Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Immuno Labratories Blood Test?

Poppy Cat

Recommended Posts

Poppy Cat Newbie
Poppy Cat
Posted

Oh hai I'm new. =*.*=

I went to a nutrition counselor this past summer who recommended a gluten-free diet. Going gluten-free has alleviated pretty much every weird symptom I've ever had in the last ten years (I was *so* hoping it would be something else! I love(d) bread.)

Anyway, she also recommended a blood test to find any other food sensitivities. I got this kit that I take to a lab, they draw blood and send it to Immuno Labratories, then *they* send it back to the nutritionist's office and we make an appointment to go over the results. That's all fine, but the test costs $355. So I'd love to get feedback on any of this:

--Should I really pay for that when I already know what my problem is?

--Would the blood test be an official diagnosis? (I don't even know how to begin with doctors...)

--Has anyone else used that particular test, was it accurate, etc?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Right now the holidays have me so annoyed that I'd rather have a broken leg than celiac. The leg would heal.

Grrrrrrrrr.

-poppycat

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Mother of Jibril Enthusiast
Mother of Jibril
Posted

Welcome to the group!

The blood test sounds like an IgG delayed "food allergy" test. Some people find them helpful to point them in the direction of problem foods... but the results can change depending on the health of your immune system, intestines, and what foods you eat the most. In no way can it diagnose celiac disease. Since you've been off gluten for several months you won't be able to do a blood test for celiac antibodies (anti-gliaden, ttG, and EMA). The best you could do is get a genetic test to see if you have one of the "celiac genes." Just keep in mind that the genetic test doesn't diagnose celiac either! You can have the genes without getting the disease.

Unless you feel like other foods might be bothering you... dairy, soy, corn, legumes, citrus, nightshades, etc... I don't any reason to do the test your nutrition counselor recommended.

If you feel like you really need an official diagnosis of celiac disease, you could always find a GI and do a gluten "challenge," eating LOTS of gluten for about three months. The problem is that you could have severe symptoms, but still not do enough damage to be detected by the blood test and/or endoscopy. So... it's really up to you. Plenty of people on this forum are self-diagnosed and are just grateful to be feeling healthy on the gluten-free diet.

Poppy Cat Newbie
Poppy Cat
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the info. I really am glad to have found this forum. A lot of what I've read here describes what I've been going through for several years. w00t!

I guess the reason I want an official sort of diagnosis is so that I can get on with life without being questioned-- I dread going to see a doc someday and being told that without some official evidence, they won't acknowledge what I know to be true. I've had overwhelmingly negative experiences with most medical professionals and throwing gluten intolerance into the mix just seems like its going to be a lifelong hassle when it comes to medical treatment.

I mean the big tip off for gluten was when my hair started falling out and suddenly I had a hypothyroid issue at 27. Thyroid problems are not really common in my family and while I credit my doc for knowing what was up right away with the hair loss, it kinda bugs me that no one but me questioned where this thyroid issue came from.

Piccolo Apprentice
Piccolo
Posted

Poppy Cat,

It was the very same tests that led me to be gluten free. I tested positive to 21 different foods. Some of them I went back to eating as long as I rotate them in my diet. The two that I haven't gone back to is gluten and wheat. It has taken two years for my system to get normal and figure out what else was bothering me.

Welcome to the board. You will find a wealth of information here.

Susan

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to pothosqueen's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      16

      Positive biopsy

      In the study linked above, the little girl switched to a gluten free diet and gained enough weight that that fat pad was replenished and surgery was not needed. Here's the full article link... Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome in a 6-Year-Old Girl with Final Diagnosis of Celiac Disease https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6476019/
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jordan Carlson's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Fruits & Veggies

      Hello, @Jordan Carlson, So glad you're feeling better. Tecta is a proton pump inhibitor. PPI's also interfere with the production of the intrinsic factor needed to absorb Vitamin B12. Increasing the amount of B12 you supplement has helped overcome the lack of intrinsic factor needed to absorb B12. Proton pump inhibitors also reduce the...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to pothosqueen's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      16

      Positive biopsy

      @pothosqueen, Welcome to the tribe! You'll want to get checked for nutritional deficiencies and start on supplementation of B vitamins, especially Thiamine Vitamin B 1. There's some scientific evidence that the fat pad that buffers the aorta which disappears in SMA is caused by deficiency in Thiamine. In Thiamine deficiency, the body...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Inmate with Celiac Disease Wins $630,000 After Jail Denies Gluten-Free Food

    5. trents
      - trents replied to pothosqueen's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      16

