Hi Everyone,
This group is amazing first of all. I have LC but also Celiac, Gerd and Thyroid Disease. My question is I am taking magnesium and Vitamin D3 everyday. What dosage should I be taking? Since I started my Levothyroxine for my thyroid, I feel like my LC is getting worse, could this be? I'm sure like most of you, I run to the restroom 7 times a day, always WD, even after being gluten free for 2.5 years. My total cholesterol was 118 and I was wondering if this means I'm not absorbing food? I have cut out 90% of dairy, but I do enjoy salad, which is bad right? Any advice would be helpful. I've actually gained 3 pounds from the hypothyroidism even with constant WD. I am going to the dr next week, should I request a different thyroid medication that won't give me more WD?
A few questions from a newbie
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
A few questions from a newbie
Diagnosed with LC, GERD, Celiac Disease, and Thyroid Disease
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
welcome!
(and yes this group is amazing)
Diet wise you need to be 100% dairy free, dairy is highly inflammatory to all people, not just those with IBD's - we also encourage to avoid soy, as many react to it, and the forms of soy that are in foods, is hard to digest.
salad wise, when people are flaring, there is too much fibre in raw vegetables/salad. having meals with a few safe well cooked vegetables is what works best
Vit d3, at least 5000iu per day (more if your blood test reveals lower levels) if you are having gerd, then having a dose of 10,000 iu per day will help to resolve that issue.
Magnesium at least 400 mg of ELEMENTAL magnesium (check fine print on label to confirm exactly how much elemental magnesium you are getting) if you are deficient or other factors are using the mag, you might need about 600mg elemental magnesium per day. I use topical spray/lotion some here use both topical and oral, and some use oral. the main thing is to spread the dosage through the day to avoid any D issues.
i cant help with the thyroid medication persay, other than I paid to get my iodine levels checked, and was severely deficient, and supplementing with iodine has resolved alot of the symptoms related to thyroid.
hope this helps
(and yes this group is amazing)
Diet wise you need to be 100% dairy free, dairy is highly inflammatory to all people, not just those with IBD's - we also encourage to avoid soy, as many react to it, and the forms of soy that are in foods, is hard to digest.
salad wise, when people are flaring, there is too much fibre in raw vegetables/salad. having meals with a few safe well cooked vegetables is what works best
Vit d3, at least 5000iu per day (more if your blood test reveals lower levels) if you are having gerd, then having a dose of 10,000 iu per day will help to resolve that issue.
Magnesium at least 400 mg of ELEMENTAL magnesium (check fine print on label to confirm exactly how much elemental magnesium you are getting) if you are deficient or other factors are using the mag, you might need about 600mg elemental magnesium per day. I use topical spray/lotion some here use both topical and oral, and some use oral. the main thing is to spread the dosage through the day to avoid any D issues.
i cant help with the thyroid medication persay, other than I paid to get my iodine levels checked, and was severely deficient, and supplementing with iodine has resolved alot of the symptoms related to thyroid.
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
Hi Becca Sue,
Welcome to our Internet family. First, I agree with everything that Gabes posted. Be sure that you are not taking magnesium oxide because magnesium oxide is very poorly absorbed and it is the form of magnesium supplement most likely to cause diarrhea. And please read the label very carefully (both the front and back labels) to make sure that you are not actually taking half as much magnesium as you believe you are. Some brands list the amount of magnesium on the front label as the amount per serving, but the back label mentions that the serving size is 2 tablets, not 1.
With a cholesterol level of 118, it's very likely that your terminal ileum is severely inflamed. Inflammation of the terminal ileum is quite common with LC, but your GI specialist may or may not understand that (because the disease is incorrectly described in the medical literature as a disease specific to the colon, not the small intestine).
Regarding the levothyroxine, IMO it could be causing problems for you. In fact, I have seen research that suggests that most patients who have both Celiac disease and MC/CC/LC were taking levothyroxine before their MC developed, raising a question about whether it might actually play a part in triggering MC. You may be interested in the thread at the following link:
levothyroxine
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to our Internet family. First, I agree with everything that Gabes posted. Be sure that you are not taking magnesium oxide because magnesium oxide is very poorly absorbed and it is the form of magnesium supplement most likely to cause diarrhea. And please read the label very carefully (both the front and back labels) to make sure that you are not actually taking half as much magnesium as you believe you are. Some brands list the amount of magnesium on the front label as the amount per serving, but the back label mentions that the serving size is 2 tablets, not 1.
With a cholesterol level of 118, it's very likely that your terminal ileum is severely inflamed. Inflammation of the terminal ileum is quite common with LC, but your GI specialist may or may not understand that (because the disease is incorrectly described in the medical literature as a disease specific to the colon, not the small intestine).
Regarding the levothyroxine, IMO it could be causing problems for you. In fact, I have seen research that suggests that most patients who have both Celiac disease and MC/CC/LC were taking levothyroxine before their MC developed, raising a question about whether it might actually play a part in triggering MC. You may be interested in the thread at the following link:
levothyroxine
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.
