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JoshB

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Celiac.com - Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Diet Support Since 1995

Everything posted by JoshB

  1. JoshB
    Raven, I agree with you that for many of the blood tests in use, false positives are extremely rare. So rare in fact that I suspect those cases are just beginning and haven't yet developed intestinal changes. That's not the "false positive" I'm referring to, but rather anyone who decides they were "positive" when truly they were not. The consequences of...
  2. JoshB
    The manufacturer of the test kit seems to think that the specificity is above 98%. Usually "A" type antibodies seem to be higher, so that's a little odd. Did they do a "Total IgA" test as well? Open Original Shared Link I would think this is a positive result. If there's any question left in your mind, then now is the time to get a biopsy.
  3. JoshB
    I've got a very good idea of what IGA deficiency is, Irish. It means that your "A" type antibody response is abnormal, and that the IgA-anti-TtG test will be invalid. Fortunately this is not a "false negative" as a celiac panel should always include a total IgA check, which will flag this issue. And, in any case, only about 3% of celiac disease patients have...
  4. JoshB
    I'm not sure that Entero is quackery. The ideas behind the tests do seem to make sense. You find antibodies in the stool, it seems likely that your body is pissed off at something in there. But since this is all being immediately expelled from the body, do the antibodies really matter? Is there opportunity for a feedback loop to develop like in celiac disease...
  5. JoshB
    With one DQ2.5 I think her odds are somewhere around 8% of developing it in her lifetime. That number seems to vary a bit from study to study. Genes don't appear to be enough to cause it. Usually there's some trauma: an illness or injury, or even extreme stress can kick things off. Actually, blood antibodies are generally much more sensitive and specific...
  6. JoshB
    Tracy, children usually heal in a few months. Adults, though, take anywhere from a year to "forever". Or at least that's what used to be thought; my GI tells me that they have excellent success with prednisone in those cases. This is why they'll want to do an endoscopy now, and then a followup in a year or two. You're lucky to be symptom free, but you...
  7. JoshB
    She has one very risky gene [DQ2.5] for celiac disease, but it should not be taken as a diagnosis; about 13% of the population in the US has this. As for the other results... who really knows? The tests that Enterolabs has developed seem reasonable on the surface, but they have not published their work. It's not been peer reviewed or duplicated. They are...
  8. JoshB
    Frankly I don't think it's possible, and you are likely endangering your relationship with your workmates by worrying about it. If you're concerned about crumbs on the door, then stand second in line and don't open it yourself, or wash your hands after the meeting. Maybe you should stop in and see the doc, or take a vacation day and rest up. Hard to remember...
  9. JoshB
    Did you get a copy of your lab-work? That might be helpful. 40% or so of celiac cases involve no intestinal discomfort that the patient noticed. This is generally referred to as "silent celiac disease". Usually in these cases it's discovered because of the "minor" manifestations of the disease or because a family member was diagnosed. Symptoms and severity...
  10. JoshB
    It's fine. Almost no one uses gluten or even wheat starch as a binder now, so there's nothing to cross contaminate with. Besides if any manufacturing facility is going to have good protocols against cross contamination on a processing line, it's a pharmaceutical plant.
  11. JoshB
    That is a good point. There's a lot of areas where the current scientific answer is "We followed for two years and this is what we saw", but the real answer is "In the long run, who knows?" For many questions we'll never have an answer, just because finding that answer would be incredibly cruel or expensive. About the only reason we know of so many risk...
  12. JoshB
    I've asked this myself. Everything I've read says that neuro issues that come from actual damage don't usually get much better. Stress and pain, however, do have a major effect on your nerves. Also, there are some common vitamin deficiencies that can do horrible things to the chemical transmitters your nerves use to send messages. Fatigue, of course, has...
  13. JoshB
    It sounds like you and your son are allergic to wheat rather than gluten intolerant. I think you could test that without eating wheat for a long time, just get an allergist to do a prick test. If your reactions are that quick and clear, I'm not really sure what a doctor or a diagnosis is going to do for you. You'll have to eat wheat for several months...
  14. JoshB
    It depends on your doc and possibly what you ask for. My GI has finally talked me into one, as some issues aren't resolving. I'm supposed to go in a few days here, and he says I've got my choice between full sedation, a little something for the pain, or nothing at all.
  15. JoshB
    The "IGA" you're referring to is simply an indicator that your "A" type antibodies are in working order -- the other tests can report false negatives if you're low here. It has no bearing on whether you are celiac positive. It's the other numbers on your test that actually count. If you have positive blood work, you almost certainly have celiac disease...
  16. JoshB
    As long as you're eating diversely and maybe taking a mutli-vitamin, being gluten free should not harm your baby. It certainly seems unwise to do a gluten challenge while pregnant, and your diet would absolutely effect the blood test. Frankly, your doctor saying otherwise is a very good sign that you should not take his advice for anything having to do with...
  17. JoshB
    Sorry Kim, that's a positive result. On the plus side now you know, and you should start feeling a lot better. Your GI may want to do an endoscopy to determine the severity of damage. You might want to do that depending on your plans for the future and your insurance situation. You'll have to eat gluten free from now on no matter what, but a GI may compare...
  18. JoshB
    There's a lot of factors here. It's possible to have a negative blood test, but know that it could be a false negative. There is a percentage of people that cannot make type "A" antibodies. A celiac panel should always include a "Total serum" check to determine if this is the case for you. Also lab mistakes can happen and old test kits or kits that have been...
  19. JoshB
    I've been completely unable to find a LabCorp DQ test sample, but I did find one for Quest: Open Original Shared Link ----------------------------------------- So it seems that if you're using Quest you can determine your DQ type, not just whether it is 2 or 8. I think it's worth noting that it doesn't just tell you, however. You have to look...
  20. JoshB
    Antibody levels can take months to fall. A couple weeks probably didn't have a significant effect.
  21. JoshB
    If you have access to a microwave and a little spare change, the "Amy's Kitchen" brand of frozen lunches are all very good. My only problem with them is that #1 -- they are pretty low calorie, and I usually want a snack as well. And, #2 -- some of them are a bit high in fat.
  22. JoshB
    Just saw this Cougie. I wasn't saying that you were off topic, but that I was. I posted another question and moved it to a separate thread, because it really didn't have much to do with the original topic. Writing lacks so much compared with a conversation. I really think we need a whole other set of punctuation to indicate mood, sarcasm, agreement, doubtfulness...
  23. JoshB
    Can't speak to the female issues, but B12 deficiency is classic celiac. If it is celiac disease, you will likely have a very hard time correcting that with supplements until your intestines are healed. If you are that bad off, I would suggest immediately getting blood drawn. Then, that very day, go gluten free. You can wait for confirmation from the blood...
  24. JoshB
    OK, so Labcorp does not seem as useful as one might hope. Better than I feared though, as there is some suggestion that there are tests which won't tell you if you're 2.2, only 2.5. Knowing only "2" is not as useful as 2.5/2.2, but at least it's better than not spotting 2.2 at all. I'd be really interested in hearing from anyone about what a "negative" result...
  25. JoshB
    It can take a very long time. I'm sure that someone will be along to say otherwise, but the blood test should be pretty accurate. Your issue is very likely something else. You can certainly keep gluten free to see if it helps, but I wouldn't give up looking into alternatives either.
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