Are Bacteria Selective?

[megsylvan2]

Can someone tell me - are bacteria selective? Is there some reason they choose to pick on certain foods and cause bowel problems, while leaving others alone?

Saw a new doc today (listed on this site, no less). Here's the diagnosis I was given: She suspects bacteria in my lower intestines are the culprit and also stress and anxiety, and recommended antibiotics and SSRIs. So, it is possible that bacteria are selective and would choose to cause bowel problems only when I eat certain foods (wheat, gluten, eggs, honey)?? I don't think so. I would think they would cause problems for any and all foods that I eat.

Dr says that since I've had an upper endoscopy (wasn't looking for Celiac), which was negative, and had blood tests (only the 3 measurements) while on gluten-free diet, I can not have Celiac. Since all my allergy tests were negative, I have no food allergies. There are no tests for food intolerances. There are no tests for IgA, IgG. She has no idea why my thyroid is changing in response to gluten-free diet. For my reflux, I should take OTC Prilosec. Come back in two weeks and we will proceed from there -- I guess in case these antibiotics don't do the trick and I am still having problems.

You know, I don't care if I have Celiac or not. I don't want a diagnosis of Celiac, because I don't want to have it. I just want to stop being in pain, to have an explanation for why I am suddenly having severe intestinal issues, and I want proper and appropriate follow-up care so that all bodily systems can function in harmony and I can avoid KNOWN issues and problems in the future.

Oh, I can see I have a lot to learn. I've got to get a LOT better at describing what is bothering me and exactly what I am seeking... No wonder people give up. (And I've only had a few tries -- not for years like some of the people here!)

[Green12]

Can someone tell me - are bacteria selective? Is there some reason they choose to pick on certain foods and cause bowel problems, while leaving others alone?

Saw a new doc today (listed on this site, no less). Here's the diagnosis I was given: She suspects bacteria in my lower intestines are the culprit and also stress and anxiety, and recommended antibiotics and SSRIs. So, it is possible that bacteria are selective and would choose to cause bowel problems only when I eat certain foods (wheat, gluten, eggs, honey)?? I don't think so. I would think they would cause problems for any and all foods that I eat.

Dr says that since I've had an upper endoscopy (wasn't looking for Celiac), which was negative, and had blood tests (only the 3 measurements) while on gluten-free diet, I can not have Celiac. Since all my allergy tests were negative, I have no food allergies. There are no tests for food intolerances. There are no tests for IgA, IgG. She has no idea why my thyroid is changing in response to gluten-free diet. For my reflux, I should take OTC Prilosec. Come back in two weeks and we will proceed from there -- I guess in case these antibiotics don't do the trick and I am still having problems.

You know, I don't care if I have Celiac or not. I don't want a diagnosis of Celiac, because I don't want to have it. I just want to stop being in pain, to have an explanation for why I am suddenly having severe intestinal issues, and I want proper and appropriate follow-up care so that all bodily systems can function in harmony and I can avoid KNOWN issues and problems in the future.

Oh, I can see I have a lot to learn. I've got to get a LOT better at describing what is bothering me and exactly what I am seeking... No wonder people give up. (And I've only had a few tries -- not for years like some of the people here!)

Hi megsylvan, I'm not sure about the bacteria in our guts being selective- no idea. I had a food panel test taken several years ago, I don't recall what the test was called, but it did test for food allergies/intolerances so I know there is one out there. I have experienced recently severe esophogeal reflux, what helped me was staying away from spicy foods and especially tomatoes, that was a big one for me. Don't give up though, our bodies are complicated and complex, even more so when illness sets in. Just keep your chin up and keep looking for what works for you, it might be worth doing a food elimination diet of somekind to see if anything you are eating is causing some of your pain. If you can get those triggers out of your diet you might feel a little bit better in order to tackle some of the bigger issues. Hope that helps a little.

[ravenwoodglass]

Saw a new doc today (listed on this site, no less). Here's the diagnosis I was given: She suspects bacteria in my lower intestines are the culprit and also stress and anxiety, and recommended antibiotics and SSRIs. So, it is possible that bacteria are selective and would choose to cause bowel problems only when I eat certain foods (wheat, gluten, eggs, honey)?? I don't think so. I would think they would cause problems for any and all foods that I eat.

Dr says that since I've had an upper endoscopy (wasn't looking for Celiac), which was negative, and had blood tests (only the 3 measurements) while on gluten-free diet, I can not have Celiac. Since all my allergy tests were negative, I have no food allergies. There are no tests for food intolerances. There are no tests for IgA, IgG. She has no idea why my thyroid is changing in response to gluten-free diet. For my reflux, I should take OTC Prilosec. Come back in two weeks and we will proceed from there -- I guess in case these antibiotics don't do the trick and I am still having problems.

This doctor sounds like most of mine . For one thing if you are already gluten-free the blood tests will be negative. If they did not do enough biopsies or did not biopsy the right place you can have a false negative on those. Have you tried Enterolab for food intolerance testing? You may want to get some more info about them. If you are responding well to the gluten free diet you already have your answer anyway. There are actually doctors that respect the results of dietary compliance but unfortunately not all do. Myself I would continue with the diet if it is helping. You can always go back to this one after you issues have cleared and say ' told ya so'.

[jthomas88]

I wouldn't think that the bacteria would be selective, either. (Or at least not *that* selective.) That sounds more like a food allergy or intolerance to me.

My daughter's had IgA and IgG tests and a food intolerance test done by her doctor, so I know there are definitely tests for those things. (The brand of those tests was ImmunoLab.) I think that these tests aren't universally accepted by traditional Western medical professionals as a whole, but they've certainly been correct as far as my daughter's been concerned. However, those same traditional Western medical professionals are the ones who told us my daughter didn't have a problem with gluten because she didn't have the right numbers on the bloodtest they did (which was only one of the five tests from the Celiac panel.) We knew they were wrong, and are just so grateful we found this latest M.D., who's into preventive medicine (as opposed to the have-a-pill, hide-a-symptom method.)

One of her previous doctors prescribed an SSRI for her, to increase her seratonin level. That caused her such hideous nightmares that we stopped it before she'd been on it a week. (She's only 17, and dreamed that she killed her own beloved pet cat - in really nasty, gorey detail which I'll omit here.) We've found the less medicine (OTC and prescription) she takes, the better she does. Homeopathic stuff seems to work a lot better for her.

[Nancym]

Bacteria can only live off certain things. Some eat starches, some eat sugars, some can eat fats or amino acids.

[megsylvan2]

Thanks guys, for your responses. Yes, I was posting out of frustration. The doc I went to see was another on my plan - someone who advertised Celiac on physician website. I was trying to find a doc on my insurance plan first - before resorting to other (self-funded) avenues like Immunolabs & Enterolabs. I'm keeping them in my back pocket for now until I try my plan doctors and we get my dh's health issues cleared up first. Eventhough I realize I'm probably beating my head against the wall, I figure it's worth trying.

I looked up the antibiotic that I was prescribed, and it is for traveler's diarrhea. Maybe I'm being a difficult patient here, but I just don't see how that is going to help and I'm not willing to just start taking antibiotics willy-nilly because (it seems to me) the doctor doesn't know what else to do. I'm not sure she listened to me because I clearly stated I did not have D unless I ate certain foods.

Then again, I do want to find out definitively what my issues are here, so maybe I should just be the good patient and try this. But you know, I just don't want to, and I don't think the doctor has given me a good enough reason to believe it is a path I should go down. I already know I could not work with this doctor, so I don't think I'll be going back.

Yes, I already know I have gluten intolerance, but I have other issues too - like GERD and my thyroid is going crazy right now, and I just feel a mess. I don't think its too much to ask to want to find a doctor to help me straighten all this out, but the doctors seem like they don't know what they are talking about IN THIS AREA THAT IS IN THEIR OWN FIELD, and like they think I'm one of THOSE patients who thinks they know more than the doctor. (Guess I should have posted this under the doctor's thread. ) And they certainly don't seem willing to HELP me. Well, they are trying to help me, but they don't seem willing to listen and respect what I have to say and try to work WITH me.

Well, I knew I might be in for this kind of treatment when I insisted on trying to find a doctor that would know something about gluten intolerance, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up, cross that one off my list, and then decide if I want to keep trying. Can't alienate all the gastros in my area though, as I will need someone to treat me when I have non-Celiac issues.