Hi elisa,
I am not sure what you mean by "the lines are not clear"......however, I regularly have a calprotectin stool assay test, as it is non-invasive, and cheap for the medics to do. Additionally, it does not involve ironising radiation, as do colonoscopies and upper endoscopies, CT * MRI scans etc. It really is just a "pointer", showing inflammation somewhere in the GI tract, but cannot detect where.
Blood tests, when on prednisone, can indeed mask symptoms - one simple cheap test is a calprotectin stool assay. This will not show where the inflammation is in the body, but can give her doctors a tool they need for further investigations such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, ERCP, etc. I have the calprotectin test regularly at my hospital, and when the calprotectin level is high (norm is 20, mine goes as high as 40) my gastro ups my methotrexate.
Hope all goes well.
Take care,
Liz.
Not sure if this test is done in the US, but you might ask your gastro about it - calprotectin stool assay test. Non invasive and cheap. If the calprotectin level is out of range (norm is 20, mine has been as high as 80), this shows inflammation somewhere in the GI tract. If high, the gastro can then go ahead with other invasive testing to rule out Crohn's, ulcerative colitis and coeliac. I have Crohn's and have this test done regularly.
Hey everyone,
I came on tis forum because I've been having some stomach issues lately and I'm not getting any answers. So, back in September I got a fecal occult blood test done, which came back positive. A blood test also showed slight anemia. My GI ordered a colonoscopy with biopsies, all which were negative. I was okay for a while, but aroud two months ago I started to feel run down.
My blood showed high CRP of 50, stool analysis showed high calprotectin of more than 1000, and low iron in serum. Colonoscopy showed only internal hemorrhoids. And then I had contrast MRI which suggested mild terminal ileitis.
I am otherwise healthy male at 37 years old, overweight though. How come out of blue do I have Chron's? This is really confusing for me. Your opinion would be much appreciated.
s and regularly have a calprotectin stool assay test - cheap and non-invasive. If the calprotectin level if out of range, norm is 20, mine can be as high as 40, this identifies inflammation somewhere in the GI tract, but not specifically where. However, this does give the gastro the "green light" to do invasive testing, such as upper endoscopy and/or colonoscopy.
Hi all,
Ill try to keep it short and to the point, but I've had a horrible two months
August 10th I fell quite ill. I was at a festival so at first GP assumed food poisoning, my symptoms were diarrhea (which became bloody after a week), vomiting, sweats, weakness and fatigue. My GP did stool samples which showed nothing, but blood tests showed signs of infection so I was given Ciprofloxacin.
I couldn't eat at all for 10 days, and I lost 22lbs in just under 2 weeks.
The metronitazole this time made me feel incredibly nauseous and I barely ate for 2 weeks. The stool sample again like last time because of covid they could not test it for everything, but this sample came back with raised Calprotectin (320).
The doctors are now questioning if I have an IBD, I have never had anything like this before and no blood in stools, and it seems to get better with metronitazole?
So I havent been diagnosed with IBS but I figure this is the best place to ask as you all have likely had extensive experience with bowel issues and the process of diagnostics etc.
For the last 3ish months I have been having white stringy mucus in my stool. Most prevalent in forst stool of the day. First one seems to be mixed in with a stool that usually appears as slightly constipated, and then it's usually on the surface of any other bowel movement I have throughout the day.
Did stool WBC calprotectin tests in 2014 that were normal (no ova, parasites, cysts, inflammation). 2017 stomach pain back strong...abdomen/pelvic ultrasounds clean, breath test results showed SIBO (predominantly hydrogen, but I think also methane). Did Xifaxin (Rifaximin) 550mg 3x/day 14 days (failed), linzess, ibgard, peppermint oil, dicyclomine, ibuprofen, probiotics (heard may be bad for SIBO?) + Siebecker's SIBO diet (not strictly)....
If strong lower abdominal cramps (middle and right sided), strong emesis and nausea plus headache over months on a daily basis are said to be 'functional abdominal problem only, most likely post viral, will take 6-12 months, hang in there' in a 14yr old girl, after blood test CRP neg, Leukoc normal = appendix will not be touched, no laparoscopy, after ultrasound shows normal uterus and ovari (does not exclude endometriosis, appendix was not looked at, conveniently documented as 'not
Hello.I am a 19 year old male. I joined this group because I most likely have an autoimmune disease, but not certain. Recent blood tests revealed I had an elevated RF (rheumatoid factor) of higher than 450 (I asked for a copy of the results, it says >450 on RF latex). IgM is 2.8 (elevated) and calprotectin from stool sample is 90 (slightly elevated).
1. Calprotectin stool assay test. You just need to give a stool sample - this will look for blood in the stool and inflammation of the intestines. It is quick and cheap to do. I believe the norm is around 8.
2. C-reactive protein blood test. This is a non-specific inflammatory marker, but if elevated will mean you have inflammation somewhere in the body. The norm is 0.1 - 5. When I have a Crohn's flare my C-rp is highly elevated, on occasions as high as 190 and 270.
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