Long post alert...

Yesterday I got Jordan's results back. After looking them over, I realized I didn't know what to expect. 

At first glance, everything looked really good. He isn't elevated or low in many bacterial pathogens, and he is normal for H. Pylori and Virulence factors. Many of them, and others, I have no idea what they are for, but they are within a good range. For those that weren't, I did what I do best: research.

To give the gist of it, the high markers indicate a bacterial overgrowth due to being on a carnivore diet. He is missing the fiber that will help with said overgrowth. It also shows there is some inflammation in his gut due to having some contact with gluten. The low markers indicate he is not producing enough enzymes, causing food to remain undigested. All are reasons for concern, but the one that stays with me the most is that the test shows he still gets things with gluten.

I stopped giving Jordan gluten since his DAN! doctor said she treats anything above a 6 in a test she ran. So he has been gluten-free for years. I may give him cheat days here and there, but gluten typically leaves the system within 3 months of no contact, so he shouldn't have any signs of it on his test. His functional medicine doctor said that the tiniest bit can aggravate his gut, so I have been using different dishcloths, steel wool pads, and anything else that could come into contact with gluten. So, while the cross-contamination is minimal, it is still possible. However, in my research, I found that the main cause could be his supplements. 😯

Wheat and gluten are used as fillers for many supplements. You can find many that say they are gluten-free, but are processed in a facility that has gluten products and can have cross-contamination. To be absolutely sure there is no gluten in their products or cross-contamination, the company's ingredients should be tested by a third party and certified gluten-free. I checked the labels of all the bottles of supplements he has. Some of them said gluten-free, and some didn't. Only one of them was certified. 

I found replacements for the ones that didn't have gluten-free on the bottles or jars. I will ask his doctor if all his supplements should be certified to ensure he is getting the right ingredients. I am debating whether to stop the ones he is taking to eliminate his exposure, or to continue until the new ones come in. All these years of trying to make sure he doesn't get gluten, and I am disappointed in myself that I never considered the supplements to be an issue.

Another thing when it comes to Jordan's gut and gluten is that he may have celiac disease, and he may have something called non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Jordan doesn't exhibit the classic symptoms of celiac disease, like bloating, abdominal pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea, joint pain, headaches, and fatigue. He only has one: brain fog. 

The reason why celiac disease can possibly be ruled out is solely based on the information above. If he were to have an irreversible immune disorder, taking supplements that contain gluten would trigger more than what we see from him. In fact, he had a piece of cake for his birthday, and we only saw a small bit of stimming, which could have been from the excitement of getting new electronics. We won't be able to rule it out without a blood test or endoscopy. If the issues from the test don't resolve with supplement change, I will order those tests for him.

I remember when I began to truly consider Jordan having celiac disease. I thought about it years ago, but after running tests with his new doctor, she mentioned it, and I pretty much confirmed it. Although he was gluten-free, I was worried he would have to be the rest of his life. One of the reasons I go so hard for him is so he can do the things he hasn't been able to yet. Hold a full conversation, drive, live on his own, go back to school, get a job, and eat anything he wants. Celiac took one of those away. 

However, I had taken pieces of information, connected them together, and formed a conclusion before gathering all the facts. I accepted what seemed most likely without considering everything that was right in front of me. Jordan never exhibited most of the classic symptoms of celiac disease. While the stimming could have been his reaction to the stomach cramps from eating gluten, he still didn't have the major symptoms.

How often do we do the same thing in life? We gather a few facts, fill in the missing pieces, and convince ourselves we know the answer without ever going to the true source. The book of Isaiah shows us a picture of Jesus that the world completely misunderstood:

"He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him... He was despised and rejected by mankind." (Isaiah 53:2-3)

People looked at Jesus and dismissed Him. They judged Him based on what they saw instead of understanding who He truly was. They overlooked the very One God had sent to save them because they relied on their own conclusions rather than God's revelation. I almost did the same thing with Jordan's test results. 

Instead of seeking the whole truth, I settled too quickly on an explanation that fit what I had. It makes me wonder how often we do that with God. When life doesn't make sense, do we believe what our circumstances seem to be saying? Or do we believe what God has already spoken? Isaiah begins chapter 53 with a question that still echoes today:

"Who has believed our report?"

Every day we have a choice. Will we believe the report of man, or the report of God?