Hello all,
Well, I hate to bring up the sore subject of a GI visit, but I have my post diagnosis followup scheduled on Feb. 21st. After my seemingly normal colonoscopy, I got my diagnosis by the mail with no explanation. I was wondering if any of you have suggestions about important questions to ask or tests to inquire about when I finally see my GI doc?
If you didn't read my intro, I was just diagnosed with mild LC after having a whole range of symptoms since a major gastrointenstinal event in May of 2004. Many of the symptoms have been outside the gastro tract (pain, peripheral neuropathy, insomnia, fatigue, vertigo, low blood pressure, sweating, eye pain, joint pain, and so on and so on.), although I've had my share of gasto symptoms too, esp. abdominal pain, gas, indigestion, and constipation, but not too bad really. Real D., aside from the initiating event hasn't been a big problem for me; just loose stools if I don't stay with my diet. One doctor said I have fibro.
Of late, I've been able to overcome most of my symptoms by not eating sugar (incl fruit) and starch (incl grains and legumes). It seems like about 99% of the food in the world! I am probably gluten and lactose intolerant but I don't know for sure. But the reality is that something is still very screwy or damaged because the symptoms return if I deviate from the strict diet. And generally, I am not exactly feeling back to terrific. I seem to be malabsorbing, have progressing osteopenia, and adrenal fatigue as well. It sounds terrible but I am much better than a year ago.
My main worry is that there is something wrong in the small intestive too. I am mostly using a natural treatment approach.
Any suggestions for intelligent questions to ask my GI doc would be appreciated. I will probably have only one shot since without major D and only a mild diagnosis she will probably think all else is not connected. She is a very sweet lady, but I don't want to have great expectations either. On the other hand, I want to be prepared.
Thanks again for any help.
Celia
Any suggestions on my GI visit?
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Any suggestions on my GI visit?
I beleive in magic!
Hi Celia,
I'm kind of surprised that they would just mail you the results without an explanation, and wait so long for a consultation, but I suppose that various hospitals have various policies. My GI always scheduled a followup meeting a week after each test, (but he rarely told me much more than, "everything looks good", and then scheduled another test). LOL.
Most GIs are rather ill-equipped to handle MC, as far as their training and experience are concerned. If she tries to convince you that LC is similar to IBS, then there is probably not much hope for effective treatment from her.
If you are gluten sensitive, you will probably have the same damage to the villi of the small intestine, that celiacs suffer. IOW, you will have malabsorption problems, and possible enzyme deficiencies, (thus the reason for problems with sugar, since those enzymes are produced in the brush border region of the duodenum). I wouldn't expect the average GI to be acquainted with the link between gluten sensitivity and LC, however. If she is, then she may be a keeper, as we say.
If a strict GF diet is followed, it takes anywhere from weeks to years, for gluten damage to the small intestine to heal, depending on how long it has been accumulating. Most of us show pretty good results after say, roughly three to six months on a GF diet, and my major symptoms were pretty much under control after about a year, (especially after I cut out some other triggers), but it took me over four years for my small intestine to heal sufficiently to where my enzyme production was restored to a pretty much normal level.
If she is aware of the malabsorption problems often linked with MC, you might ask for suggestions about vitamin and mineral supplements, and ask if she thinks that the mineral/metal supplementation program that you are folowing is suitable for your situation.
Good luck with your followup appointment.
Wayne
I'm kind of surprised that they would just mail you the results without an explanation, and wait so long for a consultation, but I suppose that various hospitals have various policies. My GI always scheduled a followup meeting a week after each test, (but he rarely told me much more than, "everything looks good", and then scheduled another test). LOL.
Most GIs are rather ill-equipped to handle MC, as far as their training and experience are concerned. If she tries to convince you that LC is similar to IBS, then there is probably not much hope for effective treatment from her.
If you are gluten sensitive, you will probably have the same damage to the villi of the small intestine, that celiacs suffer. IOW, you will have malabsorption problems, and possible enzyme deficiencies, (thus the reason for problems with sugar, since those enzymes are produced in the brush border region of the duodenum). I wouldn't expect the average GI to be acquainted with the link between gluten sensitivity and LC, however. If she is, then she may be a keeper, as we say.
If a strict GF diet is followed, it takes anywhere from weeks to years, for gluten damage to the small intestine to heal, depending on how long it has been accumulating. Most of us show pretty good results after say, roughly three to six months on a GF diet, and my major symptoms were pretty much under control after about a year, (especially after I cut out some other triggers), but it took me over four years for my small intestine to heal sufficiently to where my enzyme production was restored to a pretty much normal level.