      Positive biopsy

      Wow! You're pretty young to have a diagnosis of SMA syndrome. But youth also has its advantages when it comes to healing, without a doubt. You might be surprised to find out how your health improves and how much better you feel once you eliminate gluten from your diet. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that, when gluten is consumed, triggers an...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,017
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Kayy
    Newest Member
    Kayy
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Positive biopsy

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      In the study linked above, the little girl switched to a gluten free diet and gained enough weight that that fat pad was replenished and surgery was not needed.   Here's the full article link... Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome in a 6-Year-Old Girl with Final Diagnosis of Celiac Disease https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6476019/
    • knitty kitty
      Fruits & Veggies

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jordan Carlson, So glad you're feeling better.   Tecta is a proton pump inhibitor.  PPI's also interfere with the production of the intrinsic factor needed to absorb Vitamin B12.  Increasing the amount of B12 you supplement has helped overcome the lack of intrinsic factor needed to absorb B12. Proton pump inhibitors also reduce the production of digestive juices (stomach acids).  This results in foods not being digested thoroughly.  If foods are not digested sufficiently, the vitamins and other nutrients aren't released from the food, and the body cannot absorb them.  This sets up a vicious cycle. Acid reflux and Gerd are actually symptoms of producing too little stomach acid.  Insufficient stomach acid production is seen with Thiamine and Niacin deficiencies.  PPI's like Tecta also block the transporters that pull Thiamine into cells, preventing absorption of thiamine.  Other symptoms of Thiamine deficiency are difficulty swallowing, gagging, problems with food texture, dysphagia. Other symptoms of Thiamine deficiency are symptoms of ADHD and anxiety.  Vyvanse also blocks thiamine transporters contributing further to Thiamine deficiency.  Pristiq has been shown to work better if thiamine is supplemented at the same time because thiamine is needed to make serotonin.  Doctors don't recognize anxiety and depression and adult onset ADHD as early symptoms of Thiamine deficiency. Stomach acid is needed to digest Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in fruits and vegetables.  Ascorbic acid left undigested can cause intestinal upsets, anxiety, and heart palpitations.   Yes, a child can be born with nutritional deficiencies if the parents were deficient.  Parents who are thiamine deficient have offspring with fewer thiamine transporters on cell surfaces, making thiamine deficiency easier to develop in the children.  A person can struggle along for years with subclinical vitamin deficiencies.  Been here, done this.  Please consider supplementing with Thiamine in the form TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) which helps immensely with dysphagia and neurological symptoms like anxiety, depression, and ADHD symptoms.  Benfotiamine helps with improving intestinal health.  A B Complex and NeuroMag (a magnesium supplement), and Vitamin D are needed also.
    • knitty kitty
      Positive biopsy

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @pothosqueen, Welcome to the tribe! You'll want to get checked for nutritional deficiencies and start on supplementation of B vitamins, especially Thiamine Vitamin B 1.   There's some scientific evidence that the fat pad that buffers the aorta which disappears in SMA is caused by deficiency in Thiamine.   In Thiamine deficiency, the body burns its stored fat as a source of fuel.  That fat pad between the aorta and digestive system gets used as fuel, too. Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test to look for thiamine deficiency.  Correction of thiamine deficiency can help restore that fat pad.   Best wishes for your recovery!   Interesting Reading: Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome in a 6-Year-Old Girl with Final Diagnosis of Celiac Disease https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31089433/#:~:text=Affiliations,tissue and results in SMAS.  
    • trents
      Positive biopsy

      By trents · Posted

      Wow! You're pretty young to have a diagnosis of SMA syndrome. But youth also has its advantages when it comes to healing, without a doubt. You might be surprised to find out how your health improves and how much better you feel once you eliminate gluten from your diet. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that, when gluten is consumed, triggers an attack on the villous lining of the small bowel. This is the section of the intestines where all our nutrition is absorbed. It is made up of billions of tiny finger-like projections that create a tremendous surface area for absorbing nutrients. For the person with celiac disease, unchecked gluten consumption generates inflammation that wears down these fingers and, over time, greatly reduces the nutrient absorbing efficiency of the small bowel lining. This can generate a whole host of other nutrient deficiency related medical problems. We also now know that the autoimmune reaction to gluten is not necessarily limited to the lining of the small bowel such that celiac disease can damage other body systems and organs such as the liver and the joints and cause neurological problems.  It can take around two years for the villous lining to completely heal but most people start feeling better well before then. It's also important to realize that celiac disease can cause intolerance to some other foods whose protein structures are similar to gluten. Chief among them are dairy and oats but also eggs, corn and soy. Just keep that in mind.
    • pothosqueen
      Positive biopsy

      By pothosqueen · Posted

      26F!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.