Hi Beccasue,
Along with every thing Gabes mentions an antihistamine would most likely help (Allegra, Zyrtec, Claritin), not knowing your age but if you are on any hormone therapy that seems to upset the apple cart too.
I have noticed a good bone broth helps sooo much. Depending on what you have read so far I cook off Cornish hens (safe ones, I am finding the generic ones have been great but Tyson not so good) then I debone it and store the meat in the fridge while I cook the bones in a large crockpot with sea salt and a dash of cider vinegar overnight or a good stretch of hours. I also spruce it up a bit with overcooked carrots, celery and then I add gluten free tikiyada noodles to make the most comfortable soup ever. It also has great healing properties due to the aminos from the bones.
Cheers
Erica
Along with every thing Gabes mentions an antihistamine would most likely help (Allegra, Zyrtec, Claritin), not knowing your age but if you are on any hormone therapy that seems to upset the apple cart too.
I have noticed a good bone broth helps sooo much. Depending on what you have read so far I cook off Cornish hens (safe ones, I am finding the generic ones have been great but Tyson not so good) then I debone it and store the meat in the fridge while I cook the bones in a large crockpot with sea salt and a dash of cider vinegar overnight or a good stretch of hours. I also spruce it up a bit with overcooked carrots, celery and then I add gluten free tikiyada noodles to make the most comfortable soup ever. It also has great healing properties due to the aminos from the bones.
Cheers
Erica
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Thank you both for the replies. Tex- how can I repair the terminal ileum? Also is this something that can cause cancer? I get really scared about that because my Dad had esophageal cancer and I also have Gerd. I also feel like I'm going to faint often due to the loss of fluids. Is extra water all that I can do?
Diagnosed with LC, GERD, Celiac Disease, and Thyroid Disease
Your terminal ileum will heal as your LC symptoms resolve (IOW, as the inflammation diminishes). Something in your diet is really causing a lot of inflammation to cause that degree of damage. Is there any chance that your diet might be cross-contaminated with gluten? For example, is there any wheat flour in your house? But incomplete avoidance of casein can also cause a lot of inflammation.
The biggest risk of cancer with MC is the same as the risk with celiac disease — non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to untreated gluten sensitivity. But research shows that by roughly 5 years after adopting a GF diet, the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma declines to the same rate as the general population, which is extremely small.
GERD can lead to Barret's Esophagus of course, but we have treatment guidelines available for controlling GERD. Are you by any chance taking a PPI? If so, that is the most likely trigger for your symptoms.
Your extreme dehydration symptoms (low blood pressure) are almost surely due to magnesium deficiency. Been there, done that. During the day, after I would drink a lot of water, my BP would be too high. But whenever I ran out of magnesium (usually in the middle of the night), my blood pressure would drop way too low.
As long as you are taking any amount of magnesium supplement, when you have a blood test to check your magnesium level, the test result will virtually always be in the normal range, because magnesium is a critical electrolyte so the body is going to maintain a constant blood level until there is almost no magnesium left in any of the muscle cells of your body. Magnesium is stored in muscle cells, and if it gets low enough, it can even trigger a stroke or heart attack (because the heart is a muscle). That only happens in extreme cases, but the point is that the blood tests are mostly useless because you have to skip taking any magnesium before the blood is drawn or the result will always be normal. And it will show a normal result even though there is very, very little magnesium left in reserve in your muscle cells.
You might find the electrolyte drink discussed in the thread at the following link to be useful:
Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance
Tex
The biggest risk of cancer with MC is the same as the risk with celiac disease — non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to untreated gluten sensitivity. But research shows that by roughly 5 years after adopting a GF diet, the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma declines to the same rate as the general population, which is extremely small.
GERD can lead to Barret's Esophagus of course, but we have treatment guidelines available for controlling GERD. Are you by any chance taking a PPI? If so, that is the most likely trigger for your symptoms.
Your extreme dehydration symptoms (low blood pressure) are almost surely due to magnesium deficiency. Been there, done that. During the day, after I would drink a lot of water, my BP would be too high. But whenever I ran out of magnesium (usually in the middle of the night), my blood pressure would drop way too low.
As long as you are taking any amount of magnesium supplement, when you have a blood test to check your magnesium level, the test result will virtually always be in the normal range, because magnesium is a critical electrolyte so the body is going to maintain a constant blood level until there is almost no magnesium left in any of the muscle cells of your body. Magnesium is stored in muscle cells, and if it gets low enough, it can even trigger a stroke or heart attack (because the heart is a muscle). That only happens in extreme cases, but the point is that the blood tests are mostly useless because you have to skip taking any magnesium before the blood is drawn or the result will always be normal. And it will show a normal result even though there is very, very little magnesium left in reserve in your muscle cells.
You might find the electrolyte drink discussed in the thread at the following link to be useful:
Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance
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.
Thank you Tex. I have a prescription for a ppi but I rarely take it because of what I've read. I just suffer or take a Tums. I also have an antispasmodic for times when it feels like my intestines are literally cramped like a Charlie horse, it's Hyocyamine. I've had to lay on the ground for hours when this happens. But my colonoscopy only showed that I have Celiac, LC and a spastic colon. I'm so overwhelmed and confused, but I really want to get healthy. As for cross contamination, it may be possible as I have 4 young kids but I don't eat any of their foods. But we do share utensils and pots/pans.
