It has been 4 days on Endicort. I have had only 1 bowel movement. I am so excited. I feel better than I have in many months. I have lost no weight in 4 days, which is record. I think, being not dehydrated has made the biggest difference.
I am trying to keep my diet the same. Diet so far has been of little help. Strictly being GF, EG, SF, DF, avoiding nuts, most (all raw for sure) veggies, no fruits, no chicken, etc. has kept me from explosive diarrhea and vomiting, but I still was losing 2-3 lbs. a week and was in constant dehydration, with 10-15 D's a day. So I am thankful for Endicort!!!
I am on 9 mg. Anyone have any tips on how to heal while on Endicort? Is it just avoiding all the foods above? Or, should I slowly test some off-limits veggies and a little cooked fruit? I will remain GF, EF, SF, DF no matter what, but would like to try nut butters, or some cooked veggies and fruits.
My default would be to continue an extremely narrow and strict avoidance diet - but I seriously doubt I am getting many nutrients from a mainly protein, high fat (coconut oil, butter OK, olive oil, lard, tallow), low carb diet, which is the only diet that has kept me out of the hospital.
How to heal on Endicort?
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
How to heal on Endicort?
Diagnosed April 2014, after losing 50 lbs. in 6 months.
Delzicol April 2014 (no effect, after 3.5 weeks-removed)
Endicort April 2014 - helping, but still losing.
Pepto-Bismal 9 a day - May 2014
Thankful for support!
Delzicol April 2014 (no effect, after 3.5 weeks-removed)
Endicort April 2014 - helping, but still losing.
Pepto-Bismal 9 a day - May 2014
Thankful for support!
Hi Chris,
If you decide to try to add some foods to your diet while on Entocort, please be aware that as you wean off the drug you may begin to react to some of them. IOW, you may have to go back to a very restricted diet and test those foods again, as you wean off the Entocort, because budesonide tends to mask some of the reactions that we might otherwise experience without it.
I don't understand why you feel that you should be short of nutrients while on a mostly paleo diet. That would come as a complete surprise to our paleo ancestors who lived for a million years or so without any grains, dairy, soy, etc. They led a much more active lifestyle than we do, and their diet obviously provided them with plenty of nutrition, because they were physically bigger, healthier, stronger, and generally more robust than we are today.
Remember, a mostly-meat diet is what allowed the human brain to grow to it's current relative dimensions, so that homo sapiens could out-compete all the other species. And meat is the only food that contains all the amino acids necessary for good health.
The nutrition claims about grains, promoted by USDA, and most so-called health "experts", don't hold up to close scrutiny. Most of the nutrition is added during processing, because grains themselves are actually not very nutritious. Grains are promoted today as food primarily for the same reason why they were first developed and grown initially, during the neolithic period — eating grain is better than starving. The archeological and anthropological fossil records show that as humans began to eat grains, they became shorter, smaller, and generally less robust, and new diseases appeared. The origins of cancer can be traced to the introduction of grains into the human diet.
Agricultural production was developed during the neolithic period primarily because the world was running out of wild animals to kill and eat, due to the surging human population. We still have the same problem today. The world cannot produce enough meat to sustain all of the carnivorous inhabitants of this planet, so it's necessary for most of them to eat grains, in order to prevent widespread starvation. Today, just as was the case back at the advent of the neolithic period, only the elite (those wealthy enough to be able to afford it) eat mostly meat. The rest eat mostly (or all), grains.
That's why I don't understand your concerns about nutrition. Don't get me wrong — carbs (grain) are great for putting on weight. That's why farmers and ranchers use grains to fatten livestock in feedlots — feeding grain is the fastest, and most economical way of putting weight on livestock (or humans). But it's not healthy fat. And most people realize that. That's why they seek out range-fed beef, and free-ranging chickens, for example. So why would those same people choose to eat grains themselves, if they don't consider grains to be healthy for animals?
Tex
If you decide to try to add some foods to your diet while on Entocort, please be aware that as you wean off the drug you may begin to react to some of them. IOW, you may have to go back to a very restricted diet and test those foods again, as you wean off the Entocort, because budesonide tends to mask some of the reactions that we might otherwise experience without it.
I don't understand why you feel that you should be short of nutrients while on a mostly paleo diet. That would come as a complete surprise to our paleo ancestors who lived for a million years or so without any grains, dairy, soy, etc. They led a much more active lifestyle than we do, and their diet obviously provided them with plenty of nutrition, because they were physically bigger, healthier, stronger, and generally more robust than we are today.
Remember, a mostly-meat diet is what allowed the human brain to grow to it's current relative dimensions, so that homo sapiens could out-compete all the other species. And meat is the only food that contains all the amino acids necessary for good health.
