Rant

[BearcatRx]

Well folks, I've got to rant here for a moment because this is the most ridiculously difficult disease to get control of. My symptoms began after a trip to Costa Rica. My guess is that I picked up some sort of transient bug which triggered the LC and it just never went away. I was always able to control my mild symptoms with OTC meds. Once I was diagnosed nearly two years later, I did a trial of Entocort which didn't seem to work all that well, especially considering the financial cost. I did the Enterolab testing which pointed me in the right direction and I stuck to a very strict diet. I did not, however, follow the directions given whereas you should start by eliminating the highest of the lists and work your way down rather than cutting everything out. I was extremely annoyed, as many of us are, at how many things I could not eat. I even lost about 13 pounds in six weeks or so due to lack of caloric intake because I was afraid to eat just about everything.

However, once I did that, there were a few instances where I may have had a little too much gluten free alcoholic beverages and ended up eating some pizza. The results - nothing. I thought to myself, "maybe I can tolerate a little gluten/dairy every now and then." I also had what I believe to be a week or so of remission where I ate McDonalds, pizza, etc, in an effort to gain back some of the pounds that I had lost. No GI issues whatsoever. The symptoms did return about 5-7 days later. My main concern is that there were a few instances where the cramping just hit me like a freight train and in one instance I was dangerously close to not being able to get to the bathroom. I never had these symptoms before, even when I was just eating whatever I wanted in the months prior to diagnosis. Has anyone else experienced these refractory bouts of D, which were exponentially worse than they were even prior to diagnosis?

I'm beginning to think there is a large mental component to this illness. My anxiety of having stomach issues at the most inconvenient times is quite high now. Fear of eating gluten, dairy, etc I think actually does cause a physical response in my GI tract.

[Gabes-Apg]

There is a huge mental and emotional component - stress is a well known major trigger

the other aspect to most illnesses, not just MC, it is not JUST about food.
There are a multitude of things that affect our wellness; lifestyle, environment, water supply, pollution, chemicals, stress (mental, physical and emotional stresses)

I have mentioned to many people here that you have to do the mental and emotional work, and make lifestyle changes.
and with this - we dont get to 'CONTROL' or get rid of MC, we have to learn to live with it, embrace it, love it, listen to our body and make adjustments based on what is happening. there will be days with symptoms. for me the combo of some stress and change in eating routine is enough to cause mild symptoms the next day.
I spent over a week planning meals, extra cook ups, extra relaxation exercises, juggled work schedule etc to cope with a dental procedure. took all the steps to minimise reactions and expedite healing.

The other aspect is with ongoing inflammation and digestion issues, the nutritional deficiencies increase. so yes, things can get worse as time goes on, as our body takes longer heal and needs more nutrients to heal.

[JFR]

I have mentioned to many people here that you have to do the mental and emotional work, and make lifestyle changes.
and with this - we dont get to 'CONTROL' or get rid of MC, we have to learn to live with it, embrace it, love it, listen to our body and make adjustments based on what is happening. there will be days with symptoms.

This is so important. If you fight against those things you cannot change, in this case MC and all it requires, you only increase your suffering. When I stopped thinking "why me" and instead realized "why not me" I was able to move beyond anger, frustration and the like and come to a place of acceptance, acceptance of MC, acceptance of dietary changes, acceptance of changing life patterns. I am so much happier as a result and so much less likely to do anything to sabotage this happiness. Acceptance makes everything easier.

Jean

[tex]

“Life is a cruel teacher. She loves to give you the test first and the lesson later.”

― Daymond John

Tex