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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/28/2008 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hey people- with all the recent posts about being cured due to a certain food (or lack of a certain food), it got me wondering- didn't your GI's test you for things like celiac & lactose intolerance when you were first diagnosed? Mine did, right off the bat. I think if he didn't I wouldn't have stayed with him. You gotta cover all your bases at square one, you know? So how about it- have you or haven't you alredy been tested for these intolerances/allergies, etc? Plus, to me, it would seem that if you have UC because of a gluten intolerance (or whatever), then it's not true UC. Isn't it true that medical science does not know the cause of UC? For example- the poster who had the nickel allergy in his braces- that's not UC, that's a nickel allergy manifesting itself gastrointestinally.
Posted 5/28/2008 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
My GI tested me as soon as I wasn't responding as he expected to the meds. No food intolerances for me. Just plain old immune system run amok.
Posted 5/28/2008 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
I was tested 10 years ago. I was thinking of checking for intolerances again though becuase I heard that over time you can develop new intoleraces.

I find that food does effect my UC but has never been the cause of any flares for me.

I was dx'd with lactose intolorence when i was a kid but grew out of it before my UC fully developed.
Posted 5/28/2008 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
I think that for me my UC was aggravated in the past by both certain foods, but also the fact that as Judilyn said, my immune system had run amok. That in turn caused an inflammatory response of some sort, and it seemed to be a vicious cycle. That is why I looked for something that would also help with inflammation and as an immune system booster.

---------------------------------

yuckygut

diagnosed 1998

now off prednisone and colazal

drink 1 Haldi daily
Posted 5/28/2008 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
I was tested for celiac right off the bat, but not for anything else. The reason for that, though, was that my GI had me keep a food diary for a while and nothing popped up as a problem. My eating experiences didn't provide a cause for further testing.

To your point... you are correct. If you have a gluten intolerance, it does not cause UC. You can have both UC and a gluten intolerance. You can also just have a gluten sensitivity and not a complete intolerance (same with other foods - e.g. dairy). UC is an immune system issue - not a food allergy.
Posted 5/28/2008 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the post. I'm adding these tests to my list of what to discuss with my GI at today's emergency visit.
Posted 5/28/2008 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
Food doesn't have any effect on my UC, but I will choose which foods I eat during flares if I'm not wanting to have too much discomfort.

My doc didn't test me for food intolerances, I had testing done years before with NO positives or any inkling of positives.

I did have stool testing done.

There is a process of elimination (no pun intended) towards the UC diagnosis as well as the biopsies from a c-scope, etc.

quincy
Posted 5/28/2008 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Did I ever get tested? Nope. My Doc never mentioned any of that stuff. What are some of the typical tests? Gluten? Wheat? Dairy?

Since I could eat everything my whole life I never thought about it either, But maybe it would be a good idea. I know I gradually became allergic to aleve and advil over time so maybe food can act the same way.

 

Posted 5/28/2008 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
My GI did not do a celiac test on me until I requested one several months after I was diagnosed. I don't think celiac disease causes bloody stools (correct me if I'm wrong) but most of the other symptoms are similar to UC. I was really hoping I had celiac instead of UC...

I've never had a lactose intolerance test. I don't get sick after eating dairy products, so I don't think I need to get tested for it. I was only tested for other food allergies after requesting it from my allergist.

Before being diagnosed, I did have the standard tests: rectal exam, stool tests, CT scan, X-rays and colonoscopy to rule out things like infection and parasites.

And, for those asking, yes, you can develop new allergies over time.
Posted 5/28/2008 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
My GI's (I've had 4 in my 17 yrs) all tested me for Celiacs and ran all the typical tests, blood, stool, intestinal scopings and scans/xrays...lactose intolerance was only tested by my lastest GI and I too had lactose intolerance as a baby...it can easily be masked by IBD because lactose intolerance basically consists of gas, bloating and D and it turns out I became lactose intolerant again which I never knew could happen, so for those of you who don't realize, you can become lactose intolerant more than once in your life and I was also told that having an IBD can bring on lactose intolerance.

