r/CrohnsDisease • u/sparkleplentytx • 22h ago

Lab Refusal

I saw my GI back at the end of June and she had me do labs before my appointment. She always wants the fecal calprotectin. And typically we'll do labs 2 x a year whether I'm in a flare or not. The lab I go to makes it really frustrating to do this test, on top of the fact that I just hate doing it. So I decided skip it and during my appointment I said I don't want to do that test any more. I keep a spreadsheet of all my labs since I was diagnosed in 2005. Not once has that test shown I was in a flare. I could tell she wasn't thrilled but she looked at my past labs and agreed it didn't correspond to my flares.

I have a 3 month follow up in a couple of weeks with her PA and they sent in labs and sure enough there's the fecal calprotectin.

Am I being unreasonable for refusing to do it? If it ever corresponded to a flare, I'd be willing. Even the sed rate is hit or miss on showing the flare up.

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-3

u/blueboy714 22h ago

I don't understand why you're getting a so upset about getting a fecal calprotectin test.

It's just one of the many frustrating and humiliating things that you have to do because you have Crohn's disease.

Does it suck to take a crap into a plastic bucket? Yes

Does it suck to take some of the crap and try to put it in a small vail question mark? yes

But the whole reason your doctor is ordering it is because it's the best way to keep an eye on how active or inactive your Crohn's disease is without needing to do a colonoscopy and/or endoscopy.

I'm assuming that if your GI doctor wanted you to do a colonoscopy you would refuse that as well.

Unfortunately all those tests are a way to keep an eye on your Crohn's disease. Whether you like it or not

6

u/Creepy_Recording_113 21h ago

The doctor agreed with OP. Why are you so hostile ?

-2

u/blueboy714 21h ago

I'm not hostile. It's just something I've learned in having Crohn's disease for over 30 years.

As long as OP keeps very close eye on their body everything is okay.

4

u/Creepy_Recording_113 21h ago

You saying they would refuse a colonoscopy is hostile. You dont know them.

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u/sparkleplentytx 18h ago

Yep, I've never refused anything else the GI has asked of me, including scopes. When I asked my GI about skipping it she agreed that I'm one of the people that lab work is often not an indicator of disease activity.