So Many Questions :-(

[Jazi]

I feel like I'm the Twilight zone. I'm sitting here this morning sipping my coffee with my non dairy creamer... I just read the ingredients and it has soy lecithin in it. I love my non dairy creamer

I came home from work yesterday famished and I just caved and ate an entire tub of rice pudding.... and now I have to begin again.

Apparently I'm not eating enough because my head was pounding and I was fine after eating the rice pudding.... sick but no headache.

I'm not opposed to omitting these foods for the elimination process but as someone who eats frequently, this is killing me. Sure I can stand to lose 20lbs but I don't want to starve in the process. Oh and also, I'm not someone who cooks, not that I can't, I just hate it very much, so any simple recipes are greatly appreciated. Would this be safe to eat? http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-healthy ... sts-176669

I love my Rice chex with vanilla almond milk can I eat that twice a day? No blueberries, right?

I've become really good at label reading because I was attempting to go gluten free even before I was diagnosed, I even went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of reading glasses (ingredients are tiny!!!)

Tex, I have family in California... could I have them order the kit, and then send it to me? Would I still use my name or my brothers name?

ladyathome, isn't that interesting about the parasites? Why won't Doctors believe we had them. It took me four months of suffering before a physician gave me Albenza. But now that I was diagnosed with this, I wonder myself.

Did someone mention that someone wrote a book here? There is so much information in this thread, it's hard to keep up. I'm going to have to spend the weekend re-reading it.

Oh, also, what am I reading about taking an antihistamine for this?

Once again, you guys are fantabo!!

[jgivens]

Jazi, I found at first that I could not assimilate all the info I was reading. It made me tired. Part of it I have come to understand, was "brain fog" from gluten even though I thought I was away from it for a year by the time I was diagnosed. Obviously there was cross contamination somewhere!
If you want to eat rice chex make sure you are getting the g-f chex. Nothing wrong with that, but your gut needs plenty of protein to heal. If you don't want to make your own broth. Go to a health food store and look for broth or stock that has no sugar, gluten,soy, or any other ingredient in it that you shouldn't have. In the end, I found it much easier to make my own, but I like to cook.
No blueberries for now. If you can look at this as a "not forever thing" and take it one day at a time, it is easier. The things I craved were things that were the worst for me and obviously the food industry has learned how to addict us to those very things. Knowing that served to make me angry and determined enough to beat the cravings.
Tex wrote the book. Microscopic Colitis, which you can see at the top of your screen on the right. It is a font of information, but you'll probably have to read parts of it several times. I did because of the brain fog. Your anxiety is also probably pretty high right now because you feel like you are losing so much. Once you start to feel better, you will realize the pay-off.

[tex]

Hi Jazi,

Sure, having the kit sent to California and having your brother relay it to you should work OK. Just be sure that when you fill out the data form that goes back to the lab with the sample, the information on the form is yours, not someone elses.

The baked chicken recipe you mentioned may be OK. Some of us (including me) had trouble with black pepper, garlic, and onion when we were reacting, so you may want to go easy on the seasoning. While it may not be as appealing to the taste buds, blander is much more appealing to the gut, when it's inflamed. And remember that although the taste buds tend to have the most influence on the brain, the gut is in charge of how you feel, and how long it will take you to recover from this disease, so it deserves the utmost respect.

Antihistamines can help to relieve symptoms if symptoms are still present after many months of careful diet control. I'm not sure that they will be very helpful early on, before your intestines have had time to recover from at least some of the damage caused by gluten. On the other hand, it's not impossible that they might help — we haven't had an opportunity to test that out, yet.

Tex

[Leah]

Hi jazi.
your posts make me smile. You seem to have a great sense of humor :)
Bummer about your non-dairy creamer, but with all the ingredients in it ( including lots of sugar), it's probably a good idea to skip it. You might want to microwave some almond milk in a mug and then pour your coffee in that.