:)
Posted 5/28/2008 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
I'm glad you posted this question because I have wondered about the testing process and my diagnosis.  Maybe I'm just still hopeful that its not really UC.  I have never had any test other than a colonscopy and the general blood test for anemia, blood levels etc.  Can UC be a definite diagnosis after a colonscopy alone?  I've never had stool tests or food intolernce tests or celiac tests or anything else.  Although I believe that maybe my symptoms point more toward IBD than anything else because in the beginning I never had D or urgency only lots of bleeding.  But should I have had at least a test for parasites or other bowel infections? Maybe I'm just still hopeful that its not really UC.

Posted 5/28/2008 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
I'd at least ask to be checked out for the celiac, lactose intolerance, parasites, you name it. I've been tested at least 2-3x for all these things over the course of the past 6 years since I've been seeing my GI- nothing ever turns up! I'd like it to be something other than plain old immune system craziness also, but alas... It's good to hear though that so many of us have been tested- guess our docs are on the ball, most of the time!

Posted 5/28/2008 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
I was not tested for Celiac or Lactose. I was diagnosed after having a barium. (oh what fun that was) then I was referred to a GI who confirmed the diagnosis with a sig, and started tapering me from the high dose of pred that the other Doc (GP) put me on. I did have to give a poop sample also and blood work. I don't believe either of those things are an issue with me. When I'm in remission, I can eat anything, sometimes a salad will bother me, sometimes it won't, but other than that I'm safe.
Posted 5/28/2008 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
I also raise the same question that is colonscopy and biposy is good enough to diagnose UC or do you need other tests to eliminate other stuff like bacterial infection etc. My husband was only diagnosed after colonoscopy. He never had any stool tests etc. Just recently blood counts test. His GI does not seem to be interested in finding anything else. The thing that concerns me is that he had appendix surgery in mid Jan and was diagnosed with UC in first week of march. Could it be C diff etc?? But i dont have that much medical knowledge to say whether their diagnosis is correct or not?? or what kind of test should i request to help them prescribe the correct medicine?? He is currently on Asacol and Hydrocortisone enemas at night. He did not have bad diarehea but so far the even the visible blood has not stopped, and its been close to three months for taking these medications.
Posted 5/29/2008 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hmm... I have Crohn's, not UC... but I saw this thread... and...


I thought they didn't have tests that could test for some food allergies... because when I suspected I was lactose intolerant... and asked the doctors (at a very good hospital, by the way, one of the best in the country) to test me for it... They said there were no such tests that could test for lactose intolerance and that I would have to find out for myself through process of elimination...
Posted 5/29/2008 6:50 AM (GMT 0)
Celey, I think there are blood tests and skin tests available, but they are not always accurate. I had a skin test that said I was allergic to everything (wheat, casein, strawberries, yeast, etc) but it was because I was highly allergic to other stuff they were testing at the same time, and my reaction was so strong it made everything come up positive. I had a blood test, and it said the only food I was allergic to was lima beans. It was quite puzzling!

The elimination diet is the best way to figure out food intolerances. You take out the usual suspects and add them back one by one until you react to something. it's tedious, but worth it. personally, i figured out I can eat certain cheeses in moderation, but milk and ice cream often make me sick. it was a relief, because i thought it was coffee making me ill, but once i stopped putting milk in it, it was fine.
Posted 5/29/2008 7:02 AM (GMT 0)
Ahh... Okay.... Thanks for the info.... :)
Posted 5/29/2008 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
I took a lactose intolorence test many many years ago. I had to sit at the hospital for like 3-4 hours every half hour i had to blow into a machine. After an hour or so they gave me milk and continued the test. I don't know if they still do that test but that was how i was dx'd with lactose intolorence in....1988 i think
Posted 5/29/2008 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
There is a blood test for celiac disease. I don't know about lactose intolerance.

My GIs have tested my stool for parasites, etc several times. I'm clear there! That is one test that any GI should do before a UC dx.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but UC and Crohn's can be dx'd by biopsy because of changes in the tissue...
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