Sort of a newbie having a major flare
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Sort of a newbie having a major flare
I really never shared my story but I want to thank everyone for your post as they help me so much and make me feel like I'm not alone dealing with MC. I was diagnosed with a double whammy in 2007 with celiac and MC. Once on a GF diet I was healed from D for about 6 years with an occasional flair up. Then about a year ago I had a bout with D that lasted 9 months and when my GI Dr. said it was my MC causing the D not the Celiac I then began to research MC. I took a MRT test and within one month my D was gone and I felt my optimum best for 4 months then I figured ok I can go back to eating my old diet which included my yellows and some reds. Well it did not take long before my gut is out of control with horrible D, fatigue and a little depressed for 8 days now. I am now on my low green non reactive foods and hope it doesn't take another 9 months before I heal. I guess trial and error is part of the growth and healing process.
Hi Joanna,
I'm sorry to hear (read) that you're in a flair. While many of us seem to be able to tolerate some of our lessor food sensitivities after we have been in remission for a long time (a year or so), that isn't true for all of us, and most of the major food sensitivities (such as gluten, casein, soy, etc.) are apparently a permanent problem for virtually all of us (who are sensitive to them).
While it's not impossible that you might be able to tolerate some of the foods classified as yellow (after you've been in remission for a reasonably long time, and as long as you don't overdo it), the odds are fairly high that you will never be able to tolerate any of the reds, on a regular basis, without running a significant risk of a relapse.
And always remember that the MRT is very useful for discovering foods that cause us to react, but it has a rather poor record at verifying foods that are safe (green). For example, it almost always misses wheat, barley, rye, oats, dairy, and possibly soy. For those foods we have to rely on EnteroLab testing. The EnteroLab test results always trump any MRT results. IOW, if your EnteroLab result shows that you are sensitive to casein, then ignore any MRT result that shows any dairy food to be safe.
If we suffer a relapse, most of us are able to get back on track by resorting to our basic recovery diet (the one that we used for recovery), but if you are unable to achieve remission after several weeks, that suggests that there might be one or more foods that trigger a reaction remaining in your diet (that you are unaware of), and if that's the case, it might be necessary to track it/them down. It could be one or more foods that you didn't even realize cause you to react, or it might be traces of gluten or some other known food sensitivity that is sneaking into your diet in a processed food (maybe the manufacturer changed the ingredient list, for example, or changed supplier for an ingredient).
Hopefully that's not the case, and in a few days you will be back on track with your recovery. Good luck, and please keep us posted.
Tex
I'm sorry to hear (read) that you're in a flair. While many of us seem to be able to tolerate some of our lessor food sensitivities after we have been in remission for a long time (a year or so), that isn't true for all of us, and most of the major food sensitivities (such as gluten, casein, soy, etc.) are apparently a permanent problem for virtually all of us (who are sensitive to them).
While it's not impossible that you might be able to tolerate some of the foods classified as yellow (after you've been in remission for a reasonably long time, and as long as you don't overdo it), the odds are fairly high that you will never be able to tolerate any of the reds, on a regular basis, without running a significant risk of a relapse.
And always remember that the MRT is very useful for discovering foods that cause us to react, but it has a rather poor record at verifying foods that are safe (green). For example, it almost always misses wheat, barley, rye, oats, dairy, and possibly soy. For those foods we have to rely on EnteroLab testing. The EnteroLab test results always trump any MRT results. IOW, if your EnteroLab result shows that you are sensitive to casein, then ignore any MRT result that shows any dairy food to be safe.
If we suffer a relapse, most of us are able to get back on track by resorting to our basic recovery diet (the one that we used for recovery), but if you are unable to achieve remission after several weeks, that suggests that there might be one or more foods that trigger a reaction remaining in your diet (that you are unaware of), and if that's the case, it might be necessary to track it/them down. It could be one or more foods that you didn't even realize cause you to react, or it might be traces of gluten or some other known food sensitivity that is sneaking into your diet in a processed food (maybe the manufacturer changed the ingredient list, for example, or changed supplier for an ingredient).
Hopefully that's not the case, and in a few days you will be back on track with your recovery. Good luck, and please keep us posted.
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.
Sorry to hear about the flare Joanna. Tex said it best. If you stick to your low greens and watch fiber, you should be able to get back your gut health. If might take a while, so try to be patient. If not, you will have to put your detective hat back on. If you haven't already removed dairy and soy and maybe egg, you might want to do that for a while and then test them back in after you feel better.
Good luck
Leah
Good luck
Leah
Thank you both for your great advise. I was on a strict diet for a week eating my low green foods only and this past Thursday I went to bed with body aches thinking it was my body reacting to my change in diet. It turned out to be a flue virus that knocked me down for 5 days with D like water, fever and body aches and stomach cramps. I am feeling my best FINALLY today but am having feeling like I have to have a bowel movement but only very little comes out which seems understandable since I emptied my stomach from the stomach virus and having prior D before I got sick. But the past couple days when I do have a bowel which is D but not like water, I noticed red blood not a lot but enough to alarm me so I called my GI and he said it is more than likely my MC reacting from my infection what ever that means and it should clear up, in the meantime I went in for blood work and fecal sample to make sure the blood in stool isn't from something else. I know with MC blood is not the norm. Any advise.
Thanks again for your support.
Thanks again for your support.
Hi Joanna,
I don't understand your GI doc's remarks. What infection? MC doesn't normally involve any infection.
On the other hand, the watery D often causes hemorrhoids to become inflamed, resulting in bleeding. That's very common with MC, and it should clear up as the D resolves. If it doesn't, then it might be a good idea to have it checked out. FWIW, many of us here have been through that at one time or another.
Bleeding from 'roids should be bright red, since it will be fresh. If the blood is very dark red to almost black, that's a sign that it originated from much further up in the GI tract, and it should definitely be investigated in that case.
You're very welcome. Please keep us updated on your progress.
Tex
I don't understand your GI doc's remarks. What infection? MC doesn't normally involve any infection.
On the other hand, the watery D often causes hemorrhoids to become inflamed, resulting in bleeding. That's very common with MC, and it should clear up as the D resolves. If it doesn't, then it might be a good idea to have it checked out. FWIW, many of us here have been through that at one time or another.
Bleeding from 'roids should be bright red, since it will be fresh. If the blood is very dark red to almost black, that's a sign that it originated from much further up in the GI tract, and it should definitely be investigated in that case.
You're very welcome. Please keep us updated on your progress.
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.