Hi,
New to the forum here. Just diagnosed with MC -- based on what I've been reading on this forum, I’m pretty impressed with my GP as it only took him about 3 weeks to recommend the test after he initially thought I had giardia. Anyway, here is my question.
I have been a very active person my entire life. Varsity swimmer in college and moderately competitive amateur triathlete and marathoner for over 20 years (I am currently 47). I feel like I eat a healthy diet, lots of fruits and veggies and almost zero red meat, but I do eat a lot of food due to just being lucky and having a fast metabolism and also from being active I burn a lot of calories. I do eat a lot of gluten -- albeit almost 100% whole wheat and multi-grain.
I was diagnosed with Graves disease in 2008 (again, yeah! for my GP as he it figured it out almost immediately). I was on meds for a while, but I have been in remission for almost 2 years. Recently (over the past year), I have had some sciatic nerve issues caused by a bulging disc -- not severe -- but I was definitely taking a lot of Ibuprofen -- pretty much daily. Then, I had a root canal. I really didn't want to take the narcotic pain killer because they make me feel terrible, so I stuck to the prescription strength Ibuprofen which is basically 9 pills per day of what you get over the counter for a 5 day period. It was right around this time I started to have all my problems.
Just curious if there is any thought that my tummy issues could be purely triggered by Ibuprofen. In reading about MC, it seems like this is often sited as a cause. Could this just eventually resolve itself if I just don't take Ibuprofen anymore?...this would be a pretty easy "lifestyle" change. Right now, the doctor just has me trying Pepto to see if things clear up. So far, it seems to be working pretty well, but it has only been a few weeks. As far as I know, I don't have any gluten or other food intolerances in my family.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Ibuprofen
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi MarkM,
Welcome to the forum! You are reminding me of my brother-in-law who started doing Triathlons last year and just loves them. He also consumes tons of gluten as he is a veggetarian and they apparently eat way too much gluten. I always get on him about how our bodies are not made to digest gluten very well and that it's super-inflammatory. He just rolls his eyes at me.
As for the Ibuprofen, that could very well be what caused your MC. I took a lot of it as well over a period of years. I believe my MC was also drug-induced as my chronic D started just 10 days after starting a Beta Blocker. I got off, got better, they put me on another and 10 days later, dang D came back again. They tried me on 2 more and the D only got worse. Quickly got off, but by then it was too late. Some are able to reach remission after a drug-induced trigger but in my case that didn't happen. My D continued for 4 months after getting off the drug. Once I cut out gluten and dairy I got a lot better but got on Pepto as I was losing too much weight. It's my wonder drug. I did that for 3 months and have had no D for 3 1/2 months now. Unfortunately, MC triggers food sensitivities (maybe Tex can elaborate better on that than me) which is the reason I was not able to go into remission so quickly after stopping the drug. However, the only food I know for sure that I'm sensitive to is gluten.
There are no food intolerances in my family at all either!
Hope the Pepto keeps doing well for you. Take care and keep us updated. Oh...and I would definitely stop the Ibuprofen!
Terri
Welcome to the forum! You are reminding me of my brother-in-law who started doing Triathlons last year and just loves them. He also consumes tons of gluten as he is a veggetarian and they apparently eat way too much gluten. I always get on him about how our bodies are not made to digest gluten very well and that it's super-inflammatory. He just rolls his eyes at me.
As for the Ibuprofen, that could very well be what caused your MC. I took a lot of it as well over a period of years. I believe my MC was also drug-induced as my chronic D started just 10 days after starting a Beta Blocker. I got off, got better, they put me on another and 10 days later, dang D came back again. They tried me on 2 more and the D only got worse. Quickly got off, but by then it was too late. Some are able to reach remission after a drug-induced trigger but in my case that didn't happen. My D continued for 4 months after getting off the drug. Once I cut out gluten and dairy I got a lot better but got on Pepto as I was losing too much weight. It's my wonder drug. I did that for 3 months and have had no D for 3 1/2 months now. Unfortunately, MC triggers food sensitivities (maybe Tex can elaborate better on that than me) which is the reason I was not able to go into remission so quickly after stopping the drug. However, the only food I know for sure that I'm sensitive to is gluten.
There are no food intolerances in my family at all either!
Hope the Pepto keeps doing well for you. Take care and keep us updated. Oh...and I would definitely stop the Ibuprofen!
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
Hi Mark,
Welcome to the board. As Terri mentioned, some patients are able to put their MC into remission (and keep it there) by discontinuing all use of the drug that triggered the intestinal inflammation that is associated with MC. Are you avoiding Ibuprofen now? If avoiding it is going to resolve your MC symptoms, it should work fairly quickly. Most people in that situation see relief of symptoms within a few days — certainly within a couple of weeks. If that doesn't happen, then you have probably already developed food sensitivities which would have to be eliminated from your diet in order to bring remission.
The Pepto treatment is about as effective as any drug treatment that is currently prescribed to treat MC. However, as is the case with all drug treatments, if you have food sensitivities that are not addressed, a few days to a week or so after the Pepto treatment is discontinued, a relapse will occur. If you have no food sensitivities, then the Pepto is unnecessary — just discontinuing the drug that triggered your MC should bring prompt remission.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to the board. As Terri mentioned, some patients are able to put their MC into remission (and keep it there) by discontinuing all use of the drug that triggered the intestinal inflammation that is associated with MC. Are you avoiding Ibuprofen now? If avoiding it is going to resolve your MC symptoms, it should work fairly quickly. Most people in that situation see relief of symptoms within a few days — certainly within a couple of weeks. If that doesn't happen, then you have probably already developed food sensitivities which would have to be eliminated from your diet in order to bring remission.
The Pepto treatment is about as effective as any drug treatment that is currently prescribed to treat MC. However, as is the case with all drug treatments, if you have food sensitivities that are not addressed, a few days to a week or so after the Pepto treatment is discontinued, a relapse will occur. If you have no food sensitivities, then the Pepto is unnecessary — just discontinuing the drug that triggered your MC should bring prompt remission.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
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.
Welcome MarkM! I totally get where you are coming from when it comes to athletics and eating "healthy" I'm a personal trainer and always thought I ate healthy... although I was never a big bread eater. When we are in a flare or just starting out, all the things we thought were healthy only make things worse. Raw fruits and veggies are out along with all fiber. It took me a while to wrap my head around eating mostly meat, rice and cooked veggies, but I had to so I could heal.
Your MC very well could have been triggered by the ibuprofen, and you should definitely stay away from all NSAIDs, but whether that will bring you to remission, is a big question mark. Like Terri said, MC can trigger food sensitivities. Which means if you continue to eat these foods, your inflammation will continue along with all the D. Just for general info: the four biggest inflammatory foods are gluten, dairy, soy, and egg. All of us here can't eat one or all of these things. The other foods I mentioned are irritants and can be added back in one at a time when you have healed.
This is tough disease to live with and it takes a lot of patience because the healing process can be long. We are all different though. The Pepto protocol works well for many. I couldn't take it, so was on Entocort for 6 months. During that time, I changed my diet and started to feel better. Now I am free of all prescription drugs and have been able to slowly add things back in, but meat remains the mainstay of my diet.
If you want to know for sure if your are producing antibodies ( which is a bad thing) to certain foods and can afford it, you should take the tests that ENTEROLAB ( check out their web site) have to offer. That way, you'd know for sure what you shouldn't eat. I am GF, DF, SF, but dairy is the one I react to the fastest.
Good luck in your quest to get this under control. Ask anything and keep us posted.
Leah
Your MC very well could have been triggered by the ibuprofen, and you should definitely stay away from all NSAIDs, but whether that will bring you to remission, is a big question mark. Like Terri said, MC can trigger food sensitivities. Which means if you continue to eat these foods, your inflammation will continue along with all the D. Just for general info: the four biggest inflammatory foods are gluten, dairy, soy, and egg. All of us here can't eat one or all of these things. The other foods I mentioned are irritants and can be added back in one at a time when you have healed.
