Can Anyone Translate This Medical Garble?

[i-miss-cookie-dough]

heya ...

so i got my test results a few weeks ago.

i have the "sprue."

that's about all my dr said.

thatt, and to not eat gluten anymore : )

so i had my biopsy results faxed

to me, so i could read over them -

"2nd duodenum shows marked attenuation and focal atrophy of the villous processes with moderate expansion of the lamina propria by lumphocytes and plasma cells as well as permeation of the crypt and surface epithelia by lymphocytes that is consistant with sprue."

does ANYONE

know what any of that means?

other than

i can't eat

bread any more?

thanks!!!!

[buffettbride]

Short Version: There is damage to your intestine (the villi in the duodenum) and that damage is consistent with individuals with Celiac Disease.

[zarfkitty]

It translates to:

Your immune cells (lymphocytes) are tearing up the tiny "fingers" in your intestine called villi. You need your villi to be able to absorb nutrients from your food.

Gluten is the protein that your lymphocytes are trying to get rid of. They will attack your own body tissues to get rid of the gluten.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you as you transition to your new diet! Welcome!

[i-miss-cookie-dough]

thanks so mucho for the replies!

i think i get it now.

going on 2.5 weeks of

no gluten and

not feeling any better.

still nauseas.

still tired.

and now i just have this

constant neck ache

and ache at the base of the skull?

i mean..really!

could be my pillow : )

now, how vigilant do i need to be about gluten?

i have read some things that say

to get new wooden spoons

b/c gluten could be lurking?

and i went to a bday thing

on saturday and there

was an ice cream pie

and i know i could eat the

ice cream but it had a cookie

crust and cookie crumbles on top.

from what ihave read,

i CANT just brush the crumbles

off and dig into the ice cream?

(i didn't)

b/c the ice cream is probably contaminated?

and i can't just take the

bread off of a sandwich?

b/c the meat is already contaminated?

REALLY?

that vigilant??

or am i reading too much?

can i relax a bit?

[buffettbride]

sadly, you can't relax at all. crumbs can't even touch your food or you will likely get sick.

if you still are not feeling well, you might consider laying off dairy for a while and making sure none of the products you use that could come in contact with your mouth (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, lipstick, makeup, etc) do not have gluten either.

[loco-ladi]

My best advice..........

It pays to be paranoid!

teflon pans that are scratched....... replace them

Cast Iron...... cry when you replace them

wooden spoons...... replace them

wooden bowls..... replace them

stainless steel/cooper cookware boil them

toaster........ replace it

cutting boards vary.... see pourous and non pourous instructions below

oil fryer, replace oil and scrub scrub scrub (unless its scratched then replace it)

anything that had gluten that is a solid surface clean repeatedly

anything with a porous surface replace it

gluten sticks to everything! you cant see it but its there, scrub counter tops, stove, cupboards!

storage containers that used to hold gluten containing stuff, pasta, flour etc...... make sure they are thoughly cleaned multiple times, it wont come out in the first scrubbing

Think of gluten as a nasty cold virus.... you need to get rid of every last germ or it could potentially make you ill! With gluten you need to get rid of all possible places it could be hiding or when you are eating your gluten-free food you could inadvertantly cc yourself and have no idea how!

I dont know if you also cut out dairy when you started but it is generally a good idea as the villi are damaged and unable to process it at first, go dairy free for about 3-6 months then slowly add it back in, if you still have a reaction cut it back out again, try again in another few months.

[i-miss-cookie-dough]

oh gosh...really?

see, my dr never went over

any of that stuff with me.

just told me to not eat gluten.

didn't go over the extent

or the dangers

or replacing stuff.

i mean i dont throw up

or have any "bathroom"

issues when i do eat gluten.

so i cant tell if anything is gluten-ing me.

i guess i just get

random stomach aches

and then i have my

constant nausea

and fatigue

that are still in full force.

but i hear it takes time...

just a bit overwhelming.

thought that reading the labels

was enough, you know?

but i guess every little bit

can cause more damage?

and i guess i never know what little bit

will be the bit that causes something really bad.

i guess thats how i should think of it.

eh?

[JNBunnie1]

and i guess i never know what little bit

will be the bit that causes something really bad.

i guess thats how i should think of it.

eh?

Actually, yeah, I used to have like one day of issues when I got glutened, now it takes me a month to recover. The best thing is to go cold turkey no cheating, because the longer you go gluten-free, typically, the worse the symptoms are when you DO get glutened.

[i-miss-cookie-dough]

interesting.

why would it take longer to

get over it now?

b/c your body isn't used to it?

[Canadian Karen]

interesting.

why would it take longer to

get over it now?

b/c your body isn't used to it?

That's exactly it. When you are poisoning your body every single day with gluten, your body builds up a tolerance to be able to cope, but damage is still being done inside. When you finally remove the gluten (poison) your body breathes a sigh of relief and starts working on ridding all the crappy toxins out of your system. Once your system is clear, your body gets used to living without the crap you used to feed it. Then, if you give it some, all hell breaks loose! Once you rid yourself of gluten, you become much more sensitive to it. So tomorrow, if you get glutened, no big deal, your body is still in the old mode. Six months from now, you get glutened, it will hit you like a Mack truck.

[Glutenfreefamily]

You may or may not have symptoms that get worse. Mine are actually less obvious, I had a seizure and mild diarrhea but nothing like it was before where I hurt for days and it took a long time to clear up the vomiting and diarrhea. It had been almost two years since my last time I had been glutened. My daughter is really bad now. Before she had no symptoms (we just went gluten free because she had the genes and no malabsorption yet) Now if she has it she gets a horrible rash, nausea, her stomach hurts, and she has diarrhea.

Yes you have to be extremely vigilant, just the side of paranoia. Even if we bring our own food I have to bring a microwave cover for our bowls and our own silverware and glasses. My daughter has been glutened from a microwave at my inlaws without the cover. I have found its much easier to bring a lunch container that can keep our food warm.