My doctor's office called yesterday to say the biopsies showed Lymphocytic Colitis.
Near the end of May I started to have urgency, watery diarrhea, and having to use the bathroom several times per day. Usually I needed the bathroom several times in the morning and was usually okay from lunch on until the next morning. This meant I was pretty much stuck at the house near a bathroom every morning.
After about 3 weeks I went to the doctor's office. He ran tests, blood tests and a stool study. I never received any of the results even though I asked for them a couple of times. I'm assuming if they showed something they would have called. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy, since I was due for a screening anyway due to a family history of pre-cancerous polyps. I'm 47.
It was actually a 5 week wait to get in for a colonoscopy. My diarrhea continued for about 3 more of those weeks and then stopped. My bowel movements return to normal - basically needing to go just once per day without any urgency.
When I went for the colonoscopy screening the doctor did some biopsies because of my history of diarrhea and because of redness in the colon.
I'm not exactly sure why my diarrhea went away by itself. I was already dairy free. I already noticed that I have tummy pain and bloating when I eat gluten so I usually try to avoid it but I wasn't super strict about it but did start being strict about avoiding it knowing that it already gave me stomach issues. My son is gluten free because he has Hashimoto's, so it wasn't hard for me to follow a gluten free diet.
Thinking back I did take a lot of advil before the MC started. I had a headache non-stop for about 3 weeks and was taking advil several times per day just to be able to barely function. So, maybe they were what started all my MC issues. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia, both autoimmune diseases, and I've read MC is more common if you have autoimmune issues.
So, as of right now - no diarrhea. However, I still get gas pains and sometimes when I eat I feel like my food sits in my stomach like a rock which makes me feel uncomfortable. So, I'm not sure what's going on with that.
I just got the diagnosis of MC
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Re: I just got the diagnosis of MC
As you may have already discovered, NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil) are a known trigger for MC. Discontinuing NSAIDs, for some people, is enough to resolve all issues caused by MC.Anita in NC wrote: Thinking back I did take a lot of advil before the MC started. I had a headache non-stop for about 3 weeks and was taking advil several times per day just to be able to barely function. So, maybe they were what started all my MC issues. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia, both autoimmune diseases, and I've read MC is more common if you have autoimmune issues.
Hi Anita,
Welcome to our Internet family. As Bearcat pointed out, many cases of MC are caused by the use of certain medications. And in some cases, just discontinuing the medication and avoiding that family of medications in the future can bring lasting remission. Unfortunately, most of us are not that lucky, and when the genes that predispose to MC are triggered, the genes that predispose to gluten sensitivity are also triggered. And since gluten sensitivity leads to increased intestinal permeability, that opens the door to additional food sensitivities. Consequently, all but a small percentage of us are sensitive to gluten and casein (the primary protein in all dairy products), and most of us are also sensitive to soy. Roughly half of us also produce antibodies to eggs, and many have various other additional food sensitivities. We are all different, even though we have similar symptoms.
For many of us, MC does not present with classic diarrhea. Instead we have alternating diarrhea and constipation. I happen to be in that category, and when I did not have watery diarrhea or constipation, my bowel movements were pretty much normal. Some patients have constipation as their primary symptom, and a few even have normal bowel movements, despite having the symptoms you describe — gas pains and/or gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying). I also had gastroparesis at times.
Gastroparesis is a sign that the inflammation in your GI tract involves not only the colon, but the small intestine and stomach as well. That applies to many of us, despite the lack of attention to this complicating factor by the GI medical community. They are seldom concerned about symptoms beyond the colon, since that wasn't part of the original description of the disease.
