My Pinnertest results are in, and they’re not what I expected
If you’ve been following me for a while, you may be aware that I have some stomach issues, and I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a few years ago. Since then I’ve been somewhat obsessed with my diet, and tried eliminating the most common triggers in hopes of identifying the foods that contribute to my bloating, discomfort and other, well, poop-related problems. I’ve also been taking a medication called Amitiza, which definitely helps—but thanks to my new insurance it now costs me more than $300 a month.
After about a year of feeling good without taking the Amitiza, I had a flare-up and went back to my gastroenterologist, and he recommended I try the low FODMAP diet again. (This basically involves avoiding certain sugars, and there’s no rhyme to reason to which foods have which sugars, so I have to look everything up in an app before I eat.) Honestly, this diet is really hard to follow, especially when eating out, so I’m always on the lookout for a new solution.
As luck would have it, I received an email to try a food intolerance blood test called the Pinnertest while in the midst of this flare-up so I jumped at the chance. This test looks at the enzymes in your blood to identify the foods you’re intolerant to, and would basically save me the time and effort of doing the whole FODMAPs elimination thing. As soon as the test kit arrived, I promptly pricked my finger, put a few drops of blood on a special piece of paper and sent it back.
When the results landed in my inbox I was so excited. I was about to know once and for all which foods I should avoid, and (hopefully) start feeling better and (possibly) be able to avoid taking medication twice a day. I was fully expecting a laundry list of foods (especially fruits and vegetables that are high in FODMAPs) but that wasn’t the case. In fact, according to the Pinnertest I’m only intolerant of two foods: Wheat and corn.
This is may seem like a good thing, but you probably have no idea how many foods contain wheat and corn. Even more disconcerting is that fact that I hardly ever eat carbs, so my intolerance to wheat and corn cannot possibly be the cause of my IBS. Yes, stress and hormones contribute to symptoms, but the truth is, no one knows the exact cause of IBS, but now I know for sure that food isn’t causing mine.
The Pinnertest may not have been the solution for my stomach woes I’d hoped it would be, but it did give me some vital information that made it clear that I need to investigate the cause of my symptoms further. I’m contemplating seeing another gastroenterologist for a second opinion, and perhaps undergoing additional testing to see if I have a different underlying condition. (To date, I’ve only had a blood test to assess my inflammation levels—and maybe I need an endoscopy or colonoscopy.) I’m also thinking about trying digestive enzyme therapy or hemp-based CBD oil (check out some interesting research here).
The bottom line: Without the Pinnertest I’d probably spend years avoiding a lot of foods for absolutely no reason. And now that I have more knowledge, I can take a different path to getting to the bottom of my digestive issues once and for all.
