List of tests for this week, does it sound right?

[Jackie010307]

The first gi dr I went to didn't even tell me which tests he was doing, just sent the orders to the lab himself so I have no clue what was done. My new dr sent me my list today and I'm hoping someone who has more experience with the tests can tell me if it sounds like what should be done. Here's what he's ordered:
C reactive protein
IBD differentiation panel
Clostridium difficile toxin A and B, EIA
Ova and parasite (from stool sample)
Leukocytes stool
Lactoferrin, quantitative, stool
Culture stool

He did say we would start with these and the egd and see what the results are, so I'm assuming from that there are more tests that might follow. Right now I'm just thankful a dr is finally listening!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I'm somewhat familiar with most of these tests and they do sound pretty standard. C reactive protien (CRP) checks the amount of inflammation in your body. It's not always the most accurate though and something like 10% of people with Crohn's will have a normal CRP, even when they're badly inflamed. I'm not quite sure what the IBD differentiation panel is. The C diff and ova/parasite tests will look for just that, to see if you have a c diff bacterial infection or if you've got a parasite that would be causing your digestive woes. I'm not quite sure what the others are specifically. (Sorry, it's been a long day and my brain isn't working!)

Good luck with these tests! They sound pretty standard and I wouldn't worry too much about any of them.

 

[Jackie010307]

Thank you. I wasn't sure if there were more that should be done or some that wouldn't really tell anything useful! This is very overwhelming, and with the amount of pain I'm in it's hard to think.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

It is overwhelming, it can be an exhausting and frustrating fight to try to get a diagnosis. Just take it one day at a time and try not to stress too much (easier said than done, but stress can take a toll on our tummies too and make things even worse). Hang in there!