endoscopy/colonoscopy results

[kscolorado]

Hi everyone, I had my double procedure done yesterday. You guys were right. The prep was the hard part. I don't remember any of the rest! I don't even remember Dr. Lewey seeing me afterward. All my information is from hubby. My colonoscopy was clean as a whistle! My endoscopy showed patches of redness and inflammation that he did biospys but told my husband celiac related, no real damage or suspicions of cancer etc. So I worried over nothing! I plan to stick around with you guys even tho I seem to be only celiac since we share the same diet etc and I learn so much from you all. Still waiting for enterolab results on soy. Dr. Lewey also did an Elisa panel so that should give me info to on other intolerances.

[tex]

Hi Kathy,

I'm glad that your preliminary results were "clean". We have a number of members with both CD and MC, so that's still a possibility, until you see the biopsy results. I certainly hope that you don't have both, of course.

Regardless of your final diagnosis, though, yes, we would very much appreciate your continued input. CD and MC are so intertwined, that we certainly appreciate the opportunity to learn as much as we can about both diseases, and the information that we learn from each others' experiences seems to me to be more valuable than some/much of the research that is conducted by the medical community. It's difficult for a medical research project to grasp the reality of actually having to deal with these diseases on a day to day basis. As we are all aware, sharing experiences is an extremely powerful way to learn the "real" facts about living with any disease, and learning about the little "tricks" that add so much to our quality of life.

Thanks for the update, and I hope the lab results and pathology report are also favorable.

Tex

[kscolorado]

Thanks Tex, I hope lab results ect are clean too. I'm mostly relieved that the bigger worries (the big C word) don't seem to be a threat now. When you don't feel good for so long, you start thinking the worst!

[Lucy]

Hi there,
Glad it wasn't something less "fixable." Did Dr. Lewey say that since you've been off of gluten a while, your biopsies might be ok from the colon?
Yours, Luce

[kscolorado]

Dr Lewey's guy 2 procedure's before mine took way longer than usual (something must have been wrong) so my husband said he was in my room for only a few minutes. He showed my husband pictures of the inflammation in my small intestines and where he biopsy'd and he quickly went on to the next patient. I was supposed to have my proceedure at 2:15 but it didn't happen until 4:00. I was uncomfortable in gown and hooked up to I.V. but I know you can't control all those things so I wasn't upset. I plan to ask a ton of questions at follow up and that's a good one to ask Luce!

[tex]

Luce and Kathy,

I would be very surprised if the biopsies from the colon show normal histology, unless MC absolutely never was present at any time in the recent past, (by recent, I mean anytime after childhood). Consider this study of celiacs in remission:

Biopsy samples from 249 coeliac patients (F 165, M 84) were analysed basally and after clinical and biochemical remission following a GFD. All patients showed an improvement in mucosal findings after starting a GFD, but complete histological normalization was observed in 74.1% of paediatric cases (diagnosed before 14 years of age) and in only 17.5% of adults. Statistical analysis showed that sex, the clinical picture at diagnosis and the length of time between biopsy at the time of diagnosis and on a GFD were not related to histological normalization. In contrast, the age at diagnosis was statistically significantly related to it (P < 0.0001). In addition, the presence/absence of Helicobacter pylori was independent of the normalization of the duodenal mucosa. Conclusions: 

In clinical practice the criteria for diagnosis of coeliac disease are sufficiently standardized, whereas for follow-up they are less well defined. We suggest that in order to compare the results from different studies, it should be stated whether remission after treatment is based on clinical or histological criteria or both.

The red emphasis is mine, of course.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/b ... 4/art00008

IOW, just because the clinical symptoms resolve, does not mean that the cellular histology will return to normal. IMO, if the damage to the small intestinal cellular architecture, caused by gluten, (in adults), does not completely revert back to normal, following treatment, (the GF diet), then the histology of the colon, (subjected to gluten damage), is not likely to completely revert back to normal, either. The histology will improve, but it will never return to it's original, "normal" state. That's just my opinion, though, and as we all know, I'm not a doctor.

Wayne

[kscolorado]

Thanks for the info Wayne. I was surprised by the inflammation patches in my small intestine since I was gluten free for over 1 1/2 years but did do the two month challenge. Made me wonder if the challenge was the cause or If I'm a slow healer. Only 17.5% of adults showing showing normal makes a little more sense to me since I am finally getting diagnosed in my 40's. I am wondering too about the colon pathologies. I hope I will eventually heal my small intestines but am wondering if the soy (still waiting to see if I am intolerant) kept the flair going? I am doing so much better g.f. and soy free. I still only eat a little very hard cheese any more than that sends the lactose intolerance into a tizzy. Thanks for your help.

[tex]

Kathy,

For someone sensitive to casein, it has been shown to cause the same type of small intestinal damage that celiacs suffer from, - IOW, villus atrophy, (and for all I know, soy might possibly cause the same problem - I don't believe that any research has been done on that issue), so that may be the reason for the persistent inflammation in your small intestine.

You're most welcome,

Wayne