are also other options such as coconut milk and hemp milk. If you buy refined coconut milk the strong coconut flavor is removed, but if you buy regular coconut milk (unrefined) your coffee will have a coconut flavor. Don't use any (commercially processed) so-called dairy free creamers, because most of them contain a casein derivative which will cause us to react. Apparently those dairy free product manufacturers mistakenly think that all milk sensitivities are caused by lactose, because those products are lactose-free, but not casein free.
Tex
Russets are the most difficult potatoes to digest, because of their starch content. Yukon golds are easier to digest and red potatoes are probably even easier to digest. But if you're actually sensitive to potatoes, the color may not matter. Sweet potatoes are okay for most people, because they're not related to regular potatoes. If Rice doesn't trigger a noticeable reaction, you might be able to eat it in a rotation diet, but if you're sensitive to all grains, including rice, it might be safer to eat substitutes like quinoa, amaranth, millet (if you can find some that's not cross-contaminated), teff, ragi, Job's tears, and buckwheat. Ragi and Job's tears are also called adlay.
Most of us are able to use almond milk, even though we're sensitive to the almonds themselves. There are also other options such as coconut milk and hemp milk. If you buy refined coconut milk the strong coconut flavor is removed, but if you buy regular coconut milk (unrefined) your coffee will have a coconut flavor. Don't use any (commercially processed) so-called dairy free creamers, because most of them contain a casein derivative which will cause us to react. Apparently those dairy free product manufacturers mistakenly think that all milk sensitivities are caused by lactose, because those products are lactose-free, but not casein free.
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.
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mellowyellow
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2022 10:01 pm
Re: EnteroLab High Levels Questions
Wow, Tex, that fact that you were able to work outside with the weather in the 90's is impressive! Hopefully it cools down soon for you.
I appreciate you taking time to answer my questions as I try and puzzle out the MC mystery. Thank you so much!
Take care.
Amy
I appreciate you taking time to answer my questions as I try and puzzle out the MC mystery. Thank you so much!
Take care.
Amy