<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Thanks again for all your responses. They are most helpful!
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Ask your doctor for a 'DEXA' scan. This is similar to
an xray in that you lie on a table and a machine takes
'pictures' - usually of your lumbar (lower) spine and
hip joint. The doctor will then receive a report from
the radiologist (a doctor specializing in xrays) that
indicates the degree of bone loss (if any.) The test
is painless and does not involve injectable dyes or
anything nasty like that. It is not confining or
noisy like MRI's, either. Mine took about 20 minutes
from start to finish and cost about $150(US) last year
(April, 2000).
Two terms your doctor might mention regarding the DEXA
scan results are osteopenia, which is a mild loss of
bone density and osteoporosis, which is a more severe
loss of bone density.
====================
There are malabsorption tests on the stool, but I'm not so sure they are
reliable or even very useful. The most important thing is a CBC to see
how red your blood is & how many red blood cells you have. That can tell
a doctor an whole lot about iron absorption. There's also albumin
levels. Albumin is blood protein. If you are absorbing enough protein
albumin will be normal. For calcium, the best indicator of good
absorption is bone density & lack of leg cramps. Since I've gone GF, I
dont have leg cramps anymore, so I know I'm absorbing calcium better than
before. You may not need anything more complicated than that.
====================
I had the bone density test and it was informative and painless. A big
scanner moves over your body from head to toe. That's it! I was diagnosed
borderline Ostenopenia (spelling?), anyway with Miacalcin nasal spray and
Calcium pills I should be back to normal bone density within 1-2 years.
I had severe anemia, went to 5 doctors who told me I had severe anemia
and I should do something about it. It ended there. Finally I found a dr.
who was determined to find out why I had severe anemia. She really thought
it was a bleeding ulcer, or a tumer. I had the invasive upper and lower
intestinal exam. It was not bad at all. The worst part was cleaning out
your intestines before the procedure. The the procedure was painless and
uneventful. They did a biopsy and confirmed Celiac. I wouldn't change my
eating habits/lifestyle without positive confirmation. They say that blood
tests aren't always 100% accurate. It would be just too big of a change to
make for me unless I was absolutely positive. Biopsy is the only 100%
positive way of knowing if you have Celiac from all that I have read. Hope
this helps.
====================
You DEFINITELY need a bone density scan! I was only 37 when I was
diagnosed with SEVERE osteoporosis of my spine. Almost all celiacs have
some bone loss.
=====================
A bone density test is similar to an x-ray. You lay on a table and a
scanner goes slowly over your body. The table is padded and it's very
comfortable and painless.
=====================
I can only address well having a bone mineral density test for osteo - NOT
one of those ankle or wrist type, but a DEXASCAN which measure spine and
hip. There is a great lab test that checks mineral and vitamins in blood,
costa abouat $400 and is done in Texas, someone will be able to give you
more info on that one. I did it, it was very useful.
=====================
Bone density scan (dexascan); thyroid function tests (T3, T4, etc.); all
vitamins and minerals (especially the fat soluble ones) e.g. vitamin D
(which is essential in absorption of calcium) all b vitamins, magnesium,
iron, potassium, etc. (some of these may be in the cbc)
=====================
Again, none of these tests is valid if you're eating GF. Just yell if I'm
sending too much. But this is a about a two week old article I just scanned
from Gluten Free Living. It's an excellent article and up to date. -vance
WHY BLOOD TESTS ARE VALUABLE Blood tests provide evidence that helps doctors
figure out what's going on inside your body.
=====================
The tTg tests at the end are interesting and much better than what you
had. There's also the testing of stool samples by Dr. Fine. His URL is
at the bottom too. But none are valid if you've already been eating
gluten free. There are only a handful of labs in the US that are
competent to evaluate the tests for celiac -- this includes both the
blood tests and the biopsy. Tests done at other labs are likely to
return from 20 to 50 percent false negative readings.
======================
Bone density tests are easy (if your health plan covers them) You just lay
on a table and they scan your body with a computerized gizmo. No strain,
no pain, not an invasive test.
