Comprehensive Stool Test

[confused]

Who has had an comprehensive stool test and with what lab.

I just got my results back today and it shows i have an severe leaky gut, occult blood in stool, a few bacterias and pancreatic enzyme problem.

I just wanted to see if others have any of these problems and what they did for them.

paula

[AliB]

Hi Paula. I haven't had a stool test done although I have been thinking about it. I am in the UK so would get it done over here.

I am beginning to wonder whether I might have H. Pylori. I had a blood test done for it but was reading on the web today that the tests can sometimes be false negatives.

Although going gluten-free has helped, I still have digestive issues. I have been following the SCD for about 8 months and although I am better, I still have a way to go. I seem to be better in some areas but worse in others. Fatigue is still a big issue.

I don't think I have the blood in stool problem but am sure that testing would also come up with leaky gut and pancreatic enzyme deficiencies as I cannot digest carbohydrates.

Have you tried taking Betaine to increase your stomach acid? I can't help wondering if I may have had HP for years. It produces ammonia which reduces the amount of stomach acid. If then the food is not going through the digestive process in the stomach properly, the jejeunum and duodenum would also not be able to process the food properly which may in itself contribute to leaky gut and yeast overgrowth.

I also read that if untreated, HP can also affect the arteries and the liver. That figures too with me as I know my liver is struggling to cope, and I get a 'throbbing' sensation all over as if my heart is also working under duress or there is an infection or something and which seems to be worse if I consume carbs. Did your test come up with HP?

[ShayFL]

My last one was by MetaMetrix. My doctor ordered it. Everything was pretty good. I had low bifidum and one bacteria that was slightly elevated. She saw nothing to worry about, so I didnt. My issues are mostly neuro in nature.

Hopefully you have a good doctor who can help you.

[confused]

Ali,

I came back negative for HP, parasites and tapeworms and yeast. Im not counting paraistes and yeast out tho, cause i know they can be hard to show up on test. I also still came out positive for gluten, 2 years later.

I have been thinking about scd for a couple of months, but since i cant have dairy, im afraid to start on only chicken soup lol.

Shay,

WHat bacteria was slightly elevated.

paula

[AliB]

I just posted this on the SCD thread. I have just read an article in the paper about a woman who, over a period of 20 years visited the doctor over 1000 times, with all sorts of weird, but totally wrong diagnoses being given.

Finally a doctor with a bit of savvy listened properly and did some more appropriate tests and it turns out she has been battling with a bacterial Actinomycosis infection for years. The damage now is very great and she has major health problems because it was not dealt with at a much earlier stage, but it is just another experience that makes me even more convinced that pathogenic bacteria and/or parasites are behind so much of our health issues.

This was yet another instance of a pathogen that I had not heard of before. How many are there?

I also read about the danger of antibiotics. Apparently they throw the bacteria into a 'survival' mode which is what makes them resistant. Those that then survive become a lot stronger and harder to eradicate.

It is interesting that Carla is better since her bacterial problem has been sorted.

Shay, don't assume that because your test didn't find anything there is nothing there. As Paula says, many of the tests are not definitive and can often come back as a false negative.

Paula, the only dairy permitted on the SCD is the 24-hour yogurt (and maybe butter if you can cope with it as it is mostly fat). The reason why it is fermented for that long is so that most, if not all of the lactose is digested by the bacteria, and also to increase the quantity of the bacteria. Most commercial yogurt is only cultured for 6 - 8 hours so will often still have a high level of lactose. Apparently the bacterial activity also changes the structure of the casein into a more easily digested form.

Some prefer to introduce it a bit later when the gut has started to heal, and others find they get a little gas after eating it - I do, but I have put that down to a bit of a bunfight going on down there between the goodies and the baddies! It does seem to settle down after a while. The repopulation is an important feature of the SCD and a strong contributor to its success.

I may find that if I continue with the SCD and yogurt that things will sort themselves out eventually - I'm impatient though and want to try and give it a helping hand if I can. I've started the Echinacea and Goldenseal capsules again to have another go at the beggars. If only I knew what I was dealing with though, I would have a better chance of targeting it.

[confused]

Paula, the only dairy permitted on the SCD is the 24-hour yogurt (and maybe butter if you can cope with it as it is mostly fat). The reason why it is fermented for that long is so that most, if not all of the lactose is digested by the bacteria, and also to increase the quantity of the bacteria. Most commercial yogurt is only cultured for 6 - 8 hours so will often still have a high level of lactose. Apparently the bacterial activity also changes the structure of the casein into a more easily digested form.

Some prefer to introduce it a bit later when the gut has started to heal, and others find they get a little gas after eating it - I do, but I have put that down to a bit of a bunfight going on down there between the goodies and the baddies! It does seem to settle down after a while. The repopulation is an important feature of the SCD and a strong contributor to its success.

I may find that if I continue with the SCD and yogurt that things will sort themselves out eventually - I'm impatient though and want to try and give it a helping hand if I can. I've started the Echinacea and Goldenseal capsules again to have another go at the beggars. If only I knew what I was dealing with though, I would have a better chance of targeting it.

Maybe i will try it, what do i have to lose. I cant start anything new until i do 2 more test to check for reasons for the blood in the stool tho. Im hoping to get that done next week. So hopefully i can try the scd diet the first of november.