Diagnosed with LC, GERD, Celiac Disease, and Thyroid Disease
I experienced those cramps occasionally back when I was reacting, and I agree that they can be as rough as a cob.
Tums are probably the safest remedy when acid reflux is a serious problem, but many of us can take an H2 blocker. Unfortunately some of us react to them, so tolerance has to be determined by trial and error. H2 blockers work almost as effectively as PPIs, but they don't last nearly as long (only a few hours at most), and they don't carry the long-term health risks of PPIs. Examples of H2 blockers are Zantac, Pepcid, Axid, and Tagamet.
None of us can learn everything all at once (the amount of information is overwhelming), and as you pointed out, it's easy to become confused if we try to learn too much too fast. We just have to take life one day at a time, and learn as we go, and continue to upgrade our treatment program so that we continue to make healing progress.
It would be very, very helpful for your speedy recovery if you could have a separate area where you could prepare your own food that was off limits to anyone else's food. Most dishes and utensils can be used as long as they are properly cleaned, but porous items, such as cutting boards, wooden bowls, and wooden utensils tend to soak up and transfer gluten. Cast iron pots can also be a risk. If you toast GF bread, don't do it in the same toaster that everyone else uses. Either use a dedicated toaster that only you use, or use a toaster oven and lay a sheet of foil under your bread. The biggest risk by far is wheat flour, because it drifts everywhere.
You're very welcome,
Tex
Tums are probably the safest remedy when acid reflux is a serious problem, but many of us can take an H2 blocker. Unfortunately some of us react to them, so tolerance has to be determined by trial and error. H2 blockers work almost as effectively as PPIs, but they don't last nearly as long (only a few hours at most), and they don't carry the long-term health risks of PPIs. Examples of H2 blockers are Zantac, Pepcid, Axid, and Tagamet.
None of us can learn everything all at once (the amount of information is overwhelming), and as you pointed out, it's easy to become confused if we try to learn too much too fast. We just have to take life one day at a time, and learn as we go, and continue to upgrade our treatment program so that we continue to make healing progress.
It would be very, very helpful for your speedy recovery if you could have a separate area where you could prepare your own food that was off limits to anyone else's food. Most dishes and utensils can be used as long as they are properly cleaned, but porous items, such as cutting boards, wooden bowls, and wooden utensils tend to soak up and transfer gluten. Cast iron pots can also be a risk. If you toast GF bread, don't do it in the same toaster that everyone else uses. Either use a dedicated toaster that only you use, or use a toaster oven and lay a sheet of foil under your bread. The biggest risk by far is wheat flour, because it drifts everywhere.
You're very welcome,
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.
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
you are very welcome
take it a day at a time... its about progress not perfection
as you make the little changes with kitchen set up, ingredients for your meals etc improvements will come
on a side note, as you are celiac (and it is hereditary) have you considered making the household gluten free?
It takes alot of gluten and inflammation damage to the gut BEFORE celiac is traceable in blood tests. making some eating habits changes now could save your children from something like MC later in life.
take it a day at a time... its about progress not perfection
as you make the little changes with kitchen set up, ingredients for your meals etc improvements will come
on a side note, as you are celiac (and it is hereditary) have you considered making the household gluten free?
It takes alot of gluten and inflammation damage to the gut BEFORE celiac is traceable in blood tests. making some eating habits changes now could save your children from something like MC later in life.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
most things in MC world are 'it depends'
check the ingredients of your non dairy creamer - if it has safe ingredients and is not causing you issues, stick with it
ACV and Kombucha is a very individual thing (even for non MC'ers) listen to your body. if you have something and there is next to no symptoms - its a keeper!
with any new ingredient/item have a small amount, wait 24 hours and then have another small serve, wait 24 hours and have third small serve, if after the third small serve there are no major symptoms (gas, bloating, pain) or changes to to your poop it is a keeper
try one newish thing at a time... and leave a few days to a week inbetween trying new things so as not to overload the body with inflammation.
to help you and your family understand the inflammatory nature of gluten / dairy etc here are some recent articles/discussions
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22245
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ight=dairy
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8646/the ... dairy.html
check the ingredients of your non dairy creamer - if it has safe ingredients and is not causing you issues, stick with it
ACV and Kombucha is a very individual thing (even for non MC'ers) listen to your body. if you have something and there is next to no symptoms - its a keeper!
with any new ingredient/item have a small amount, wait 24 hours and then have another small serve, wait 24 hours and have third small serve, if after the third small serve there are no major symptoms (gas, bloating, pain) or changes to to your poop it is a keeper
try one newish thing at a time... and leave a few days to a week inbetween trying new things so as not to overload the body with inflammation.
to help you and your family understand the inflammatory nature of gluten / dairy etc here are some recent articles/discussions
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22245
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ight=dairy
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8646/the ... dairy.html
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
