Hi all,
I tapered of Entocort and finished the week before Christmas. I tapered off more quickly than the Dr. wanted me to because it made me very constipated. I took Citrucel and stool softeners and that helped for a while. Fast forward to today, I am still so constipated and am dealing with the discomfort of that now. I do still take Citrucel and stool softeners and sometimes it just doesn't work. I do not want to take any laxatives.
This is a topic you can only discuss with the Potty People. My stools are nuggets spotted with mucous. One morning it hurt so bad to push, I could only imagine that natural childbirth was as painful, I had C-sections.
I am trying to drink more water and I do eat well cooked veggies, no fruits. I stay away from fodmaps and I am gf, ef, sf and cf. I still have a small patch of eczema on my leg, oral lichen planus, arthritis pain in my hands, terrible leg and foot cramps, so I feel I must be missing some gluten somewhere or something else is going on.
I don't want to call my Dr. and I really don't want to go back to him until I absolutely have to which is the end of March. He will tell me it's IBS. Should I try more fiber? I do try to stay away from a lot of fibrous foods.
Did anyone else have this problem after taking Entocort? Any advice? I was on it from May through December, had a disastrous tapering off in August and had to start all over with the full dose.
I'm glad I finally had a chance to write this, I took today off due to the snowstorm, we will get 10- 13 inches.
On another note, my brother in law was diagnosed with leukemia and will need a bone marrow transplant. There is going to be a donor drive shortly. I was upset when I read that I couldn't try to be a donor because of being underweight, fibromyalgia, thyroid problems and other autoimmune issues. The website listed ulcerative colitis and crohns, so I figured MC was a problem as well.
Well everyone, as always I appreciate any advice. I am always lurking on the website and find the information provided here so very helpful.
Susanne
If it's not one thing, it's another..............
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Susanne!
Some of the members who have C-dominant MC may have some good suggestions (Lesley and Tex come to mind). I wonder if it would help to increase the oil in your diet. Sometimes we treat constipation in kids with regular doses of mineral oil. The oil acts as a lubricant in the colon.
I am convinced that a hallmark of MC is a problem with motility.....I think our guts must be "wired" differently or else they have lost the ability to respond to the usual cues.
Good luck. Personally, I'd rather have D than C any day. C can be miserable.
Polly
P.S. I hope your BIL responds well to treatment.
Some of the members who have C-dominant MC may have some good suggestions (Lesley and Tex come to mind). I wonder if it would help to increase the oil in your diet. Sometimes we treat constipation in kids with regular doses of mineral oil. The oil acts as a lubricant in the colon.
I am convinced that a hallmark of MC is a problem with motility.....I think our guts must be "wired" differently or else they have lost the ability to respond to the usual cues.
Good luck. Personally, I'd rather have D than C any day. C can be miserable.
Polly
P.S. I hope your BIL responds well to treatment.
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Susanne,
I'm sorry to hear the news about your brother, and I hope that his treatment goes well.
I agree that more healthy oil in your diet may help. I think that if I were in that situation I would try adding some fiber, because that will improve water retention. The disadvantage is that it will add bulk (which could make the C worse, if it doesn't help). Normally though, adding bulk will help motility.
I have a hunch that the reason why C can get so out of hand is because there's just not enough volume there to trigger a normal defecation urge at first, and before the volume reaches a practical level, impaction is already becoming a problem (due to continued loss of moisture). And once things begin to back up, it becomes a self-perpetuating problem. Fruit might be a good source of fiber to try, and the fructose and sugar alcohols in fruit may help to stimulate BMs without overdoing it (and acting as a laxative). You may have to experiment with the "dosage", of course.
Tex
I'm sorry to hear the news about your brother, and I hope that his treatment goes well.
I agree that more healthy oil in your diet may help. I think that if I were in that situation I would try adding some fiber, because that will improve water retention. The disadvantage is that it will add bulk (which could make the C worse, if it doesn't help). Normally though, adding bulk will help motility.
I have a hunch that the reason why C can get so out of hand is because there's just not enough volume there to trigger a normal defecation urge at first, and before the volume reaches a practical level, impaction is already becoming a problem (due to continued loss of moisture). And once things begin to back up, it becomes a self-perpetuating problem. Fruit might be a good source of fiber to try, and the fructose and sugar alcohols in fruit may help to stimulate BMs without overdoing it (and acting as a laxative). You may have to experiment with the "dosage", of course.
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.
Hi all,
Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try adding the oil and eating some fruits, I will have to get the fodmap list out to see which ones I can try. Would a plain tossed salad be too much fiber?
Thank you for the good wishes for my BIL. He just finished up a course of chemo and he is feeling pretty good. He will be in the hospital for 3 more weeks. They will build up his system now and hopefully the tests will show he is in remission, bone marrow or stem cell transplant to follow when they find a match. The donor drive for him is in a few weeks. He is in good spirits.
