Reddit thread snapshot: 1pmjezk
source_class: reddit-thread ingested: 2026-06-29 backend: opencli reddit read
- author: Chris-flow
score: 118
text: "I Analyse Your Stool for a Living (and I Have UC). Let’s Talk Calprotectin.\n\n# All about Faecal Calprotectin:\n\nOh Faecal Calprotectin, how many colonoscopies you have potentially avoided. You have my thanks.\n\nLet’s talk about this test, first identified in the early 1990’s, but only widely adopted in the NHS years later. (I could write an entire post on NHS bureaucracy… unless you prove a test saves a load of money, it doesn’t get adopted.)\n\nFast forward to 2015–2018, and this test finally became routine. It’s now an essential tool for monitoring disease, treatment response, and helping diagnose IBD.\_*(Not perfect for everyone, more on that later.)*\n\nIt’s often difficult to distinguish between\_**IBS**\_and\_**IBD**. That leads to unnecessary colonoscopies (hello money-saving!). Calprotectin allows doctors to tell the two apart quickly and safely.\n\nIf you were diagnosed before this test existed (like me in 2013), it often meant being poked, prodded, and having the C-word thrown in. Faecal calprotectin would have smoothed that journey massively. That’s why it’s one of my favourite tests and a genuine success story for the NHS and for IBD care.\n\n# Indications for Testing\n\n* Marker for acute inflammation,\n* Estimation of gastrointestinal inflammation degree,\n* Parameter for monitoring Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or the patient’s status after removal of polyps,\n* Discrimination between patients with inflammatory bowel disease (acute Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) and irritable bowel syndrome without the need for colonoscopy.\n\n# What is Faecal Calprotectin?\n\nCalprotectin is a\_**calcium/zinc-binding protein complex**\_released by\_**neutrophils**\_(the most abundant type of white blood cell) acting as part of the innate/first responder immune response.\n\nNeutrophils release calprotectin anywhere in the body where inflammation occurs, but\_**only gut inflammation causes it to appear in stool**, which is why this test works.\n\n[Neutrophils \\(the big pink ones, red cells behind them\\) - always like the ones that look like smiley faces.](https\n... [truncated]"
type: POST
- author: boop813
score: 15
text: I really enjoy these kinds of posts as doctors dont explain this stuff and I want to understand how it works.
type: L0
- author: sam99871
score: 8
text: Thank you, this is great info!
type: L0
- author: PhilMaaccrackin
score: 3
text: >-
Im about to set off on a plane so sorry if i missed this (was reading fast), whats the highest result you have seen?
Mine was 1500ish
type: L0
- author: Chris-flow
score: 5
text: ' > We tend to interpret a POS as anything >100. The test limit of detection is >8000. I have seen a few of them!'
type: L1
- author: ''
score: ''
text: ' [+1 more replies]'
type: L2
- author: Creative_Ad_1593
score: 2
text: >-
Thank you for sharing this, I was always curious on how this test worked. I did it the opposite way from how it’s
usually done, I had the colonoscopy first and the FC after. The colonoscopy biopsy came back with inflammation, but
my FC was only 23. So thanks for sharing this info, gives me insight on why that would happen.
type: L0
- author: Fuzzy_End_1677
score: 2
text: >-
What an informative and interesting post. Thank you Chris. You have an excellent clear writing style maybe you could
use it for career development if you haven't already. Thanks again for taking the time to publish this. As a
scientist, control freak and info nerd suffering with UC it was incredibly useful to me.
Respect to you!
type: L0
- author: Doll-Eye
score: 2
text: >-
This was fantastic!
Thanks so much for posting. Somewhat foolishly I've been wondering about home testing, getting a bunch of data
points, kinda like the Covid19 test kits, but this this explains why. De-mistifying medical issues, for me, is half
the battle. There is nothing worse than feeling there is a secret in your body that only others understand.
Obviously, the next issue is clarifying complex concepts into ideas non-professionals and non-scientists
understand.
Again, thanks for this. A very interesting read. It also allays my sense of imposter syndrome. With indeterminant
colitis and little obvious inflammation found in two colonoscopies but with a CP of 1500, I did think it could be a
mix up or mistake. Now I've read this I know for certain it is inflammation, obviously the specific cause still
needs to be pinned but the doc has ruled out cancer, so...
The psychology of illness is weird. The psychology of poopy illness is even weirder.
type: L0
- author: rambleer
score: 1
text: ' > Heyy! I also have indeterminant colitis. It took 2 years before anyone took me seriously. Can I ask are you on medication? I don''t even have a doctor, just the surgeon 😂 I fucking hate the medical system , I wish they could all be like OP'
type: L1
- author: ''
score: ''
text: ' [+1 more replies]'
type: L2
- author: Particular_Rain_6717
score: 2
text: >-
Thank you, i always get fascinated by how theses tests work. Ive had "normal" results from the ileostomy i have and
had elevated crp and ferritin. CT showed mural thickening. GI said still active as it needed to be looked at as
a whole. And the inflammation appeared to be mild, with a fast moving ileostomy so was headed into remission
likely. I think folks forget that the test is accurate at that point in time, and hours later could be completely
different. Gotta love the immune system.
type: L0
- author: '15438473151455'
score: 2
text: Great write up! Thank you!
type: L0
- author: Chris-flow
score: 2
text: ' > No problem! Hope it helped - it is a long one ha!'
type: L1
- author: aspentheman
score: 2
text: >-
This was a really good read as someone scouring Google to understand what is up with my body. I am currently
undergoing the diagnosis process for IBD vs. Celiac and have very high inflammatory markers, visible inflammation
all over my body, and wacky immune system stuff yet I have borderline levels of calprotectin. Doc only wants to do
endoscopy, but I am going to advocate for a colonoscopy as well due to my rectal symptoms. Thank you OP
type: L0
- author: AutoModerator
score: 1
text: >-
Please do not ask for a diagnosis if you have not seen a doctor yet. Please go ASAP and come back to discuss the
results. If you already did, kindly ignore this automated message. (check the other rules of the sub here
https://old.reddit.com/r/IBD/about/rules/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this
subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/IBD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
type: L0
- author: AutoModerator
score: 1
text: >-
Did you ask for the rules of this sub? You can find them here https://old.reddit.com/r/IBD/about/rules/
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this
subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/IBD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
type: L0
- author: AutoModerator
score: 1
text: >-
Did you ask for the FAQ of this sub? There is no FAQ yet but here are the rules of the sub
https://old.reddit.com/r/IBD/about/rules/
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this
subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/IBD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
type: L0
- author: miu5022
score: 1
text: Thanks for this write-up! How abt if the fc is 1000 but there are no symptoms? False positive a possibility?
type: L0
- author: jayjaychampagne
score: 1
text: >-
Great info!! But I think for 8. we can call a spade a spade, and **in some cases** say that a negative or low faecal
calprotectin can be used a marker of remission at least of mucosal remission albeit shaky on its actual fallibility.
type: L0
- author: Ok_Pool_2486
score: 1
text: Good info
type: L0
- author: nerd-a-lert
score: 1
text: >-
Excellent write up. Thank you.
I just submitted one and the lab didn’t test it. They said it was not labelled correctly. I sent it in the bottle
given to me which was hand labelled by my IBD clinic with no space to write the date/time on it so I put that on the
order sheet which was submitted with the sample
I’m amazed they just wouldn’t test it because of this.
type: L0
- author: ScienceObjective2510
score: 1
text: Fantastic and interesting post! Thank you!
type: L0
- author: peaceomind88
score: 1
text: Can other nsaids cause an increase, for example celebrex?
type: L0
- author: Gullible_Educator678
score: 1
text: >-
I read some IBS patients can have around 100 mg/kg (sorry don’t recall the exact unit) of calprotectin result. How
do you explain these cases?
type: L0
- author: Crazy_Patience_9805
score: 1
text: >-
Wow! I really can't tell you how important your post is to me. I have rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's disease,
hashimotos and raynaud. I was diagnosed and started treatment in around 2018. However, back in 2013, I started
getting this severe colon pain. It felt like a toothache with some ice on it. It's worst in the 4 corners of the
colon, and the lower left and right are the strongest pain. I had a fecal calprotectin test back around 2016ish, and
it came back as 250.
I stopped eating for about 40 days, and lost 40lbs. I was hospitalized with starvation ketosis and refused to eat. I
got a pic line for nutrition. They started me on amitriptyline (which can be used off label for nerve pain) and
oxycodone. Within a few days, I was able to eat. I gained 35 lbs back during the 26 days in the hospital. Then, I
was on a low residue diet, and was having lots of problems trying to have bowel movements.
I've had several colonoscopies, before the hospital stay, and I came back potentially indicative of UC, but
everything else was negative. This time around, I'm going to beg for a full thickness biopsy instead, so that if
there are muscular or neurological issues, it might get detected.
There was one time after the hospital stay, that Ijust couldn't move my bowels. I went to the ER, and was given 5 or
6 different enemas, a few different kinds, but I don't remember. After several hours of the enemas, I went to the
bathroom and a large ball of undigested green beans came out. This has started happening again, but now I know to
expect it, and try to avoid fibre. It causes the most pain. For example, I bought some protein cookies, and didn't
realize that they had like 6g of fibre, and I couldn't eat a whole cookie. Every time I tried to eat it, even with
smaller and smaller portions, it was excruciating once it hit the colon.
Around that time, I also had a anorectal manometry test, which didn't come back normal, but since my pain was
tolerable, I didn't push for anything ...
type: L0
- author: rambleer
score: 1
text: How often should one be checking their calprotectin then?
type: L0
- author: edtb
score: 1
text: That's an awesome write up
type: L0
- author: idkwhatsgoingon95
score: 1
text: "this is great info, thank you so much! i have crohn’s. my doctor (and i) have been consistently surprised that no matter how much inflammation i’ve had, my calpro was always low. never went over 33, even during active unmedicated flare (confirmed on biopsy/colonoscopy). so weird!\_"
type: L0
- author: Puzzleheaded-Taro911
score: 1
text: >-
Thank you for providing this information. I just had bloodwork done that showed my CRP to be 0.52 and my ESR to be
2. Abdominal/Pelvic CT two weeks ago was completely normal. My calprotectin is 296 so they want to do a colonoscopy.
I had a colonoscopy in June 2020 that showed acute ileitis, diverticulosis and hemorrhoids. No polyps. I have been
on PPIs for years. I don’t take NSAIDs, I don’t have celiac or h. Pylori. The last colonoscopy ruled out Chron’s. I
do have flare ups where if I eat something like a piece of raw onion I’m running to the bathroom over and over. This
actually happened to me six days before the stool sample. So I’m wondering if this could have elevated my
calprotectin. I’m still going for the colonoscopy though. What are your thoughts? I have health anxiety and always
worry about cancer.
type: L0
- author: Remember-me-dementia
score: 1
text: How do I save this post?
type: L0
- author: ''
score: ''
text: '[+4 more top-level comments]'
type: ''
Update available: v1.8.3 → v1.8.5
Run: npm install -g @jackwener/opencli