As Bearcat pointed out (and as you suspect), NSAIDs probably triggered your MC. However, if NSAIDs are your only trigger, then you should be in stable remission within a few days to a couple of weeks after stopping their use, with no further symptoms. Since you still seem to be having symptoms of inflammation (even in the absence of diarrhea), the odds are rather high that you also have the food sensitivities you mentioned, and possibly others, so you are wise to avoid those foods. It takes a long time for the gut to completely heal from gluten damage (at least a couple of years in most cases), but clinical symptom remission typically comes much sooner (within a matter of months) if we avoid all our food sensitivities so that we no longer produce antibodies that lead to the infusion of T-cells that cause the intestinal inflammation.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to our Internet family. As Bearcat pointed out, many cases of MC are caused by the use of certain medications. And in some cases, just discontinuing the medication and avoiding that family of medications in the future can bring lasting remission. Unfortunately, most of us are not that lucky, and when the genes that predispose to MC are triggered, the genes that predispose to gluten sensitivity are also triggered. And since gluten sensitivity leads to increased intestinal permeability, that opens the door to additional food sensitivities. Consequently, all but a small percentage of us are sensitive to gluten and casein (the primary protein in all dairy products), and most of us are also sensitive to soy. Roughly half of us also produce antibodies to eggs, and many have various other additional food sensitivities. We are all different, even though we have similar symptoms.
For many of us, MC does not present with classic diarrhea. Instead we have alternating diarrhea and constipation. I happen to be in that category, and when I did not have watery diarrhea or constipation, my bowel movements were pretty much normal. Some patients have constipation as their primary symptom, and a few even have normal bowel movements, despite having the symptoms you describe — gas pains and/or gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying). I also had gastroparesis at times.
Gastroparesis is a sign that the inflammation in your GI tract involves not only the colon, but the small intestine and stomach as well. That applies to many of us, despite the lack of attention to this complicating factor by the GI medical community. They are seldom concerned about symptoms beyond the colon, since that wasn't part of the original description of the disease.
As Bearcat pointed out (and as you suspect), NSAIDs probably triggered your MC. However, if NSAIDs are your only trigger, then you should be in stable remission within a few days to a couple of weeks after stopping their use, with no further symptoms. Since you still seem to be having symptoms of inflammation (even in the absence of diarrhea), the odds are rather high that you also have the food sensitivities you mentioned, and possibly others, so you are wise to avoid those foods. It takes a long time for the gut to completely heal from gluten damage (at least a couple of years in most cases), but clinical symptom remission typically comes much sooner (within a matter of months) if we avoid all our food sensitivities so that we no longer produce antibodies that lead to the infusion of T-cells that cause the intestinal inflammation.
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.
Welcome Anita. Sometimes our symptoms "seem to go away" after having a colonoscopy. The clean out seems to make our systems happy for a while. It's usually temporary though :( You might want to order Tex's book . it is a fountain of information and a fast read. ...pictured in the upper right hand corner of this page. Gluten is something that you have to be COMPLETELY diligent about avoiding. The smallest amount can prevent remission. And as Tex has said, many of us have other intolerances. Even if Gluten is the only food causing an inflammatory response, when we first are trying to heal, it's a good idea to avoid the "irritants" such as RAW fruits and veggies, salad, acidy tomato and citrus, and spicy foods. They are just too hard on an already inflamed gut. They all can be tested back in at a later date when you are feeling better.
Did the doctor prescribe any treatment?
Leah
Did the doctor prescribe any treatment?
Leah
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Gabes-Apg
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Anita
as mentioned for drug induced type MC, once you stop taking the med/drug the MC can settle down.
in line with that, if you read some of the posts/threads on the site, you will see the importance of making some diet changes, and in doing this, how you can minimise chronic issues in the future. It may seem like big changes at first, but the long term benefit to your wellness is worth making those changes
It is also a good time to start being pro-active about Vit D3 supplementation.
good luck
as mentioned for drug induced type MC, once you stop taking the med/drug the MC can settle down.
in line with that, if you read some of the posts/threads on the site, you will see the importance of making some diet changes, and in doing this, how you can minimise chronic issues in the future. It may seem like big changes at first, but the long term benefit to your wellness is worth making those changes
It is also a good time to start being pro-active about Vit D3 supplementation.
good luck
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama