Happy Friday, friends! I'm in the midst of a LC flare. One day off, one day on. Since discovering this board, I've gone mainly gluten-free but even that food is upsetting my stomach as I guess I'm in a bad place. I feel like I am chained to my bathroom. :(
Soy bothers me, as does ground beef. The only dairy item I hadn't cut from my diet was cheese--I drink dairy-free milk. I'm guessing the cheese needs to go, too.
Unfortunately, I am on SSRIs and will have to tell my doctor about this flare so that I can wean off. Until then, I can't find a "safe" food to eat. No matter if it's GF bread or low salt ham or water, my D comes with a vengeance.
Can anyone recommend relatively safe foods to eat in order to give my colon time to heal? I know that the safe foods are different for everyone, but I feel so paralyzed that I don't even know what to eat anymore. :( Thanks for any advice you can give. This board is truly a lifesaver every time I visit; I don't feel so alone in my journey.
--Jennifer
In the middle of a flare--advice
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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MotherGrizzly
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- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:52 pm
In the middle of a flare--advice
Just diagnosed LC--thought I was IBS-D for the last 30 years! : /
Hi Jennifer,
I'm sorry to hear about the flare. Besides gluten, most of us are sensitive to the casein in all dairy products, and cheese is loaded with it. My biggest concern is your comment that you've gone "mainly gluten-free". If that's the case, then you may not be able to stop the flare for a while, unless you take a corticosteroid, because the half-life of gluten (anti-gliadin) antibodies is 120 days, so it can take months for the antibody level to drop back to a level below your threshold at which a reaction is triggered.
Most of us can safely eat non-injected chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, fish, etc., but we have more than a few members who cannot tolerate chicken, and a few who can't tolerate turkey. Back when I was recovering, I lived on chicken soup, sometimes with rice, on my bad days, and mostly pork and potatoes on my better days. I was also able to eat eggs, which are an excellent source of protein (adequate protein is important for healing).
It's certainly possible that the SSRIs might prevent you from being able to regain remission, but not everyone with MC reacts adversely to them.
FWIW, Wellbutrin is claimed to have less side effects than most meds in that category, and there's less risk of it triggering an MC reaction, but it doesn't work for everyone, of course.
Tex
I'm sorry to hear about the flare. Besides gluten, most of us are sensitive to the casein in all dairy products, and cheese is loaded with it. My biggest concern is your comment that you've gone "mainly gluten-free". If that's the case, then you may not be able to stop the flare for a while, unless you take a corticosteroid, because the half-life of gluten (anti-gliadin) antibodies is 120 days, so it can take months for the antibody level to drop back to a level below your threshold at which a reaction is triggered.
Most of us can safely eat non-injected chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, fish, etc., but we have more than a few members who cannot tolerate chicken, and a few who can't tolerate turkey. Back when I was recovering, I lived on chicken soup, sometimes with rice, on my bad days, and mostly pork and potatoes on my better days. I was also able to eat eggs, which are an excellent source of protein (adequate protein is important for healing).
It's certainly possible that the SSRIs might prevent you from being able to regain remission, but not everyone with MC reacts adversely to them.
FWIW, Wellbutrin is claimed to have less side effects than most meds in that category, and there's less risk of it triggering an MC reaction, but it doesn't work for everyone, of course.
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.
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Hi Jennifer,
I find bone broth and plain meats to be easiest on my system, although I can't eat chicken so I have now switched to broth made with pork bones. My guiding principle is keep it simple. If I have to read the ingredient list for a product I don't eat it. Plain meat and homemade broth continue to be my go to foods. As Tex said, strict avoidance is the way to go, no gluten, no dairy (including cheese), no soy (including additives to supplements) and, for me, no eggs . I was in the situation you find yourself in now when I joined here last March, unable to leave the house, chained to the bathroom. It can get better but it takes great diligence and discipline but its worth it to get your life back.
I hope your doctor assists you with weaning off the SSRI you are taking. Here is a great resource for anyone who is attempting that:
http://www.freedom-center.org/freedom-c ... rugs-guide
Jean
I find bone broth and plain meats to be easiest on my system, although I can't eat chicken so I have now switched to broth made with pork bones. My guiding principle is keep it simple. If I have to read the ingredient list for a product I don't eat it. Plain meat and homemade broth continue to be my go to foods. As Tex said, strict avoidance is the way to go, no gluten, no dairy (including cheese), no soy (including additives to supplements) and, for me, no eggs . I was in the situation you find yourself in now when I joined here last March, unable to leave the house, chained to the bathroom. It can get better but it takes great diligence and discipline but its worth it to get your life back.
I hope your doctor assists you with weaning off the SSRI you are taking. Here is a great resource for anyone who is attempting that:
http://www.freedom-center.org/freedom-c ... rugs-guide
Jean
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MBombardier
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 1523
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:44 am
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Jennfier, I am sorry you are having a flare. The only thing I would add is about fruits and vegetables, if you are trying to eat them. It seems counter-intuitive to leave them off because of vitamins and other nutrients, but we can do so when we need to. We can get most everything we need with a plain meat diet. If you are eating fruits and veggies, please be sure that they are cooked very well so they are very soft. Fiber is very abrasive to the GI tract.
I thought of something else. Soy is a legume, and you may be having trouble with all legumes--I do. Also, if you are taking any supplements, there can be soy in them. Or if you are eating candy--there is soy lethicin in all sorts of candy, gum, and chocolate.
I'm sure you know all this, but sometimes it's good to check again as companies have been known to switch formulations without notice.
I thought of something else. Soy is a legume, and you may be having trouble with all legumes--I do. Also, if you are taking any supplements, there can be soy in them. Or if you are eating candy--there is soy lethicin in all sorts of candy, gum, and chocolate.