If she is aware of the malabsorption problems often linked with MC, you might ask for suggestions about vitamin and mineral supplements, and ask if she thinks that the mineral/metal supplementation program that you are folowing is suitable for your situation.
Good luck with your followup appointment.
Wayne
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.
Celia,
I would second what Wayne said. Many of us found that the diagnosis was the only good thing we got from our GI's. If she doesn't see any link with food, thank her and move on. I would however, recommend that she look into Dr. Fine's work at finerheath.com. If she wants to learn, you may have a keeper.
As Polly has said many times, physicians are not taught much about diet and disease so I guess it's unrealistic for us to expect them to be well versed. She will probably want to put you on meds, and that's a personal decision. Some of us have found they work well, but I didn't get any relief.
I found my help here. Don't give up. All of the non GI symptoms that you mention have been experienced by us. They are also the last ones to be alleviated when we start following the diet. The fact that so many seemingly unrelated symptoms are part of this disease makes it all the more difficult to diagnose. I believe that all autoimmune diseases are actually the same (but I'm probably pretty radical there).
I hope this helps. Love, Jean
I would second what Wayne said. Many of us found that the diagnosis was the only good thing we got from our GI's. If she doesn't see any link with food, thank her and move on. I would however, recommend that she look into Dr. Fine's work at finerheath.com. If she wants to learn, you may have a keeper.
As Polly has said many times, physicians are not taught much about diet and disease so I guess it's unrealistic for us to expect them to be well versed. She will probably want to put you on meds, and that's a personal decision. Some of us have found they work well, but I didn't get any relief.
I found my help here. Don't give up. All of the non GI symptoms that you mention have been experienced by us. They are also the last ones to be alleviated when we start following the diet. The fact that so many seemingly unrelated symptoms are part of this disease makes it all the more difficult to diagnose. I believe that all autoimmune diseases are actually the same (but I'm probably pretty radical there).
I hope this helps. Love, Jean
Be kind to everyone, because you never know what battles they are fighting.
Hi Celia!
Usually I am an optimist, but not when it comes to expecting GI help with MC. Actually, I don't think anyone here (or maybe only 1 or 2 ) has ever had a GI doc that had heard of the connection between MC and gluten. You might consider printing out an article in the forum called "Links to Good Information Sites" about the early diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (before the villi are gone) and giving it to your GI doc. It is the 26th post from the top in that forum - titled "Important Article by Dr. Kenneth Fine, MC Researcher". If your doc has an open mind, she might find it quite enlightening.
I would also guess that you do have a gluten sensitivity, for 3 reasons. One, it frequently goes along with LC. Secondly, it would be almost impossible to get malabsorption with MC alone. This is because MC affects primarily the colon, and NO absorption of food/nutrients occurs in the colon. Only water is absorbed in the colon. Food/nutrients are absorbed only in the small intestine, and THAT is the area of the GI tract that is damaged by gluten (and possibly other food triggers like dairy, soy, etc.). Thirdly, gluten is notorious for causing autoimmune symptoms - fatigue, joint and muscle aches and pains, mental fogginess, even fever.
There is a great book I think you might enjoy reading. It is called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle (intestinal health through diet)" by Elaine Gottschall. Maybe you can pick up a cheap copy at amazon.com. It is a book that was written to help people with more serious forms of IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Of course, MC ( the umbrella term for both LC and CC) is also considered to be an IBD. Anyway, there are terrific descriptions of physiology that are so enlightening. Especially good is the chapter on sugars and why/how they cause problems for those of us with IBDs. Another wonderful book to check out if you decide to go full ahead with the gluten-free (GF) diet is "Against the Grain" by Jax Peters Lowell. It is informative and witty as well.
I understand so well when you say that it seems you have to avoid 99% of the food in the world! It is no fun at all to be so restrictive. I still joke that I dream about grilled cheese sandwiches after almost 5 years of not eating them. (It's true!) And it is necessary to go through an actual grief reaction when making a serious lifestyle change like diet. One of our members here actually had a "funeral" for the GF foods she threw out her her pantry when she decided to go GF! LOL! The good news is, that as your gut heals, you will probably be able to add back in some food groups. Many find that until their gut has fully healed (and remember, as Wayne says, we are talking at least MONTHS to heal) they cannot tolerate legumes, raw salad veggies, etc. But once healed, these may often be added back. It is well-known that a temporary lactose intolerance often occurs when the villi of the small intestine are damaged by gluten, and this too can improve after some time on the GF diet.
