Wow, first off just want to thank all of you guys again, its amazing the way you all are able to provide me with such in depth answers on questions i have been dying to know for months upon months. I finally feel optimistic about progressing forward. Well on the issue of cigarettes i am aware of the link between stopping smoking and getting the mc, but im only 21 and have been smoking for a couple of years i know i should quit anyway --but does anyone else notice that after a cigarette a bowel movement ( watery and unformed) will almost always ensue?? i like to have an occasional cigarette but most likely they too are likely going to be blacklisted.
Thanks!
Lauren
CIGARETTES!!
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hmmmmmmm. That's an interesting observation. I've never smoked cigarettes, but I do smoke cigars, and I never noticed a connection between BMs and lighting up a cigar. Of course, with cigars, you absorb the nicotine through the mucus membranes of the mouth, rather than the lungs, but the dosage is probably just as high - maybe higher, but probably slower to take effect. Like most of us, most of my BMs occurred first thing in the morning, (before I lit up my first cigar of the day), and after that, BMs occurred on a scattered schedule, for the rest of the day, (usually following meals or snacks). If there was a connection, I completely missed it, but if I did, that wouldn't be the first thing that I overlooked. 
Tex
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I'm sure someone told me that - I don't remember whether it was true for me, back when I smoked. But I have a feeling you are not alone... And since you already have the MC triggered, and are smoking only occasionally, maybe this is not super-urgent (other than, of course, you know already, it's not so very good for you).
My point is - reducing or dropping a bad habit is always a noble ambition, but don't stress over it any more than you have to, and get there when you can
Many people associate their morning caffeine 'dose' with BM timing (not just us MC types), and that 'drug' is closely related to nicotine, so it sure is possible!
Glad you're feeling optimistic,
Sara
My point is - reducing or dropping a bad habit is always a noble ambition, but don't stress over it any more than you have to, and get there when you can
Many people associate their morning caffeine 'dose' with BM timing (not just us MC types), and that 'drug' is closely related to nicotine, so it sure is possible!
Glad you're feeling optimistic,
Sara
Lauren - I was thinking along the same lines as Sara. Maybe nicotine acts in the same way as caffeine. I use to smoke too. I can't remember if it had any effect on the urgency when having diarrhea. I do remember alcohol having an effect, but I was also drinking beer then, which has gluten in it. I never put that together until now. I bet it was the gluten and not the alcohol at all.
Hugs,
Hugs,
Denise
"Be the change you want to see in this world."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Be the change you want to see in this world."
Mahatma Gandhi
Yep. That's why I never developed the habit of drinking coffee. If I should ever want to try some kind of "colon cleanse" routine, I've got it made, 'cause all it will take is a cup or two of coffee.Sara wrote:Many people associate their morning caffeine 'dose' with BM timing (not just us MC types), and that 'drug' is closely related to nicotine, so it sure is possible!
Oops - wait a minute - make that a "small intestine cleanse" - I forgot I don't have a colon.
Denise,
Alcohol and gluten are both triggers for the leaky gut syndrome, so that makes beer a double whammy.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Lauren,
This is a little off the focus of your post..
I quit smoking in 2008, after having smoked since college in the 70s. I took Chantix to do that. IOW, it was like a miracle drug--completely shut off my craving for nicotine. But the side effect was my first big episode of D--in fact, I was not able to complete the three month course of meds because of it, but luckily, still managed to quit. I totally believe that med set me on the road to my eventual LC diagnosis.
So, even though it worked for me, I'm not sure I'd recommend using it, should you decide to quit. And if you already have some D, be aware that D is a listed side effect of the med.
This is a little off the focus of your post..
I quit smoking in 2008, after having smoked since college in the 70s. I took Chantix to do that. IOW, it was like a miracle drug--completely shut off my craving for nicotine. But the side effect was my first big episode of D--in fact, I was not able to complete the three month course of meds because of it, but luckily, still managed to quit. I totally believe that med set me on the road to my eventual LC diagnosis.
