Would Love Your Expert Opinions On My Test Results

[Charlie's Girl]

Hello Everyone- sorry if this is a long post:

I have been using the search function on the boards for a few months now and would love to know what you think should be my next step. My story is similar to so many of your stories. After years of frustration with western medicine- I went back to acupuncture. She had me do the Diagnos- Tech test. I knew I was allergic to wheat. (and many other things) I had already gone to an allergist after my Gastro told me she could find nothing wrong with me except I had an extremely red stomach- have some Nexium and that should stop the daily vomiting, weight gain, C, D, etc. I was told the chest pain, insomnia, brain fog, depression, numbness, stiff joints, difficulty walking, difficulty breathing, exhaustion, body rashes etc. might be: best handled by a shrink, PCP said it's fibramyalgia have some Lyrica, anxiety disorder- here's some Welbutrin, IBS, spastic colon, plantar fasciitis, etc...

The acupuncturist told me my wheat response was high and I should cut out wheat. I reminded her that I didn't eat wheat. She then gave me digestive enzymes which said in very small print- not suitable for persons with wheat sensitivity- oh the BIG D for 6 weeks until we figured that out. Apparently- among other things- I have almost no digestive enzymes. I hit the internet and found this site and began to eliminate all gluten from my life- wow what a difference. Though I still have symptoms- the severity is no where near what it was before.

So I asked my acupuncturist if there were any other tests we could do. (why do I feel like I am dragging these people along behind me?) She thought for a moment and said we could do a blood test to check my vitamin levels. After getting the results- I added more supplements and hoped for the best. After 3 months, I was feeling better, but still exhausted, foggy, and bouts of all the other symptoms- I asked her when I should do a follow up to the blood test and she says- well- we should keep an eye on your thyroid levels- they are kinda high. WHAT? My thyroid? We had NEVER talked about my thyroid.

This week- I saw a naturopath and got Levothyroxine for my thyroid and a prescription for Crestor. She took blood to check my liver enzymes before I take the Crestor. Once again, I had to ask her if we should check my other thyroid levels while we were checking the liver enzymes. She asked me if I got a burst of energy after taking my Isocort- I don't and she looked at me strangely. Should I be testing my adrenals?

I have come to respect the wealth of knowledge I have seen from the forum members and would love to know what you all think I should test for- what my next steps should be. My cholesterol is out of control and my diet was vegetarian- now I eat fish and it is pretty bland due to all my stomach issues. Salmon patty, white rice (allergic to brown), green beans is a typical meal. Dairy- light- only goat products, very little soy, rarely anything fried, etc.

Before testing I took:

Slow Fe for iron, Slow release C, Multi vitamin, IntestiNew, sublingual B 12, Probiotics, Nordic Naturals Omega 3 6 9, Powdered Calcium/Mag in H2O

Papaya enzymes

I then added:

Red Yeast Rice, CO Q 10, Isocort, Vitamin D3 5000

Switched from papaya enzymes to Digest Gold after the ones from the acupuncturist proved debilitating

Diagnos Tech

Stool Cu. Fungi Isol. & I.D. +2 ...... +1=trace/+2 Light/+3 Moderate

Ova and parasites none seen

Bacterial Stool Cu no pathogens detected

Moderate mixed gram negative rods/flora

scant mixed gram positive ........ expected findings: moderate to abundant

SHOULD I HAVE MORE?

C Diff negative

Giardia negative

Cryptosporidium Antigen negative

Toxoplasma negative

Ameba histolytica not detected

Helicobacter pylori less than 3 ..... negative less than 3.....

borderline 3-5.5 SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT THIS?

