Newbie and Need Help!

[Deanna in CO]

Andi,

Actually the rice and potatoes were good - but the yogurt very likely made getting out of the flare more difficult. Yogurt doesn't have lactose (the sugar in milk), but it still contains the milk protein, casein, which is what most of us react to. Ranch dressing also has dairy.

You might try frozen bananas - I actually like them better. You can even toss them in a blender and make "ice cream" with just the bananas - the taste is not as strong as fresh raw ones and they are smooth and creamy like ice cream. Applesauce is by no means necessary though it does make a good sweetener if you want it for things like rice cereal or baked goods (where it can also substitute for oil or even eggs).

Hummus can be a bit problematic because chickpeas are legumes, and many of us react to those.

I know what you mean about craving proteins, and proteins are healing. I'd avoid the eggs for now - many with MC react to them - and stick with nut butters (not peanuts because they are legumes, but almond, cashew, sunflower seed, etc should be fine) and meats. Again, chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, pork - pretty much any meat should be OK for now. Several of us have found uncured bacon is a special treat we can tolerate (avoid the cured kind because much of what they use for curing can cause reactions).

Rice bowls are good. Some of us react to corn - I generally stick to organic because corn is so genetically modified. Some are finding corn flour occasionally contains gluten; you may eventually prefer to grind your own corn to be sure you don't end up with gluten by accident.

I'm afraid all too often I end up eating something different from what my family does. As I heal and they get used to it and I accumulate some recipes we all like, we are eating together more again. Be patient - you didn't get into this mess overnight, and it's going to take a while to heal. (Seems to me people were just telling ME that a few months ago!)

Hang in there!

Deanna

[ZooMa]

Thanks Deanna--so many confusing variables...maybe that's why my brain hurts ;)

Right the ranch dressing- is gluten free, but yogurt base. Dh is one of those guys who mostly goes for ranch on his salad so it wont go to waste. No way am I eating raw carrots without dip- blech!
Well I used carrots in my soup. Chicken breast, garlic, salt, coconut butter, carrot, rice and mushroom.


So funny you mentioned the frozen bananas- I do have one I sliced for that purpose-(frozen banana on a stick) I wanted to melt some chocolate to drizzle on and either sunflower seeds or toasted coconut for crunch? I do love those.

The corn I had used for salsa was fresh off the cob. Is avocado okay? I eat a lot of those and also mushrooms.

I will look online for nut butters. I have some nutella and tahini now. Oh, also this wonderful organic coconut butter that I found. I also use coconut oil often in place of butter. Do we have problems with coconut?

Lastly to the bacon...I eat bacon a lot. We have a local butcher and it's fresh bacon, thick sliced and very lean= good stuff.

Thanks for helping me so much!! Soup is smelling wonderful- xoxo

[maestraz]

AndI,
WHOO, boy! Your saga makes me just thank my lucky stars that my story was not as arduous, and so sorry for what you have dealt with.

RE: Nutella, if you think casein and/or soy are a problem, it's a no-no. Gotta read those labels.

RE: Coconut, I won't touch it, having had a life-long very strong aversion to it. But I don't think you'll find anything universal about coconut among members here. Many use coconut products without issue.

What's good and bad about MC; we have so much in common, yet so many individual variations that we can't generalize from any one person's experience.

I eat bacon probably 4x/week. I, too, have craved protein in the healing process. The benefit has been clearly building lean muscle mass ( I also do strength training).

Wishing you success in your quest to heal.

[Leah]

No yogurt. Whole Corn is usually a big no no also. I tried it again after I was feeling pretty well.... and it wasn't good. And if you eat carrots, for now they should be cooked ( roasted is very good). Mexican can be tricky because it usually has spices derived from peppers and also tomatoes. Like many have said, keep it as simple as possible for now. It's your best bet.

Leah

[Zizzle]

Andi,
Avocado is well tolerated and great for you -- good fats. Most here do well with coconut products too. The oil is very healing and also doubles as a great skin moisturizer. I can't do sesame, so tahini is out, but you can look for cashew or almond butters.

[Deb]

Andi, I used to make kefir but haven't for a while. I think they recommend special (water) grains if you're not doing a dairy based one. I am currently making kombucha tea which I'm really enjoying. In fact, besides water, wine and a bit of coffee, it's a regular beverage for me and full of probiotics.

http://www.kombuchaamerica.com/kombucha ... ndex.shtml

[Deanna in CO]

Andi,

Not sure about kefir. I have a friend who has goats, and we've talked about getting kefir from her, but the truth is right now I'm not willing to take a chance on losing the bit of progress I've made. I'd rather make do with stuff that's clearly dairy-free than risk a possible reaction to goats' milk.

Does anyone here know whether goats' milk contains casein, or whether that's a different protein? (Andi - while many people react to lactose, and goats' milk doesn't have that, most of us with MC also react to casein, the protein in milk. If goats' milk contains casein, it's no different than cows' milk as far as causing us to react, and kefir will provide us no advantage over regular yogurt.)

Deanna

[tex]

Deanna,

Your question about goat's milk is discussed in the thread at the following link (you have to scroll down a ways in the thread).

