Approximately How Often Do You Have MC Reactions?

[harvest_table]

Hi Tex, and fellow MC'rs,

This poll question is interesting. My initial response was to fit into once a month but after thinking about what remission is for me and what an MC reaction might be I came to the conclusion that I still live daily with active MC symptoms, but on a much less severe level. It seems the only times I have been totally symptom free was when I was taking Pred. or Entocort.

Thankfully, chronic D is not part of my daily existence anymore unless like Wayne mentioned, I re-intoduce something like dairy to see how I might react. I do react, and will often have a D like stool as a result of dairy, but not every time. When I have a D reaction it seems to be a one time thing and then my poops quickly go back to what's normal for me now. What's normal now, however, it not the way it use to be prior to MC.

I consider myself to be "sort of" in remission I guess (knock wood) and no longer have the extreme muscle and joint pain what was also a major symptom second only to D. These days, my stools are consistantly firm, semi-firm or soft sinkers ( I'm happy with that) but I do have lots of gas and a constant rumble gurgle tummy even eating my safe foods. I figure I can live with this and have hope that one day these symptoms too shall pass.

So, I conclude I still live with MC symptoms daily even though I'm so much better.

Peanut, here's a [[[[[hug]]]]] and hang in there. Carrie, I'm so happy to hear your doing so well. Keep up the good work everyone!

Love,
Joanna

[peanut]

Here I thought that I was "normal" by still having diarrhea.

So, basically, what I am seeing is that the majority of you only have the diarrhea, etc., occasionally. Is that right ? Maybe since I have other issues, like celiac, anemia, and pernicious anemia, that stuff contributes ?

What do you guys think ? Wayne, put your thinking cap on and give me your thoughts !

Love,

Carla

[harvest_table]

Carla,

I did not realize you had Celiac disease also but many control Celiac symptoms with GF diet. Like Shirley mentioned, you may have other intolerances that are causing your D. I commend you for being GF for so long, especially not seeing results yet. Your a trooper. The good news is that since you have been gluten free for so long that finding an additional intolerance such as dairy, or whatever may be a pretty simple process and you could see results quickly, I would think.

In my humble opinion, you should be able to manage your D by diet. Anxious to see what others may have to say. Maybe you want to start a new post about it?

Love,
Joanna

[barbaranoela]

I know waaaaaaaay back,before being diagnosed properly, I was on the *throne* constantly---
After going to Dr. Chapman and being properly diagnosed and treated aggressively(cus the inflammation was so bad) due to the original GI being such a jerk---and just patting my hand-- I started on the road to living----took time but the prednizone + Colazal did the mending--
Unfortunately,staying on an anti-inflammatory can be the cause of respiratory issues---I speak from my own Xperiences---and from information given to me from Polly----and Dr. Chapman--and doing some checking-- SO PLEASE DONT GET FRIGHTENED if U R on an anti-inflammatory---I was on Colazal from 2001 to 2004---all my attending Drs. didnt even blink an *eye* when I mentioned the COLAZAL!!!

Now if I have a bout it is due to STRESS/eating something I shouldnt--
I know what causes me to *spew*

Barbara---boy this was a long answer to a short Question---huh Galahad

[tex]

Hi Mrs. Columbo,

Your post may have been a little longer than the bare minimum response, but it was very informative, and that's how we learn, so we appreciate your taking the time to write it. Thanks.

Luv,
Galahad

[Lucy]

Hi Wayne,

Guess I'm in the category of "no reactions."
I've got total control of this gfdfefyfsf diet thing now, and not going to cheat intentionally. No longer have the time for those multiple visits to the bathroom in the mornings!

Anyway, you can add me to the "no reactions" category if you like.

Yours, Luce

[Jean]

Luce,

I bow to you. How do you manage to miss all of your triggers!?!

I am completely symptom free, until I accidentally ingest one of my intolerances. I'd say that happens every few months. I'm not even like Wayne, I never intentionally test myself, I just mess up.

Love, Jean

[Lucy]

Hi Jean,

Don't know how but perhaps it's because I don't eat out anymore, except for fish at the diner, and shrimp at a Chinese restaurant where I bring my own bottle of toasted peanut oil, and they stir fry shrimp with vegetables for us. It's really quite good.

Since my sis and I have the same "allergies," I just decided last time to leave what was left in the bottle of roasted peanut oil, and that way, either one of us could go there when we're not together, and not hafta drag the bottle around in a bag. Ha! I don't think my sis has had a problem with soy, but she may be not eating as much as she used to since we've really not been tested.

I'm the only one who's actually had observable problems with it. On the other hand, maybe she just likes this combination as it's kinda good if ya don't have it every day. Guess she could leave some wheat free soy sauce there if she wanted to.

Since leaving that roasted peanut oil there, I have one bottle less to clutter my top frig shelf on one side. I have quite a collection of sauces, oils, dressings, etc. that I've collected over time when I'd discover a "free" ingredient list, and all the open or more parishable ones are refrigerated. There are still more unopened in the cabinet. Really need to try some new things with some of these.

I think I have good success eating meats that I know are safe. I always eat either fish or shrimp when I do eat out as those aren't usually marinated or seasoned ahead of time, but I always ask about that just in case.