Regarding osteopenia, this is an interesting topic. I personally do not believe that people need to eat more dairy products in order to get more calcium. If we are one of the top dairy-eating countries in the world, why do we have so much osteopenia/porosis???? Actually, I do not believe that humans were meant to drink milk (and especially not the milk of another animal) after infancy. No where else on the entire planet does an animal drink milk after infancy. But that's just my personal bias. Some researchers believe "osteo" may be an autoimmune disease. I liken it to diabetes type 2, where there is enough circulating insulin, but it just can't get into the cells to do its job. Maybe there is enough calcium, but it just can't do its job at the cellular level? Just speculation. Anyway, we have had some interesting discussions here in the past on calcium. Be sure to check out the article on calcium submitted by moremuscle (Karen) - it offers an alternative view of the topic, and, to me at least, it has validity. It can also be found in the "Links to Good Information Sites" and is the 27th post from the top - titled "Calcium - important if you are dairy-free".
Just a gentle reminder............the heavy metals (or minerals) that you are taking as supplements might compete with calcium during the absorption process, and could be responsible for less calcium being absorbed. BTW, I am a little concerned about the vanadium you are taking. As far as I know, the other metals you are taking (selenium, calcium, etc.) have known roles to play in the body. From what I read, I could not find any research that definitely established what the role of vanadium in the body is. Do you know? There is some research in mice about infection recovery, but not much about humans. Apparently it is present in extremely low amounts in humans, and it can be terribly toxic at higher amounts.
Well, I've written a book and you are probably fast asleep by now.
Please feel free to ask more questions. I'll be interested to hear how your appointment goes.
Love,
Polly
Usually I am an optimist, but not when it comes to expecting GI help with MC. Actually, I don't think anyone here (or maybe only 1 or 2 ) has ever had a GI doc that had heard of the connection between MC and gluten. You might consider printing out an article in the forum called "Links to Good Information Sites" about the early diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (before the villi are gone) and giving it to your GI doc. It is the 26th post from the top in that forum - titled "Important Article by Dr. Kenneth Fine, MC Researcher". If your doc has an open mind, she might find it quite enlightening.
I would also guess that you do have a gluten sensitivity, for 3 reasons. One, it frequently goes along with LC. Secondly, it would be almost impossible to get malabsorption with MC alone. This is because MC affects primarily the colon, and NO absorption of food/nutrients occurs in the colon. Only water is absorbed in the colon. Food/nutrients are absorbed only in the small intestine, and THAT is the area of the GI tract that is damaged by gluten (and possibly other food triggers like dairy, soy, etc.). Thirdly, gluten is notorious for causing autoimmune symptoms - fatigue, joint and muscle aches and pains, mental fogginess, even fever.
There is a great book I think you might enjoy reading. It is called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle (intestinal health through diet)" by Elaine Gottschall. Maybe you can pick up a cheap copy at amazon.com. It is a book that was written to help people with more serious forms of IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Of course, MC ( the umbrella term for both LC and CC) is also considered to be an IBD. Anyway, there are terrific descriptions of physiology that are so enlightening. Especially good is the chapter on sugars and why/how they cause problems for those of us with IBDs. Another wonderful book to check out if you decide to go full ahead with the gluten-free (GF) diet is "Against the Grain" by Jax Peters Lowell. It is informative and witty as well.
I understand so well when you say that it seems you have to avoid 99% of the food in the world! It is no fun at all to be so restrictive. I still joke that I dream about grilled cheese sandwiches after almost 5 years of not eating them. (It's true!) And it is necessary to go through an actual grief reaction when making a serious lifestyle change like diet. One of our members here actually had a "funeral" for the GF foods she threw out her her pantry when she decided to go GF! LOL! The good news is, that as your gut heals, you will probably be able to add back in some food groups. Many find that until their gut has fully healed (and remember, as Wayne says, we are talking at least MONTHS to heal) they cannot tolerate legumes, raw salad veggies, etc. But once healed, these may often be added back. It is well-known that a temporary lactose intolerance often occurs when the villi of the small intestine are damaged by gluten, and this too can improve after some time on the GF diet.
Regarding osteopenia, this is an interesting topic. I personally do not believe that people need to eat more dairy products in order to get more calcium. If we are one of the top dairy-eating countries in the world, why do we have so much osteopenia/porosis???? Actually, I do not believe that humans were meant to drink milk (and especially not the milk of another animal) after infancy. No where else on the entire planet does an animal drink milk after infancy. But that's just my personal bias. Some researchers believe "osteo" may be an autoimmune disease. I liken it to diabetes type 2, where there is enough circulating insulin, but it just can't get into the cells to do its job. Maybe there is enough calcium, but it just can't do its job at the cellular level? Just speculation. Anyway, we have had some interesting discussions here in the past on calcium. Be sure to check out the article on calcium submitted by moremuscle (Karen) - it offers an alternative view of the topic, and, to me at least, it has validity. It can also be found in the "Links to Good Information Sites" and is the 27th post from the top - titled "Calcium - important if you are dairy-free".