This is tough disease to live with and it takes a lot of patience because the healing process can be long. We are all different though. The Pepto protocol works well for many. I couldn't take it, so was on Entocort for 6 months. During that time, I changed my diet and started to feel better. Now I am free of all prescription drugs and have been able to slowly add things back in, but meat remains the mainstay of my diet.
If you want to know for sure if your are producing antibodies ( which is a bad thing) to certain foods and can afford it, you should take the tests that ENTEROLAB ( check out their web site) have to offer. That way, you'd know for sure what you shouldn't eat. I am GF, DF, SF, but dairy is the one I react to the fastest.
Good luck in your quest to get this under control. Ask anything and keep us posted.
Leah
All very good questions. I really just got the news on this a few days ago (December 31st to be exact). I really don't feel bad, just lots of trips to the bathroom -- probably 8-10 per day -- and a very gurgley stomach, especially at night. I've lost a few pounds, but nothing dramatic. I haven't changed my diet, other than as I normally would with a standard case of D (no legumes, easy on the fiber, etc.). I haven't had any Ibuprofen since the diagnosis, but that has only been 4 days. Since going on the Pepto, frequency is basically back to normal -- 2-3 per day -- and consistency is better. Color is black, but I assume that is because of the Pepto.
What I am really wrestling with is...should I wait out the 8 weeks or so and see what happens when I go off the pepto, or should I bite the bullet and get the gluten test now? Something I just need to think about for a bit.
Gluten, this was my first root canal. I don't attribute my condition to the root canal, I attribute it (just a theory, of course) to the fact that I was already probably taking too much Ibuprofen and the increased dosage after the root canal pushed me over the edge.
What I am really wrestling with is...should I wait out the 8 weeks or so and see what happens when I go off the pepto, or should I bite the bullet and get the gluten test now? Something I just need to think about for a bit.
Gluten, this was my first root canal. I don't attribute my condition to the root canal, I attribute it (just a theory, of course) to the fact that I was already probably taking too much Ibuprofen and the increased dosage after the root canal pushed me over the edge.
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Gabes-Apg
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welcome newbies!
dental issues are very common across the MC'ers. maybe not the trigger of MC, moreso one of the myriad of things that are part of MC/compromised digestion/ sensitive body
Increase your Vit D and Calcium now and try and minimise future issues!
i have had two absessed molers removed in the past 8 weeks, one was a moler that i had root canal done 12 years ago and it was crumbling under the crown.
in reading various posts, you may have seen reference to Mast Cells /Histamines. This is a very common issue for MC'ers, for quite a few of us, when the gut healing has been done and our MC management plan is working fine, Mast Cell/Histamine issues appear and cause some symptoms.
there are medical articles that talk about anesthetic (both local used by dentist and general) being something that does trigger Mast Cell/Histamine reactions.
45 mins before any dental work I take H1 and H2 blockers and this keeps me protected.
dental issues are very common across the MC'ers. maybe not the trigger of MC, moreso one of the myriad of things that are part of MC/compromised digestion/ sensitive body
Increase your Vit D and Calcium now and try and minimise future issues!
i have had two absessed molers removed in the past 8 weeks, one was a moler that i had root canal done 12 years ago and it was crumbling under the crown.
in reading various posts, you may have seen reference to Mast Cells /Histamines. This is a very common issue for MC'ers, for quite a few of us, when the gut healing has been done and our MC management plan is working fine, Mast Cell/Histamine issues appear and cause some symptoms.
there are medical articles that talk about anesthetic (both local used by dentist and general) being something that does trigger Mast Cell/Histamine reactions.
45 mins before any dental work I take H1 and H2 blockers and this keeps me protected.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
The connection is gluten sensitivity. Any dentist worth his salt can diagnose celiac disease just by analyzing an individual's teeth. The disease attacks the enamel on teeth, and once it becomes weak enough, tooth problems escalate in a hurry. My teeth began to swarm on me when I was in my early 50's, but I didn't have the foggiest idea why. The GI symptoms didn't begin to show up until roughly 5 or 6 years later.Gabes wrote:dental issues are very common across the MC'ers.
