Blood work results

kimtg68 · Post by **kimtg68** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:57 pm

Seems like my health is taking a bit of a back door to all the other drama's of life. We have a serious water/mold problem under our house from a broken water pipe. We worked hard at fixing the pipe and got that done but there is SO much mold and water under the house. Thankfully our home owners insurance will cover it after our deductable. We have a removal team coming to our house today to see what they are dealing with and after that we will have to have another team come out to see if our joist's and floors need replaced. Apparently this pipe was leaking for some time before we discovered it.
I'm going back into my GI tomorrow and will see where he stands in treating MC. I'm not too confident since he didn't even tell me I had it until a couple months after my colonoscopy/endoscopy. Then he put me on Doxycyline. That's been it. I did finally got a copy of my blood work results done in January from my PCM. Not sure how to read it. I remember one post where Tex suggested that even though the results may be within the average that there are things you can derive from your blood work that isn't always shared with you or something along those lines. This test doesn't even look like the typical blood work up. I don't think that it was. I think they were just testing for Lupus, Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide, Transglutaminase IgA &IgG, ANTB., SERUM. That's it. So now I'm not even sure if it's going to be of any help to me. SO much to learn! (Sigh)
I will probably be a hit and miss on here for awhile but will do my best to stay in touch.

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:04 pm

Hi Kim!

I am away at the beach this week and am just checking in. I noticed your doc put you on doxycycline. Is he suspecting Lyme disease? That's the usual treatment for it.

That's a bummer about the leak/mold problem. Good luck with everything. Could some of your health symptoms be related, do you think?

Love,

Polly

JoAnn · Post by **JoAnn** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:07 pm

Kim, so sorry about your mold problem. I hope it isn't too awful. Also, good luck with your Dr. appt. It is hard to feel optimistic when you know people on this board are wiser and know more about what's going on than most gi's. JoAnn

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:04 pm

doxycycline

I used to have this as a malaria protectant when travelling to Papua New Guinea. It is quite harsh on your kidneys and liver.

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:16 pm

And also on your gut. I truly believe my MC was initiated by a course of doxycycline.

Polly

kimtg68 · Post by **kimtg68** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:42 pm

Polly wrote: I noticed your doc put you on doxycycline. Is he suspecting Lyme disease? That's the usual treatment for it.

That's a bummer about the leak/mold problem. Good luck with everything. Could some of your health symptoms be related, do you think?

Polly, after my procedure I was only told I had H. Pylori and was given the mega dose pack with antibiotics and pepcid. After completing that regiment I felt ok for a few weeks and then had to go back to GI with worse tummy pain and potty problems. THAT's when my GI informed me that I also tested + for MC and he put me on doxycycline. Once I finished that my symptoms came back again. I found this forum after that. I've been, unsuccessfully, trying to work with my diet to get relief but I've come to terms that I need something more then diet alone. I still plan to pursue the food intolerance testing but will revisit, skeptically, my GI about meds. I'm prepared to find, yet again, another GI if need be. He is already my 3rd one.

My hubby and I discussed the possibility that this mold issue could be some of my health issues. Contractors are coming out tomorrow morning to rip out my floor and subfloor to clean and rid my house of this mold. We may have to move out temporarily while they do so. They are going to inform the insurance company that our house is inhabitable so we have the option to move out while they complete this. It's going to be a mess!!!

JoAnn: I think you said exactly what I was thinking. It IS hard to see a doctor who already I've lost faith in and knowing good well that there are people on this forum who know much, much more than he does about MC.

Gabes: Did you actually ever have to take the doxycycline? It made me even a little sicker the first week I was on it.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 6:10 pm

Kim
i took loads of doxy - For each trip to PNG we did, we were told to take it for 3 days before departure, every day while in PNG, and then for 7 days once we returned.

so there were times i took it for 4 weeks or more, and this was for a couple of times in the year.

there were some bad bad types of malaria up there and the fear of getting malaria outwayed my hesitation about taking doxy.

About 2 years ago when i had issues with a rare keratitis, adrenal/cortisol, what i thought was exacerbated IBS symptoms and lethargy after various tests with no clear results an immunologist prescribe doxy and i took it for 3 weeks. it did nothing to improve the symptoms

(given the various discussions on this site, i believe this was the first real indicators that i had MC not IBS)

Post by **tex** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:13 pm

Gabes,

Two years ago, when those symptoms began, about how much time had passed, since the last time that you had taken doxycycline, prior to that?

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:26 pm

i got those symptoms in December 2007. I was doing the travel to PNG during 2005, 2006 and 2007 and early 2008.

In 2007, was when i spent the most time in PNG, the Doxy taking cycles ranged from , some were about 3 weeks or 4 weeks and then the last trip in Sept 07 was the one where i took the Doxy for 6 weeks.

In 2008 i only did short trips (due to the health issues) and i had swapped across to malarone as the prophalysis, as with malaroneas you didnt have to take it before travel, just during travel and 2 days after. Strangely enough i remember thinking how much the malarone exacerbated my IBS!

Post by **tex** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:01 pm

Call me overly-suspicious, but I have a hunch that all that doxycycline in 2007 probably caused your MC.

Tex

kimtg68 · Post by **kimtg68** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:10 pm

Gabes!!! Holy cow you were on bunches of Doxy! Is your liver ok now? You poor thing.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:30 pm

I was aware of the risk to liver health etc and was doing intense naturopathic support (vitamins and herbs etc) for the doxy time and for about 6 months after.

especially when i had the adrenal issues we kept up adrenal tonics and liver health support.

Given my diet now does not involve alcohol intake (i am lucky to have any more than 3 glasses of champagne in period of a month) and i have not had to take any potent meds for the MC, my liver should be ok.

Tex - I had linked those symptoms to the onset of MC, aside from blaming 6 years of a highly stressful period of my life. (3 years for messy divorce with commercial law matters linked in) and then 3 years of working fairly stressful jobs (locations, tasks, hours etc)

The Doxy thing is the final link.

in my best cher voice "if i could turn back time"
(i only wish i had her figure!)