The nutrition claims about grains, promoted by USDA, and most so-called health "experts", don't hold up to close scrutiny. Most of the nutrition is added during processing, because grains themselves are actually not very nutritious. Grains are promoted today as food primarily for the same reason why they were first developed and grown initially, during the neolithic period — eating grain is better than starving. The archeological and anthropological fossil records show that as humans began to eat grains, they became shorter, smaller, and generally less robust, and new diseases appeared. The origins of cancer can be traced to the introduction of grains into the human diet.
Agricultural production was developed during the neolithic period primarily because the world was running out of wild animals to kill and eat, due to the surging human population. We still have the same problem today. The world cannot produce enough meat to sustain all of the carnivorous inhabitants of this planet, so it's necessary for most of them to eat grains, in order to prevent widespread starvation. Today, just as was the case back at the advent of the neolithic period, only the elite (those wealthy enough to be able to afford it) eat mostly meat. The rest eat mostly (or all), grains.
That's why I don't understand your concerns about nutrition. Don't get me wrong — carbs (grain) are great for putting on weight. That's why farmers and ranchers use grains to fatten livestock in feedlots — feeding grain is the fastest, and most economical way of putting weight on livestock (or humans). But it's not healthy fat. And most people realize that. That's why they seek out range-fed beef, and free-ranging chickens, for example. So why would those same people choose to eat grains themselves, if they don't consider grains to be healthy for animals?
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 think you make some good points. Unfortunately, my paleo diet has become quiet limited from where it was a year ago. Meat/Fish (no poultry), fats, carrots, butternut squash, summer squash, and about 5-8 blueberries a day.
Before MC I used to eat Paleo and had plenty of veggies, a small amount of fruit on occasion, nuts and seeds, eggs, poultry and (never grains!). I thrived. Now I can have none or very, very little of these things.
My main concerns are the limited amount of veggies. Basically I am on an all meat and fish diet.
Now with histamine issues, I'm guessing my paleo favorite - bacon - is off limits, as well as having to be careful with fish. Not sure I understand why fish is often excluded on a low-histamine diet - but that is most scary. Since I'd truly be an all meat diet with just about 4 veggies. Oh, and some added fats. I seem to do very well with olive oil, coconut oil, lard, tallow and duck fat.
Sounds like you are saying I need not be concerned about a long-term all meat diet? I need not worry about vitamins/minerals/ or polyphenals found in fruit and vegetables?
Hey, I'm alive and not sick as a dog all day long. So I'm thankful for even the limited food. Just reading your book now, and hope to gain a deeper understanding of how to avoid flares and keep healthy longterm.
Before MC I used to eat Paleo and had plenty of veggies, a small amount of fruit on occasion, nuts and seeds, eggs, poultry and (never grains!). I thrived. Now I can have none or very, very little of these things.
My main concerns are the limited amount of veggies. Basically I am on an all meat and fish diet.
Now with histamine issues, I'm guessing my paleo favorite - bacon - is off limits, as well as having to be careful with fish. Not sure I understand why fish is often excluded on a low-histamine diet - but that is most scary. Since I'd truly be an all meat diet with just about 4 veggies. Oh, and some added fats. I seem to do very well with olive oil, coconut oil, lard, tallow and duck fat.
Sounds like you are saying I need not be concerned about a long-term all meat diet? I need not worry about vitamins/minerals/ or polyphenals found in fruit and vegetables?
Hey, I'm alive and not sick as a dog all day long. So I'm thankful for even the limited food. Just reading your book now, and hope to gain a deeper understanding of how to avoid flares and keep healthy longterm.
Diagnosed April 2014, after losing 50 lbs. in 6 months.
Delzicol April 2014 (no effect, after 3.5 weeks-removed)
Endicort April 2014 - helping, but still losing.
Pepto-Bismal 9 a day - May 2014
Thankful for support!
Delzicol April 2014 (no effect, after 3.5 weeks-removed)
Endicort April 2014 - helping, but still losing.
Pepto-Bismal 9 a day - May 2014
Thankful for support!
Chris,
Have you ever read the story of the arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, published back in the 1930s? It's very interesting reading. Most diet experts try to ignore it, but it was careful supervised and verified by medical experts at the time.
Eskimos Prove An All Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health
Vegetables were never a part of the traditional Eskimo diet.
Histamine development in food is a time-dependent process (IMO). The key to preventing histamine problems is to make sure that foods that are prone to histamine development are either fresh, or frozen (anytime they held for more than an hour or so). IOW, prepare them fresh, freeze them immediately, and only thaw individual servings in a microwave just before reheating for a meal.