Oral Manifestations of Celiac Disease: A Clinical Guide for Dentists
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 would get off Gluten asap. It's bad stuff. It is definitely not good for an inflamed gut. If you find via Enterolabs that you aren't producing antibodies than I suppose you could add it back in. Gluten antibodies stay in your system for months. Just FYI!
Terri
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
MarkM,
I would take the test now. The test takes about three weeks to get results. The time you are spending taking the Pepto would be wasted time if you continue to eat things that are bringing on inflammation. You can only stay on pepto a couple of months I believe. Remission comes more quickly if you change your diet at the same time you are taking the meds.
Leah
I would take the test now. The test takes about three weeks to get results. The time you are spending taking the Pepto would be wasted time if you continue to eat things that are bringing on inflammation. You can only stay on pepto a couple of months I believe. Remission comes more quickly if you change your diet at the same time you are taking the meds.
Leah
Probably a good idea....regardless, I would like to know. Since I have never had this type of issue before do you think it is OK to just start with the basic Gluten Sensitivity Stool Test? I don't want to be cheap, but on the other hand, no need spend several hundred dollars if I can learn what I need to know with $99.
Hi Mark,
Based on the fact that at least 95% of us here are gluten-sensitive, a positive result on the anti-gliadin test is probably a slam dunk, but you are correct, it's a good way to start. Since gluten does the most damage to the gut, and it's the most common food sensitivity, you definitely need to know whether or not it's damaging your intestines.
If you turn out to be sensitive to gluten, the odds are very high that you will also be sensitive to dairy (casein), but the other food sensitivities are less likely (though the odds are not necessarily low). The lab will keep some of your sample for a few weeks after the test is finished, I believe, so if you don't wait too long, it's possible to order additional tests after you receive the first result, without having to send in another sample.
That 99 dollars may prove to be the best investment in your future health, that you've ever made.
Tex
Based on the fact that at least 95% of us here are gluten-sensitive, a positive result on the anti-gliadin test is probably a slam dunk, but you are correct, it's a good way to start. Since gluten does the most damage to the gut, and it's the most common food sensitivity, you definitely need to know whether or not it's damaging your intestines.
If you turn out to be sensitive to gluten, the odds are very high that you will also be sensitive to dairy (casein), but the other food sensitivities are less likely (though the odds are not necessarily low). The lab will keep some of your sample for a few weeks after the test is finished, I believe, so if you don't wait too long, it's possible to order additional tests after you receive the first result, without having to send in another sample.
That 99 dollars may prove to be the best investment in your future health, that you've ever made.
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 just skimmed the article "Oral Manifestations of Celiac Disease." My 7-year-old granddaughter has insufficient or degraded enamel on all of her teeth and needs to have a protective coating put on them at a cost of $800. When I saw her at Thanksgiving, I noticed that her still emerging permanent front teeth have brown areas on them. They looked similar to the pictures in the article. 
She's also complaining frequently about pain in her teeth.
I'm forwarding the article to my daughter, but worry that the emphasis is on Celiacs, and doesn't mention that gluten-sensitive individuals can have the same reactions. So many people are told they're not Celiac and don't consider the gluten-sensitivite possibility.
Thanks for posting it, Tex.
Gloria
She's also complaining frequently about pain in her teeth.I'm forwarding the article to my daughter, but worry that the emphasis is on Celiacs, and doesn't mention that gluten-sensitive individuals can have the same reactions. So many people are told they're not Celiac and don't consider the gluten-sensitivite possibility.
Thanks for posting it, Tex.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Hi Gloria,
I'll be happy to email you a text file of chapter 9 from my book (the title of the chapter is Health Risks of Gluten, where that reference is mentioned), or a PDF file of the chapter, that can be read on a computer with Adobe Reader, if you think it would help your granddaughter's parents make the right decisions about her future health.
Tex
I'll be happy to email you a text file of chapter 9 from my book (the title of the chapter is Health Risks of Gluten, where that reference is mentioned), or a PDF file of the chapter, that can be read on a computer with Adobe Reader, if you think it would help your granddaughter's parents make the right decisions about her future health.
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.