Monday, November 7, 2011

What's ailing my doctor?

I spoke too soon. Immediately after I submitted the last post, I got an email from my doctor saying one of my tests had come back positive, and she was going to consult a gastroenterologist about it. I re-read my results and whoa, what do you know? She was right. Thank heavens I have selective vision, or I would have freaked out all over again.

However, I had a lot more confidence in my health since the other 4 tests were negative, so with very little trepidation, I looked up more information on the antibody tests. I learned that the one test that had come back positive (gliadin IgG) comes back positive for a lot of people (1 in 10), including many who don't have celiac disease. A few days later, I got another email for my doctor saying essentially the same thing: It's a "nonspecific" test and "doesn't say much."

So, rather unsurprisingly, it seems that this positive result is just my body again revealing its knack for going into immune overdrive (boy, how I wish it would reserve this zeal for real viruses). However, one question remains: would I feel better if I were not overloading my intestines with wheat products on a regular basis? It may be worth trying a nearly gluten-free diet for a little while. I think I can handle that, and if it would cut down on the incessant abdominal pain, it might even be worth it.

But that was all a digression from the real purpose of this post--a little humor to brighten this cavalcade of lost job opportunities, parasites, and fear. Whilst responding to my doctor's message within the Kaiser Permanente web-based email interface, I happened to notice the title of the page—a typo, no doubt, but a very apt one: "ail your doctor." Indeed, I'm quite certain that me and my constant paranoia are doing just that!

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