Labwork And Biopsy Results

[TruckerBird]

Hi, I finally made it home and have my labwork and biopsy results. My 2nd GI dr says i dont have celiac but the paperwork doesnt quite backup what he said to me.

On my labwork it says :

Celiac Disease Comp Panel, Adult

(tTg) Ab, IgA =10(high) (reference range Positive = >8)

Endomysial Ab IgA = Negative

Endomysial Ab TITER = test not performed

IgA = 153 (normal range 81-463)

(tTg) Ab, IgG = test not performed

When i got home and saw my pathology report from the upper gi/ biopsy i was upset to read what he HADNT done,

"CANNOT evaluate for celiac disease with this LIMITED biopsy"

he had only taken 3 samples from the duodenal. Since he was specifically looking for celiac , this really bummed me out and made me realize that dr #2 wasnt much better then dr #1.

the pathologist was able to rule out Barretts but that was all.

The actual 3 biopsys do say:

-scant fragments of small intestinal mucosa

-intraepithelial lymphocytes are not increased in submiited tissues

I know i do need a different Dr to look after me.

Birdie

[ravenwoodglass]

I would be quite annoyed at this doctor. He appears to be clueless and really did you a disservice. If he was going to put you through an endo the least he could have done was take proper samples and of course a full celiac panel would have been nice. Kind of makes you want to slap them upside the head, hard.

Are you on the diet yet? It may be the best way to get your answer at this point. I am sorry this idiot doctor wasted your time and money, and the time you have been waiting for results could have been spent healing.

If you haven't started on the diet yet please do so. If it helps it is very much worth the hassle.

[happygirl]

You have a few options here.

1. Take your lab work and pathology report to a doctor that has more experience in Celiac. You can get some names by contacting your local support group and asking for who their members use. A more experienced doctor may have a different interpretation of your results, or may ask for more testing.

2. Try going gluten free to see if your symptoms improve/resolve. Some of the pitfalls include: not having an official diagnosis, and not know if you have 'other' problems that are undiagnosed.

3. Pursue other reasons for your symptoms (by either this doctor, or another one).

At any point in time, unless you are undergoing testing for Celiac, you can go gluten free and see what happens.

You may also want to talk to your doctor about the pillcam which looks throughout the intestine for damage and other problems.

Best of luck.

[TruckerBird]

Thanks so much, your replies have given me some sound advice ( for a change) hahaha, Birdie