christie says:
I would get another doctor.
Seriously.
If my brother was tested &
has it, my doctor would probably reconsider. Its a matter of getting tests past the insurance; it is true that doctors can lie to do that (I had one doctor, on another subject, say "don't get upset if you read this (explanation to the insurance co); I had to claim it could be something much more serious to even get this test done").
If
I was tested & have it, would I, with no stomach woes whatsoever (unless I get fed stuff I'm "intolerant*" of, like crab, or onions that had mold on them somewhere, even though it was cut off), & a very different kind of skin condition than the kind linked to celiac condition, really give up gluten???
When people can get almost-instant results from a food-intake change, like my celiac-condition friend who no longer has severe stomach pains, the reward is right there. But smokers who can breath easier when not smoking often keep smoking; it doesn't always work. And although gluten is not addictive, it sure is in a lot of my favorite foods.
If my brother keeps refusing to get tested, I might just break down & pay for my test myself, though. Its always better to know stuff than not know it. (A different test I'd have to pay for myself on skin condition would practically require me lining up people in Australia, as that's the only non-3rd-world place that does it as a matter of course. And its around $3,000.00 when I last checked.)
*A doctor I heard interviewed had a very good explanation of food intolerences that do not involve the immune system; there is no histamine released (a lot of doctors don't call something an allergy unless histamine is released; I wouldn't go along with that fine point), there is no raised immunoglobulin level (celiac condition doesn't release histamine but certainly does raise immunoglobulin levels, & there is an immune response where the intestinal walls are attacked), but people just feel sick when eating that food:
Its because the victims are not making enough of some enzyme needed to digest the food.
Now, why the victims are not making enough of some enzyme might well be linked back to a problem with the intestines (as celiac condition is when the damaged intestinal wall can't produce lactase, so the person becomes lactose-intolerent too) or it could just be a different genetic thing; they're just not "programmed" to make enough of enzyme thus-&-such.
Which means me, & people with cystic fibrosis are affected by that onion mold (Burkholderia cepacia, from a quick look-up), & nobody else is.
Apparently it kills people with cystic fibrosis. All I get is stomach cramps & the runs. Call me lucky.
