Hi there,
I am 43 and was diagnosed with LC back in summer 2011 by colonoscopy biospy.
I went on entocort and changed my diet GF, no dairy etc for 1.5 years.
I read all of your posts but never signed up until now.
Symptoms completely went away and I went back to eating everything high fiber, gluten, dairy etc...
2 weeks ago my kids have been sick with flu and diarrhea.
I got the diarrhea over the last 2 weeks on and off and lots of gas etc...
I am devastated as it looks like the MC is coming back and I booked a trip home to Ireland
With my family this Friday for 3 weeks.
So no time for doc intervention.
I am asking for all your advice on what to eat or do so that I'm not housebound and feeling miserable for the next few weeks.
I just took 2 Imodium tonight for the first time.
I am also feeling tired which is never a problem for me.
What do u suggest I eat or OTC meds I should take.
Im already starting to lose weight again.
Any help is so gratefully appreciated.
I thought I was done with LC so I'm absolutely heartbroken it seems to be back.
Thanks,
Sinead
New to this forum
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Sinead
sorry you have had this set back. but welcome! hopefully we can help you.
what you have experienced is the harsh reality that MC is for life, and can reoccur at varying stages of life, virus/illness, excess stress, major hormone changes and various other triggers.
given your travel plans, I would avoid Gluten and Dairy totally, and go to an eating plan of bland, well cooked meat and veges. low inflammation, low fibre. (no spices)
If you do these diet changes straight away, you may not need too much OTC med intervention.
Are you taking Vit D3, have you had your levels checked recently?
Vit D3 supplementation will help reduce the inflammation and future healing.
The tiredness can also be an indicator of Magnesium deficiency, as you may see by some of the discussions, many here use magnesium spray/lotion to get good dosage of elemental magnesium without risking D issues
Have you made any medication changes in the past few months?
and on a personal note, are you having any changes/issues with your monthly cycle?
Hope this helps.
sorry you have had this set back. but welcome! hopefully we can help you.
what you have experienced is the harsh reality that MC is for life, and can reoccur at varying stages of life, virus/illness, excess stress, major hormone changes and various other triggers.
given your travel plans, I would avoid Gluten and Dairy totally, and go to an eating plan of bland, well cooked meat and veges. low inflammation, low fibre. (no spices)
If you do these diet changes straight away, you may not need too much OTC med intervention.
Are you taking Vit D3, have you had your levels checked recently?
Vit D3 supplementation will help reduce the inflammation and future healing.
The tiredness can also be an indicator of Magnesium deficiency, as you may see by some of the discussions, many here use magnesium spray/lotion to get good dosage of elemental magnesium without risking D issues
Have you made any medication changes in the past few months?
and on a personal note, are you having any changes/issues with your monthly cycle?
Hope this helps.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
New to this forum
Hi Gabes,
Thanks for your advice.
No changes yet with monthly cycle but only have this 2 weeks so far.
I have not had my vitamin D3 checked.
Is oatmeal ok to eat with rice milk?
How about eggs?
Do u have any advice on meds to take while there?
Is pepto bismol safe?
Thanks again.
Thanks for your advice.
No changes yet with monthly cycle but only have this 2 weeks so far.
I have not had my vitamin D3 checked.
Is oatmeal ok to eat with rice milk?
How about eggs?
Do u have any advice on meds to take while there?
Is pepto bismol safe?
Thanks again.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Oatmeal /Oats are a common trigger. I would try to avoid it for the time being
Eggs are also something that is a common trigger (about 50% of MC'ers react to chicken eggs)
chex with almond milk would make a good replacement..
I never took pepto bismol so can not comment. (once you have done enough posts, you might want to do a search and see what others have said about it)
As i have had more C issues than D issues in my 5.5 year MC journey I tend to avoid immodium as it jams me up for days
there are many that use immodium for such situations and do ok. make sure you are taking the version with minimal additives, ie lactose free.
The really tricky part is that MC can be so individual, where pepto bismol works great for one person, it can cause major chaos for another!
it is the same with some of the foods, ie I do ok with chicken eggs, whereas many do not...
and where you went back to eating gluten, dairy and high fibre, there are many here that never get to do that...
given the time between now and when you go on your trip, and you wanting to minimise issues for the trip. Doing the really bland diet, and start taking some Vit D3 is the quickest way to reduce the inflammation.
Eggs are also something that is a common trigger (about 50% of MC'ers react to chicken eggs)
chex with almond milk would make a good replacement..