Just a gentle reminder............the heavy metals (or minerals) that you are taking as supplements might compete with calcium during the absorption process, and could be responsible for less calcium being absorbed. BTW, I am a little concerned about the vanadium you are taking. As far as I know, the other metals you are taking (selenium, calcium, etc.) have known roles to play in the body. From what I read, I could not find any research that definitely established what the role of vanadium in the body is. Do you know? There is some research in mice about infection recovery, but not much about humans. Apparently it is present in extremely low amounts in humans, and it can be terribly toxic at higher amounts.
Well, I've written a book and you are probably fast asleep by now.
Please feel free to ask more questions. I'll be interested to hear how your appointment goes.Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Wow! Thanks
Dear Wayne, Jean and Polly,
All your advice is incredibly useful. There is a lot to chew on and look up on the resource section so it will take me a little time to integrate it all. Thanks so much.
Wayne - your comments about the damage to the villi and the length of time it takes to heal are very informative. It IS weird that they just sent a result in the mail. It just said coliltis. I knew I didn't have UC or Crohn's since she told us after the colonsocopy that everything looked fine. I knew she did biopsies, but it never occured to me that it would come back like this. I called her nurse and got a copy of the actual biopsy report, so that's how I know what kind of colitis it is. The doc only works part time so hence the long, long wait.
Jean - it is so helpful to know that all those non GI symptoms have been experienced by folks in the forum. I think you are right that there is an undercurrent of autoimmune that runs through it all.
Polly - You really gave me a wealth of information and resources. The 3 points on me and possible gs are great since I keep thinking it's just my imagination! I will definitely read the articles you point to.
BTW, I did write an explanation about the trace minerals for you in the I'm New thread, but with all you are doing on the forum, you may not have seen it. You might want to check it out as I listed some resources there for you too which give explanations of the different trace minerals and their functions.
In my understanding these are trace minerals, not heavy metals. As I describe there, several of them have specific functions related to detoxing different heavy metals. The heavy metals I have are lead, mercury, cadmium, and thallium. I've researched these trace minerals and their functions myself, plus they have been recommended to me by my naturopath who is very experienced along these lines. She is aware of all my various problems, so I think she is taking the osteopenia into account. But I will check this with her again. I haven't read that any of the trace minerals block calcium absorption, and the reference I suggested to you is pretty clear possible ill effects. I had my first dexa scan a year ago, long before I started on the trace minerals (a few months ago), and it indicated the osteopenia so I think it's the trace minerals that are blocking the calcium. However, you are so right that these have to be taken in the right amount and the right balance, so I really appreciate your concern. Vanadium assists with cell metabolism and with glucose metabolism. And, they only do come in small amounts - mcg's.
Since the dexa last week, I've started juicing everyday hoping that will be a good way to absorb the calcium - yummy carrot, kale, parsley, cabbage juice and the like!
Thanks for the book recommendations. Interestingly, my husband has been ill for this whole period too, mostly with gastro problems and fatigue. He had proctitis for several years and it is completely healed now as of his sigmoidoscopy in Jan. He followed the SCD diet and the guts and glory program (plus lots of supplements) and it healed in about 6 months. However, doing one of his colonoscopies in the middle of it all the doctor didn't observe inflammation but said it was microscopic. He now sees my GI doctor, so I want to check with her if there's any chance he has MC too although his biopsy report doesn't state that. It is weird that we have both been so sick albeit with different symptoms. Makes you think about the possibility of a bacteria. Anyway, I haven't looked at the SCD book for a long time, and you reminded me of how useful it would be to take a look at it again. Thanks. When I did first look at it, I didn't realized the the colon could be my main problem so I didn't focus on it. I defintely want to read Agains the Grain too.
I can see that it's a good idea to scale down my expectations of my GI visit, and realize that it's more likely that I will be educating her!
Thanks for all these gems! Celia
All your advice is incredibly useful. There is a lot to chew on and look up on the resource section so it will take me a little time to integrate it all. Thanks so much.
