Terrified - slightly elevated Calprotectin results

[Sunshinegirl82]

Please don’t worry, my post should be somewhere here on the forum please go and read.I was in same postion as you eventually convinced doctor to do a feacel calproctein test.Turns our results came and they were 172. I was so upset and worried, I had to repeat sample 4 weeks later as the doctor said the PPIS I was on may be causing the elevated levels any way I was convinced it was more. Re tested the sample and it was normal, only yesterday I went to see GP for a follow up and she told me my levels were now below 15 I think the test doesent measure after 15 that’s how low it was. So please don’t worry and yours was only 52 mine was 172 and it went down. Hope it helps

[HA1989]

Actually, this is not true.

Health anxiety is almost exclusively self perpetuating. It's a bad habit that we fall into. I've been there myself, it's not a nice place.

But, we are choosing to be that way. It's not intentional, but the actions we take and the thought patterns we repeat are the problem. Researching symptoms, googling terminal illnesses, jumping to conclusions, assuming the worst, negative self talk etc etc etc.

How do I stop...I hear you cry?

By practising. Next time you convince yourself you're dying, look at your child and decide if you want to spend the next three days wallowing in unfounded fear, or do you want to take them to the park instead? Given the choice right now, what would you do?

"Yes but I read about one person who went misdiagnose and then died a week later" etc etc etc...I hear you reply...

This is health anxiety.

Ignore it and enjoy your life. Health anxiety is a paradoxical waste of life. It took three years of mine!

As long as your friends and family don't understand you, you have an excuse to continue your addiction.

I DO understand you, and I'm asking you to stop.

Thank you, I have read your post a few times and will save along with other helpful posts I have received.

This is the problem with CBT, it is not tailored to health anxiety and the sessions I’ve had seem to be a “one size fits all” and I’m not a naturally anxious person, it is just the fear of dying/being out of control with my health that plagues me.

I am glad you managed to get out of the other side of the misery of HA. I started by assuming it would be over after 1 month, then 6, then a year, 2 years etc. I think it’s now been 14 years but it’s only the last 2-3 it’s been unbearable.

[HA1989]

Please don’t worry, my post should be somewhere here on the forum please go and read.I was in same postion as you eventually convinced doctor to do a feacel calproctein test.Turns our results came and they were 172. I was so upset and worried, I had to repeat sample 4 weeks later as the doctor said the PPIS I was on may be causing the elevated levels any way I was convinced it was more. Re tested the sample and it was normal, only yesterday I went to see GP for a follow up and she told me my levels were now below 15 I think the test doesent measure after 15 that’s how low it was. So please don’t worry and yours was only 52 mine was 172 and it went down. Hope it helps

Wow 172 bless you I bet you were scared :( but as you said it would have been the PPIs (the first thing the doctor asked me was had I been taking them). I did tell him I’d been taking a couple of aspirin/ibuprofen a day recently for a sore throat but he didn’t seem to think that would make a difference - though I have read it might!! First time I want to believe the internet over my doctor

I really really hope my results come down like yours did. Not just so I can move on, but next steps ie GI specialists/scans/colonoscopy is not a nice thought for someone with severe HA that I’m struggling to keep under control.

[ankietyjoe]

I am glad you managed to get out of the other side of the misery of HA. I started by assuming it would be over after 1 month, then 6, then a year, 2 years etc. I think it’s now been 14 years but it’s only the last 2-3 it’s been unbearable.

Health anxiety doesn't just go away because you're the one actively keeping it alive with thought patterns and habits. Health anxiety is relatively unique in this respect. You can't wait for it to go away, you have to make it go away yourself.

[Sunshinegirl82]

Wow 172 bless you I bet you were scared :( but as you said it would have been the PPIs (the first thing the doctor asked me was had I been taking them). I did tell him I’d been taking a couple of aspirin/ibuprofen a day recently for a sore throat but he didn’t seem to think that would make a difference - though I have read it might!! First time I want to believe the internet over my doctor

I really really hope my results come down like yours did. Not just so I can move on, but next steps ie GI specialists/scans/colonoscopy is not a nice thought for someone with severe HA that I’m struggling to keep under control.

Hopefully your next sample should be normal. I’ve done a lot of research and Iburofen does cause inflammation to the guts hence they say even when you have IBS we shouldn’t have medication like that as it irritates our bowels

[HA1989]

JUST AN UPDATE should anyone come across this thread worried about their calprotectin - even though the doctor told me the aspirin would not have affected the result my retest came back at 12 (normal <50) after no aspirin/ibuprofen for 2 weeks.

I’m seriously thinking of starting the SSRIs again now.

[HA1989]

Hopefully your next sample should be normal. I’ve done a lot of research and Iburofen does cause inflammation to the guts hence they say even when you have IBS we shouldn’t have medication like that as it irritates our bowels

Thank you you were spot on lol x

I guess I’ve learnt that it can irritate/inflame my insides so in future I’ll use paracetamol instead of NSAIDs

[Sunshinegirl82]

Wow 172 bless you I bet you were scared :( but as you said it would have been the PPIs (the first thing the doctor asked me was had I been taking them). I did tell him I’d been taking a couple of aspirin/ibuprofen a day recently for a sore throat but he didn’t seem to think that would make a difference - though I have read it might!! First time I want to believe the internet over my doctor

I really really hope my results come down like yours did. Not just so I can move on, but next steps ie GI specialists/scans/colonoscopy is not a nice thought for someone with severe HA that I’m struggling to keep under control.

I’m so glad that your results came back normal. When I had intially got high results inbetween me waiting to do another test I had a really bad cold/flu which I couldn’t get rid off. I went to see an out of of hours gp for that and he told me he was going to give me antibiotics just incase as I was struggling to get rid of what ever I had and also had a high fever. I mentioned to him about my FC results and how i would rather not have any unnecessary medication and would like to avoid it. He then said to me my FC levels were really high at 172 and no amount of PPIs would cause such an elevation and he he thought my gp should have straight sent me for a colonoscopy rather than request a second test. Anyways as you know my results came back normal. So I truly think each doctor has there own set of belive what they think is acceptable or not so even though your gp don’t belive use of aspirin or ibroprofen would casue elvated results you Clearley proofed that it can, on the other hand health anxiety is not kind is it? I’ve started CBT which is helpful but I can still fall of the wagon and start the checking and reassurance cycle again which I’m trying my best not to. All the best to your road to recovery.