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When I first did the Enterolab test in April 2013, I had been on Entocort for 6 months and was just weaning off. My tests at that time came back positive for only Gluten and Tuna.
Now that I have been off Entocort for 6 months, and following the GF/SF/CF diet and avoiding most foods from the MRT
list, I decided to redo the Enterolab test because I have been symptoms and needing some pepto.
My biggest surprise was Almond and eggs, as I was having an almond muffin, which had some egg in it, daily.
It appears that Entocort did mask many of my sensitivities, perhaps I should have waited a few months after stopping the Entocort the first time to do the test.
Gluten/Antigenic Food Sensitivity Stool Panel
Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 22 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 22 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 24 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-soy IgA 23 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Expanded Antigenic Food Sensitivity Stool Panel
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 15 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
While all of the foods tested can be immune-stimulating, the hierarchy of reactions detected were as follows:
Food to which there was no significant immunological reactivity:
Pork
Cashew
White potato
Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+):
Rice
Corn
Chicken
Tuna
Beef
Walnut
Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+):
None
Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+):
Almond
Oat
Tex, you can post my results.
Thank you,
New Enterolab results after being off Entocort for 6 months
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
New Enterolab results after being off Entocort for 6 months
Donna
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Good to know about the Entocort masking the reactions. It looks like you should be G,D,S, and,egg free plus at least almond and oat free also. If you really like your muffins, you might want to try chestnut flour instead and use egg substitute.
Hopefully, cutting out these last things will do the trick.
leah
Hopefully, cutting out these last things will do the trick.
leah
Donna,
Awesome data! That is really helpful information. It appears that for all practical purposes, Entocort pretty much totally suppressed antibodies for everything except gluten, and that's probably because anti-giladin antibodies have a 120-day half-life, compared to approximately a 6 day half life for the other antibodies.
Now we will know the correct answer whenever the question comes up in the future.
I have added this data to your results in our records. Thank you so much for sharing this information. It will surely help many members in the future. We no longer have to guess.
Tex
Awesome data! That is really helpful information. It appears that for all practical purposes, Entocort pretty much totally suppressed antibodies for everything except gluten, and that's probably because anti-giladin antibodies have a 120-day half-life, compared to approximately a 6 day half life for the other antibodies.
Now we will know the correct answer whenever the question comes up in the future.
I have added this data to your results in our records. Thank you so much for sharing this information. It will surely help many members in the future. We no longer have to guess.
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.
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robinc2525
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Robin,
For me that was the case, I'm not sure how this will apply to others, but I was not able to bring the MC into remission with the results of the first enterolab test, so I thought it would be worth a try to redo the test. The new test results are helping me eliminate foods I did not think were a problem. For others, I think it depends if they think the results of the test are working for them.
For me that was the case, I'm not sure how this will apply to others, but I was not able to bring the MC into remission with the results of the first enterolab test, so I thought it would be worth a try to redo the test. The new test results are helping me eliminate foods I did not think were a problem. For others, I think it depends if they think the results of the test are working for them.
Donna
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Robin,
Whether or not budesonide will have a significant effect on your EntereoLab test results depends on how sensitive you are to budesonide, and on how long you were taking it before sending a sample to EnteroLab. If you had been taking it for 6 months or longer (as was the case with Donna), there is a very good chance that it may have significantly suppressed your antibody levels for all foods except for gluten (anti-gliadin antibodies have a very long half-life, so they are very persistent, and the EnteroLab test can reliably detect them for a year or more after gluten has been withdrawn from the diet).
On the other hand, if you had been taking Entocort for only a month or two before taking a sample, it's unlikely that the budesonide would have a significant effect on your test results.
Looking at your test results, since gluten showed the only positive result, that mimics the results that Donna received on her first test, so that suggests that you might have been taking Entocort long enough to suppress your antibody levels, unfortunately.