Wayne - your comments about the damage to the villi and the length of time it takes to heal are very informative. It IS weird that they just sent a result in the mail. It just said coliltis. I knew I didn't have UC or Crohn's since she told us after the colonsocopy that everything looked fine. I knew she did biopsies, but it never occured to me that it would come back like this. I called her nurse and got a copy of the actual biopsy report, so that's how I know what kind of colitis it is. The doc only works part time so hence the long, long wait.
Jean - it is so helpful to know that all those non GI symptoms have been experienced by folks in the forum. I think you are right that there is an undercurrent of autoimmune that runs through it all.
Polly - You really gave me a wealth of information and resources. The 3 points on me and possible gs are great since I keep thinking it's just my imagination! I will definitely read the articles you point to.
BTW, I did write an explanation about the trace minerals for you in the I'm New thread, but with all you are doing on the forum, you may not have seen it. You might want to check it out as I listed some resources there for you too which give explanations of the different trace minerals and their functions.
In my understanding these are trace minerals, not heavy metals. As I describe there, several of them have specific functions related to detoxing different heavy metals. The heavy metals I have are lead, mercury, cadmium, and thallium. I've researched these trace minerals and their functions myself, plus they have been recommended to me by my naturopath who is very experienced along these lines. She is aware of all my various problems, so I think she is taking the osteopenia into account. But I will check this with her again. I haven't read that any of the trace minerals block calcium absorption, and the reference I suggested to you is pretty clear possible ill effects. I had my first dexa scan a year ago, long before I started on the trace minerals (a few months ago), and it indicated the osteopenia so I think it's the trace minerals that are blocking the calcium. However, you are so right that these have to be taken in the right amount and the right balance, so I really appreciate your concern. Vanadium assists with cell metabolism and with glucose metabolism. And, they only do come in small amounts - mcg's.
Since the dexa last week, I've started juicing everyday hoping that will be a good way to absorb the calcium - yummy carrot, kale, parsley, cabbage juice and the like!
Thanks for the book recommendations. Interestingly, my husband has been ill for this whole period too, mostly with gastro problems and fatigue. He had proctitis for several years and it is completely healed now as of his sigmoidoscopy in Jan. He followed the SCD diet and the guts and glory program (plus lots of supplements) and it healed in about 6 months. However, doing one of his colonoscopies in the middle of it all the doctor didn't observe inflammation but said it was microscopic. He now sees my GI doctor, so I want to check with her if there's any chance he has MC too although his biopsy report doesn't state that. It is weird that we have both been so sick albeit with different symptoms. Makes you think about the possibility of a bacteria. Anyway, I haven't looked at the SCD book for a long time, and you reminded me of how useful it would be to take a look at it again. Thanks. When I did first look at it, I didn't realized the the colon could be my main problem so I didn't focus on it. I defintely want to read Agains the Grain too.
I can see that it's a good idea to scale down my expectations of my GI visit, and realize that it's more likely that I will be educating her!
Thanks for all these gems! Celia
I beleive in magic!
Hi Celia,
I happened to have the privilege of hearing Jax Peters Lowell in person Saturday afternoon, and overheard her after the meeting recommending to a newbie with celiac disease NOT to read the older book, "Against the Grain" as it's out-of-date now. She has a new book that's just now coming out. Ones for sale at this meeting were sold out before the meeting began, as a matter of fact, but someone had actually been able to get Barnes and Nobles to special order it for them. I wish I could remember the name of this latest one, but you might want to contact Janet Rhinehart to ask the name of this book. You should be able to find her e-address on the Houston Celiac Support Group website as she is the president of the Houston Group that sponsored her visit. I'm sure she can tell you the name of it. Hopefully, it will contain all the information that the first one did, along with the jokes!
By the way, she looked just like she does in her picture -- short hair with the dark rimmed glasses. She's very likeable in person.
About the calcium...apparently folks who have osteoporosis. as I've just been diagnosed, can improve with an increase of calcium in their diets along with increased exercise such as walking an hour a day, and wt. lifting. I, too, believe that the cause is autoimmune, but could it be that in persons with this condition, the added circulating calcium shifts the equilibrium of the bone into a sort of forced re-absorption mode?
Of course, one has to have the appropriate amounts of things like Vit D and Magnesium, which I am taking (when I remember too).
Anyway, I would assume that there must be some studies out there to prove results in the treatment of osteoporosis with increased calcium intake and exercise including wts and walking. This is not meant to say that not drinking milk is the cause necessarily.
By the way, I should think that your GI would be able to test for nutrient deficiencies commonly associated with malabsorption if he feels that your naturopath has left out anything or if he would prefer another form of testing.
For sure, I would do the B12/folate if you've not already done it or not done it recently.