I looked at your chicken recipe. Tex has a good point about seasoning, but I never had any problems with onion and garlic powder. I roast chicken all the time and it comes out much tastier if you buy chicken parts WITH THE BONES AND SKIN. What I do is make a paste of salt,herbs (Italian seasoning works) and olive oil ( 1 tbsp.) and rub it under the skin and all over. Then I throw it in a hot oven (425) for about 45 minutes. The high heat seals in the juices and crisps the skin. If you don't want to eat the skin, just take it off before you eat it, but it keeps the chicken moist while it's cooking. Make some extra so you have something to eat for lunch... Bon Appetit!

Sure, eat your rice chex as much as you want. Try corn chex too. It stays crunchier then rice.

Quick and easy. grilled Hamburgers ( no bun) or steak is easy. Anything you can throw in the oven is easy. While you are roasting your chicken, you can also roast any vegetable at the same time. Just toss the cut up veggie with olive oil and seasoning and roast about 20 minutes. Sweet potatoes , you can just wrap in foil and throw in the oven until soft.

I know you don't like to cook, but with the way we have to eat, we have to . Maybe you will start to enjoy it a bit as time goes on :)

Leah

[carolm]

Jazi, the first year I ate roasted chicken, red potatoes, white rice, soft cooked carrots and green beans, and chicken broth, daily. Seriously. After about 6 months I added ground beef, deli turkey, Lays naturals potato chips and rice cakes (I needed calories). I rotated foods around so that if I ate rice at noon, I'd have the potatoes for supper. It was meager but it was necessary.

What works well for me now is to use my slow cooker/crock pot. I can put chicken in there and when it's about done put in some carrots, sage and rosemary, and sometimes I put in some gluten free (rice flour based noodles). If I wanted it creamy I'd make a gravy with soy free butter or olive oil, with potato starch or almond flour, and plain almond milk. Another crock pot favorite is a beef roast, with carrots and potatoes--or whatever vegetables you can tolerate (broccoli, cauliflower). Cook simply and it will go easier for you. I do most of my cooking on Sunday and freeze meals in glass containers. I can then take them to work and heat them like any frozen dinner.

I took Entocort for a little over 4 months. Thanks to this site, I went gluten free before I even had confirmation of my diagnosis because the surgeon that did my colonoscopy told me he suspected Lymphocytic colitis. I thought "why fool around? 95% of the people with this condition have to go gluten free-- why would I be any different?". I also dropped dairy right away. Soy was next and my gut was much calmer when I got rid of soy. The best part was that I had eliminated the vast majority of problem foods so that by the time I was weaning off of Entocort I really didn't have any trouble making the transition. Off of Entocort I found I reacted to eggs. But that was the only food it masked for me. For me it would have been a long and difficult road without Entocort.

I did not gain any weight on Entocort. In fact I was losing weight during that period of time, but I think I could not absorb nutrients while I had inflammation. The weight loss slowed while I was on Entocort and started getting better. When I challenge foods I go to my 'baseline diet"-- roast chicken, carrots, rice, etc. and I eat the challenge food 3 consecutive days. I drop back to baseline on day 4. If I have no reactions it becomes one of my safe foods and I can challenge something else. When I reacted I would know within 12 hours with D (which is really something since I am C prominent), often after only one serving. However if I eat peanuts or peanut butter I will ache all over the next day-- so I avoid all legumes. Soy will make me nauseated within 4 hours. So reactions can vary depending on the food, I think.
That's enough for now. This may be too much information.
take care,
Carol

[Jazi]

jgivens, ah yes, the brain fog. Gotta love that feeling. I admit it's been so much better since I took the Albendazole last August when I was diagnosed with parasites. It definitely did something good. What I do notice is that my memory sucks. I blamed it on the drugs I did in the 80's, maybe it's all the darn gluten that I shoveled in my mouth?

Leah, I'm glad you think I'm funny. I always try to lighten things up. If I make one person smile, then my day is complete. I'm going to try the chicken recipe without all the spices. The chicken broth alone should give it some flavor. You mentioned corn chex... I thought corn was iffy?

Tex, my brother and I are discussing Enterolab... I was thinking about ordering Panel A + C, it seems to cover everything. What do you think?

Carolm... definitely not too much information. I've always wanted to buy a crock pot but I figured I would end up just dusting it. Now I have a darn good reason to use one. I'm still considering the Entocort but I do have a question about it.... my main problem is the abdominal distension and cramping will it relieve that? The D isn't so bad with me... the Citrucel seems to have helped with that as well as not eating

Thank you all once again and I hope to be able to help others like you all have helped me.