Tex
Whether or not budesonide will have a significant effect on your EntereoLab test results depends on how sensitive you are to budesonide, and on how long you were taking it before sending a sample to EnteroLab. If you had been taking it for 6 months or longer (as was the case with Donna), there is a very good chance that it may have significantly suppressed your antibody levels for all foods except for gluten (anti-gliadin antibodies have a very long half-life, so they are very persistent, and the EnteroLab test can reliably detect them for a year or more after gluten has been withdrawn from the diet).
On the other hand, if you had been taking Entocort for only a month or two before taking a sample, it's unlikely that the budesonide would have a significant effect on your test results.
Looking at your test results, since gluten showed the only positive result, that mimics the results that Donna received on her first test, so that suggests that you might have been taking Entocort long enough to suppress your antibody levels, unfortunately.
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.
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robinc2525
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- Posts: 75
- Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:29 am
Tex, I started taking Uceris on May 24 and I was on Lialda for a month before that (Lialda didn't help). I did the Enterolab test starting August 8, so I was on it for 2 1/2 months. I actually have never seen much of an improvement that I would attribute to Uceris and am going to go off it soon. I did not change my eating after the Enterolab test..... I eat chicken, ground turkey, rice, potatoes and quinoa and that's pretty much it and I still do not have Normans. I generally only go in the morning though, so I am not suffering however the urgency is difficult to deal with and it bothers me that despite being so strict with diet I can't seem to have a normal bm. I assume that means I continue to have inflammation and of course I don't like the thought of my body not being healthy.
I actually called Enterolab when I got my test back because I was surprised by the results also. I asked if the Uceris could have made a difference and she looked up the drug and said no, that she didn't see anything that would effect the test results. Based on the timeframe above, is your opinion still that I should redo the test when I am off Uceris?
On another note, as I said I am going to go off the Uceris probably starting this week. I am a little nervous because there is no dosage to reduce to, I am just going to start taking them less frequently (one every day and half, once ever 2 days etc). My doc suggested I do it that way but gave me no real instruction on how long to do 2 days, 3 days, etc. She just said "just give it a little taper". So anyway, I always read on here how people have symptoms like aching joints, headaches, etc when they come off Entocort. Would I be likely to have those issues coming off Uceris? I wasn't sure if it makes a difference that it isn't absorbed into the bloodstream the way other Budesonide medications are.
Thanks so much-
Robin
I actually called Enterolab when I got my test back because I was surprised by the results also. I asked if the Uceris could have made a difference and she looked up the drug and said no, that she didn't see anything that would effect the test results. Based on the timeframe above, is your opinion still that I should redo the test when I am off Uceris?
On another note, as I said I am going to go off the Uceris probably starting this week. I am a little nervous because there is no dosage to reduce to, I am just going to start taking them less frequently (one every day and half, once ever 2 days etc). My doc suggested I do it that way but gave me no real instruction on how long to do 2 days, 3 days, etc. She just said "just give it a little taper". So anyway, I always read on here how people have symptoms like aching joints, headaches, etc when they come off Entocort. Would I be likely to have those issues coming off Uceris? I wasn't sure if it makes a difference that it isn't absorbed into the bloodstream the way other Budesonide medications are.
Thanks so much-
Robin
Robin,
I had forgotten that you were/are taking Uceris. The primary advantage of Uceris is claimed to be the fact that it has no systemic corticosteroid effects, (since none of it is available to be absorbed in the ileum, or anywhere else in the small intestine). Therefore, theoretically, it should not affect the EnteroLab results in any way (neither should Lialda, since it has no immune system suppressing capability), because the colon is only capable of absorbing (into the bloodstream) and recycling water and electrolytes — no other nutrients, and no medications.
The only risky item I can see in the list of foods that you are eating is the quinoa. It is known that it is common for many (though not all) South American farmers who grow quinoa, to dry the quinoa by mixing it with barley, or some other grain. As a result, much of the quinoa that is commercially available is contaminated with gluten.
