Testing Question For My Dad

[suziq0805]

Just looking for some ideas to possibly help my dad. He's had a number of medical issues lately and I just wonder which of my parents I inherited gluten issues from. Money is a concern due to a layoff. Due to his medical history he will be difficult (if not impossible) to insure if he can't find a job with benefits before his COBRA ends, so pursuing actual celiac testing may not be smart. Background info: no official celiac in the family. I've been diagnosed gluten sensitive, but will be getting a 2nd opinion on that. My toddler is DQ8/DQ8. So I have at least a DQ8, so 1 parent must carry DQ8. I always thought it came from my mom's side, but now I wonder. Both of my grandmothers have IBS and lactose intolerance. Here's my dad's medical history that I know of:

- put on an elimination diet as a child (due to hives I believe?) but the only thing they determined he was allergic to is the fabric silk and seasonal allergies and hayfever. Doctor thought he was having trouble adjusting to a child that the family took in for awhile.

-he was a pretty skinny kid

-about 25 or so years ago he developed hepatitis (a non-infections form)

-a few years ago he began getting this AWFUL chronic cough and they thought it was due to allergies/asthma. He was put on a new, experimental allergy shot and inhalers and it seemed to improve.

-2 years ago was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, had surgery and tumor was removed. Then a few months later discovered it had spread to his lungs. Mayo clinic wasn't even that experienced at treating this form of cancer. But he went through chemo and the last few scans have looked good.

-during the cancer battle a scan showed something in his stomach or intestinal area. One doctor thought diverticulitis and another disagreed because he wasn't in pain. He was put on the diverticulitis diet and continued chemo and on a later scan I believe that spot or whatever it was had disappeared (so I always wonder if it was a tumor or what)

-now he has another cough, but my nephew (who is frequently at their house) has a cough they can't figure out also. Dad's being treated with antibiotics b/c his lungs sound bad so hopefully this cough is just a short illness.

-I asked him if it's been tested for acid reflux and he said he was treated with acid reflux meds for a year, but not anymore.

-a few months ago he developed peripheral neuropathy- doctors aren't sure if it's chemo related or not

Could gluten be at the root of some of this?? I doubt it could cause the lung cancer, what about the other issues? Is there testing he could get to maybe hint towards it without getting a celiac panel? I was thinking of suggesting a vitamin panel. My family has seen that eating gluten-free is a big change so I don't know if they'd be that interested in trying the diet without a definate need to.

[Takala]

Re the cough- new studies show that acetaminophen (Tylenol) makes asthma worse. Just in case he is taking it.

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