Hello everyone,
Been GF, DF, and i think SF for about a month now. Waiting on enterolab results. My only food is chicken or turkey, rice, chex cereal and almond or coconut milk. While my bloating, gas pain is less, there is still no normal. I know I'm early in the process, but I seem to be getting more and more depressed.
Would really like to hear more "success stories". I think it would help us newbies keep our spirits up. Thanks for listening.
Need more encouraging success stories
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
When I have more time, I will give you my "success story", but please know that this process takes a lot of time and since you are seeing improvement, that proves that you are headed in the right direction!
"Norman" is not the only measure of success. Patience and persistence. We all know that feeling of depression. Try hard not to go there because stress can make things worse.
OXOX Leah
"Norman" is not the only measure of success. Patience and persistence. We all know that feeling of depression. Try hard not to go there because stress can make things worse.
OXOX Leah
Hello sport. I too am new here. I found the site April 1st.
My distress began in July when I received lay-off notice at my work place of 32yrs. My job ceased Aug.20th. My D began Oct.1st. My diagnosis was Feb.23. I immediately began an elimination diet upon finding the site and am now 2wks. D free. I believe the wealth of experience and advice I received here saved my life. I was terrified that I would be stuck at home with horrible symptoms of MC. Depression,anxiety,tears,consumed me. I likened my MCjourney to that of mourning. I mourned my previous lifestyle,diet etc. I actually found thru my diary that I did go thru all the typical stages of mourning including anger&frustration etc. Now having found the site and am experiencing normal regular BM I know there is hope for some level of normalcy in my life. Many who have found this site and relief through diet, meds or a combination of both have moved on with their lives & no longer frequent the site as their lives are again busy and productive. Just when you feel you may have hit rock bottom in your life, one of the great experienced minds on this site will have a suggestion for you. Tweek your diet, have you tried fish. Is it possible that chicken is a trigger food for you? I try to eat a different meat source every couple days. There are also a few that cannot eat coconut. I cut out all the nut sources. Please know that your feelings are normal, and that more good days than bad days are called progress. Keep positive. It is all part of the healing process. Hugs
My distress began in July when I received lay-off notice at my work place of 32yrs. My job ceased Aug.20th. My D began Oct.1st. My diagnosis was Feb.23. I immediately began an elimination diet upon finding the site and am now 2wks. D free. I believe the wealth of experience and advice I received here saved my life. I was terrified that I would be stuck at home with horrible symptoms of MC. Depression,anxiety,tears,consumed me. I likened my MCjourney to that of mourning. I mourned my previous lifestyle,diet etc. I actually found thru my diary that I did go thru all the typical stages of mourning including anger&frustration etc. Now having found the site and am experiencing normal regular BM I know there is hope for some level of normalcy in my life. Many who have found this site and relief through diet, meds or a combination of both have moved on with their lives & no longer frequent the site as their lives are again busy and productive. Just when you feel you may have hit rock bottom in your life, one of the great experienced minds on this site will have a suggestion for you. Tweek your diet, have you tried fish. Is it possible that chicken is a trigger food for you? I try to eat a different meat source every couple days. There are also a few that cannot eat coconut. I cut out all the nut sources. Please know that your feelings are normal, and that more good days than bad days are called progress. Keep positive. It is all part of the healing process. Hugs
Diabetic DX June 2012
Diverticulosis/ MC DX Feb.2014
I am thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn't have stumbled across my strength.
What are you willing to let go of so you can live the life you know you deserve?
Diverticulosis/ MC DX Feb.2014
I am thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn't have stumbled across my strength.
What are you willing to let go of so you can live the life you know you deserve?
Thanks Leah and Heady. I really appreciate your help.
Another question for those familiar with enterolab testing. help Tex? Since my diets has only been chicken, rice, some potato, chex cereal, almond milk, would that skew my enterolab results to be Reactive to chicken and rice? I hope you can understand what I'm getting at. I guess another way of saying it would be could there be a stronger false positive to those items since that is all I'm eating?
My brain keeps whirling with crazy ideas and worries.