You might try avoiding quinoa for a while, to see if that makes a difference. Do that before you discontinue using the Uceris, because if you have been eating contaminated quinoa all this time, your intestines may not have done any significant healing, and it may take a long time for the damage to heal. It's possible that the Uceris might work without the quinoa (if it is indeed contaminated with gluten), and in that case you would probably see improvement within a week or so, rather than months later, which might be the case without it.
Of course we all know that in the real world, sometimes the claims made about medications are not always 100 % reliable, and I haven't seen any independent research that has been done to verify that Uceris is indeed free of any systemic effects, so it's not impossible that it might have affected your EnteroLab results, but it's very unlikely that could have happened.
If the claims made by the manufacturer about Uceris are true, then no taper should be necessary — you should be able to stop taking it cold turkey with no risk of withdrawal effects. If you should have any withdrawal effects, then you will know (by those withdrawal symptoms) that it did indeed have systemic effects (contrary to the label), and it may well have skewed your EnteroLab results.
At least that's the way I see it.
Have you tried an antihistamine? Sometimes when we are unable to reach remission despite doing everything right, the hangup is inappropriate mast cell degranulation. For some of us in that situation, a daily antihistamine or two can be more effective than budesonide.
You're very welcome,
Tex
I had forgotten that you were/are taking Uceris. The primary advantage of Uceris is claimed to be the fact that it has no systemic corticosteroid effects, (since none of it is available to be absorbed in the ileum, or anywhere else in the small intestine). Therefore, theoretically, it should not affect the EnteroLab results in any way (neither should Lialda, since it has no immune system suppressing capability), because the colon is only capable of absorbing (into the bloodstream) and recycling water and electrolytes — no other nutrients, and no medications.
The only risky item I can see in the list of foods that you are eating is the quinoa. It is known that it is common for many (though not all) South American farmers who grow quinoa, to dry the quinoa by mixing it with barley, or some other grain. As a result, much of the quinoa that is commercially available is contaminated with gluten.
You might try avoiding quinoa for a while, to see if that makes a difference. Do that before you discontinue using the Uceris, because if you have been eating contaminated quinoa all this time, your intestines may not have done any significant healing, and it may take a long time for the damage to heal. It's possible that the Uceris might work without the quinoa (if it is indeed contaminated with gluten), and in that case you would probably see improvement within a week or so, rather than months later, which might be the case without it.
Of course we all know that in the real world, sometimes the claims made about medications are not always 100 % reliable, and I haven't seen any independent research that has been done to verify that Uceris is indeed free of any systemic effects, so it's not impossible that it might have affected your EnteroLab results, but it's very unlikely that could have happened.
If the claims made by the manufacturer about Uceris are true, then no taper should be necessary — you should be able to stop taking it cold turkey with no risk of withdrawal effects. If you should have any withdrawal effects, then you will know (by those withdrawal symptoms) that it did indeed have systemic effects (contrary to the label), and it may well have skewed your EnteroLab results.
At least that's the way I see it.
Have you tried an antihistamine? Sometimes when we are unable to reach remission despite doing everything right, the hangup is inappropriate mast cell degranulation. For some of us in that situation, a daily antihistamine or two can be more effective than budesonide.
You're very welcome,
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.
-
robinc2525
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:29 am
Once again Tex, the information you give is so valuable to me and I can't thank you enough.
I actually only added Quinoa fairly recently and have eaten one full bag, over the course of probably two weeks. I haven't had any for a week and a half. I didn't see a difference when I started/stopped eating it (I thought I'd try to replace the rice with quinoa to get off all grains and see if it made a difference for me). So I feel pretty confident it's not the quinoa that's to blame in my circumstance, however thank you for telling me about the contamination issue because it's totally not worth the risk in my opinion.
Also, thank you so much for the information on the Uceris.
As for antihistamines, I tried taking an Allegra each day for a week or so and didn't see any difference. Maybe I should try again with a higher dose.