I agree about hoping to know exactly what you are dealing with, but it is so hard cause there is not one test that will tell you everything you are dealing with. LIke now I know i have leaky gut, but do i have leaky gut cause i have been exposed to mold, or because i am truely celiac, or because of the bacteria, or becuase of the mild colitisis. Or even do i have parasites and yeast that was not detected cause the other things were overpowering. Or even is my body burdened cause of the arsenic toxicity.

I am like you and not patient. I wish i could take an pill and tommorow be able to have lots of energy and eat whatever i wanted. But it dont work that way. What exactly do those pils you are taking, do?

paula

[GermanMia]

confused,

my test result was lots of candida, weak normal flora (not enough escherichia coli), undigested carbs and fats, high marker for celiac disease. The test was made in the Netherlands.

I don't feel more energetic with SCD until now - only started about one month ago - but my intestine feels much better. Less bloating, no cramps - so that is an improvement :-) Since I take the right pancreas enzymes, I seem to digest more than before, I don't always feel hungry like before. You should ask your doctor for pancreas enzymes, and you should think about taking betaine, too, because the enzymes work better when you producce enough acid in the stomach.

Ali,

as celiac you should be careful taking things like echinacea which stimulate the immune system. As celiac disease is an auto-immune process this could make everything even worse. Before I knew that I was celiac I tried those immune stimulating things myself and had lots of trouble with it.

Mia

[confused]

Germanmia,

She did tell me to start pancreas enzymes, probotics and stuff to support my gi tract. But cant start anything until the 2 test are performed. I also have to order some of the stuff that she wants me to start taking. So hopefully it will get here soon after the test are done.

I would be happy with less bloating, im tired of looking 6 months pg all the time.

paula

[AliB]

confused,

my test result was lots of candida, weak normal flora (not enough escherichia coli), undigested carbs and fats, high marker for celiac disease. The test was made in the Netherlands.

I don't feel more energetic with SCD until now - only started about one month ago - but my intestine feels much better. Less bloating, no cramps - so that is an improvement :-) Since I take the right pancreas enzymes, I seem to digest more than before, I don't always feel hungry like before. You should ask your doctor for pancreas enzymes, and you should think about taking betaine, too, because the enzymes work better when you produce enough acid in the stomach.

Ali,

as celiac you should be careful taking things like echinacea which stimulate the immune system. As celiac disease is an auto-immune process this could make everything even worse. Before I knew that I was celiac I tried those immune stimulating things myself and had lots of trouble with it.

Mia

Thanks Mia. Although I am definitely gluten intolerant I am pretty confident that I am not Celiac. My tests were negative and I am not nearly as reactive as I was. I suspect that the gluten and carbs were contributing to high bacterial activity causing damage to my stomach and gut.

I did take the Echinacea and Goldenseal before a few months back and was ok with it apart from a little soreness in my stomach, but that may have been due to it fighting something down there! I thought I would give it a go as they are strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal support. At this stage I seem to have little to lose.

Ask my doctor for Pancreatic Enzymes? You must be joking - they've probably never heard of them! I asked about getting some Amylase as I can't digest carbs and the Doc even gave me her prescriptive medicine journal to check through as she couldn't see anything, but there was nothing in there. If it isn't in there they can't prescribe it! I do think they can supply HCL but they may need to do tests to check the level of my acid production and then what's to say their assumptions are correct anyway??

I have some ordinary digestive enzyme tablets, but in taking those I feel that maybe I am doing more harm than good because although I might be topping up the deficient enzyme level, I may also be overdoing the normal enzyme level. Sigh.

[ShayFL]

It said taxonomy unavailable. So I do not know the specifics of the bacteria. Ali I know you can have lots going on in there with perfect labs. When I said I didnt worry about it, I meant I wasnt interested in abx or harsh herbs to fight an unknown enemy. I focused on things that were more concrete. And it did pay off for me.

Over time I did several parasite cleanses and am now SCD mostly. I am going to do a trial of HCL again too.

My symptoms are GREATLY improves overall and I cannot complain. I have healed a lot in the last 6 months. Not perfect. But way better. I dont get bloating anymore. My BMs are still not always solid, but arent liquid either and I see some undigested food, so hoping the HCL will seal the deal there. HCL also kills off yeasts and bacteria that dont belong.

I took one cap with lunch just now and no burning, indigestion or heartburn. So obviously I could use a little more.

[GermanMia]

Ali,

well, my doc knows pancreas enzymes and did prescribe them, but they didn't work so I had to buy some proper ones myself. I know - they only can prescribe what the lists say they are allowed to. And they don't know anything that's not in the lists...

If you feel that the echinacea and goldenseal are good for you, just give it a try. I really hope you will improve!

Shay,

you're so right about perfect labs! My stool tests showed that there was nothing okay at all, but all blood tests I've ever done said that I had to be perfectly healthy - and that's the reason why my doc isn't inclined to believe the stool tests I made in the Netherlands! It's absolutely maddening.

Confused,

before I started SCD I was also looking like 6 months pg all the time - I got thinner but couldn't close my trousers and skirts! The bloating stopped the first day I was on SCD and hasn't returned like before since. A bit, yes, but only mildly. Mostly before my monthlies.

Mia