Total Intestinal SIgA 48 ...... low less than 400 YIKES

Intestinal Lysozyme less than 1 ...... normal less than 6

Alpha Anti Chymotrypsin 66 ........ normal less than 60 SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT THIS?

borderline elevated 60-100

Chymotrypsin 3 ....... abnormally low less than 4 YIKES

Occult blood (stool) negative

Fecal pH 7.6 ..... normal 5- 8.5

Casein Ab SigA saliva negative

Soy Protein Ab SigA saliva negative

Egg albumin Ab SigA saliva negative

Gliadin Ab. SigA saliva 11 ...... less than 13 negative

13-15 borderline

roundworm, tapeworm, and trichinella- not detected

Blood Tests

Total Iron 121 ..... 34-182 ug/dL

Ferritin 29 ..... 10-295 ng/mL

Vitamin B12 718 ..... 210-925 pg/mL

Cholesterol (hold on to your hats) 400 yup 400 ..... 130-199 mg/dL ***************

Triglycerides 92 ...... 10-150 mg/dL

HDL 69 ..... 40-80

LDL 313 ..... 57-100 ****************

LDL/HDL ratio 4.5 HIGH ..... normal .5-3.0

TSH 2.95 ..... ? test says .35-5.5 is normal ??????? My acupuncturist and

new naturopath think this is high.

Free T4 1.06 ...... .80-1.8 normal

Hematology-Coagulation-Immunohematolgy was all in normal ranges EXCEPT my Segs were low- whatever that means??????

Vitamin D 12.2 ...... 31-100

Thanks everyone.

[Skylark]

Not a doctor, but I see a couple things. Current thinking on TSH is that some people show symptoms of hypothyroidism with TSH above 3.0 and possible even 2.5. Hypothyroidism is a common cause of high cholesterol, although I don't know that it would push it to 400. It could also be contributing to the exhaustion and brain fog.

Has anyone done a hydrogen breath test for SIBO on you? I'm looking at the low SIgA and abnormal fecal bacteria and wondering if that's the issue. You sure do have the symptoms.

[Looking for answers]

Not a doctor, but I see a couple things. Current thinking on TSH is that some people show symptoms of hypothyroidism with TSH above 3.0 and possible even 2.5. Hypothyroidism is a common cause of high cholesterol, although I don't know that it would push it to 400. It could also be contributing to the exhaustion and brain fog.

Has anyone done a hydrogen breath test for SIBO on you? I'm looking at the low SIgA and abnormal fecal bacteria and wondering if that's the issue. You sure do have the symptoms.

I can only comment on the things I know about. Your vitamin D levels are dangerously low. Please go to mercola.com and read the importance of this vitamin. You may consider supplementing sublingually until your levels rising.

I also have hpylori. It's very common but it can lead to problems for some. You can "supress" it with probiotics and foods like brocolli sprouts, garlic, turmeric, munuka honey, etc, but it takes much more to irridicate it. Most Western doctors suggest a three-course antibiotic regime for one to two weeks, with a success rate of only 75%. I haven't gone this route, as it asympotmatic for me currently.

You're on the right path....hang in there.

[Charlie's Girl]

Not a doctor, but I see a couple things. Current thinking on TSH is that some people show symptoms of hypothyroidism with TSH above 3.0 and possible even 2.5. Hypothyroidism is a common cause of high cholesterol, although I don't know that it would push it to 400. It could also be contributing to the exhaustion and brain fog.

Has anyone done a hydrogen breath test for SIBO on you? I'm looking at the low SIgA and abnormal fecal bacteria and wondering if that's the issue. You sure do have the symptoms.

I knew you guys would have some great ideas. No one has ever mentioned SIBO to me. I am going to my new naturopath in 3 weeks for my latest blood test results and I will ask her for a hydrogen breath test. I'll be searching and googling SIBO all night.

I have just started Levothyroxine as this new doc seems to think I have hypothyroidism and possibly Hashimoto's disease. I am researching the "natural" thyroid meds, such as Armour and Naturethroid, as that would be my preference.

Thanks Skylark. I appreciate your expertise.

[Charlie's Girl]

I can only comment on the things I know about. Your vitamin D levels are dangerously low. Please go to mercola.com and read the importance of this vitamin. You may consider supplementing sublingually until your levels rising.

I also have hpylori. It's very common but it can lead to problems for some. You can "supress" it with probiotics and foods like brocolli sprouts, garlic, turmeric, munuka honey, etc, but it takes much more to irridicate it. Most Western doctors suggest a three-course antibiotic regime for one to two weeks, with a success rate of only 75%. I haven't gone this route, as it asympotmatic for me currently.

