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Hello to everyone,
Enterolab had suggested that before I do Panel A and C, I have a blood test for IgA to make sure I am producing it again after being on Entocort for almost 5 months. I called my local Affordalab. They do offer the IgA for $51--sounds good. They also have a panel of IgA, IgM, and IgT ($132).
My question is: Is there any advantage to me getting the IgM and IgT, in my efforts to move toward remission? I did look them up and even after reading about both IgM and IgT I'm not 100% sure I know what they do or what role they play, or if they are relevant to LC.
I would appreciate any information or insights that others might have about the panel of IgM and IgT .
Thanks,
Carol
need info on IgM, IgT, and IgA
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need info on IgM, IgT, and IgA
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
The EnteroLab tests only look for IgA-related antibodies, so there really isn't any point in testing the others, (unless you suspect that you have a bone marrow problem). In all honesty, I would be very, very surprised if budesoinide has suppressed your ability to produce IgA antibodies by any significant amount in only 5 months. A year - maybe. 2 years - probably. But in 5 months, that would be very unusual. I suppose it's theoretically possible, if you are very sensitive to budesonide, and if you had been taking prednisone, I would say that getting that test would probably be a good idea, but I seriously doubt that budesonide will make a significant difference in only 5 months. That's just my unprofessional opinion, though.
If I were in your situation, I would probably do the Enterolab test, and if all my test results were negative, then I would check for my ability to produce IgA antibodies. About one in 300 people are born with selective IgA deficiency, so IMO, you have about a 1 in 300 chance of receiving false negative results on your EnteroLab tests, (IOW, I doubt that the brief regimen of Entocort will matter).
Tex
If I were in your situation, I would probably do the Enterolab test, and if all my test results were negative, then I would check for my ability to produce IgA antibodies. About one in 300 people are born with selective IgA deficiency, so IMO, you have about a 1 in 300 chance of receiving false negative results on your EnteroLab tests, (IOW, I doubt that the brief regimen of Entocort will matter).
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, I appreciate your post and the statistics. Your post brings up another question I have-- I now react to eggs (for example) where I didn't when I was on 9mg budesoinide a day. I titrated to 6mg about mid-November and to 3mg December 21st to January 5th. Then I went 3mg every other day until January 17th. Would the fact that I now react to eggs indicate that IgA is present?
Eggs are really my only example as I really haven't challenged many foods and I don't intend to until after I get my test results. I ordered my test kits for Panels A and C on Friday.
So if I still react to something would it stand to reason that I am probably making IgA? Or are those two things related at all? Thanks, Carol
Eggs are really my only example as I really haven't challenged many foods and I don't intend to until after I get my test results. I ordered my test kits for Panels A and C on Friday.
So if I still react to something would it stand to reason that I am probably making IgA? Or are those two things related at all? Thanks, Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Probably, but not necessarily, because the immune system has so many alternate routes to accomplish the same, or a similar, goal. For example, the eggs you ate might have caused mast cells to release cytokenes, or some other type of inflammation modulator. For example, quoting, (about mast cells), from my book, "They can also release TNF-a, which, in turn, can stimulate the production of prostaglandin, collagenase, and neutrophils. And they can produce interluken-4 and interluken-5, which can affect the performance of eosinophils, and there are other possibilities, as well".Carol wrote:Would the fact that I now react to eggs indicate that IgA is present?
In fact, we may be looking at MC from the wrong perspective. It might not be a T-cell modulated event after all - maybe it's controlled by mast cell activity.
(I'm not saying that's what happens - I'm just saying that maybe it should be investigated.)Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex,
You and I have discussed before that I seem to have some mast cell reactions. And it does make me wonder about the role that plays in the bigger picture. I think I need to read-up more on mast cell involvement.
Hey, my post made you give us a teaser from your book-- can't wait to see more.
Thanks as always for your insight. My kits will be here this week and I'm excited to feel another major step closer to remission.
Carol
You and I have discussed before that I seem to have some mast cell reactions. And it does make me wonder about the role that plays in the bigger picture. I think I need to read-up more on mast cell involvement.
Hey, my post made you give us a teaser from your book-- can't wait to see more.
Thanks as always for your insight. My kits will be here this week and I'm excited to feel another major step closer to remission.
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Brandy, we are in sync again. 
I'm thinking that based on what Tex said about there being a 1 in 300 chance that I'd get a false negative on the Enterolab tests, I'm tempted to keep my $51 dollars and just go ahead and do the Enterolab tests. I also had an earlier conversation with Enterolab (when I was still on Entocort) where they said that after I was off Entocort for 8 weeks, that should be sufficient time to get Entocort out of my system and it should not affect the lab test results. So that's another potential strategy.
Either way it sounds like it's time to get them done and move forward.
Keep me posted on how you are doing. Ok?
Carol
I'm thinking that based on what Tex said about there being a 1 in 300 chance that I'd get a false negative on the Enterolab tests, I'm tempted to keep my $51 dollars and just go ahead and do the Enterolab tests. I also had an earlier conversation with Enterolab (when I was still on Entocort) where they said that after I was off Entocort for 8 weeks, that should be sufficient time to get Entocort out of my system and it should not affect the lab test results. So that's another potential strategy. Either way it sounds like it's time to get them done and move forward.
Keep me posted on how you are doing. Ok?
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou