scanned MRT results

[irisheyes13]

Above are the results of my MRT testing. You'll need to click on each image to actually be able to read it. I found Joe's post with his results very helpful in understanding the test so I thought I would add mine as well.

As I mentioned in a post last night, I don't meet with my dietitian until later this week so I'm not sure how the first phase of the LEAP diet will begin. I do know it will be much different than what I'm used to!

I found it interesting how many of the items mirrored my Enterolab results. Soybean, egg, yeast as well as a few gluten containing grains and a few dairy items. Another concept that has had me a bit perplexed is that one can have an intolerance to a chicken egg but not chicken itself.

Gloria- you mentioned that it has been a year this week that you have been following the LEAP diet. I hadn't realized you had been following the diet that long! You have been so diligent and patient with this disease and the rewards are finally being reaped! It seems like your weaning from Entocort is working and it is so encouraging to see that you were able to add some high green and even yellow foods back in. I realize your yellows were only flavor enhancers and are used in minute amounts but it's good to see that you can tolerate them. Are you now totally off the Entocort? I know you were to the point where you were only taking one every 2-3 days and it has been an amazing help to you in your battle with MC but it will be much easier to ascertain how you handle foods without the Entocort in your system...fingers and toes are crossed for you!

I guess the biggest surprise for me was the combination of salicylic acid, sorbic acid and potassium nitrate. All 3 are so common in prepared foods and drinks...yikes! Pat, I had read that almonds are high in salicylic acid which is why I am concerned about almond butter/milk. The good news is that I tested relatively low for hazelnuts and cashews so hopefully one or the other will agree with me if the almonds don't. I, too, tested low for chicken and lamb so I may end up a vegetarian if those 2 don't work out either...okay I'm getting ahead of myself. It's amazing how different everyone's results are and how they react to greens so differently.

Another one I'm perplexed by is mint. Wonder if this means I have to find a toothpaste which doesn't contain mint?

I'm so glad to have the results and look forward to taking further steps in healing and continuing to feel better and move beyond this plateau I've been perched on for several weeks now. The next few weeks shall prove interesting:)

[Polly]

Very interesting, Kelly!

What was the biggest food surprise? Did you suspect apples, or beef or turkey? Is there a reactive food(s) you have been eating a lot of? It looks like you still have lots of good choices - let's hope you don't react to too many greens. (I didn't). Are you a coffee drinker? I guess it's decaf now!

I'll be following your LEAP progress with great interest. Let us know what you'll be eating in phase I. It truly is amazing how different we all are.

Love,

Polly

[irisheyes13]

Good Morning Polly!

Yes, I was surprised (and a bit disappointed) by the beef and apples(applesauce) and both have been a mainstay in my diet. I'm hoping that by eliminating both of these foods I'll begin to see some progress. I don't eat a lot of turkey so I don't have many thoughts on it although it will make for a difficult Thanksgiving. The pork was a bigger surprise and I do eat a fair amount of pork(beloved grilled pork tenderloin) and chicken in addition to beef. I'm not a big fan of lamb or fish but it looks like I will be eating more of it. I wonder how much of our reactions to favorite foods are caused by eating them too frequently and not rotating a variety of proteins. Even before going on a restricted diet I ate primarily chicken, beef, pork and eggs with occasional fish. Chicken is the only meat which tested as low green.

I am a coffee drinker but typically only in the mornings for the caffeine so I may give it up all together but it's nice to know I can have the occasional cup of decaf.

It's good to know you had good results with your green foods. Are you continuing to add one new food a day? Obviously there are so many foods which aren't included in the testing. Have you uncovered anything which didn't agree with you that wasn't on the test?

I'm spending some time reading back over older threads following you, Mary Beth, Gloria, Kari and Pat's progress to help understand the LEAP process better. It really is fascinating and I'm so fortunate to have some wonderful mentors here to help me along the way.

Love,

Kelly

[sarkin]

Kelly,

This is fascinating and I'm sure it ill be even more so when I get to do MRT. I had a lot of the same questions that you've mentioned (eggs/chicken - really, so different?... and what about duck eggs?). And I have been wondering whether we react more to things we've been consuming in quantity. I'm glad to know your Enterolab results were consistent.

I have been eating more duck than usual, partly to keep the proteins rotating (just hold that thought in case you need it for Thanksgiving).

Thanks for sharing it, and best of luck LEAPing!

Love,

Sara

[nancyl]

Kelly,
Thanks for sharing your results. It is amazing to see all of that on paper. Are you going to a LEAP nutritionist? I had been going to a holistic nutritionist and she is very good, but we were just not a good fit and I stopped going.

I am going to be following your progress and perhaps someday I will do the testing also. Right now I'm just waiting for Enterolab. One step at a time.

Love
Nancy

[sarkin]

I'd love to know how you're going about it, too, Kelly. It would be such a relief to have a little guidance (and increase the odds of success beyond my own guesswork).

I'm excited for you!

Love,
Sara

[Gloria]

Kelly,

Yes, I've been totally off Entocort for the past two weeks. I'm not sure if I'm doing OK, or if I'm deteriorating. I'm hoping I can manage any problems with Imodium and not have to resort to Entocort anymore. Only time will tell, I guess.

I hope the MRT testing will give you the relief that we all seek. It was a big help to me, but I still needed to do detective work with the greens. Hopefully you will be able to tolerate yours. It is a big adjustment to do without beef. I had suspicions about it shortly before I did the MRT test, so I wasn't completely surprised.

I'll be interested in your progress.

Gloria

[sarkin]

Gloria,

It's interesting that your suspicions about beef were right. You seem to have an exceptional combination of insight, organizational abilities and the will to do what must be done. I truly hope you're rewarded for this in your quest to wean off Entocort. It must be hard to distinguish temporary/minor ups and downs from something more concerning (at least that's true for me).

I hope you're feeling steady and strong and well.

Love,
Sara

[mbeezie]

Sara,

I posted this is another thread but will re-post here:

Here are a few names of dietitians near NYC. Not sure if you are aware but NY has some funky laws about sending lab draws out of state, so you may need to go to New Jersey or CT.


Jill Knopoff 203.550.4386

Stephanie Song 201-310-1752


Kelly,

Interesting that your resultsd mirror Enterolab. I have heard that MRT 5000 will be far more sensitive . . . . I'm wondering if they are testing the new machine (I heard that they might be but don't know for sure - it will be rolled out officially very soon).

Good luck getting started - I look forward to reading about your progress.

Mary Beth

[irisheyes13]

Sara- Duck, huh? I'll have to keep that in mind for Thanksgiving...and otherwise:) I have never tried duck but will keep it in mind as another possible protein option once I am to the point in the LEAP process where I am able to add it in. You also mentioned duck eggs. I have never seen duck eggs in a retail store but I have seen quail eggs-they are so cute;) Keep us posted on your results from Enterolab. I believe you will be the first one here to get the newer testing done- yay!

Nancy- It is pretty amazing to see the results via the graph. Mary Beth provided me with the name of a local dietitian who is trained as a LEAP nutritionist (just like she did for Sara above). Joe had his MRT testing done and is working with someone in your area as well. I totally agree with you in taking one step at a time. It may turn out that you can figure out your sensitivities by Enterolab results alone. It seems like those of us who have needed the additional testing through MRT are double DQ'ers who typically have multiple intolerances and they usually involve foods which aren't tested through Enterolab. The good news is that Enterolab now offers all the additional proteins that they didn't offer before (when I had my testing done a few months ago). Did you get the genetic test (cheek swab) as part of your Enterolab order? How is the Entocort working for you?

Gloria- That is great news that you are off the Entocort for 2 weeks now. that there is no deteriorating and if so, it can be handled by Imodium. If there is anyone who deserves a break and some much needed (final) healing, it's you! You have been quite the detective when it comes to ferreting out your sensitivities. I never suspected beef but knew that I was continuing to eat food(s) which weren't agreeing with me. My food journal wasn't helping me narrow it down although I have been suspecting rice and bananas as being problematic and have eliminated both for the last couple of weeks. I tested high green on both of those so it will be interesting to see if they are actually problem foods or not. It may have been the beef and applesauce which was the problem and not the rice and/or banana...time will tell. Giving up beef and pork is going to be difficult, especially coming into the grilling season but it's time to come out of my comfort zone and get creative with some other proteins. I have really been enjoying quinoa and I tested in the mid range (1.6) green so I'm hoping I'll be able to continue to enjoy it when the time comes to test it out.

Mary Beth- That's an interesting point regarding the newer testing. I hadn't considered that they may be doing some test runs on the new equipment before it is released but it would make sense. It was nice to have some validation of my Enterolab results although I never questioned them to begin with.

I will definitely be keeping everyone here updated on how I'm progressing with the hope to help someone else on some level. I always appreciate your insight and thoughts, especially when it relates to the LEAP process.

[Kari]

Hi Kelly,

Glad you got your MRT results - gives you one more tool to fine tune your diet. When I first got my results, I immediately deleted all yellows and reds, and saw an instant result - even had my first norman in 10+ years. After that, there has been a lot of ups and downs, but generally I feel much better eating only the greens from the test.

I truly hope that you will adapt well to the LEAP program and start to feel better. It will take time, patience and diligence, but it should set you on a better course. Your MC tool chest is starting to fill up - having some of the uncertainty removed takes away much of the mental pressure from the guess work. For me that was a huge relief.

As far as your questions, I have many of the same ones. For instance, I was most reactive to salmon and celery, but have not eaten any celery in decades, and hardly any salmon. Then again, bananas and coffee where staples for me, and I had them every day for years (coffee was red and bananas were high yellow). So there didn't seem to be any consistency in my scores related to frequency of ingestion.

I wish you all the best as you embark on this chapter of your MC management. It is great to have you "onboard" the LEAP train and I look forward to your progress reports.

Love,
Kari

[irisheyes13]

Kari- thanks for your kind thoughts encouragement because I think I will need them;)

I'm posting an update within this thread for anyone who is searching and trying to follow the MRT/LEAP process. I know I found Kari, Polly, Mary Beth, Gloria and Pat's updates so helpful. So thanks girls!

I am on my 4th official day of my phase 1 LEAP diet based on what was recommended by my dietitian. I'm not sure what to make of it however.

When I first got my results which was a week ago yesterday, I immediately eliminated all red and yellow foods. The only suspect food I continued to have over the next couple of days was homemade almond milk because I tested high green on almonds and I also tested yellow for salicylates. Beef, pork, broccoli, black pepper, mint (toothpaste), caffeine and apples were part of my regular diet and tested either yellow or red so I eliminated them and I saw an immediate difference and exactly ONE Norman siting. That was on Thursday. I officially started my diet on Friday and things have gone down hill from there. I went from bloating, pain and nasty D to non-painful watery D which has occasionally been accompanied by urgency. The frequency hasn't been too bad-maybe 2 or 3 times a day.

My phase 1 foods are obviously all low greens: chicken, tuna, cod, crab, catfish, tilapia, salmon, scallop, tapioca, sweet potato, potato, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, onion, green bean, olive oil, mango, decaf coffee, sesame oil/seed, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, vanilla, cane sugar, garlic, coconut, maple sugar/syrup and parsley.

What I have tried so far has been chicken, tilapia, salmon, scallop, sweet and white potato, cabbage, carrot, onion, green bean, olive oil, mango, decaf coffee, cashew, hazelnut, cane sugar, garlic, coconut and maple syrup.

I have already eliminated the decaf coffee to see if that made a difference and it hasn't. I'm not sure whether to continue to try more of the phase one foods or start eliminating what I have already tried or just keep going with phase 1 and see if there is any improvement.

Even prior to MRT testing I would vascilate between watery D to normans and haven't been able to pinpoint which food is the culprit. At one point Norman stuck around for one entire week...go figure. My joint pain initially had started to improve dramatically when I eliminated gluten, dairy, soy, yeast and eggs but it has slowly returned. It isn't quite as bad as it was at its worst in January but it most definitely is painful and limits every day activities like cleaning, walking, sitting for long periods etc.

As has been mentioned by everyone who has done LEAP, the first phase is hard. The only thing I am drinking is water and cashew milk, which is yummy by the way:) I'm struggling with eating fish plain and the only meat I have is chicken. I'm not complaining because I'm sure others have started with less appealing foods.

We got creative on Saturday and made tilapia dipped in cashew milk and coated with a mixture of organic unsweetened coconut and fresh ground hazelnuts and sauteed in olive oil accompanied with steamed carrots sauteed in olive oil and sea salt. It was so yummy.

My breakfasts have been rotated between a baked sweet potato drizzled with olive oil or maple syrup or a smoothie made with trader joe's light coconut milk, unsweetened coconut, mango and ice. I had chicken one morning but didn't really find that appealing at 7 AM...trying to keep the chicken and fish for lunch and dinner only now.

I'm contemplating eliminating either coconut or mango because as I look over my diary, I have had coconut in some form every day and mango is something that I haven't had at all until introducing it this week and have had it a couple of days. These also happen to be my 2 favorites The other thought is eliminating all sugars. I have only had cane sugar once in small amount but have had maple syrup several times as well as mango.

That's a wrap for now. If anyone has any thoughts or insight, I welcome it!

Hugs,
Kelly

[tex]

I would be a bit concerned about the cabbage, onion, mango, cashew, and garlic, but that's just a wild guess.

Tex

[irisheyes13]

I hear ya Tex... I have a lot of WAG's these days;) I was concerned about the cabbage just based on the nature of that veg so I waited until yesterday to eat it. I have only had it once and I don't seem any worse or better today because of it.

Onion and garlic I've been eating occasionally all along but cashews are new. With such a limited diet, I'm not quite sure what to eliminate.

[sarkin]

Kelly,

Bravo - your courage and good thinking are clearly in working order, so I'm thinking your digestive system will get there soon, too. I bet you'll get a handle on whatever the rogue ingredient is quickly. Maybe there be very few of those ;)

Wishing you luck and health on this adventure.

Love,
Sara