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... oat+casein

Here's another older thread that contains more discussions and links to earlier discussions about Polly's experience with cheese made from goat's milk:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... oat+casein

Tex

[ZooMa]

Here is a link for the water kefir--seems easy enough. I have artesian well, spring water with lots of minerals.

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water- ... r-kit.html

Still confused about the tolerances. I stopped the dairy. I know that gluten is the bad one. I have immediate reactions to it- they scare the crap out of me now because it seems neuro. I have been having vision problems, unsteady on my feet, anxiety, yremors, headaches and brain fog. Stressing me out- I've been off gluten for a while and I'm at home (hermit) so not getting glutened by cc. I hope that part gets better soon. It's not me!! I feel like an alien has taken over my body....am I maybe detoxing or something?
I sure wish I had a decent Dr to talk to.
Glad I have you all in my corner!! You seem to know more than my idiot Dr's do!! Sheez- I seem to know more as well....GI never even told me to stop eating gluten! WHAT AN IDIOT!! whooops there goes my anxiety
again..lol.

Happy Father's Day to the Dad's! :)

[ZooMa]

Not sure if I mentioned this part of my Mom's history. In her 20's her stomach was so ulcerated that they ended up removing it and giving her a goat's stomach. It didn't survive either but she always drank goat's milk. poor lady.

Last night I was sitting here thinking about how many different Dr.s I have been to throughout my life not to mention the chiropractors and deep tissue massage therapists (the ones who hurt you-to release trigger points) and no one listened to me. Every time I have gotten sick there has been an overburdening amount of stress in my life and my health implodes! I told this to my GI and she says...no. OMG!! I looked at her right in the eyes and nodded my head and said Y E S !! My anxiety and emotional state are huge triggers.

I still don't know my next course of action with these idiot Dr's. I don't want the GI any longer- that's for sure. I have a pharmacist friend up here who has celiac--going to ask him who he goes to.

Oh- turns out, My old GI down in Troy- is a Celiac specialist....Might make the 300 mile trip for his advice.
I went to him and he's the one who did the sig scope in office and stool sample 7 yrs ago. He diagnosed me suspected colitis and said wait for the next flare and we'll do a colonoscopy. Then I moved...

[Leah]

Celiacs tend to have malabsorption issues... which leads to neuro problems. B=12 deficiency is a big culprit. Have you gotten blood tested for vitamin levels? If you don't start feeling better soon, you may have to take soy out also :(

[maestraz]

Andi,
I agree with Leah, look at those B-12 levels. Early last fall, I was in a total fog. I had weaned off an SSRI over a couple months, my mother had died at the end of the summer, I had stopped Entocort at a rate I now know was too rapid, and it was hard to identify the source of my distress. My PCP said, let's check your levels, and I had a B-12 deficiency severe enough to merit weekly, then monthly, shots. I'm still getting them.

[ZooMa]

Hi Leah and Suze, I have been BEGGING my Dr's to take my blood to test for deficiencies. I KNOW that is part of my problem!! They still haven't taken a drop of blood. I hesitate to supplement without knowing what the deficiencies are on top of not wanting to screw the tests up when they finally do get around to testing me! I know I would be much farther along in my healing if I could HEAL!!! I'm just in L I M B O.

I got my water kefir and kombucha babies yesterday. Have them started in opposite ends of the house. I am going to start with the water kefir...very slowly...some people get detox rashes...I'd like to avoid that. I get rashes very easily so I want to be careful. Looking forward to the benefits of the natural probiotics :)

I think I am doing better since cutting out the dairy. I also stopped eating onions and tried to do without the soy...but I went back. When I was a baby, (my aunt telling me) I had to have special formula. I am assuming it was soy. The only nutrition I have been getting since Feb are these Spirutein shakes I drink. I had been blending them with milk and ice but when we started talking about nixing the dairy, I stopped drinking them. Boy did I crash. So yesterday I had one I made with almond milk and I had a very good day...only a little pain -lower left/colonoscopy pain spot but that was triggered by stress--(MY KITTY STUCK IN A TREE-IT NEVER ENDS-lol?)

Hoping that I am well enough this weekend to get out on the golf course! I have only been able to golf twice this year--before the colonoscopy and the "tear"--I haven't been able to swing my club. I REALLY NEED TO SMACK SOME BALLS!!! lol

Thanks All for your help. You have helped me so much more than these Dr's have!! Have a great weekend! xxoo

[desertrat]

Have you checked your hormone levels? It is possible that you are hitting the peri/menopausal stage. Not to derail MC, but many menopausal side effects also mirror the side effects of MC. I would seriously suggest you getting as intensive a blood work as you can, especially hormones.

Mandy

[carolm]

Andi, One other option (maybe)-- is that there are independent labs where you can order your own blood work. Even in my little town of 20,000 we have an Affordalab, where I can order my own tests if I choose to. For example when I ordered my MRT tests, I needed 4 tubes of blood drawn. Affordalab drew my blood for $15 then shipped it for me. I have called them at other times to check prices on other tests that I was considering. They are very reasonable.

Just a thought.

Carol