Last time I made a mistake was with the Jardine brand raspberry salsa as it had "natural raspberry flavoring" on the label. Now, I'm much more careful to catch things like that that overlap at the end of a line in the ingredients section.

Sure did have a good dinner tonight at my sis's house. She's coming up with some pretty interesting menus that she finds in all different kinds of magazines. Tonight, she fixed something new that had roasted tomatoes and zuccini -- very tasty!

Jean, what kinds of things do you usually miss when you get a reaction or do you always know?

Yours, Luce

[artteacher]

I voted 'once or twice a month' because that's how often I eat at a restaurant and accidently get something that shouldn't be in my diet. Or can't stand passing up something that I know will probably make me sick (like wine). I never cheat by eating dairy, or gluten; but there are other things that I can get away with if I just eat small amounts. The problem is that it's Russian Roulette every time I do that. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Marsha

[tex]

Marsha,

Thanks for providing an accurate response to the poll. Some individuals seem to feel that if they "know" all their intolerances, (at least they "think" they know), and they subsequently get sick, then it doesn't count. I've never understood that type of logic.

Some will admit to being sick in the past few months, and yet, since they know the reason, (just slipped up), claim that they never get sick. As far as I can tell, if someone is sick, they're sick. Period. If I didn't count the times that I slipped up, or ate something that I knew I shouldn't have, then I wouldn't ever get sick, either. LOL.

Like you, I never cheat on gluten, either. I do occasionally play Russian Roulette with some of the other intolerances, though, since ingesting them will not do long-term damage, the way that gluten does. I firmly believe that some of us can eat certain of our intolerances without problems, if we don't eat them any more often than once every three or more days. Obviously, this won't work for foods to which we react promptly, with only one ingestion.

My 3-day rotation diet was going great guns, until my diverticvular problem shot me down.

Wayne

[Alice]

Wayne,

I, too, have had no reactions since going gf 4 years ago! I am a silent intolerant - eating gluten doesn't cause symptoms but does do damage internally.

Love,
Alice

[tex]

Hi Alice,

Thanks for posting. That proves once again how different we all are. Some of us have experienced so many reactions, from various causes, that we tend to assume that everyone else has some of the same problems, to at least some degree. Obviously, that's not always the case.

Congratulations on four reaction-free years. You have a great track record, and I hope that you can continue to totally avoid reactions in the future.

Love,
Wayne

[Lucy]

I haven't been SICK since I eliminated the triggers that I'm off of, but since the poll was taken, I got into that emergency situation with Hurricane Rita evacuation, and THOUGHT I might've gotten a little contamination at that steak place in Fort Worth, but it was hardly similar to MC sxs that I'd had before the elmination of all this stuff. Same thing happened week of respite trip to Hill Country. Thought I must've gotten a little contamination at a Kerrville McD's. So now, that may or may not put me in the twice a year category. I can't remember how long ago the Jardine incident occurred, but at that time, my antibodies would've been so low, that it's a wonder that I even noticed the brown water before flushing, and then went back and checked the label.

Anyway, at the time of the poll, I didn't participate.

Jean, it's easy to avoid triggers when you're on "lock-down!" Ha!

Yours, Luce

[tex]

Luce,

There was also the incident with the deintal treatment, less than two months ago, about Oct. 26th or 27th, when you thought that you had a gluten reaction:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ght=#13061

I didn't look back any farther, but it's easy to forget those reactions, unless you have a reason to remember them. You're a lot like me--I tend to forget things that I don't like. LOL.

Wayne

[Lucy]

Will tell ya what happens when I refer to something as a "reaction." Usually it starts out as solid, and at the end has a little liquid with it, even in one sitting. Probably a person without our experience with D wouldn't think anything of what I notice on those infrequent occasions. I'm under the assumption that I can feel the biochemical part vs some other cause for this, and I can always find the thing that caused it. It just never happens at home anymore.

I was really bad this year about going to the dentist as I usually would go every few months, so know that was the only dental reason for possibly getting a tiny amount of gluten, if I indeed did. Don't remember getting this in the past cleanings, so perhaps I rinsed much better than this last time.

At any rate, I'm absolutely certain that I'm not having any now when I fix my own meals at home. Guess that wasn't what you were asking though, was it! Haha!

Wow, you make me realize that, due to the small bowel damage I had a little over two years ago., I really do need to get my lab work repeated pronto. Want to include the soy test with that. Wonder how come Dr. Fine will sell that one if you request it and yet, he won't put it up on the website, so people will know it's available. I know that the others aren't for sale to the public yet because the lab wrote me that he wasn't through doing the research on them as yet.
At least that was the case a few months ago.
Anyone have an update on what's available now from Enterolab that's new and pertains to M.C./reactions?

Anyway, I can't imagine anyone being any more careful than I am in terms of food, and most celiacs seem to do just fine with a boo boo now and again, probably more than I make due to cooking everything at home, pretty much from scratch.

I do need to find out the names of those dental cleaning substances to use/avoid before I'm due for that again.

Anyway, thanks for the link -- that makes me think I'm getting dementia!!

Yours, Luce