Fasting For Blood Work?

[silvervelvet]

So, the GI I went to today was a jerk! He said that tummy trouble was normal especially for women. He told me that I'm just a girl with constipation, but that wasnt even my main complaint. That's what he focused on because that's what he heard me say yes to when he asked. Then he went off on a tangent about it being part of being female, blah, blah, blah! I went off on the dude and told him that the prevalence of drug use across SES groups is common but no one would say its NORMAL!

So he said Ok then common is a better word. He tried to offer me Zelnorm but I asked him what my diagnoses was to justify taking a medication and he diagnosed IBS. IBS? As in "It's Bull S**t!

Since Im moving to Germany soon, I demanded a full Celiac Blood Panel stating that the reason my Flight Surgeon even referred me to his office was because he suspected celiac disease and didnt have all of the blood tests on base.

So, Im going to get the tests done tomorrow. They told me to fast. Is that correct? I would think that I would need to eat some sort of wheat product so the tests could pick it up.

I left his office at 4 and by 7pm I had eaten:

half a bag of pretzels

minestrone soup with macaroni noodles

lasagna

tirimisu

I think my blood pressure at the office was 110 over 60. Not sure really but the nurse kept saying that it was really low. Also, I only weighed 94 lbs. today. My friends have been noticing my weight loss and making comments but I eat 2X the amount. Of course then they think Im Bulimic and talk about me behind my back.

At 11 pm I ate ramen noodles. I'm ready to puke now. Maybe I should call up those "friends" for kicks so they can watch. Yeah, that's sick but Im tired of them misdiagnosing me due to their own insecurities.

Someone let me know about that fasting stuff. I dont want to fast and throw the tests off. Plus, I dont do well if I dont eat. Maybe I have a worm!

[gfp]

This is just my personal theory but:

I think our bodies store up gluten in cellulite etc and expel it through those annoying spots/pimples some of us get.

I have a friend who gets seizures with gluten and therefore its a bit more serious than my D and brainfog and we thought about it and I think when we fast and the body starts literally eating itself we can free up the gluten which has been locked away.

[VydorScope]

So, Im going to get the tests done tomorrow. They told me to fast. Is that correct? I would think that I would need to eat some sort of wheat product so the tests could pick it up.

Fasting for one night will not effect the Celiac tests at all. BUT it would effect other tests they might be running like Colesteral, blood sugar, and so on. So that might be why they want you to fast.

[ravenwoodglass]

So, the GI I went to today was a jerk! He said that tummy trouble was normal especially for women. He told me that I'm just a girl with constipation, but that wasnt even my main complaint. That's what he focused on because that's what he heard me say yes to when he asked. Then he went off on a tangent about it being part of being female, blah, blah, blah! I went off on the dude and told him that the prevalence of drug use across SES groups is common but no one would say its NORMAL!

So he said Ok then common is a better word. He tried to offer me Zelnorm but I asked him what my diagnoses was to justify taking a medication and he diagnosed IBS. IBS? As in "It's Bull S**t!

Since Im moving to Germany soon, I demanded a full Celiac Blood Panel stating that the reason my Flight Surgeon even referred me to his office was because he suspected celiac disease and didnt have all of the blood tests on base.

So, Im going to get the tests done tomorrow. They told me to fast. Is that correct? I would think that I would need to eat some sort of wheat product so the tests could pick it up.

I left his office at 4 and by 7pm I had eaten:

half a bag of pretzels

minestrone soup with macaroni noodles

lasagna

tirimisu

I think my blood pressure at the office was 110 over 60. Not sure really but the nurse kept saying that it was really low. Also, I only weighed 94 lbs. today. My friends have been noticing my weight loss and making comments but I eat 2X the amount. Of course then they think Im Bulimic and talk about me behind my back.

At 11 pm I ate ramen noodles. I'm ready to puke now. Maybe I should call up those "friends" for kicks so they can watch. Yeah, that's sick but Im tired of them misdiagnosing me due to their own insecurities.

Someone let me know about that fasting stuff. I dont want to fast and throw the tests off. Plus, I dont do well if I dont eat. Maybe I have a worm!

This doctor sounds like a real jerk. Are you in the Military? If so they really are not going to want to diagnose you celiac. IMHO. I don't know of all the branches but I know at least in the Infantry it is cause for a medical discharge, I could be wrong about this and someone please correct me if I am not.

As long as you have been consistently consuming Gluten foods the overnight fast will not effect the test. As another pointed out they may want to check for diabetes and other things also. Sudden onset of diabetes, particularly type 1 can cause rapid weight loss as can thyroid and other things. I hope you get some relief soon. Please be aware that false negatives are seen on the Celiac panels and ask to actually see the test results, some doctors consider a low positive a negative. Even a low positive needs to be gluten-free.

[momandgirls]

A blood pressure of 110/60 is on the low end of normal, but perfectly within normal limits and certainly not something to worry about.

[silvervelvet]

Thanks you guys! I'm going in about an hour and it was nice to know. yeah, I'm not sure of all that he's doing.

My husband is in the military, not me. I know what you mean about the military and their people. My husband rarely goes to the Dr. except for his annual flight physical. He is so paranoid that they will find something and then ground him. We've seen it happen.

My throat hurts today and I'm not talking as loud. My daughter told me that she doesnt think Im getting sick but that its the wheat I ate last night. Smart girl, I never said anything to her about it. She's turning 10.