I'm sure you know all this, but sometimes it's good to check again as companies have been known to switch formulations without notice.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry you aren't feeling well. One thing jumped out at me from your post: "I've been drinking dairy-free milk." That would be almond, rice or coconut milk, yes? Because lactose-free cow's milk is still dairy
I weaned off an SSRI very slowly and switched to Wellbutrin, which I have done well with. My doc and I recently cut the dosage in half and I am hoping to eliminate it after a while.
Sorry you aren't feeling well. One thing jumped out at me from your post: "I've been drinking dairy-free milk." That would be almond, rice or coconut milk, yes? Because lactose-free cow's milk is still dairy
I weaned off an SSRI very slowly and switched to Wellbutrin, which I have done well with. My doc and I recently cut the dosage in half and I am hoping to eliminate it after a while.
Suze
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MotherGrizzly
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:52 pm
Thank ALL of you so much for these helpful answers. Even after years of living with these conditions, I still have so much to learn. I forgot about the casein issue in cheese. I eliminated so many things from my diet over the past few years, and I've stubbornly hung on to cheese. I also need to check my supplements because I don't know if there is soy in them. :( I drink mainly water and almond milk if I have GF cereal. I was having Vitamin Water lately and I think the magnesium in the ingredients bothers me, too. And yes--I have been eating fruit lately--berries right out of the container (after washing LOL). Your advice and reminders are so helpful.
I am going to try the chicken, soup, and rice. I'd love a "Here is what I eat" menu that I could just follow every day--I know it's different for everyone, but it feels overwhelming sometimes to even deal with my food/ colitis issues. Last summer, I checked out the Paleo diet but I found it hard to follow (I eat corn & rice pasta).
This board and the people here are truly lifesavers. If it weren't for your advice, I wouldn't have known about non-celiac gluten intolerance. Cutting out gluten made a huge difference in the # of flares I was having during the year. My GI has no helpful input about LC. He tells me to "eat salads" and gives me medicine. That's about it. :/
I am going to try the chicken, soup, and rice. I'd love a "Here is what I eat" menu that I could just follow every day--I know it's different for everyone, but it feels overwhelming sometimes to even deal with my food/ colitis issues. Last summer, I checked out the Paleo diet but I found it hard to follow (I eat corn & rice pasta).
This board and the people here are truly lifesavers. If it weren't for your advice, I wouldn't have known about non-celiac gluten intolerance. Cutting out gluten made a huge difference in the # of flares I was having during the year. My GI has no helpful input about LC. He tells me to "eat salads" and gives me medicine. That's about it. :/
Just diagnosed LC--thought I was IBS-D for the last 30 years! : /
Regarding menus, here is a collection of meal suggestions based on foods eaten by various members:
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=53
Tex
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=53
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.
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C.U.B. girl
- Adélie Penguin
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- Location: North Georgia
- Contact:
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry things aren't going well right now! One more thing to consider as you become gluten/dairy/soy free is to make sure none of those ingredients are in any of the meds you take, or vitamins and supplements. There is a list of GF meds at http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com Check and make sure that whatever you take is on that list, whether name brand or generic. The list is updated fairly regularly, but of course it may not have every single manufacturer of every single drug on it. If in doubt, call the manufacturer or ask your pharmacist to do so. Sometimes it's those little things we take every day without really thinking about it that can be doing the damage....
Blessings as you recover,
Cindy
-------I would have written the website as a link if I could figure out how to do it....still new at
this.......
Sorry things aren't going well right now! One more thing to consider as you become gluten/dairy/soy free is to make sure none of those ingredients are in any of the meds you take, or vitamins and supplements. There is a list of GF meds at http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com Check and make sure that whatever you take is on that list, whether name brand or generic. The list is updated fairly regularly, but of course it may not have every single manufacturer of every single drug on it. If in doubt, call the manufacturer or ask your pharmacist to do so. Sometimes it's those little things we take every day without really thinking about it that can be doing the damage....
Blessings as you recover,
Cindy
-------I would have written the website as a link if I could figure out how to do it....still new at
this.......
Cindy
2008 Celiac disease
2012 Collagenous Colitis
Family history includes ALS, ulcerative colitis, Lyme disease, mild epilepsy
2008 Celiac disease
2012 Collagenous Colitis
Family history includes ALS, ulcerative colitis, Lyme disease, mild epilepsy
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C.U.B. girl
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2012 5:59 pm
- Location: North Georgia
- Contact:
Hi Cindy. Marliss said what I was going to. The main culprits of inflammation are the big four, but there are so many other foods that irritate our already inflamed guts. No salads right now! No fresh fruit while in a flare either ( except maybe bananas if you can). Beans can give some problems. For some of us, the nightshade family gives us D ( tomato,potato,eggplant,peppers). I'm one of them.
My go to diet for a flare is protein ( meat), COOKED greenbeans or carrots, apple sauce, canned peaches and pears, and SWEET potatoes. For breakfast, I usually just have GF cereal with almond milk. I can have eggs, so sometimes I cook an egg. As you heal, then you can "test" some of these foods again. After 5 months, I have able to add back in a lot of these things in small quantities.
Good luck. This whole thing takes patience and a lot of time
Leah
My go to diet for a flare is protein ( meat), COOKED greenbeans or carrots, apple sauce, canned peaches and pears, and SWEET potatoes. For breakfast, I usually just have GF cereal with almond milk. I can have eggs, so sometimes I cook an egg. As you heal, then you can "test" some of these foods again. After 5 months, I have able to add back in a lot of these things in small quantities.
Good luck. This whole thing takes patience and a lot of time
Leah