Confusion Enerolab?

[holdthegluten]

About 2 months ago i had a blood test done for Ttg level. The sults were less than 4. My doctor said the diet was working and i was doing great. At this time i was still having symptoms. I just got results from enterolab and i had anti-gliadin 122 (<10 is normal) and TTG 69 (<10 normal). I havent changed my diet at all and i eat extremely careful and all natural whole foods. Which test is the most accurate. I cant imagine i am getting glutened somewhere, but the enterolab test suggests it. I am confused. Has anyone done follow up with enterolab and noticed normal Ttg levels and normal antigliadin levels post diet. I have been gluten free for 9 months. Thanks

[happygirl]

How are you doing now, when you had the enterolab test done?

[holdthegluten]

  happygirl said:

How are you doing now, when you had the enterolab test done?

I feel pretty much the same.............tired, burning eyes, bloating frequently, brain foggy, irritable.

[zarfkitty]

Do you live with gluten eaters? (Maybe your adorable furry friends?) Could you be getting gluten on old cookware or through your cosmetics and personal care items? Do you take communion at church?

The stool test is supposed to be way more sensitive. Maybe those high numbers are "down" for you. Since you don't know what your Enterolab numbers were before going gluten free, you can't compare them to anything. It does seem really high though. It could be that your healing process is taking longer than average. Maybe you could call and chat with the nurse at Enterolab.

I hope you feel better soon!

[holdthegluten]

  zarfkitty said:

Do you live with gluten eaters? (Maybe your adorable furry friends?) Could you be getting gluten on old cookware or through your cosmetics and personal care items? Do you take communion at church?

The stool test is supposed to be way more sensitive. Maybe those high numbers are "down" for you. Since you don't know what your Enterolab numbers were before going gluten free, you can't compare them to anything. It does seem really high though. It could be that your healing process is taking longer than average. Maybe you could call and chat with the nurse at Enterolab.

I hope you feel better soon!

In what way could my dogs be giving it to me? I never thought about them. I am a male so no cosmetics for me. If i have no malabsorption and my intestine is obviously in good shape, how could those numbers be so high? How do i get the nurse's number at enterolab. I dont see it on the site. Is 9 months long enough for the numbers to drop? I eat so careful and clean all of the time. I am so frustrated. We are having a baby any day now, and i just want to feel good so i can really be all there at the big moment. It is our first child (Boy). My numbers were really low on the blood test which made me think i was doing really good.

[Joss]

My understanding about the stool tests, after reading a lot of the information provided on the site. Is because they examine materials that have come in contact witht he intestines, they are more sensitive than the indirect blood tests, which take longer to show any digressions.

I don't know about your dogs, but my cat eats biscuits and I have to tell myself to wash my hands after handling the packet.

My sister got quite upset with me yesterday when she suggested I use her Foreman Grill to cook my foods (our grill has packed up) I told her she used it to toast her bread on it and she got mad and told me it would be ok to wipe it down. That is not the case and it continues to cause problems at our house. It just goes to show how careful we have to be.

Joss

[holdthegluten]

  Joss said:

My understanding about the stool tests, after reading a lot of the information provided on the site. Is because they examine materials that have come in contact witht he intestines, they are more sensitive than the indirect blood tests, which take longer to show any digressions.

I don't know about your dogs, but my cat eats biscuits and I have to tell myself to wash my hands after handling the packet.

My sister got quite upset with me yesterday when she suggested I use her Foreman Grill to cook my foods (our grill has packed up) I told her she used it to toast her bread on it and she got mad and told me it would be ok to wipe it down. That is not the case and it continues to cause problems at our house. It just goes to show how careful we have to be.

Joss

Do you think i am still getting gluten somewhere? I do give my dogs buscuits every night and i never wash my hands, i just wipe them on my pants. Maybe this could cause my high numbers. Who knows? I wonder if i would have been tested a while ago if my numbers would be higher? I also wonder if the blood test was not accurate. It actually showed a decrease of the Ttg by 50% from diagnosis to 6 months following the diet. I will be even more careful and chalk this one up to inexperience. Thanks and God Bless

[Matilda]

...