Whether or not your GI knows, I would take an absorbable (sublinqual) form of B-12/folate if my level of B-12 were below 400, not 200 as the lab reference points will state.
My reason for saying this is because there are documented cases of people who have neuro symptoms above 200, and all the way up to 400. The labs, for this reason, should really change their reference points.
The one I use is by Biochem, and I buy it at Whole Foods. It is free of the common allergens but you can check out the ingredients. It is wise to take the folate along with B-12 it's not accurate to test for folate as the level will be masked on B-12.
Many of the foods that we used to be able to eat, like cereals, for example, have, in recent years, been fortified with things like folate -- it's that important, so I would be sure to replace what I was loosing from fortified food.
Some of the newer "allergen-free" cereals are coming out in fortified forms, but you might have to order those by mail unless you have a really good health food store in town like I just found.
By the way, B-6 should be taken with the above B vitamins, and there's little Vit C in the Biochem formula as well. Perhaps I should be taking a full B series along with the extra B-12/folate pill?
I always buy "allergen" free versions of things to prevent having to throw them out later whenever test results come back positive for something.
Vit D is one of the fat soluble ones that you might have trouble with due to the inability to absorb fats. Think Vit A is the another one, and probably Vit E. (Correct me, gang, if I'm wrong about the latter, ok.)
Wow, I hope the calcium works for me as I don't want to have to take the Fosamax or any medication if I can safely avoid it to build up the bones.
One thing that's really important is to avoid carbonated drinks. You would already know about the phosphate thing, I'm sure, but just a reminder.
At any rate, I would ask for a full panel of all nutrients lost with malabsorption, and go from there.
It's late.
Yours, Luce
I happened to have the privilege of hearing Jax Peters Lowell in person Saturday afternoon, and overheard her after the meeting recommending to a newbie with celiac disease NOT to read the older book, "Against the Grain" as it's out-of-date now. She has a new book that's just now coming out. Ones for sale at this meeting were sold out before the meeting began, as a matter of fact, but someone had actually been able to get Barnes and Nobles to special order it for them. I wish I could remember the name of this latest one, but you might want to contact Janet Rhinehart to ask the name of this book. You should be able to find her e-address on the Houston Celiac Support Group website as she is the president of the Houston Group that sponsored her visit. I'm sure she can tell you the name of it. Hopefully, it will contain all the information that the first one did, along with the jokes!
By the way, she looked just like she does in her picture -- short hair with the dark rimmed glasses. She's very likeable in person.
About the calcium...apparently folks who have osteoporosis. as I've just been diagnosed, can improve with an increase of calcium in their diets along with increased exercise such as walking an hour a day, and wt. lifting. I, too, believe that the cause is autoimmune, but could it be that in persons with this condition, the added circulating calcium shifts the equilibrium of the bone into a sort of forced re-absorption mode?
Of course, one has to have the appropriate amounts of things like Vit D and Magnesium, which I am taking (when I remember too).
Anyway, I would assume that there must be some studies out there to prove results in the treatment of osteoporosis with increased calcium intake and exercise including wts and walking. This is not meant to say that not drinking milk is the cause necessarily.
By the way, I should think that your GI would be able to test for nutrient deficiencies commonly associated with malabsorption if he feels that your naturopath has left out anything or if he would prefer another form of testing.
For sure, I would do the B12/folate if you've not already done it or not done it recently.
Whether or not your GI knows, I would take an absorbable (sublinqual) form of B-12/folate if my level of B-12 were below 400, not 200 as the lab reference points will state.
My reason for saying this is because there are documented cases of people who have neuro symptoms above 200, and all the way up to 400. The labs, for this reason, should really change their reference points.
The one I use is by Biochem, and I buy it at Whole Foods. It is free of the common allergens but you can check out the ingredients. It is wise to take the folate along with B-12 it's not accurate to test for folate as the level will be masked on B-12.
Many of the foods that we used to be able to eat, like cereals, for example, have, in recent years, been fortified with things like folate -- it's that important, so I would be sure to replace what I was loosing from fortified food.
Some of the newer "allergen-free" cereals are coming out in fortified forms, but you might have to order those by mail unless you have a really good health food store in town like I just found.
By the way, B-6 should be taken with the above B vitamins, and there's little Vit C in the Biochem formula as well. Perhaps I should be taking a full B series along with the extra B-12/folate pill?
I always buy "allergen" free versions of things to prevent having to throw them out later whenever test results come back positive for something.
Vit D is one of the fat soluble ones that you might have trouble with due to the inability to absorb fats. Think Vit A is the another one, and probably Vit E. (Correct me, gang, if I'm wrong about the latter, ok.)