For example, I have tried this twice with chicken soup, with similar results both times. If I thaw it and leave it in the fridge (at around 35 degrees F), the first day I have no problems (say, up to about 24 hours after thawing). The second day (at about 48 hours), eating it will cause minor D. The third day (about 72 hours after thawing), eating it will cause moderate to major D. Histamines (IMO) are a result of mold growth, and at normal refrigeration temperatures, mold continues to grow. The higher the temp, the faster it will grow. In fact, storage at around zero degrees F appears to be necessary to completely retard mold growth — just freezing may not be enough, in the long run. I check the temps in my freezers to make sure that they are at least below 10 degrees F.
Bananas are another example. Fresh (just barely ripe) bananas are not particularly high in histamine content. But the more they ripen, the more the histamine level rises (and the faster it rises). I don't have any problems with bananas, as long as I don't let them get too ripe before freezing them. Incidentally, frozen bananas make a great frozen treat, in case you've never tried them — just peel them, put them in a ziploc bag, and freeze them. You can eat them like a popsicle, or you can turn them into a reasonable facsimile of banana ice cream, by running them through a food processor.
Tex
Have you ever read the story of the arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, published back in the 1930s? It's very interesting reading. Most diet experts try to ignore it, but it was careful supervised and verified by medical experts at the time.
Eskimos Prove An All Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health
Vegetables were never a part of the traditional Eskimo diet.
Histamine development in food is a time-dependent process (IMO). The key to preventing histamine problems is to make sure that foods that are prone to histamine development are either fresh, or frozen (anytime they held for more than an hour or so). IOW, prepare them fresh, freeze them immediately, and only thaw individual servings in a microwave just before reheating for a meal.
For example, I have tried this twice with chicken soup, with similar results both times. If I thaw it and leave it in the fridge (at around 35 degrees F), the first day I have no problems (say, up to about 24 hours after thawing). The second day (at about 48 hours), eating it will cause minor D. The third day (about 72 hours after thawing), eating it will cause moderate to major D. Histamines (IMO) are a result of mold growth, and at normal refrigeration temperatures, mold continues to grow. The higher the temp, the faster it will grow. In fact, storage at around zero degrees F appears to be necessary to completely retard mold growth — just freezing may not be enough, in the long run. I check the temps in my freezers to make sure that they are at least below 10 degrees F.
Bananas are another example. Fresh (just barely ripe) bananas are not particularly high in histamine content. But the more they ripen, the more the histamine level rises (and the faster it rises). I don't have any problems with bananas, as long as I don't let them get too ripe before freezing them. Incidentally, frozen bananas make a great frozen treat, in case you've never tried them — just peel them, put them in a ziploc bag, and freeze them. You can eat them like a popsicle, or you can turn them into a reasonable facsimile of banana ice cream, by running them through a food processor.
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 Chris. I totally understand the "want" of veggies. I was a huge vegetable eater before MC and still believe that the antioxidants in them help fight disease. I still can't tolerate much fruit. Because of this, I have always continued to drink a "green drink" through all of this. The one I use is a powder and I order it online. it's called Catie's Organic Gluten free Greens. There are many on the market. I mix it with carrot juice and water and chug it down ( doesn't taste great) with my supplements. Does it make a difference? Who knows, but it gives me piece of mind.
I still drink it every day even now that I can eat most raw and cooked veggies in reasonable quantities.
Why can't you eat fish? I have histamine issues and have no problem eating fresh or frozen fish.
I was on Entocort for 6 months. Just remember to lower the dose when you start to get constipated. I spent the last two months slowly weaning off. When I was on a very low dose is when I discovered that I was reacting to peanut butter. like Tex said, it can mask reactions…. but I was still able to heal while eating it, so the reaction must have been somewhat minor. During those six months, I did eat almond butter ( and still do) . If you try it, just start with a little and add a bit more each day.
You are doing a great job with your diet. Listen to your body. It will usually let you know when things aren't quite right.
Leah
I still drink it every day even now that I can eat most raw and cooked veggies in reasonable quantities.
Why can't you eat fish? I have histamine issues and have no problem eating fresh or frozen fish.
I was on Entocort for 6 months. Just remember to lower the dose when you start to get constipated. I spent the last two months slowly weaning off. When I was on a very low dose is when I discovered that I was reacting to peanut butter. like Tex said, it can mask reactions…. but I was still able to heal while eating it, so the reaction must have been somewhat minor. During those six months, I did eat almond butter ( and still do) . If you try it, just start with a little and add a bit more each day.
You are doing a great job with your diet. Listen to your body. It will usually let you know when things aren't quite right.
Leah