Visiting the Ass Man
September 25, 2007
For those of you who don’t understand the Seinfeld reference in this posting’s title, I visited the gastroenterologist today. I was referred by my immunologist. I had had three successful IVIG infusions and it was time to figure out why I was still experiencing all these crazy symptoms. The best place to start, she asserted, was with the colon. People with CVID often have issues with gastrointestinal infection, inflammation, etc. because they often don’t produce IgA (I know I sure don’t). IgA are the antibodies that primarily protect the colon from infections. She believes that something may be going on in my colon that is stressing my immune system.
So, off I went to see if we could start to determine why I have chronic hives and now arthritis. The doctor said that a CT scan showed that I had enlarged lymph nodes in the fat around my colon and it looked like this tissue was inflamed. He doesn’t think that he will find anything related to my hives but is still going to do a colonoscopy of my small intestine to make sure. I asked if there might be any infections that would cause hives and he was doubtful.
Once again, I have no real answers about the cause of my hives but I will keep trying. I don’t really have a choice.
The Idiopath abides…
Entry Filed under: Chronic Urticaria, Common Variable Immunodeficiency(CVID), Health, Primary Immunodeficiency, allergies, autoimmune disease, cvid, disease, doctors, hives, immune system, immunodeficiency, medicine. .
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1.
ondatra | April 29, 2008 at 6:08 am
Hi,
I am in a quite similar situation: diagnosed CVID several years ago, been given intravenout immunoglobulins, had anaphylactic reaction to that stuff and something you call hives. Never had severe infections like pneumonia. I am also very “underweight” – been so for whole life. My doctor unfortunately did nothing about that, therefore I found something that at least partly works. Its a good (really good) nutritional therapist (hope you have something similar in the US). She did a thorough examination – my basal energy consumption, blood samples, fat ratio and so on. Also asked me thoroughly about my diet. And solution is: diet treatment. That means: don’t eat meal done on fat. Add good oil or butter to done meal. No fried food anymore. Eat a lot and frequently, but not such stuff like fresh bakery, sweet meals or generally “heavy” foods. Potatoes are best side dish, but not fied, of course. Eat good fruit together with dairy products.
I made at least some progress in the treatment of this problem. Good luck!