Again Tex, thanks. You're the best :)
Robin
I actually only added Quinoa fairly recently and have eaten one full bag, over the course of probably two weeks. I haven't had any for a week and a half. I didn't see a difference when I started/stopped eating it (I thought I'd try to replace the rice with quinoa to get off all grains and see if it made a difference for me). So I feel pretty confident it's not the quinoa that's to blame in my circumstance, however thank you for telling me about the contamination issue because it's totally not worth the risk in my opinion.
Also, thank you so much for the information on the Uceris.
As for antihistamines, I tried taking an Allegra each day for a week or so and didn't see any difference. Maybe I should try again with a higher dose.
Again Tex, thanks. You're the best :)
Robin
Robin,
If you can find a Kosher brand of quinoa, it will be GF. It's certainly possible that the one you tried was safe, because it wouldn't be surprising if some additional brands cleaned up their act since that cross-contamination issue surfaced a few years ago.
As Leah suggested, some antihistamines work better than others, for certain individuals. So changing brands might help. In some cases where an H1 type antihistamine doesn't seem to help, or at least isn't adequate to bring remission, an H2 type antihistamine might be called for. A few people take both types.
In the stomach, histamine activates H2 type receptors (in the paretial cells) to produce stomach acid. Therefore H2 type antihistamines reduce gastric acid production. Examples of these are Zantac and Tagamet. Not everyone can use H2 type antihistamines though, because for a few of us H2 type antihistamines can trigger an MC reaction, possibly because they may reduce gastric acid too much for good digestion (which can lead to SIBO).
In cases where SIBO is a problem, insufficient gastric acid may be the cause, and in that situation, taking Betaine HCL at the start of each meal will produce the opposite effect (it will boost stomach acid production), and this can restore normal digestion for some people. It's one more option to try, when all else fails.
You're very welcome,
Tex
If you can find a Kosher brand of quinoa, it will be GF. It's certainly possible that the one you tried was safe, because it wouldn't be surprising if some additional brands cleaned up their act since that cross-contamination issue surfaced a few years ago.
As Leah suggested, some antihistamines work better than others, for certain individuals. So changing brands might help. In some cases where an H1 type antihistamine doesn't seem to help, or at least isn't adequate to bring remission, an H2 type antihistamine might be called for. A few people take both types.
In the stomach, histamine activates H2 type receptors (in the paretial cells) to produce stomach acid. Therefore H2 type antihistamines reduce gastric acid production. Examples of these are Zantac and Tagamet. Not everyone can use H2 type antihistamines though, because for a few of us H2 type antihistamines can trigger an MC reaction, possibly because they may reduce gastric acid too much for good digestion (which can lead to SIBO).
In cases where SIBO is a problem, insufficient gastric acid may be the cause, and in that situation, taking Betaine HCL at the start of each meal will produce the opposite effect (it will boost stomach acid production), and this can restore normal digestion for some people. It's one more option to try, when all else fails.
You're very welcome,
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.
Robin,
I know you diet is very limited, but have you tried taking out the rice or potatoes for a period of time. Also, have you tried any different meats such as pork, lamb or beef instead of chicken/turkey? Do you take any supplements that could cause a problem? Just a thought.
I know you diet is very limited, but have you tried taking out the rice or potatoes for a period of time. Also, have you tried any different meats such as pork, lamb or beef instead of chicken/turkey? Do you take any supplements that could cause a problem? Just a thought.
Donna
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
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robinc2525
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- Posts: 75
- Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:29 am
Donna, thanks. Yes I have gone through periods of testing rice, potatoes, turkey and chicken. I haven't eaten red meat since I was in college, 20 years ago so I don't want to add that in for fear of how sick it might make me. I stopped taking all supplements throughout this process, and the only medication I take is the Uceris (budesonide). The weird thing is that my Enterolab test only showed one offender, gluten, so I feel like I should kind of be an easier case to solve. I am hoping that one day my body just magically starts to cooperate. Thanks for your ideas :)