Another question for those familiar with enterolab testing. help Tex? Since my diets has only been chicken, rice, some potato, chex cereal, almond milk, would that skew my enterolab results to be Reactive to chicken and rice? I hope you can understand what I'm getting at. I guess another way of saying it would be could there be a stronger false positive to those items since that is all I'm eating?
My brain keeps whirling with crazy ideas and worries.
Sport,
The risk of a false positive result shouldn't be affected by eating any particular food. Either you produce antibodies to the food or you do not. The risk is that if you have only been producing antibodies to a specific food for a short period of time, the antibody level may not be high enough to produce a statistically significant result. IOW, right at the threshold for a positive or negative result (IOW, 10), the mathematics of statistical analysis yield the maximum risk of a false positive or false negative result. The farther the results deviate from that threshold number, the lower the chances of a false positive or false negative result, due to the mechanics of the statistical methods used.
Therefore, eating the foods being tested will maximize the chances of receiving accurate results. By contrast, avoiding certain foods (that we react to) allows antibody levels to those foods to decline, so that they become less likely to produce a positive test result (which can cause a false negative test result).
Tex
The risk of a false positive result shouldn't be affected by eating any particular food. Either you produce antibodies to the food or you do not. The risk is that if you have only been producing antibodies to a specific food for a short period of time, the antibody level may not be high enough to produce a statistically significant result. IOW, right at the threshold for a positive or negative result (IOW, 10), the mathematics of statistical analysis yield the maximum risk of a false positive or false negative result. The farther the results deviate from that threshold number, the lower the chances of a false positive or false negative result, due to the mechanics of the statistical methods used.
Therefore, eating the foods being tested will maximize the chances of receiving accurate results. By contrast, avoiding certain foods (that we react to) allows antibody levels to those foods to decline, so that they become less likely to produce a positive test result (which can cause a false negative test result).
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 Sport, I ate chicken (no exaggeration) for 365 days the first year after my diagnosis, and I was not reactive to it on my Enterolab testing. It was a great day for me when I added ground beef about 6 months after my diagnosis, then I'd have chicken for lunch and beef for dinner, then rotate them around. I did fine with turkey too. These were daily staples for me and I was not reactive to them on either Enterolab or the MRT testing.
Our PP family and my GI doc both told me it would take me 2 years to heal and that was with sticking to my restricted diet (which looks very much like yours). My GI doc told me 50% of my diet needed to be protein. It was exactly 2 years after my diagnosis that I feel I got into remission. I am almost 3 years post diagnosis and am doing well. Success comes in small steps. Soon you'll realize that you are doing things you couldn't do a couple of months ago. It may be that you've stopped dropping weight, or that you are no longer dizzy, or you now have enough stamina that you can run multiple errands instead of just one. Look for small steps. And like Gabes said, look in the success story section. People here have some great stories. Stick to your plan and you'll see those gains too. You are in a tough 'chapter' of your journey, where how life-limiting MC can be it really hitting you. Be patient with yourself. We do and you will get your life back, but you have to allow yourself to heal. That is your priority.
Take care,
Carol
Our PP family and my GI doc both told me it would take me 2 years to heal and that was with sticking to my restricted diet (which looks very much like yours). My GI doc told me 50% of my diet needed to be protein. It was exactly 2 years after my diagnosis that I feel I got into remission. I am almost 3 years post diagnosis and am doing well. Success comes in small steps. Soon you'll realize that you are doing things you couldn't do a couple of months ago. It may be that you've stopped dropping weight, or that you are no longer dizzy, or you now have enough stamina that you can run multiple errands instead of just one. Look for small steps. And like Gabes said, look in the success story section. People here have some great stories. Stick to your plan and you'll see those gains too. You are in a tough 'chapter' of your journey, where how life-limiting MC can be it really hitting you. Be patient with yourself. We do and you will get your life back, but you have to allow yourself to heal. That is your priority.
Take care,
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Thanks for your replies carolm and Tex. I know it is good advice. I hope to be able to repay it forward some day.
Tex, I guess I just started worrying that the enterolab testing would not be accurate since I have been on such a limited diet now for several weeks. I am doing my best to be GF, SF, DF, and EF. It took almost a month to get iga blood tests (doctors and labs don't get in a hurry!) and get the kit from enterolab. Then when I finally got the kit I had to wait 5 more days for mailing as you can only send in on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. I am testing for panels A and C but wonder about the accuracy of C since I haven't had corn, potatoes, tuna, etc in a while. Really worried about those false negatives!
Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings. I have printed several of your gracious kind replies to me and others and pull out to read when times get tough. Can't thank you enough.
Tex, I guess I just started worrying that the enterolab testing would not be accurate since I have been on such a limited diet now for several weeks. I am doing my best to be GF, SF, DF, and EF. It took almost a month to get iga blood tests (doctors and labs don't get in a hurry!) and get the kit from enterolab. Then when I finally got the kit I had to wait 5 more days for mailing as you can only send in on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. I am testing for panels A and C but wonder about the accuracy of C since I haven't had corn, potatoes, tuna, etc in a while. Really worried about those false negatives!
Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings. I have printed several of your gracious kind replies to me and others and pull out to read when times get tough. Can't thank you enough.
Carol,Carol wrote:I ate chicken (no exaggeration) for 365 days the first year after my diagnosis, and I was not reactive to it on my Enterolab testing.
That's excellent information to be posting, because there are many members here who believe that eating any given food on a daily basis will make us sensitive to it. That's not the case (as you have clearly demonstrated). Either we are sensitive to a food, or we are not, and eating it doesn't change that status — eating it only makes it obvious (if eating it causes a build up of antibodies, and an eventual reaction). But I can repeat that fact until I'm blue in the face, and I doubt that many people believe me, without the data to back it up.
Thanks for providing the data.
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.
Sport,
If you've only been on a restricted diet for a few weeks, all of the test results should be reliable. If your diet had been restricted for more than several months, then the results might be questionable, but your results should be accurate.
Tex
If you've only been on a restricted diet for a few weeks, all of the test results should be reliable. If your diet had been restricted for more than several months, then the results might be questionable, but your results should be accurate.
You're more than welcome — you're making me all misty-eyed with your thoughtful remarks.Sport wrote:Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings. I have printed several of your gracious kind replies to me and others and pull out to read when times get tough. Can't thank you enough.
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,
Thanks for this:
Thanks for this:
I have been eating chicken, an avocado and a banana everyday and was starting to worry about becoming sensitive.That's excellent information to be posting, because there are many members here who believe that eating any given food on a daily basis will make us sensitive to it. That's not the case (as you have clearly demonstrated). Either we are sensitive to a food, or we are not, and eating it doesn't change that status — eating it only makes it obvious (if eating it causes a build up of antibodies, and an eventual reaction). But I can repeat that fact until I'm blue in the face, and I doubt that many people believe me, without the data to back it up.
Theresa
MC and UC 2014
in remission since June 1, 2014
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. ~Jim Rohn
MC and UC 2014
in remission since June 1, 2014
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. ~Jim Rohn
You are welcome Tex. It's crazy that I can still remember the day that I realized "I didn't eat chicken today" because I decided to try fish and my other meal was beef. I easily counted back and it had been a full year of chicken every day. I was also surprised I wasn't burnt out on chicken. 
In fact it's still my safest food and part of what I call my 'baseline diet' when I have to drop back to a basic, safest diet.
C.
In fact it's still my safest food and part of what I call my 'baseline diet' when I have to drop back to a basic, safest diet. C.
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Question for Tex. I tested plus three for chicken and rice on that C panel but my overall score was low. I believe you said that the overall score trumps any individual score correct? I do eat chicken and rice but not frequently....like I used to (every day) - but in the back of mind I still worry a little about it. Can you review that issue for me? If I seem to be ok with it than all is well....right?? :???
Jean
Jean
Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end.
Hi Jean,
I looked up your overall score — it was 7. With a score that low, the statistical odds of any of those foods causing a reaction should be very low — not zero, because zero risk does not exist for anything, but the risk should be so low that it should be safe to treat it as if it were zero, for all practical purposes.
Tex
I looked up your overall score — it was 7. With a score that low, the statistical odds of any of those foods causing a reaction should be very low — not zero, because zero risk does not exist for anything, but the risk should be so low that it should be safe to treat it as if it were zero, for all practical purposes.
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.