Thyroid Question

[dfpowell]

I am new to the forum, but have been reading the information on this amazing website!!

My TSH came in higher than normal this last month . When it is rechecked in a month should I ask for the T3 & T4 levels to be checked. What association does the thyroid function have with CC.

[tex]

[dfpowell]

Tex,

Thank you for such a comprehensive response, it gives me some good talking points with my MD.

I am in the process of reading your book, but I have several questions (if they are answered in your book, just direct me to the pages):
Why is it I have heard MC colitis is more prevalent in women over 50, and is there any research to support that? How do NSAIDs having a precipitating factor in MC?

Thanks,
Donna

[Leah]

Welcome Donna.
Hope that some of the info here has been helpful to you . It has been a life saver for me and I continue to learn even after being here for over a year. How are you doing with the MC?

I also have thyroid issues. I still can't get my doctor to run a separate Free T4 or 3 test. All he wants to do is use the TSH test to determine how much synthetic drug I should take. it's exasperating! Do you have symptoms? My first one was loss of hair. Being tired, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, and a mid day temperature lower then 97 degrees .

Take Care
Leah

[dfpowell]

Hi Leah,

Thanks for the response. The thyroid symptom that I notice right now is fatigue, I'm not sure about body temperature, but will have to check that out.

My MC is ok at the moment, it really got better when I took the 4 major allergens out, and am waiting for Enterolab results. I have tapered to 3mg of Entocort and 800 mg of Asacol and will hold there for awhile.

I was very glad to find this forum and all of the helpful information!

Donna

[tex]

I am in the process of reading your book, but I have several questions (if they are answered in your book, just direct me to the pages):
Why is it I have heard MC colitis is more prevalent in women over 50, and is there any research to support that? How do NSAIDs having a precipitating factor in MC?

Doctors can be rather naive at times, and they made that assumption mostly because the disease was first diagnosed in middle-aged women. The silly part is that the disease was first diagnosed in middle-aged women because people in that group were more likely to have a colonoscopy exam where biopsies were taken, and it's impossible to diagnose the disease without analyzing biopsy samples taken from either a colonoscopy exam or a sigmoidoscopy exam, under a microscope to look for the proper markers for the disease. IOW, it never dawned on them that the reason why younger people (or men) were not being routinely diagnosed with the disease is because those groups rarely were subjected to a colonoscopy exam, and if they were, biopsy samples were rarely taken.

These days, GI docs are finally beginning to learn that the only way to diagnose the disease is to look for it, and diagnostic rates for all age groups are way up. Our youngest member was 2 and a half years of age when she was diagnosed. She's now 7 and doing fine. Her team of doctors wanted to prescribe Entocort EC, but fortunately her mother chose to try diet changes first, and so she has always controlled her symptoms by diet alone.

As far as I am aware, all of the studies based on age groups and gender differences for MC patients were done quite a few years ago (before most GI specialists learned how to diagnose the disease). This is briefly discussed on page 4 in the book.

For some people (not everyone), NSAIDs apparently promote intestinal inflammation by stimulating the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, primarily leukotrienes. This also applies to all of the mesalamine-based anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Asacol, Lialda, Colazal, Pentasa, etc., and it applies not just to patients who have MC, but to all IBDs. IOW, most IBD patients who react to NSAIDs will also tend to react adversely to mesalamine-based drugs, because mesalamine is derived from salicylic acid.

FYI, extreme fatigue is a very common symptom of MC. A lot of energy is consumed by the inflammation process, and subsequent healing. So there is a good chance that some of your fatigue may be because of CC. If your TSH was elevated, though, your doctor should certainly be willing to prescribe a thyroid supplement, regardless of any other test results. It's the cases where TSH is normal, but Free T4 or Free T3 results are low, that most doctors are unable (or unwilling) to properly treat.

Tex

[dfpowell]

Tex,

Thank you, your information makes sense to me. Because of my medical background, I had a hard time thinking that diet could be such a culprit. However, after experiencing some successful diet changes it has made a believer out of me!

I had wondered about the use of mesalamine, as NSAIDs were to be avoided, I was trusting that the MDs knew what they were doing. So thank you for pointing that out.

I do have another question about sugar, as I thought you mentioned somewhere that it is a potential problem food, is there a difference between sucrose and fructose and how those with MC tolerate them?

Thanks,
Donna

[tex]

Donna,

Many/most of us seem to have problems if we ingest too much fructose (at least while we're still in recovery). Some of us have problems with virtually all types of sugar if we get too much of it. When the small intestine is inflamed, the production of certain enzymes tends to be reduced, and this causes excess amounts of sugar to wind up being fermented by bacteria in the colon. The first enzyme lost is lactase, which is why virtually everyone is lactose intolerant when they have any form of intestinal inflammation (including the flu) After the inflammation subsides, normal enzyme production usually resumes again.

I realize that conventional medical opinion claims that MC does not affect the small intestine, but that opinion is flat wrong. I cite research references in my book that prove that MC also involves inflammation of the small intestine, and proof that celiac disease also involves inflammation of the colon. Most GI specialists never bother to learn enough about either disease to even be aware of those facts.

Tex

[dfpowell]

Tex

Do the intestinal sounds, borborygmus, go away or decrease as the disease settles down. Is there any explanation for this in the literature?
None of the health professionals seem to understand any thing about the borboygmus, I've been told that I must be swallowing air! My Mayo clinic MD, Dr Pardi, listened to my active bowel sounds and was wondering if I ate lunch. That comment made me wonder if he understood the disease he is researching.

Thanks,

Donna

[Jazi]

Welcome Donna.
Hope that some of the info here has been helpful to you . It has been a life saver for me and I continue to learn even after being here for over a year. How are you doing with the MC?

I also have thyroid issues. I still can't get my doctor to run a separate Free T4 or 3 test. All he wants to do is use the TSH test to determine how much synthetic drug I should take. it's exasperating! Do you have symptoms? My first one was loss of hair. Being tired, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, and a mid day temperature lower then 97 degrees .

Take Care
Leah

It's time you fired your doctor! I can't believe he won't order those tests! It's at no cost to him, my goodness. Persist. That makes me so angry. This is our health at stake.... why do they have to be so complicated?

[tex]

Do the intestinal sounds, borborygmus, go away or decrease as the disease settles down. Is there any explanation for this in the literature?
None of the health professionals seem to understand any thing about the borboygmus, I've been told that I must be swallowing air! My Mayo clinic MD, Dr Pardi, listened to my active bowel sounds and was wondering if I ate lunch. That comment made me wonder if he understood the disease he is researching.

Good Grief! I'm just as surprised at that little gaffe of his as you are. I thought that Dr. Pardi was one of the more enlightened GI specialists in this country after seeing all the research articles about MC to which he's attached his name over the years. Apparently he still doesn't know much about treating the disease by dietary changes, if he doesn't recognize that unique sound. That's a shame, for a physician of his position.

I can't remember where, but I think I found an article somewhere that associated the loud noises generated by our digestive system with inflammatory bowel disease. Virtually anyone on this board can tell you that the loud noises coming from our digestive systems is more than just borborygmus — it's certainly a marker of MC, but I believe that it can also be present with any IBD, including celiac diseae. I'm really surprised that Darrell Pardi isn't aware of that. I'll bet that any one of us could immediately recognize another MC patient from across a large room after hearing that sound.

The good news is that it goes away after we get the inflammation under control and our intestines begin to heal.

You're very welcome,
Tex