I never took pepto bismol so can not comment. (once you have done enough posts, you might want to do a search and see what others have said about it)
As i have had more C issues than D issues in my 5.5 year MC journey I tend to avoid immodium as it jams me up for days
there are many that use immodium for such situations and do ok. make sure you are taking the version with minimal additives, ie lactose free.
The really tricky part is that MC can be so individual, where pepto bismol works great for one person, it can cause major chaos for another!
it is the same with some of the foods, ie I do ok with chicken eggs, whereas many do not...
and where you went back to eating gluten, dairy and high fibre, there are many here that never get to do that...
given the time between now and when you go on your trip, and you wanting to minimise issues for the trip. Doing the really bland diet, and start taking some Vit D3 is the quickest way to reduce the inflammation.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hi Sheila,
Welcome to our Internet family. Your flare obviously came at a very bad time, with such a short time to departure to Ireland. Unless you have some left-over budesonide capsules, or you can get a resupply in a hurry, the Pepto treatment might be an appealing option. Pepto is actually a weak antibiotic, and this may be one of the reasons why it is so effective at controlling MC symptoms.
The Pepto-Bismol treatment is 8 tablets per day (or the equivalent) for 8 weeks. The problem is that many of us develop neurological side effects from that much bismuth subsalicylate after a while. Tinnitus is a somewhat common side effect, and if that happens, it's best to stop taking it immediately, because there is a risk that the tinnitus can become permanent. But if you can tolerate the Pepto, it has been shown to be approximately 85 % effective at controlling MC in test trials.
And of course I agree with everything that Gabes suggested. It's necessary to avoid gluten and dairy (and any other known food sensitivities) or a relapse is likely after the 8 week treatment period is over. In test trials, the average time to remission when using the Pepto treatment was approximately 2 weeks, so it is more effective than budesonide (budesonide is about 65 % effective, according to most trials), and Pepto works almost as fast.
Unless you can get a prescription for budesonide from your PCP, the Pepto treatment would probably be your fastest route to remission. In this country, many PCPs will prescribe budesonide to an MC patient provided that their GI specialist previously prescribed it for them.
The only reason why I am suggesting the use of either budesonide or Pepto is because I have a hunch that your symptoms will not promptly resolve on their own (without any intervention), because if you have been eating gluten for an extended period of time, then you have very likely accumulated extensive inflammation and damage to your intestines, and that probably won't go away overnight. The diet changes (without any medications) are very likely capable of resolving your symptoms, but that might take several months to accomplish, and you need much faster relief.
Anyway, those are my thoughts (and bear in mind that I am not a doctor — I'm just someone who has been living with the disease for many years).
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to our Internet family. Your flare obviously came at a very bad time, with such a short time to departure to Ireland. Unless you have some left-over budesonide capsules, or you can get a resupply in a hurry, the Pepto treatment might be an appealing option. Pepto is actually a weak antibiotic, and this may be one of the reasons why it is so effective at controlling MC symptoms.
The Pepto-Bismol treatment is 8 tablets per day (or the equivalent) for 8 weeks. The problem is that many of us develop neurological side effects from that much bismuth subsalicylate after a while. Tinnitus is a somewhat common side effect, and if that happens, it's best to stop taking it immediately, because there is a risk that the tinnitus can become permanent. But if you can tolerate the Pepto, it has been shown to be approximately 85 % effective at controlling MC in test trials.
And of course I agree with everything that Gabes suggested. It's necessary to avoid gluten and dairy (and any other known food sensitivities) or a relapse is likely after the 8 week treatment period is over. In test trials, the average time to remission when using the Pepto treatment was approximately 2 weeks, so it is more effective than budesonide (budesonide is about 65 % effective, according to most trials), and Pepto works almost as fast.
Unless you can get a prescription for budesonide from your PCP, the Pepto treatment would probably be your fastest route to remission. In this country, many PCPs will prescribe budesonide to an MC patient provided that their GI specialist previously prescribed it for them.
The only reason why I am suggesting the use of either budesonide or Pepto is because I have a hunch that your symptoms will not promptly resolve on their own (without any intervention), because if you have been eating gluten for an extended period of time, then you have very likely accumulated extensive inflammation and damage to your intestines, and that probably won't go away overnight. The diet changes (without any medications) are very likely capable of resolving your symptoms, but that might take several months to accomplish, and you need much faster relief.
Anyway, those are my thoughts (and bear in mind that I am not a doctor — I'm just someone who has been living with the disease for many years).
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.
