To test or not to test? Enterolab

[nclarkramirez]

Hello!

I'm trying to decide if the Enterolab tests would be helpful to me. I have had A LOT of other tests done (stool, IGg, etc). Wondering if anyone has any thoughts/advice on if I should get the tests done?

I was diagnosed back in April of last year and have written on the board a few times. I've been on a strict diet since July 2022. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to reach remission and I feel more frustrated than usual. I have worked really hard on reducing stress levels, added yoga, reduced high intensity exercise, changed jobs, got off PPIs in Sept, etc.

Sometimes I'll just have 2-3 WD/Mud movements in the morning and nothing else throughout the day and that I can deal with better, but then I'll have a day of 6-8 Bm with some just very very small amounts. I literally can't do/schedule anything in the morning and can't work like a normal person--I do a lot of online work etc (nutrition, health, functional medicine coach, adjunct professor--helping so many others reach remission in their respective conditions (none with MC of course) but can't help myself lol). I've been on budesonide for 7 months (mostly 9mg, a couple times I tried to go down when I had that one week of norms but went back up and still have WD so wondering if budesonide just doesn't work for me.)

I have been dairy and gluten free for 15 years so neither of those "should" be a problem.

Current Diet:
Proteins: LOTS of ground turkey (have checked with company to be sure no soy added in rosemary extract), baked chicken breast on occasion (1x/week), lean steak 1-2x/week, Collagen powder (Vital Proteins pure bovine collagen and then only about 10g of a chocolate collagen that just has bovine collagen, cacao and stevia)

Other foods: white rice, white rice noodles, vanilla Malk (almond milk, no gums), banana, skinless mushy zucchini, Siete potato chips made with avocado oil (small amounts--larger amounts seem to bother me), a collagen protein smoothie with cacao powder, banana and almond milk and top with 20g of crushed Emmys paleo chocolate crisps ; some homemade baked goods ( a muffin and a "cookie") made with coconut flour or almond flour, a little maple syrup, coconut milk and banana, rice pudding made with coconut/almond milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon. Only using avocado oil sprays, salt and pepper to cook with/season. I’m 1/2 decaf/1/2 reg low-acid, organic coffee and put plain collagen peptides in it and almond milk. I eat about 4 small meals a day.
I was eating baked plantains and plantain chips made with coconut oil every day and felt like those helped me keep weight on but then felt like those may have been bothering me so cut those out. I was having some expensive dark chocolate (dairy free soy free gluten free paleo etc) in very small amounts 1x/day and didn't think it was bothering me but cut that out too months ago. I have tried mushy green beans as well. I honestly don't really know what my safe foods are since I am still having daily WD. I'm trying to be patient as I know healing can take years. I just don't want to be eating things I shouldn't and also not adding in other things I should. I have had only 1 week in the past 7 months where my stools normalized right after I took a medication for candida (nystatin) but then it went right back to where I started - false hope there.
I started LDN 0.5mg last week and know I need to work up to a higher dose and am hopeful that will help.

Prescription Meds: Budesonide 9mg, Wellbutrin, Vyvanse, 1/2 Lorazepam, testosterone gel (small amount every other day), Diflucan
Colestipol seemed to make me worse and bm were orangeish
Supps I am currently taking with every meal — DGL Plus & Digestive Enzyme (DigestGold)
Other supplements I’m currently taking:
Chelated Mag Glycinate (200mg), B Complex, Zinc Carnosine, L-Methylfolate 15mg, Vitamin D 5000

[tex]

Your case is very complex because of all the medications you're taking. For example, both Vyvanse and Lorazepam list diarrhea as a possible side effect. With so many medications and supplements, pinpointing the cause or causes of refractive treatment is virtually impossible. The problem might be one medication, or one supplement, or it might be a cumulative effect due to several medications and/or supplements. As we've stated many times, the fewer items we ingest while we're in recovery, the faster we recover, and the less likely we are to fail to recover. With fewer items going into our mouth, detecting a problem with any one of the items is much easier. With so many possibilities, figuring out the cause or causes of failure becomes a nightmare of detective work. The only supplements most of us take are vitamin D and magnesium, which are vital for proper immune system functioning.

That said, it's possible that the EnteroLab tests might be helpful, because the results can tell you which foods can cause your immune system to produce antibodies, and which should be safe. The test results can also help to spot cross-contamination in your diet. The problem in your case is that if you've been taking budesonide for longer than a few months, the test results might be affected (possible false negative results), and if you've been taking budesonide for a year or more, probably the only antibody result that would be accurate would be anti-giadin (gluten). If that might be a problem, your best bet would be to call the lab and describe the details of your budesonide use, and they can tell you whether or not it might be a significant factor in the test results. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Tex