Wow, I hope the calcium works for me as I don't want to have to take the Fosamax or any medication if I can safely avoid it to build up the bones.
One thing that's really important is to avoid carbonated drinks. You would already know about the phosphate thing, I'm sure, but just a reminder.
At any rate, I would ask for a full panel of all nutrients lost with malabsorption, and go from there.
It's late.
Yours, Luce
small bowel biopsy?
Tex, Polly, Jean, Luce, and everyone...
Just wondering, do you think it's worthwhile to have an endoscopy and small bowel biopsy? What about the upper GI barium test? I don't want to have any invasive tests done if they are not really needed. Celia
Just wondering, do you think it's worthwhile to have an endoscopy and small bowel biopsy? What about the upper GI barium test? I don't want to have any invasive tests done if they are not really needed. Celia
I beleive in magic!
Thanks Luce
Thanks Luce. That's a good suggestion about asking about the nutrient testing from my GI doc. I do supplement with calcium and magnesium, but may not have been taking enough. I also get my b's in my daily vit. I took higher levels in the past and my blood tests showed they are normal, but it's probably a good idea to get re-tested.
Thanks for the ideas! Celia
Thanks for the ideas! Celia
I beleive in magic!
Mornin' Celia!
Generally, it is not necessary to get those invasive tests for the gluten sensitivity that goes along with MC. In fact, Dr. Fine does not recommend it. If you want to email him and ask him about this, I'm sure he'll answer. The email address is on his website:
www.finerhealth.com
Luce, thanks for the info on Peters' new book. I now recall that you mentioned it before, but I had forgotten. I should clarify that I have no problem with calcium supplementation - it's just that I don't believe that milk/dairy products are the most effective way to get calcium into the body. Dairy has too high a protein load and therefore causes a lot of the calcium to be excreted/lost from the body. And I am a great advocate of weight bearing exercises, as well as vitamin D and magnesium supplementation to prevent osteo. BTW, recent studies have really put vitamin D in the spotlight. Did you see where folks who took 1000 mg a day had 50% less chance of colon cancer? Now that's really something!
Love,
Polly
Generally, it is not necessary to get those invasive tests for the gluten sensitivity that goes along with MC. In fact, Dr. Fine does not recommend it. If you want to email him and ask him about this, I'm sure he'll answer. The email address is on his website:
www.finerhealth.com
Luce, thanks for the info on Peters' new book. I now recall that you mentioned it before, but I had forgotten. I should clarify that I have no problem with calcium supplementation - it's just that I don't believe that milk/dairy products are the most effective way to get calcium into the body. Dairy has too high a protein load and therefore causes a lot of the calcium to be excreted/lost from the body. And I am a great advocate of weight bearing exercises, as well as vitamin D and magnesium supplementation to prevent osteo. BTW, recent studies have really put vitamin D in the spotlight. Did you see where folks who took 1000 mg a day had 50% less chance of colon cancer? Now that's really something!
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
walking (Luce)
I saw your message on another thread about not being able to get out to walk. What helps me are a series of videos (also avail as DVD's) called "Walk Away the Pounds" with Leslie Samsome. I have a set with the 1, 2, and 3 miles walks. The 1 mile takes 20 minutes. The 2 mile takes 30 minutes. It's called in home walking. I find it easy and fun to do the walking with the video and you have the option to use weights during one part where you do arms raises etc. while walking in place. But super, super easy. That's my solution for walking in the winter and it's much more of a work out than a mild stroll. Celia
I beleive in magic!
Celia,
Thanks sooo much for the information about the walking exercises/wts that I can watch and do at home. Just got a DVD player for Christmas, and need a DVD to play.
I'm curious ... do ya just walk in place to music or what?
Oh, and don't forget the part about keepin' your B-12 above 400 reguardless of what lab reference values are. You mentioned having the neuropathy and "vertigo," do you know how your reflexes are? Mine apparently are fine now, with the added B-12, plus I'll bet I'm absorbing more of it since I've apparently healed up so well. Guess it's still possible to have a low B-12 without diarrhea and the noticeable symptoms I had, but this is just a hunch. Sometimes I fear that I might not get enough in my diet, so it's a precaution.
Celia, I'm eager to find out what your genotype is as you seem to have all the same symptoms as I had -- sure were lots of em, but then I put off telling any docs what was going on for so many years it isn't even funny. Really hard to say why, but toward thet end, it was both a combination of fear and fog, I guess. I'd had denial for a long time before that until it got so bad that I couldn't stand it any longer! How long do you think since you first noticed the early stages of your various somatic complaints?