So, even though it worked for me, I'm not sure I'd recommend using it, should you decide to quit. And if you already have some D, be aware that D is a listed side effect of the med.
Suze
Years ago, when I had chronic constipation, I discovered smoking was the best cure for me. I quit smoking on June 2nd, 2000. I did not get chronic D. During the middle of the following October I had my first colonoscopy because my home stool test was positive for blood. The clean out was the beginning of chronic D and it never stopped. I did not smoke much. I was a light smoker and could take it or leave it (I quit cold turkey and it was not difficult). About 75% of the time I smoked it was so I could go to the bathroom. I quit because my doctor would not stop nagging me about it. Had I known quitting might cause chronic D I never would have quit. However, I think the scope was the main problem because that's when I flipped. It was a pretty dramatic switch. One day I was one way and the next day I was totally changed. But maybe my body was all set up for that switch because I had quit smoking just a few months earlier.
Robbie
Robbie,
While it's true that stopping a long-term smoking habit can trigger MC for some people, it is also true that the cleanout solution used to prep for a colonoscopy can trigger MC. You probably recall this old thread from about 7 months ago. Polly's post on the second page is especially telling:
You're probably right, that a combination of events may set us up for MC, in some cases. As GrannyH's doctor pointed out, it's possible that the caustic prep solution may be triggering MC that was previously "dormant".
Tex
While it's true that stopping a long-term smoking habit can trigger MC for some people, it is also true that the cleanout solution used to prep for a colonoscopy can trigger MC. You probably recall this old thread from about 7 months ago. Polly's post on the second page is especially telling:
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... &view=nextHi you guys!
It just occured to me, too, after reading what Mary Beth wrote in the concurrent mast cell/GI article thread. In that thread, I wrote earlier today:
Hi Mary Beth!
Bingo! idea It hadn't even occurred to me, but my flare this summer started after my colonscopy. I took PEG (Miralax) this time. I can't remember the exact timing of the flare, but maybe there is an association. The colonoscopy was July 2, and my dog died Aug. 26th. However, I was having increasing GI problems throughout that period, which I attributed to worry about my dog and knowing the end was near. Maybe it was the PEG and not solely the stress??? Would the reaction be immediate, do you think, or could it develop over time? When the GI doc gave me the colon photos that day, I remember thinking how "inflamed" the mucosa looked throughout - kind of an angry, almost blistery-looking red. (The biopsies were negative for MC, but maybe the PEG irritated my gut that day and started the flare).
Verrry interesting. "Great" minds, Mary Beth, Gloria, and tex!
Love,
Polly
You're probably right, that a combination of events may set us up for MC, in some cases. As GrannyH's doctor pointed out, it's possible that the caustic prep solution may be triggering MC that was previously "dormant".
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex,
Regarding cigarettes, I've read in several places that quitting smoking can aggravate autoimmune diseases. I don't think it triggers the start of the disease, it just allows the immune system to activate more intensely then when it was "suppressed" by cigarette smoking. So someone with MC might expect a flare after quitting, but I don't think it's creating a new disease process in the body.
I'm with you on the coffee. It's a great disappointment to my family, since they own a coffee farm and served me coffee as a child before bed!! I have been enjoying half cups of my hubby's iced coffee this summer with lots of ice and coconut milk. It seems to have no effect at the moment.That's why I never developed the habit of drinking coffee. If I should ever want to try some kind of "colon cleanse" routine, I've got it made, 'cause all it will take is a cup or two of coffee.
Regarding cigarettes, I've read in several places that quitting smoking can aggravate autoimmune diseases. I don't think it triggers the start of the disease, it just allows the immune system to activate more intensely then when it was "suppressed" by cigarette smoking. So someone with MC might expect a flare after quitting, but I don't think it's creating a new disease process in the body.