I was told by my nutritionist that things like calcium can be tricky to
detect by blood test. The body protects itself. If you don't have
enough calcium in your blood to maintain proper organ function, the body
steals it from the bones, to keep the blood levels constant. Some
people, I was told, have things like bone spurs that used to be thought
of as having too much calcium, where the real deal was that it was a
deficiency and calcium was being taken from the bones _ I picture it
like stalagmites and stalagmites -- probably incorrectly so. In other
cases he told me, most doctors don't know how to correctly read a blood
test for vitamin deficiency. He told me it was not the levels in the
blood, but the ratios compared to other factors and vitamins, like the
ratio between calcium and magnesium, or sodium and chloride, etc.
Sometimes a good nutritionist can help a lot more than a doctor when it
comes to nutrition and malabsorption. Sometimes it is just a good idea
to cover all your bases and get into a good vitamin and mineral
supplement program. I was warned to take small doses of uncoated
vitamins (can be found in health food stores) rather than one large one.
Some people are so depleted that they actually get worse on vitamins
before they get better. My nutritionist told me to give up and go to
bed for a week when starting me on the program.
===================
I just had my follow up bone density test. It is done by a separate
specialist, usually part of a radiology dept, since it is similar to a
scan. Easy and painless they take pictures of hip, ankle and upper body.
All my follow up blood work was just part of my normal physical. There
are "normal" ranges for most minerals. I was severely anemic, so that was
the main thing we were looking at. Calcium in the blood doesn't
necessarily measure what is in your bones.
===================
Bone Density, T3, T4 and TSH Levels (thyroid), blood work panel on digestive
enzymes, liver enzymes, and iron; nutrient levels, hemocult,
calcium,vit D, iron, folate, folic acid, vit K, vit B12, magnesium,
and zinc levels.
===================
While some practitioners can and do effectively and efficiently pick up
vitamin deficiencies from nail and skin observations, the most standard
is a blood draw analyzed by a lab. For bond density, you get a bone
scan, which I think is basically an x-ray (on this, I may well be
mistaken) but is certainly quick and painless; you just have to go to a
place that does them.
===================
The Intestinal Health Institute in Dallas, TX. does testing by mail. You
can research the work of Dr. Kenneth Fine for testing on
http://www.intestinalhealth.org/Medical_Kesearch/
I have just ordered the test THANKS TO THE INTERNET. Lots of information
on Gluten Sensitivity here too
http://www.finerhealth.com/Educational_Info/Gluten_Sensitivity/
===================
Celiac's are often deficient in fat soluble vitamins...Vitamin D is
important in utilizing calcium and a Vitamin A deficiency can cause
problems w/ night vision and the eye's ability to adjust of changes in
light conditions.
Folic acid is also important for many body functions, most noteably blood
cells production. A lack of it can cause neural tube defects (spinal
bifida) in the first few weeks for pregnancy and may be also be linked to
high cholesterol.
A check for osteoporosis may also be in order. We quit adding bone mass
around age 35. If you are younger than that you need to make sure your
bones are strong while there is time to do something to improve them. If
you are older, evalutation is needed to see if you have enough calcium,
Vitamin D or other components needed for bone production, or need extra
meds like fosamax to keep them from getting worse.
These are readily available tests & are not part of a CBC. The longer you
have had celiac, the more GI damage and probably deficiencies you will
have. Age plays a role in how well you heal since younger people tend to
heal quicker.
===================
I do not know the name of the tests but mine was done by simply drawing
blood...just once was enough to cover everything. Your doctor may have
already done the test if you show signs of malabsorbtion.
How do your fingernails look? If they have ridges or split mention to your
doctor. My doctor ordered the tests after looking at my fingernails. Once
you are GF you should not have problems with absorbing vitamins and
minerals.
===================
Here's a good article to print out & give to your doctor:
> http://www.aafp.org/afp/980301ap/pruessn.html It's a compilation of the
> latest in celiac disease research. It's from a ligitimate medical source
> with references from "pubished" physicians. No medical doctor can ignore
> this. I gave a copy to both my GP & my fibromyalgia specialist. It
> really opened their eyes. I'm also going to give a copy to my dentist,
> as she was perplexed at the rate of my dental decay several years ago.
> [She actually asked me if I were bulemic!]
===================
Thanks again everyone!
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