Hi All,
I have been diagnosed with MC about 3 weeks ago, after 5 months of running to the bathroom 5-10 times a day. I travel for my job so they put me on disability leave at the end of April. I am 39 years old. I am currently taking 3 Peptol Bismol caplets 3 X per day along with 4 Salofalk tablets twice a day. So 17 pills a day :( I have been on this course of treatment for 3 weeks and my Gastro Dr says to try this for 2 months to see if it works. If not then on to budesonide. Since starting the medication I feel a tad worse. Fatigued, bloated, irritated (LOL), and going more than ever before, 7 times is a great day! I am exasperated with being afraid to go anywhere and do anything and could do without acidic lava spewing from my body!!
I am done being stubborn and want to start healing my body. Do you think white rice, chicken breast, bananas, and maybe applesauce would be OK as a start? How long should I try this, a month? I just need some guidance on how to get started. This can all be very overwhelming and confusing for me.
Thanks so much in advance for your help!
Cara
Newbie with questions
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Cara, welcome to the group. There is a ton of information here. Go to the main index and read the newbie info.
The Pepto treatment doesn't work for everyone and sometimes causes side effects like ringing in the ears.
Mesalamine (Salofalk) same story, doesn't work for everyone and has worse side effects.
Those drugs just mask symptoms, for real healing you will need to figure out a safe diet.
Rice, chicken breast and bananas is a great place to start as most of us can tolerate these things. This includes rice chex as well. Not everyone can tolerate applesauce especially during a flare. As for how long, that varies with each individual.
This is a very frustrating disease. Each of us have to find our own way because we are all different. Also nobody else understands MC unless they have MC...this includes doctors.
Someone more knowledgeable will be along shortly to offer additional advice and support. I'm an early bird
The Pepto treatment doesn't work for everyone and sometimes causes side effects like ringing in the ears.
Mesalamine (Salofalk) same story, doesn't work for everyone and has worse side effects.
Those drugs just mask symptoms, for real healing you will need to figure out a safe diet.
Rice, chicken breast and bananas is a great place to start as most of us can tolerate these things. This includes rice chex as well. Not everyone can tolerate applesauce especially during a flare. As for how long, that varies with each individual.
This is a very frustrating disease. Each of us have to find our own way because we are all different. Also nobody else understands MC unless they have MC...this includes doctors.
Someone more knowledgeable will be along shortly to offer additional advice and support. I'm an early bird
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
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Cara - I'm not an expert on medications but from what I have read here I would say that a 3 week trial that is not working is long enough to conclude that it won't work. Although I haven't taken any medication besides immodium, I know that people here seem to have the best results budesonide. If I were you I would ask your doctor to switch now. At best medication only control symptoms so concentrating on your diet to control the disease not just the symptoms is the way to go. There is no one diet that works for everyone. Many people can eat chicken and rice successfully. I am one who can't eat either, but chicken rice and banana is a good place to start. The things to avoid are gluten, dairy, soy and probably eggs. They are the prime offenders but there can be more. It really is individual. Also too much fiber can irritate the system so minimizing fiber can help too.
Good luck with all this and don't expect your doctor to know anything about diet or to even endorse it. When it comes to MC, doctor doesn't usually know best.
Jean
Good luck with all this and don't expect your doctor to know anything about diet or to even endorse it. When it comes to MC, doctor doesn't usually know best.
Jean
Hi Cara,
Welcome to our internet family. You've already received some excellent information, and I totally agree with Theresa and Jean. I also agree that you are definitely off to a great start with your diet, but your medication regimen appears to leave a lot to be desired. The problem with taking 2 medications at the same time is that if you happen to be sensitive to one of them, and you react adversely to it, it will destroy any benefits that you might have received from the other medication, and you won't be able to tell which one is causing the problem.
While bismuth subsalicylate can cause neurological side effects for some individuals that preclude it's use, it rarely causes diarrhea. In fact, it has been shown in trials to achieve an 85 % efficacy rate when used to treat MC.
On the other hand, research shows that for anyone who has an IBD (and MC is an IBD), patients who are also sensitive to NSAIDs (which is very common) will experience increased inflammation and diarrhea simply because mesalamine is also a derivative of salicylic acid (like NSAIDs), and like NSAIDs, mesalamine can trigger the production of leukotrienes (which promote inflammation and diarrhea). Therefore, I feel pretty confident that the Salofalk is the reason why your symptoms are worse, rather than better. I can't advise you to stop using it, because I'm not a doctor, but if I were in your situation, I would stop taking it immediately, to see if that helps reduce the severity of the symptoms. Here's a reference on the research concerning mesalamine's tendency to cause the very symptoms that it is prescribed to treat, for some patients. If your doctor argues with you, show her or him this article:
Diarrhea Associated with Mesalamine in a Patient with Chronic Nongranulomatous Enterocolitis
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to our internet family. You've already received some excellent information, and I totally agree with Theresa and Jean. I also agree that you are definitely off to a great start with your diet, but your medication regimen appears to leave a lot to be desired. The problem with taking 2 medications at the same time is that if you happen to be sensitive to one of them, and you react adversely to it, it will destroy any benefits that you might have received from the other medication, and you won't be able to tell which one is causing the problem.