You may well be thinking along correct lines, because nicotine is indeed protective of several health issues, not the least of which is MC, UC, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's. As far as I am aware, all of the studies done to date have been based on epidemiological studies, so the relationship is associative, and not based on cause-and-effect.Zizzle wrote:So someone with MC might expect a flare after quitting, but I don't think it's creating a new disease process in the body.
Of course, as far as the patient is concerned, the end result is the same - they end up with the disease if they stop smoking, because stopping smoking withdraws the protection that they previously enjoyed. This is somewhat analogous to the fact that allowing the body to become severely vitamin D deficient, will also lead to a greatly increased risk of developing an IBD.
The use of nicotine can actually relieve the inflammation associated with UC, but I'm not aware of any evidence that it consistently helps patients with either Crohn's disease or MC, after the disease is triggered. Nicotine can also delay the development of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, but it cannot reverse the damage, once it occurs.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex,
I remember that thread and I do think the clean out before my Oct. 2000 scope played a huge part in triggering MC for me, along with being inflated. I already had IBS, but never had a problem with D (quite the opposite). That scope was an awful experience. I think the doctor used too much gas and caused damage. I flared after the second one, too, but it was different. It was a breeze compared to the first. Like I said - I was one way one day and the next day I was totally changed.
I remember that thread and I do think the clean out before my Oct. 2000 scope played a huge part in triggering MC for me, along with being inflated. I already had IBS, but never had a problem with D (quite the opposite). That scope was an awful experience. I think the doctor used too much gas and caused damage. I flared after the second one, too, but it was different. It was a breeze compared to the first. Like I said - I was one way one day and the next day I was totally changed.
Robbie
Robbie,
I had forgotten the gas. Now that you mention it, I wonder if my doctor might have used too much air, also. In the recovery room, after the colonoscopy, I couldn't get rid of it. The nurses said that I just needed to roll over, lay on my right side, etc., but all that did was to cause me to vomit.
It took me two days to get rid of all the gas, and I was miserable the whole time.
Tex
I had forgotten the gas. Now that you mention it, I wonder if my doctor might have used too much air, also. In the recovery room, after the colonoscopy, I couldn't get rid of it. The nurses said that I just needed to roll over, lay on my right side, etc., but all that did was to cause me to vomit.
It took me two days to get rid of all the gas, and I was miserable the whole time.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, it took me longer to get rid of the gas. I literally could not pass gas the normal way (not that I was aware of) for a couple of weeks. It all came up. About a week later I explained this to my doctor and he said "Oh, so you're farting out your mouth." He sent me back to the scope doctor, for this reason and because of the new left-sided pain I had developed, to ask him if there were any problems during the procedure. He said no, of course, and told me to get examined for a hernia. I was scheduled for my annual female exam the following week - she said I was fine (still in lots of pain and belching like there was no tomorrow, but oh well). However, I also got a severe earache so my doctor sent me for testing. The GERD that getting rid of the gas induced sent stomach acid all the way to my ears. I already had issues (minimal GERD), but now it was over the top (and has been since). That scope was an awful experience and I believe many of the problems I am dealing with now are a direct result of it
Robbie
Robbie,
Wow! That exam was definitely a bad experience for you. I was pretty lucky, by comparison. The sad part is, I'm sure that GI specialist never even realized how much misery he caused you. It never seems to dawn on them that people who are really sick, have so much more trouble handling the problems caused by the exam.
Tex
Wow! That exam was definitely a bad experience for you. I was pretty lucky, by comparison. The sad part is, I'm sure that GI specialist never even realized how much misery he caused you. It never seems to dawn on them that people who are really sick, have so much more trouble handling the problems caused by the exam.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Yes, one positive home stool test started it all, too. I was tested several times and only one was positive, and that could have been for a variety of reasons. My primary doctor sent me to his favorite surgeon (not a GI specialist) because of that home stool test, stating that he would tell me to be scoped as a screening in seven years anyway, and to just go ahead and get it done, like it's no big deal
Robbie