[JFR]

Jazi,

Cooking does not have to be elaborate. Plain grilled meats and well steamed veggies will do it, or meat and veggies in a crock pot. Bone broth is really easy to make too. Once you accept that this is the way it has to be, it's really very easy, or at least I have found it to be. My diet may be pretty limited from most people's perspective but one advantage is that I don't have to think very much about what I am going to eat now that I have it figured out. Shopping is really fast too because I only buy a few single ingredient foods.

Jean

[tex]

Tex, my brother and I are discussing Enterolab... I was thinking about ordering Panel A + C, it seems to cover everything. What do you think?

That's a very popular combination on this board, and it should give you the information you need to sort out your diet issues.

The abdominal distension should go away after the diet begins to take effect. Entocort should help to reduce it sooner, though, provided that it is effective for you.

Tex

[ladyathome]

I haven't lost a pound since cutting all the allergenic foods...I wish I would! haha

Consider trying the Pepto-Bismol protocol...It's accessible, inexpensive, and the tablets make it tolerable (I hate the taste of the liquid). Initially I believe it helped a lot with my bloating and calmed my stomach more than anything else. (I also think it helped me with that gnawing feeling so I could make better food choices.) I had taking pepto-bismol before I found this site because it was the only thing I had found that brought any type of relief, but once I read about the protocol on here, I couldn't wait to try it. Along with the diet changes, I haven't had a flare in 6 weeks.. I'm exercising and feeling so much better!

I spoke with my DO about the protocol, (after I did it) and she said it made sense to her as to why it would help because it binds and kills bacteria and "could" have an anti-parasitic effect as well. Again, she is convinced parasites have something to do with this....

[Leah]

Jazi, Ladyathome has a good point. I used Entocort successfully, but it's because Pepto makes me sick. Everyone is different. Some of us have great results with the Pepto Bismul protocol. No Rx required. it might be worth a shot.

jean makes a great point too. Just grilled meat and veggies ( maybe rice) works great and is easy.

When it comes to corn, some people here have gone completely grain free and feel better for it, but I have always kept corn and rice products in ( and so does Tex) with no problems. They do not have gluten. Your Enterolab results will give you the grain answers you are seeking.

Let us know your results when you get them.
Leah

[carolm]

Jazi, I second what Tex said. I would think that the distension and cramping are due to inflammation at this point. Entocort would reduce the inflammation then diet changes will start the healing.

Entocort is ridiculously expensive, even the generic budesonide is pricey. Check to make sure your insurance covers it. There are ways to buy it outside of the US. You can probably find those links by doing a search of this site. I know others have ordered theirs from companies outside of the US.

Hang in there--
Carol

[Jazi]

Thank you again everyone.

I'm off today and will be doing some shopping. I am going to make this drastic change and stop concerning myself with what I can't eat. Isn't funny how we've become with food? It's only food. So I can't have my comfort food when the BF pisses me off. Instead, I'll read, or work out, or clean, come here and rant or even sleep.

I'm going through this entire thread today to take notes and bring it to the grocery store with me

[Jazi]

I have bad news. I called Enterolab and the woman there said that even if my brother sent me the kit from CA, It would have to be returned from CA as well. Primarily because the stool has to be frozen and overnighted.

I asked for for any recommendations and she mentioned Metametrix lab. Has anyone ever used them for this?

[ant]

Dear Joanne,

Primarily because the stool has to be frozen and overnighted.

Strange, because I was able to send it successfully from the other side of the world.... and that took a few days in transit.

Best wishes, Anthony

[Jazi]

Dear Joanne,

Primarily because the stool has to be frozen and overnighted.

Strange, because I was able to send it successfully from the other side of the world.... and that took a few days in transit.

Best wishes, Anthony

Well then why are they telling me this crap? I know that New York State and Maryland do not allow their residents to purchase medical testing directly from a clinical laboratory.... but that's purchasing. There has to be a way around this.

Ant, your specimen wasn't frozen or overnighted?