You're on the right path....hang in there.

Thanks for your ideas, LFA. I was none too happy when my blood tests showed such low Vitamin D. I currently have softgel Vitamin D3 5000 mg. but I will look into getting the sublingual supplement. I know some people get shots- yikes- I hate needles- but I am willing to do (almost) anything to be healthy.

None of my docs even mentioned H pylori- I noticed it was borderline and have gotten no response from anyone other than it is not a priority. I guess my low Vitamin D, enzymes and high cholesterol are getting all the attention from my health care practitioners. Interestingly, my stomach was happier when I took antibiotics last year. Hmmm. I'll have to look into this a bit more. One website I just googled said it can lead to stomach cancer- my cousin died of stomach cancer so perhaps I will ask for the three course antibiotic regime....

Thanks again for your support and encouragement. I have been asking for help and it is so nice to finally find a place where help pours in.

[sb2178]

Digest Gold is pretty good-- I took it for a couple of weeks and it helped more than anything else other than eliminating gluten. The PPIs (Nexium) can actually sort of turn off your digestive system. If you've been on it for a while, ask your doc about stopping it for a few weeks. If it's new, then it's probably not the culprit.

I would ask for an rx vitamin D based on that level. Typical regimes would be 50,000 IU x 12. Take it once a week. Some might do one daily for a week and then weekly for five weeks.

Add some fish oil/flaxseed oil. And, yeah, SIBO might be it... or simply increased intestinal permeability and concurrent intolerance development. That's allof my ideas...

[Charlie's Girl]

Digest Gold is pretty good-- I took it for a couple of weeks and it helped more than anything else other than eliminating gluten. The PPIs (Nexium) can actually sort of turn off your digestive system. If you've been on it for a while, ask your doc about stopping it for a few weeks. If it's new, then it's probably not the culprit.

I would ask for an rx vitamin D based on that level. Typical regimes would be 50,000 IU x 12. Take it once a week. Some might do one daily for a week and then weekly for five weeks.

Add some fish oil/flaxseed oil. And, yeah, SIBO might be it... or simply increased intestinal permeability and concurrent intolerance development. That's allof my ideas...

Thanks for all of your ideas sb2178. I weaned off the Nexium in March 2009 after being on it 3 years. (BTW- awful awful awful time getting off Nexium)

I'll ask my Doc about Rx Vitamin D. It is so important for so many things.

She had me double my Omegas- I currently have Nordic Naturals 3 6 9 and when they are gone- she said she wants me on just Omega 3s. Think I should add fish oil to that? I am making myself eat salmon at least 3X per week. I don't care for it and I think it is hard for me to digest.

Thanks again for your input.

[Looking for answers]

Thanks for your ideas, LFA. I was none too happy when my blood tests showed such low Vitamin D. I currently have softgel Vitamin D3 5000 mg. but I will look into getting the sublingual supplement. I know some people get shots- yikes- I hate needles- but I am willing to do (almost) anything to be healthy.

None of my docs even mentioned H pylori- I noticed it was borderline and have gotten no response from anyone other than it is not a priority. I guess my low Vitamin D, enzymes and high cholesterol are getting all the attention from my health care practitioners. Interestingly, my stomach was happier when I took antibiotics last year. Hmmm. I'll have to look into this a bit more. One website I just googled said it can lead to stomach cancer- my cousin died of stomach cancer so perhaps I will ask for the three course antibiotic regime....

Thanks again for your support and encouragement. I have been asking for help and it is so nice to finally find a place where help pours in.

Something to think about with hpylori treatment. If one person in a household has it, it's likely everyone will. One thing doctors won't mention is that you should treat your spouse as well or you may end up with it again. I think something like 60% of the population has it. There has been research linking it to an increased risk of stomach cancer, but IMHO gluten intolerance is the bigger risk factor here. If you continue to have stomach problems that aren't addressed through diet and supplements, treatment should be considered.