Polly,
Name of that book by Jax Lowell (or Jax Peters-Lowell) is the "Gluten Free Bible."
Sorry, but I don't know how to underline with this keyboard, so " " will have to do. Ha!
I will try to send you an e-mail I just got with that and other information in it that might interest you. Will also send one to Wayne to post for the group or parts of it as he wishes (can't do THAT either!).
Guess I got mixed up about the supplementation when we had all those discussions going at once about the calcium in terms of who said what, remember? There were some folks who were pretty down on supplementation, in general. I guess it's a waste if one doesn't have a need for it.
I do remember the part about high protein diets and their effects upon calcium in the body that you mentioned, but think I also read a detailed article following the path of ingested calcium through all the chemical hoops that it has to go through, and from that, one would think that taking the supplements would have just the opposite of the desired effect. Did you ever see that article? Guess the human body is more than just a bunch of equations in a chart though -- a dynamic system with lots of "outside" influences along the way that might not yet be accounted for in simple equations in a physiology text. OK, will continue to take the calcium faithfully, IF I don't forget, that is!
Need to do a separate post about supplementation to let everyone know what giant step I took just this morning. Please remind me to post that if I get sleepy before I get to post that. Just something silly though.
Polly, what have you been up to lately? You seem to be so busy these days?
Yours, Luce
Thanks sooo much for the information about the walking exercises/wts that I can watch and do at home. Just got a DVD player for Christmas, and need a DVD to play.
I'm curious ... do ya just walk in place to music or what?
Oh, and don't forget the part about keepin' your B-12 above 400 reguardless of what lab reference values are. You mentioned having the neuropathy and "vertigo," do you know how your reflexes are? Mine apparently are fine now, with the added B-12, plus I'll bet I'm absorbing more of it since I've apparently healed up so well. Guess it's still possible to have a low B-12 without diarrhea and the noticeable symptoms I had, but this is just a hunch. Sometimes I fear that I might not get enough in my diet, so it's a precaution.
Celia, I'm eager to find out what your genotype is as you seem to have all the same symptoms as I had -- sure were lots of em, but then I put off telling any docs what was going on for so many years it isn't even funny. Really hard to say why, but toward thet end, it was both a combination of fear and fog, I guess. I'd had denial for a long time before that until it got so bad that I couldn't stand it any longer! How long do you think since you first noticed the early stages of your various somatic complaints?
Polly,
Name of that book by Jax Lowell (or Jax Peters-Lowell) is the "Gluten Free Bible."
Sorry, but I don't know how to underline with this keyboard, so " " will have to do. Ha!
I will try to send you an e-mail I just got with that and other information in it that might interest you. Will also send one to Wayne to post for the group or parts of it as he wishes (can't do THAT either!).
Guess I got mixed up about the supplementation when we had all those discussions going at once about the calcium in terms of who said what, remember? There were some folks who were pretty down on supplementation, in general. I guess it's a waste if one doesn't have a need for it.
I do remember the part about high protein diets and their effects upon calcium in the body that you mentioned, but think I also read a detailed article following the path of ingested calcium through all the chemical hoops that it has to go through, and from that, one would think that taking the supplements would have just the opposite of the desired effect. Did you ever see that article? Guess the human body is more than just a bunch of equations in a chart though -- a dynamic system with lots of "outside" influences along the way that might not yet be accounted for in simple equations in a physiology text. OK, will continue to take the calcium faithfully, IF I don't forget, that is!
Need to do a separate post about supplementation to let everyone know what giant step I took just this morning. Please remind me to post that if I get sleepy before I get to post that. Just something silly though.
Polly, what have you been up to lately? You seem to be so busy these days?
Yours, Luce
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Liz
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I have a video called "Walk Aerobics" which is excellent. I find it good because not only is is sort of like dancing & quite fun to do, but you can stop & start when you like if you get tired or sore or puffy. I am more likely to do thids than go for the long walks that i used to for this reason.
Love
Liz
Love
Liz
A smile is a light in the window of your face that shows that your heart is at home
genotype?
Luce,
What's a genotype? I don't know what mine is.
The walk away the pounds is walking in place (to music) with 3 other simple steps (side steps, kicks, kick backs) as well as arm movements that are done with weights if you wish. Liz's walk areobics sounds found too.
Celia
What's a genotype? I don't know what mine is.
The walk away the pounds is walking in place (to music) with 3 other simple steps (side steps, kicks, kick backs) as well as arm movements that are done with weights if you wish. Liz's walk areobics sounds found too.
Celia
I beleive in magic!