Actually, as plausible as that it I'm pretty sure Im getting the Flu. It's been going around. The Flu is working too hard, and should have taken the summer off!

[penguin]

Make sure they do the ENTIRE panel which is:

tTG-IgA or tissue transglutaminase-IgA

AGA-IgG or Antigliadin IgG

AGA-IgA or Antigliadin IGA

Total IGA

[gf2000]

Poor Thing! I can relate. When diagoised in 2000, I was frequently at hospital getting iv's for dehydration 2x a week. Had my gallbladder removed, was checked for ovarian cancer, was told my enimia was caused by "being female" , lactose intolerant, belimic, anorexic, munchhousen syndrome, and was at the final stages (95 lbs) asked if i was checked for aids. Thank goodness I found a wonderful gastro, that knew as soon as he saw me. I walked in his office and dropped the sweat pants I was wearing and showed him how horrible I looked (no fat, bruised from sitting!) I lost 75 lbs in five months. And all this time I was going to doctors trying to find something. I really did not want to die and I knew I was going to.

Sorry to ramble. My gastro did the endoscopy right then, he did not wait. And if it is blood work, they want you to keep eating gluten, so it will not alter the results. Both of my kids were tested by blood work, and they did not fast at all. It will check the IGA levels in the blood.

Good luck, hang in there, and if the doctor doesn't listen to you, find one that will.

So, the GI I went to today was a jerk! He said that tummy trouble was normal especially for women. He told me that I'm just a girl with constipation, but that wasnt even my main complaint. That's what he focused on because that's what he heard me say yes to when he asked. Then he went off on a tangent about it being part of being female, blah, blah, blah! I went off on the dude and told him that the prevalence of drug use across SES groups is common but no one would say its NORMAL!

So he said Ok then common is a better word. He tried to offer me Zelnorm but I asked him what my diagnoses was to justify taking a medication and he diagnosed IBS. IBS? As in "It's Bull S**t!

Since Im moving to Germany soon, I demanded a full Celiac Blood Panel stating that the reason my Flight Surgeon even referred me to his office was because he suspected celiac disease and didnt have all of the blood tests on base.

So, Im going to get the tests done tomorrow. They told me to fast. Is that correct? I would think that I would need to eat some sort of wheat product so the tests could pick it up.

I left his office at 4 and by 7pm I had eaten:

half a bag of pretzels

minestrone soup with macaroni noodles

lasagna

tirimisu

I think my blood pressure at the office was 110 over 60. Not sure really but the nurse kept saying that it was really low. Also, I only weighed 94 lbs. today. My friends have been noticing my weight loss and making comments but I eat 2X the amount. Of course then they think Im Bulimic and talk about me behind my back.

At 11 pm I ate ramen noodles. I'm ready to puke now. Maybe I should call up those "friends" for kicks so they can watch. Yeah, that's sick but Im tired of them misdiagnosing me due to their own insecurities.

Someone let me know about that fasting stuff. I dont want to fast and throw the tests off. Plus, I dont do well if I dont eat. Maybe I have a worm!

[silvervelvet]

All I can say is that you guys are awesome. Dont worry about rambling because I can go on forever about whatever, Im sure its annoying.

I went for those tests today and signed papers so that the results can only be released to me when I pick them up. That GI doctor told me it would take 2-3 weeks to get results. I figured that he was lying and sure enough the lab said 5 business days at the most. I made sure that it was the full panel of tests. The writing was messy, so I printed out the panel of tests and took it with me. I told the lady that he printed it out so there wasnt any confusion. She just laughed and made a joke about doctors' penmanship.

My flight surgeon put in a request for another GI. Also, my HIDA (for gallbladder) test and Echocardiogram both came back "normal". That sounds great actually, but Im also afraid that the F.S is going to think Im a hypochondriac. He said that my resting heart rate is 48 which is normal, especially since I go to the gym often. Then he proceeded to say I was healthy. He got Flight Surgeon of the year this year. Now, Im doubting myself and thinking am I just too sensitive? Maybe everyone feels this way and its just normal.

[ravenwoodglass]

"Now, Im doubting myself and thinking am I just too sensitive? Maybe everyone feels this way and its just normal."

No everyone doesn't feel that way, it is not normal to have the problems you are having. I made the mistake of trusting my doctors for a long time that I was just 'being female' overly emotional and a hypochondriac who wanted to be sick. I took their scripts and listened to their put downs and then went home and cryed. And died a little more everyday. No matter what tests say, no matter what the 'doctors' say, make sure you give the diet a good try. I have no doubt that I would have been dead soon if I had not gotten a diagnosis, if not from the malnutrition and it's consequences to my body then from suicide. You don't want to get to the point that myself and far too many others have gotten before someone has a Ah Ha moment. Wishing you the best and that you feel better soon.

[Guest nini]

no you are not too sensitive and the way you are feeling is NOT normal... stick to your guns sweetheart... many of us have been through this. Years of being mentally abused by the medical profession. Called hypochondriacs and mental cases. Or told it's just cos we're female. I had one OB/GYN tell me my chronic diarrhea was just cos I was female with extra hormones. WTH??? So did ALL of his patients have chronic d? I doubt it.

[penguin]

Don't let doctors tell you that anemia is normal because you're female, either! I know you didn't mention anemia, but you probably are. Unless you have something wrong (like endometriosis), there is no reason you should be anemic. Women are *built* to bleed every month. If you're on the pill, then you REALLY shouldn't be anemic since you generally bleed less.

Always investigate!