[holdthegluten]

  Matilda said:

I don't know whether anyone knows how stool tests compare to blood tests in terms of numbers. It would be really interesting if someone would look at that. Most people who have positive blood tests don't do Enterolab tests at the same time. I've never seen anyone post their positve blood and stool numbers together here. My bet would be that when your blood numbers were high, your Enterolab result would have been very high.

Also, Enterolab results are supposed to stay positive for a lot longer. That's one of their selling points, that you don't have to go back on gluten to see if you're producing anti-tTG antibodies.

You could use Enterolab to follow your future progress though. Actually Dr Fine recommends rechecking the malabsorbtion score, if it was abnormal. I checked mine after a year and it had gone down to very low.

You know, to get your blood numbers down you are doing really well! It sounds to me like you've got yourself in great shape to welcome the new baby.

Best wishes,

Matilda

Thank you so much for the kind words. I needed it.

[ravenwoodglass]

  holdthegluten said:

Do you think i am still getting gluten somewhere? I do give my dogs buscuits every night and i never wash my hands, i just wipe them on my pants. Maybe this could cause my high numbers. Who knows? I wonder if i would have been tested a while ago if my numbers would be higher? I also wonder if the blood test was not accurate. It actually showed a decrease of the Ttg by 50% from diagnosis to 6 months following the diet. I will be even more careful and chalk this one up to inexperience. Thanks and God Bless

You may want to consider switching your dog to a grain or at least gluten free bisquit. There are brands that are safe. Not only could you be causing problems with just wiping and not washing your hands but also your dogs saliva is going to be gluteney, does he lick you? Does he lick himself and then you pet him? Do you use a canned gluten dog food and open it with a can opener the family uses? I CC'd myself a lot until a magic moment occured one day when I was opening cat food and making chili at the same time. I was 2 years into the diet before that duh moment.

[zarfkitty]

I think your dogs are likely suspsects here! Check their food and biscuits for gluten ingredients! We continue to feed our dog as we always did, but we always, always, always wash our hands after any contact (food or play) with the dog.

Also, have you segregated your kitchen stuff from the gluten eaters in your house? You can share dishes, stainless steel items, etc. But you need your own toaster, colander, can opener, and any other gadget that has small holes and crannies. You also need your own wooden items (wood spoons, cutting boards, etc). They can hold gluten pretty much forever because they are so hard to clean.

I agree with the person who posted above that said your blood numbers being low is a really good sign!!!

[mftnchn]

Have you checked shampoo, soap, hair products for gluten and tried going without them?

[holdthegluten]

  mftnchn said:

Have you checked shampoo, soap, hair products for gluten and tried going without them?

I was using Pantene Pro V, but i cant find any info on if its gluten free or not, so now i am using Dove, which i was told on here that it is safe. Any info on these products you can give me. Thanks!

[jessiU]

  holdthegluten said:

I was using Pantene Pro V, but i cant find any info on if its gluten free or not, so now i am using Dove, which i was told on here that it is safe. Any info on these products you can give me. Thanks!

I am wondering the same thing for myself. I just looked into the lotions (Bath & Body Works), shampoos, etc. that I use and many of them contain oats (avena sateva) as listed in the ingredients. I use Pantene as well, and this also contains oats. What brands are safe to use? Makeup? Laundry detergent?

[kbtoyssni]

If the dog food has gluten in it, it can get tracked around the house and you accidentally touch it. Or the dogs can lick you and gluten you. It's just one more small risk of contamination. There are many brands of dog food that are gluten-free - do a seach and you'll find some. I don't have a dog, so I don't know of any off the top.

[happygirl]

FWIW: The nurse at Enterolab personally told me that, for some, it can take over 2 years for their numbers to fall.

[jerseyangel]

It makes sense to me that the Enterolab numbers would still be high--isn't it true that a person could still be tested through them for quite a while after going gluten-free? And like someone else said--we don't know what your starting numbers would have been with them.

I would still look at the pet angle and go over everything again, but maybe it just needs more time.