While bismuth subsalicylate can cause neurological side effects for some individuals that preclude it's use, it rarely causes diarrhea. In fact, it has been shown in trials to achieve an 85 % efficacy rate when used to treat MC.
On the other hand, research shows that for anyone who has an IBD (and MC is an IBD), patients who are also sensitive to NSAIDs (which is very common) will experience increased inflammation and diarrhea simply because mesalamine is also a derivative of salicylic acid (like NSAIDs), and like NSAIDs, mesalamine can trigger the production of leukotrienes (which promote inflammation and diarrhea). Therefore, I feel pretty confident that the Salofalk is the reason why your symptoms are worse, rather than better. I can't advise you to stop using it, because I'm not a doctor, but if I were in your situation, I would stop taking it immediately, to see if that helps reduce the severity of the symptoms. Here's a reference on the research concerning mesalamine's tendency to cause the very symptoms that it is prescribed to treat, for some patients. If your doctor argues with you, show her or him this article:
Diarrhea Associated with Mesalamine in a Patient with Chronic Nongranulomatous Enterocolitis
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
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.
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twirlitgirl
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 181
- Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 5:46 am
- Location: Canada
Hi Cara,
I have been where you are I did the pepto 6 tablets a day for 6 weeks, was supposed to do it for 8 weeks, but I found it just caused me pain with constipation and as soon as I stopped doing it ,my diarrhea came right back again. I really was miserable right where you are now but then this wonderful group of caring people came into my life and I have received so much help from them without their knowing I have been reading here for almost a year, just to get motivation to continue the journey I started on my own, my GI said" it wasn't a big deal this MC it will just go away, it is not like you have Celiac disease," and have to go gluten free, " For a while I was in denial and said, no this isn't happening to me, but you can only kid yourself so long with symptoms always telling the story. I have gone through much trial and error with ups and downs
but each day coming here to read all about what I am going through with people who care, after leaving the GI office I did feel very alone even family members didn't understand what I was actually going through and support as much as they can. So, just know that these people really do care and give alot of their time to help others. I have seen so much compassion in their words of advice and in this world it sure is nice to find so many others in our corner and not feel alone. having this disease is reality for me now and I am glad that I have found this journey to be a bit more bearable because of all of you. thank-you so much.
I have been where you are I did the pepto 6 tablets a day for 6 weeks, was supposed to do it for 8 weeks, but I found it just caused me pain with constipation and as soon as I stopped doing it ,my diarrhea came right back again. I really was miserable right where you are now but then this wonderful group of caring people came into my life and I have received so much help from them without their knowing I have been reading here for almost a year, just to get motivation to continue the journey I started on my own, my GI said" it wasn't a big deal this MC it will just go away, it is not like you have Celiac disease," and have to go gluten free, " For a while I was in denial and said, no this isn't happening to me, but you can only kid yourself so long with symptoms always telling the story. I have gone through much trial and error with ups and downs
but each day coming here to read all about what I am going through with people who care, after leaving the GI office I did feel very alone even family members didn't understand what I was actually going through and support as much as they can. So, just know that these people really do care and give alot of their time to help others. I have seen so much compassion in their words of advice and in this world it sure is nice to find so many others in our corner and not feel alone. having this disease is reality for me now and I am glad that I have found this journey to be a bit more bearable because of all of you. thank-you so much.
Thank you everyone so much for your advice and guidance. It is so awesome to know there is a group of people who understand all of this and care enough to share their experience and wisdom! I will see where the altered diet takes me and hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Cara
PS - Jean what breed of dog is that? It looks like a Havanese to me!
Cara
PS - Jean what breed of dog is that? It looks like a Havanese to me!
Hi, Cara. You have come to the right place for help.I just passed the one year anniversary of the start of my symptoms. The Pepto treatment did work for me, 6 tablets a day for 8 weeks. I altered my diet right away as well. I did a lot of searching on the Internet and found this site. My doctor told me not to change my diet so you really can't listen to what your doctor says if you want to heal. I would suggest that you buy Tex's book. That was also a big help to me. Search the boards here and you will glean a lot of helpful information and don't hesitate to ask questions. It's overwhelming and frustrating but you will feel better. Only someone who has MC can truly understand what you are going through. Hang in there!
Marcia
Marcia
Night incontinence
Anyone deal with this. If so any tips on getting it to stop
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Welcome Sshickie
Are you asking if anyone deals with MC and getting the symptoms to stop? if so - yes..lots of us.
there are loads of stories in the success stories area, that gives an indicator of what people have done, how long it took and the changes made were worth it.
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=71
not quite sure what you are asking -Anyone deal with this. If so any tips on getting it to stop
Are you asking if anyone deals with MC and getting the symptoms to stop? if so - yes..lots of us.
there are loads of stories in the success stories area, that gives an indicator of what people have done, how long it took and the changes made were worth it.
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=71
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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Mrs. Poopy Jeans
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 2:33 pm