Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Soshannah- There are many reasons why your son may have had a lower count in his fecal sample. The stomach lining completely regenerates every three days, and it's possible that just didn't have any gluten in him. Perhaps the test was inaccurate, or flawed. In any case your son should be put on the diet. It may prove to be temporary until you can get more substantial results, but you should tell your husband some of the consequences of a celiac eating gluten on a regular basis. I am sure he cares about your son's health! I hope it turns out okay. Leah On Aug 28, 2005, at 10:21 PM, EDUCATIONmatters wrote: > Hi All, > > I feel kind of desperate right now. I just got my lab test and my > son's lab > tests back from Enterolab in Dallas, Texas. They analyzed both our > stool > samples and told us that we both have celiacs. I am not worried > about myself > because my symptoms have already been alleviated by following a > gluten free > diet. My husband will not accept that my son has celiacs until it > is confirmed > by a pediatrician or a pediatric gastroenterologist. He will not go > along > with my son following a gluten free diet and it won't work unless my > husband > cooperates. Although he will go along with it once the diagnosis is > confirmed. > > What I need to know from you all or from anyone is this. Is > Enterolab or > " the stool specimen test " valid. They look for the antibodies in > the stools. > My son's antigliadin antibody in the stool was 18 and normal is > under 10. My > son's Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA  was 18 Units, and > normal range > is under 10. My son's Microscopic Fecal Fat Score was  829 Units > and > normal range is under 300. > > Does anyone know anything about these numbers regarding fecal > tests.  Will > another doctor use these numbers and do further investigation. Or > will they > tell me that it is not mainstream medicine. My husband spoke with > my uncle, > who is a doctor, tonight. My uncle said it sounds like alternative > medicine > and may not mean anything. Is testing the stools for celiacs > considered > alternative medicine. > > Thanks everyone, > > Shoshannah > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Shoshanna, Please go to this wonderful forum of experts and read all the info there; print out articles form The Gluten File to give to your husband. http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=141 ~Karina " Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Shoshanna Have a seat chavera. Take a deep breath and relax a sec. You may not like the answer to your question, but it's going to show you exactly what you are up against. First, if you can find a DAN trained doctor where you live, the stool sample results will be treated with respect - if you take them to a traditional alleopathic pracitioner (ie pedaetrician) you will be told it is unreliable and unproven and the only acceptable proof that a person has Celiac's Disease is a positive biopsy of the intestinal tract. Elaine Gottschall's book (Breaking the Vicious Cycle) and it's chapters on CD might help you to better understand why the biopsy is not reliable medicine and should not be the gold standard for diagnosing CD anymore. I am suspecting that uncle is about 40 or 50 and traditionally trained. He would be used to relying on blood tests (which are relatively new for alleopathic practitioners) and on the biopsy that is gold standard at this time. However in the hundred or so years that Celiac's Disease has been well known and studied, it has gone from being considered a detrimental intolerance of all grain proteins to one restricted to an autoimmune reaction to just the gluten from wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and related hybrid grains. That said, Shoshanna, you won't convince your husband even if you had a positive biopsy because right now that means admiting his child is less than perfect. I think you might really just need to give him a little period of mourning and go on about your life with your son as if he had just been diagnosed with diabetes or another life long condition. Your husband will catch up with you when he sees improvements in health in both you and your son. Not to discredit the men, but very often it is the mothers who suspect something amiss, get diagnoses and treatment with a sensible and logical course of action. Many men take time to come along aside and to understand health issues like this. Since you were also positive this child and any others have about a 50% chance of also being gluten intolerant so that's simple genetics. I suggest also that you look for a DAN doctor (stands for Defeat Autism Now), one who is trained in recognizing the affects of food on the body, and who is not necessarily choosing to restrict his practise to autistic spectrum disorders, because if you can find one you will generally be treated with respect and understood in the testing you have chosen to pursue. A doctor trained in clinical ecology will also be helpful. But, this is what you are up against in traditional medicine .... if it ain't proven in a biopsy you don't have CD. Elaine Gottschall has a website, at http://breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ She uses a diet which avoids most grains instead of just gluten, but I am more interested in the information she has which may be of help to you. Check with your local library to see if they have or can get the book. Peace be to you Shoshanna, it's not an easy walk just now. You will be on a steep learning curve and your husband may not be able to go along with you just yet, but give him time and he will. BL My uncle said it sounds like alternative medicine and may not mean anything. Is testing the stools for celiacs considered alternative medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Personally I agree with Leah's advice, but if your husband is serious about pursuing testing and treatment through more traditional