The snow has let up for now, we got around 10 inches so far, the 2nd phase is freezing rain this afternoon with more snow tonight. I can't wait for spring.
Thanks again,
Susanne
Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try adding the oil and eating some fruits, I will have to get the fodmap list out to see which ones I can try. Would a plain tossed salad be too much fiber?
Thank you for the good wishes for my BIL. He just finished up a course of chemo and he is feeling pretty good. He will be in the hospital for 3 more weeks. They will build up his system now and hopefully the tests will show he is in remission, bone marrow or stem cell transplant to follow when they find a match. The donor drive for him is in a few weeks. He is in good spirits.
The snow has let up for now, we got around 10 inches so far, the 2nd phase is freezing rain this afternoon with more snow tonight. I can't wait for spring.
Thanks again,
Susanne
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Increase of the oils is good,
Increase water intake
I find a small peeled apple helps, chew a lot, eat slowly Apple has pectin which is an anti-inflammatory.
Watered down pear juice, again, good antiinflamatory, and helps to gently speed up motility.
A combo of all, small amounts, give them 24hrs to work, before increasing the quantity. Too much of one thing will cause mc mud...
Relax, elevate the feet on a tub, knees coming up to the chest, allow the body time to fully empty.
Increase water intake
I find a small peeled apple helps, chew a lot, eat slowly Apple has pectin which is an anti-inflammatory.
Watered down pear juice, again, good antiinflamatory, and helps to gently speed up motility.
A combo of all, small amounts, give them 24hrs to work, before increasing the quantity. Too much of one thing will cause mc mud...
Relax, elevate the feet on a tub, knees coming up to the chest, allow the body time to fully empty.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Thanks so much, Gabes. Apples and pears are on the fodmaps list but at this point, I will give it a try. Maybe I have cut too many items out of my diet. Is a fish oil pill a good idea? I bring a large container of water with me to work but I never seem to drink it all, I know I have to do better with that.
Thanks again,
Susanne
Thanks again,
Susanne
Iceberg lettuce might be a bit risky, but many of us seem to be able to tolerate romaine lettuce in a salad of this type.
I take a 1,200 mg fish oil capsule, and a similar-size flax seed oil capsule every day, FWIW. But I would be afraid that more might be too much.
Tex
I take a 1,200 mg fish oil capsule, and a similar-size flax seed oil capsule every day, FWIW. But I would be afraid that more might be too much.
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 take a teaspoon of citrucel daily when I am in C mode. When all else fails I add Dr. Schulze's Intestinal Formula 1. I have learned NOT to let myself get impacted. I take one if I haven't had a bm for 2 days. And again on day 3. After than I usually have a day of no stop BMs.
I try to keep it going, and not to let it get too bad.
Hope this helps.
I try to keep it going, and not to let it get too bad.
Hope this helps.
Hi all,
Thank you all for your suggestions, I have added most of them to my daily routine. I take 2 Citurcel tablets in the am with breakfast and 2 tablets in the evening with dinner along with stool softeners at night. I have added 1200 mg of fish oil in capsule form and 1,000 mg of flaxseed oil in capsule form. I am drinking more water enough to need more bathroom breaks at work, I have to sprint down a long hallway to get there. I have added small salads with no discomfort but the apple didn't go well, my digestive tract didn't like it, bad stomach pains. I'm sorry to say that I am still having a big problem and I am very tempted to take a laxative but I won't. I know I have to exercise and will start walks as soon as more snow melts and gets off the street. I looked on Entocort's side effects and lasting constipation isn't listed, I was so sure that it was the cause.
Another problem, the arthritis in my hands has gotten increasingly worse the last two months. Is it the cold weather or something I am eating? I saw my rheumatologist this past week for my fibromyalgia which I'm doing ok with. He prescribed Tramadol for the arthritis pain, 4 pills a day or as needed and told me that it could make me drowsy and constipated!!! Just what I need, more constipation. Tex, I read in one of the posts that you took it, is it safe with MC and will it make me more constipated? I was very annoyed at my Dr. on that visit, instead of looking at my chart he asked me several times if he ever x-rayed my hands or injected my thumbs for the arthritis, shouldn't the Dr. be prepared and look at the chart before an exam, I go every couple of months for follow-ups for the both the fibromyalgia and arthritis. He is sending me for x-rays of my hands.
I am at my wits end, I don't know what is worse chronic D or chronic C.
Any more suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks again,
Susanne
P. S. BTW, my BIL finished his round of chemo, he is still in the hospital and will be for a few more weeks, they are building up his red/white blood counts with transfusions. His bone marrow biopsy showed no cancer cells at this time and the biopsy will have to be repeated in 2 weeks. 3 potential bone marrow donors have been found and there is a bone marrow drive on March 1st. He is in good spirits.
Thank you all for your suggestions, I have added most of them to my daily routine. I take 2 Citurcel tablets in the am with breakfast and 2 tablets in the evening with dinner along with stool softeners at night. I have added 1200 mg of fish oil in capsule form and 1,000 mg of flaxseed oil in capsule form. I am drinking more water enough to need more bathroom breaks at work, I have to sprint down a long hallway to get there. I have added small salads with no discomfort but the apple didn't go well, my digestive tract didn't like it, bad stomach pains. I'm sorry to say that I am still having a big problem and I am very tempted to take a laxative but I won't. I know I have to exercise and will start walks as soon as more snow melts and gets off the street. I looked on Entocort's side effects and lasting constipation isn't listed, I was so sure that it was the cause.
Another problem, the arthritis in my hands has gotten increasingly worse the last two months. Is it the cold weather or something I am eating? I saw my rheumatologist this past week for my fibromyalgia which I'm doing ok with. He prescribed Tramadol for the arthritis pain, 4 pills a day or as needed and told me that it could make me drowsy and constipated!!! Just what I need, more constipation. Tex, I read in one of the posts that you took it, is it safe with MC and will it make me more constipated? I was very annoyed at my Dr. on that visit, instead of looking at my chart he asked me several times if he ever x-rayed my hands or injected my thumbs for the arthritis, shouldn't the Dr. be prepared and look at the chart before an exam, I go every couple of months for follow-ups for the both the fibromyalgia and arthritis. He is sending me for x-rays of my hands.
I am at my wits end, I don't know what is worse chronic D or chronic C.
Any more suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks again,
Susanne
P. S. BTW, my BIL finished his round of chemo, he is still in the hospital and will be for a few more weeks, they are building up his red/white blood counts with transfusions. His bone marrow biopsy showed no cancer cells at this time and the biopsy will have to be repeated in 2 weeks. 3 potential bone marrow donors have been found and there is a bone marrow drive on March 1st. He is in good spirits.
I've suggested it as a safe alternative painkiller for someone who has MC, but I've never taken it myself. There's a possibility that it might make your C problem worse, unfortunately, because opioid-based painkillers tend to slow down motility, and Tramadol is very closely related to opioids, though it's not actually classified as a narcotic (at least it wasn't the last time I checked).Susanne wrote:Tex, I read in one of the posts that you took it, is it safe with MC and will it make me more constipated?
One would think that doctors would go to the trouble of reviewing a patient's chart just before an appointment, if they were not well acquainted with the patient's issues, but these days, they typically schedule appointments so close together that they are more likely to run short of time on most appointments, than they are to have any time left over to review the records for the next patient. Because of that, both doctor and patient are at a disadvantage, but of course it's the patient who loses (quality of care) as a result.
Have you checked and double checked everything in your diet (including supplements and medications) to make sure that you're not being subjected to some small source of cross-contamination with gluten, dairy, or soy? All it takes is a tiny amount to keep arthritis symptoms going, and I'm speaking from experience, here, because it has happened to me (and many others). Cross-contamination could be contributing to the C, also.
It's good to hear that your BIL is doing well with his treatment, and the treatment plans are going well.
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.
Tex,
I am very careful with what I eat but I feel that I am definitely missing something. I will really have to go over everything as I am preparing foods for myself. My daughter purchased online for me, as a Christmas present, a "gluten free" instant oatmeal that maybe isn't gluten free. That could be one culprit. I have some investigating to do.
I also started a new job the beginning of the year that requires a lot of keyboarding, maybe the repetitive motion is aggravating the arthritis?
The Dr. wrote the prescription for the Tramadol, 120 tablets, 4 x's a day for 30 days. The pharmacy could only fill the prescription for 10 days per the insurance company as it is now a controlled substance.
Thank you for the suggestions. I will keep you posted.
Susanne
I am very careful with what I eat but I feel that I am definitely missing something. I will really have to go over everything as I am preparing foods for myself. My daughter purchased online for me, as a Christmas present, a "gluten free" instant oatmeal that maybe isn't gluten free. That could be one culprit. I have some investigating to do.
I also started a new job the beginning of the year that requires a lot of keyboarding, maybe the repetitive motion is aggravating the arthritis?
The Dr. wrote the prescription for the Tramadol, 120 tablets, 4 x's a day for 30 days. The pharmacy could only fill the prescription for 10 days per the insurance company as it is now a controlled substance.
Thank you for the suggestions. I will keep you posted.
Susanne
Ho Suze. Yes, the keyboarding can make your arthritis worse. I have clients who have problems with their hands and wrists because of being on the computer so much.
I am one of those people who can not eat oats ( GF or not) because the protein of oats is very similar to wheat and our bodies can "see" it that way. YOu might want to drop it for a while.
Leah
I am one of those people who can not eat oats ( GF or not) because the protein of oats is very similar to wheat and our bodies can "see" it that way. YOu might want to drop it for a while.
Leah