Help W/blood Tests

[anodyne]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. Nice to meet everyone

I've had stomach troubles for a good 25 years now (I'm 38). I had stomach surgery 6 yrs ago and have had many health probs come along since then..kidney infection resulting in 85% loss of kidney function in right kidney, and kidney stones. My other symptoms are depression getting worse and worse, folic acid & iron deficient anemia, nosebleeds daily for a month now, infertility, skin rash, distended stomach, gas, fatty foul-smelling floating stools. Mostly due to the stool probs, I had my blood and fecal fat tested recently. My general doc says I most likely have malabsorption due to celiac disease. He wants me to set up an appt with a G.I. for further testing.

I would like to reasearch my blood test and fecal fat test results as well .. for myself, so I can be a better advocate for myself. But no where have I found what your test results SHOULD BE in order to confirm celiac..or even gluten sensitivity for that matter. I'm listing my test results that were either too high (H) or too low (L) according to the range.. could I please have some feedback as to what results SHOULD BE to be celiac.. and what anyones gut (pardon the pun) reaction is to seeing my test results:

HDL Cholesterol 32 (L) > or = 40 MG/DL

Chloride 114 (H) 98-110 MMOL/L

Calcium 8.4 (L) 8.5 - 10.4 MG/DL

Protein, Total 5.7 (L) 6.0 - 8.3 G/DL

Albumin 3.2 (L) 3.7 - 5.1 G/DL

AST 36 (H) 2 - 35 U/L

Gliadin Antibody IGG 41 (H) < 11 U/mL

Gliadin Antibody IGA 16 (H) < 11/U/mL

Red Blood Cell Count 3.46 (L) 3.80 - 5.10 MILL/MCL

Hemoglobin 11.4 (L) 11.7 - 15.5 G/DL

Hematocrit 33.3 (L) 35.0 - 45.0 %

MCH 33.1 (H) 27.0 - 33.0 PG

Fecal Lipids, Total 31 (H) < 7

There is a notation from the lab on the results:

"Very high fecal fat, suggestive of malabsorption. Refer her to G.I. for malabsorption, and (?) celiac sprue. Advise patient to avoid wheat and wheat containing products. "

Anyone with any info/thoughts to share with me on this, I really would welcome it! I'm new to all of this and until I see the gastro doc I am trying to make sense out of all of this. Does anyone think I need further testing for celiac or gluten sensitivity ?? Cause I really dont want to do a biopsy.

Thanks in advance !

[lovegrov]

Everything right now most certainly points to celiac. The two celiac tests that your doctor did (Iga and Igg) were high. You're anemic and the symptoms fit. Do you know if there's celiac in your family?

You could, of course, just assume you have celiac disease and go gluten-free, but I think if you can do the biopsy you should, particularly if you have any doubts. Your GI will also check to see if you have any other problems down that way. If you are going to have the biopsy, do not stop eating gluten now. It could skew the results. And make sure the GI will take numerous samples from various spots.

richard

[KaitiUSA]

Your tests done for celiac were the IgA and IgG. Those detect sensitivity to gluten so obviously there is a problem there. Your other levels do fit the category for malabsorption which is in response to celiac because you are not absorbing properly. You do sound like a celiac.

If you wanted further testing then I would recommend the full celiac panel being done. You had 2 of these tests done but the full panel is very efficient. The tTG test is going to take the place of biopsies at least in kids in the near future.

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG

Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA

Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA

Total Serum IgA

If it were me I think those results would be enough for me to go gluten free though. It's obvious there are gluten issues and malabsorption. It should not be just a wheat free diet though..it needs to be gluten free.

I personally did not get a biopsy(doctor did not even want one for me after seeing the results)and have not really been a fan of them. They can rule celiac in with a positive but they can't rule it out with a negative. If it comes back negative it could be due to sporadic damage that they missed or no damage there yet if it is in beginning stages.

[anodyne]

Thanks Richard

I dont know if there is celiac in my family. My grandmother had colitis and my brother has it--colitis, and my mom had diverticulitis while she was still alive. I myself was misdiagnosed at one point with Crohn's disease. I was later correctly dx'd with peptic ulcer disease which I've had for 21 years. I believe that was taken care of when my duodenum, part of my pancreas, my gallbladder and some sm intestine were removed 6 years ago.

I appreciate the quick response. I have so many questions for my gastro doc when I see him! But until then (another month cause of insurance stuffs) .. I appreciate any support I can get here. You all seem so caring of one another ..

[anodyne]

Kaiti

Thank you so much for the information regarding further testing.. I didnt know about that and your opinion on biopsies..

this is exactly what I need to hear .. anything anyone has to say about this.. and yes I have been reading that gluten encompasses not just wheat but rye, barley, and oats.

[anodyne]

hmm now I'm wondering.. I understand to continue eating gluten IF I did a biopsy... but .. should I stop eating gluten or not if I have the additional tests Kaiti indicated above.. I'm considering having them one month from now. Help please if ya can

[KaitiUSA]

Yes, you have to be on gluten for about 3 months prior to all blood tests and biopsies.

[Guest nini]

Your test results do indicate you have a problem with gluten. More tests aren't going to change that. You said you don't want to get a biopsy? I don't blame you. I didn't get one either, my Dr. gave me a choice, but said that my blood test results were HIGHLY indicative of celiac and prior to taking blood he told me he was 99.9% certain I had Celiac based on my symptoms.

If you are feeling extremely ill and want to start the diet right away to see if it helps, there is nothing wrong with that, a lot of people have "self diagnosed" by a positive dietary response alone. But keep in mind that any further testing would be inaccurate. Also, a biopsy cannot tell you you don't have Celiac, it can only confirm that there is DAMAGE. My personal opinion is that if the blood tests are indicative of celiac, then try the diet, what have you got to lose?

[FaithInScienceToo]

My two cents:

PLEASE do not believe that biopsy results are 100% accurate -

They can come back false negative (meaning you do have small intestine damage, but the test failed to detect)...

...the doc performing it may not cut at the proper angles...OR may not get enough samples...or may not sample enough areas of the small bowel (It's not short...)...OR the pathologist reading the samples may not do his/her job well...

You IGG already indicates gluten intolerance AT A MINIMUM...

If I were you, I would only get the biopsy if your doc can give you very good reason to suspect anything other than celiac disease, and if the biopsy can rule those diagnoses out...

That's why my doc did both an endoscopy and colonoscopy.

I had had 20 years of MANY digestive system problems...and he wanted to be sure it wasn't anything MORE than celiac disease causing them....

He already knew I had celiac disease from my blood results and Enterolab testing -

I was lucky...I got a good doc...

He didn't do the endoscopy in order to diagnose celiac disease...it did it to be sure celiac disease was my only diagnosis...

GOOD LUCK.

LOVE,

Gina

[Hennessey]

Your tests done for celiac were the IgA and IgG. Those detect sensitivity to gluten so obviously there is a problem there. Your other levels do fit the category for malabsorption which is in response to celiac because you are not absorbing properly. You do sound like a celiac.

If you wanted further testing then I would recommend the full celiac panel being done. You had 2 of these tests done but the full panel is very efficient. The tTG test is going to take the place of biopsies at least in kids in the near future.

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG

Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA

Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA

Total Serum IgA

If it were me I think those results would be enough for me to go gluten free though. It's obvious there are gluten issues and malabsorption. It should not be just a wheat free diet though..it needs to be gluten free.

I personally did not get a biopsy(doctor did not even want one for me after seeing the results)and have not really been a fan of them. They can rule celiac in with a positive but they can't rule it out with a negative. If it comes back negative it could be due to sporadic damage that they missed or no damage there yet if it is in beginning stages.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Kati,

I hope you don't mind answering a question for me..from reading your posts you sound the like person to ask. My son was diagnosed and so now my husband and I are being tested. I gave my doctor the panel of tests that need to be done from your list above. My question is when the results come back I'm afraid no one will know how to read them?? maybe that sounds stupid, but no one really knows anything about it. My question to you is...is there a number you go by, I see numbers after other people's blood tests, so I was wondering if there was a range you are in to be positive. I guess I just don't have the confidence in many doctors these days...which is sad...and you seem very knowledgeable about this. I appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks, Mary

[KaitiUSA]

Mary~

When you get the results back, make sure you get a copy of them so you can see them for yourself. They have reference ranges on the blood test sheet. Not all labs are the same so normal in one lab may be abnormal in another, so you have to look at their ranges.

[Hennessey]

Mary~

When you get the results back, make sure you get a copy of them so you can see them for yourself. They have reference ranges on the blood test sheet. Not all labs are the same so normal in one lab may be abnormal in another, so you have to look at their ranges.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you very much....you have been such a help with lots of things, I have read a ton of stuff on this website and have learned so much from your postings, as well as others. To bad you couldn't charge a fee you would be rich (hee hee). Thanks again I really do appreciate it!

[KaitiUSA]

Thank you very much....you have been such a help with lots of things, I have read a ton of stuff on this website and have learned so much from your postings, as well as others.  To bad you couldn't charge a fee you would be rich (hee hee).  Thanks again I really do appreciate it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

well I just like to help any way I can...my job will give me $ but this is something I do because I like to.

If you have any questions though...just ask

[anodyne]

Just wanted to say that I appreciate the responses to my post. Its hard going through in the beginning. But you all know that

I've decided to go gluten-free.. or at least as gluten-free as I can with my so-far limited knowledge. Its been a good 3-4 days since I've had anything blatently gluten-filled. I cant say I feel any better yet. But if I do feel better at some point, I know its gonna take some time to get there.

I just cant see eating gluten products for another month til I get different insurance and follow up with a G.I. at that time. I already have too many health problems that relate to this disease.