medical means, taking your son of gluten will guarantee negative results. As a mother I hate to see a child sick or ill or dysfuctional because of food, but taking him off gluten may not produce enough results to satisfy your husband's need for " proof " Just a thought, BL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Hi Shoshannah, I'm in almost the same boat. I just had the same tests done for my son by Enterolab and got the same results. I'm having a hard time convincing anybody that it's true, because it has not been confirmed by the pediatrician. My plan is to print out the test results, along with the scientific rationale from the Enterolab website, and take it my son's pediatrician. Since my son has been on a GF diet now for several months, I am also going to take my notes about the improvements we've seen in sleep, bowel movements, etc on the diet. I hope she will be open-minded enough to at least humor us, because we will need her to put the GF diet in his chart for his preschool. If she won't entertain the idea, I will probably be looking for another doctor. Maybe your husband would compromise with you, and give the diet a trial period? We saw positive results for our son within a couple of weeks. Maybe once your husband saw some improvement he would support you. Good luck, and keep us posted. Lori > > Does anyone know anything about these numbers regarding fecal tests. Will > another doctor use these numbers and do further investigation. Or will they > tell me that it is not mainstream medicine. My husband spoke with my uncle, > who is a doctor, tonight. My uncle said it sounds like alternative medicine > and may not mean anything. Is testing the stools for celiacs considered > alternative medicine. > > Thanks everyone, > > Shoshannah > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Dear Shoshannah- My son was diagnosed 8 years ago, my husband in November 04. I have never heard of this kind of testing. I have no idea if it is accurate or not. I am so sorry. Amy L - EDUCATIONmatters nogluten ; glutenfreefriends ; Cc: emailciara Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:21 PM lab tests for celiacs Hi All, I feel kind of desperate right now. I just got my lab test and my son's lab tests back from Enterolab in Dallas, Texas. They analyzed both our stool samples and told us that we both have celiacs. I am not worried about myself because my symptoms have already been alleviated by following a gluten free diet. My husband will not accept that my son has celiacs until it is confirmed by a pediatrician or a pediatric gastroenterologist. He will not go along with my son following a gluten free diet and it won't work unless my husband cooperates. Although he will go along with it once the diagnosis is confirmed. What I need to know from you all or from anyone is this. Is Enterolab or " the stool specimen test " valid. They look for the antibodies in the stools. My son's antigliadin antibody in the stool was 18 and normal is under 10. My son's Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA was 18 Units, and normal range is under 10. My son's Microscopic Fecal Fat Score was 829 Units and normal range is under 300. Does anyone know anything about these numbers regarding fecal tests. Will another doctor use these numbers and do further investigation. Or will they tell me that it is not mainstream medicine. My husband spoke with my uncle, who is a doctor, tonight. My uncle said it sounds like alternative medicine and may not mean anything. Is testing the stools for celiacs considered alternative medicine. Thanks everyone, Shoshannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Although Enterolab can test for antibodies - there are no standards for their tests and any further diagnosis (although gluten intolerance seems reasonable, if you are making antibodies to it). They do not claim to diagnose celiac disease (as this requires a biopsy and the only accepted tests are blood tests). The blood test is simple, have your PCP or pediatrician run the test (but don't stop eating gluten until you get this done. If positive, you'll need a biopsy (and have to stay on gluten until that is finished). The testing you had done is not " alternative medicine " so much as it is a lab test that is ownly recognized by the docotr who invented it (and who runs Enterolab). > > > > Does anyone know anything about these numbers regarding fecal > tests. Will > another doctor use these numbers and do further investigation. > Or will they > tell me that it is not mainstream medicine. My husband spoke > with my uncle, > who is a doctor, tonight. My uncle said it sounds like > alternative medicine > and may not mean anything. Is testing the stools for celiacs considered > alternative medicine. --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 I think this is subjective. The only real benefit of having the blood test or the biopsy is to prove to the medical community that you would be better off without gluten in your life. Since Shoshana was trying to get her husband to agree it makes sense to follow through with these tests, but for the average person who gets sick on gluten, staying on it to endure a biopsy which may or may not prove you meet the gold standard of diagnosis serves little purpose when the treatment is to remove all gluten from your diet anyway. My PCP, who happens to be trainined in environmental medicine told us try the diet and if we felt better that was proof enough of a gluten intolerance regardless of whether it was CD or not. He said it's like going to the doctor and saying it hurts when I do this, and having the wise old country doctor say " well, don't do that " Just my 2 cents though, BL The blood test is simple, have your PCP or pediatrician run the test (but don't stop eating gluten until you get this done. If positive, you'll need a biopsy (and have to stay on gluten until that is finished). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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