So after the big D since May, finally got a colonoscopy and diagnosed with collagenous colitis. I have been reading and see that there are changes that need to be made. Although I know the logical place to start is diet, my approach is going to be to first quit smoking, once I am 6-8 weeks out on that limb, I will ween the caffeine. Then I will start the phase 1 diet and move forward from there.
I just want others opinions that this is the correct plan of attack. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance
Lauria
Just Diagnosed, smoker and coffee drinker
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
hi there Lauria
welcome to our group (our family) but sympathies that you had to find us.
my thoughts are - giving up smoking is a tough gig, mentally, emotionally etc and will be a big chemical change to your body. I would suggest doing some of the eating plan / lifestyle changes first, heal the gut a bit, fix some nutrient deficiencies that are common with MC (Like Vit D3, magnesium etc) and then when time is right approach giving up smoking. If you have had D since May, your body will need some nurturing before you embrace big changes.
dont have a set timetable of milestones, ie in 6 -8 weeks i will do next stage - listen to your body and make changes as you feel ready.
for now I would do some more reading here at the forum - for a reasonable amount of people with some diet changes they can have great improvement within a couple of months, there are some that it takes a bit longer.
the success stories area is a good place to read what others have done, how long it took
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=71
hope this helps
welcome to our group (our family) but sympathies that you had to find us.
my thoughts are - giving up smoking is a tough gig, mentally, emotionally etc and will be a big chemical change to your body. I would suggest doing some of the eating plan / lifestyle changes first, heal the gut a bit, fix some nutrient deficiencies that are common with MC (Like Vit D3, magnesium etc) and then when time is right approach giving up smoking. If you have had D since May, your body will need some nurturing before you embrace big changes.
dont have a set timetable of milestones, ie in 6 -8 weeks i will do next stage - listen to your body and make changes as you feel ready.
for now I would do some more reading here at the forum - for a reasonable amount of people with some diet changes they can have great improvement within a couple of months, there are some that it takes a bit longer.
the success stories area is a good place to read what others have done, how long it took
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=71
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 Lauria,
Welcome to our Internet family. I agree with Gabes. Stopping a long-term smoking habit is a known cause for the development of MC. Stopping smoking imposes a form of severe chemical (neurological) stress on the brain that is virtually guaranteed to prevent you from being able to control your MC symptoms (chronic stress is a primary trigger for MC). IOW, postponing stopping smoking until after your MC has been in stable remission for a while will make your recovery much, much easier.
I'm not saying that it can't be done, but trying to quit smoking while trying to recover from MC is my idea of trying to tackle 2 mutually exclusive goals at the same time. I would choose to control the MC first, and then after I feel comfortable with my remission, I would tackle the smoking issue.
But also be aware that while smoking has been shown to aggravate Crohn's disease, nicotine has been shown to actually treat ulcerative colitis. Nicotine patches are available for sale at pharmacies for that purpose (prescription only). No research has been published that offers conclusive evidence either way, for MC. IOW, for most patients it has no significant effect either pro or con.
Regarding caffeine — caffeine is a secretagogue, so that's why doctors recommend against it for MC patients. It can increase secretions from the stomach, pancreas, or other organs, but that's not necessarily always a bad thing. The bottom line is that if drinking a cup of coffee always sent you rushing for the bathroom before your MC developed, then it will continue to do so now, and if you're like most of us, you probably don't need any stimulants to encourage you to make an additional trip or 2 to the bathroom. If drinking coffee didn't cause you to immediately have to dash for the bathroom before your MC developed, then it probably won't cause any adverse effects now. Most of us here find that we are able to drink coffee (in reasonable amounts at least) without any undue problems.
Welcome aboard and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to our Internet family. I agree with Gabes. Stopping a long-term smoking habit is a known cause for the development of MC. Stopping smoking imposes a form of severe chemical (neurological) stress on the brain that is virtually guaranteed to prevent you from being able to control your MC symptoms (chronic stress is a primary trigger for MC). IOW, postponing stopping smoking until after your MC has been in stable remission for a while will make your recovery much, much easier.
I'm not saying that it can't be done, but trying to quit smoking while trying to recover from MC is my idea of trying to tackle 2 mutually exclusive goals at the same time. I would choose to control the MC first, and then after I feel comfortable with my remission, I would tackle the smoking issue.
But also be aware that while smoking has been shown to aggravate Crohn's disease, nicotine has been shown to actually treat ulcerative colitis. Nicotine patches are available for sale at pharmacies for that purpose (prescription only). No research has been published that offers conclusive evidence either way, for MC. IOW, for most patients it has no significant effect either pro or con.
Regarding caffeine — caffeine is a secretagogue, so that's why doctors recommend against it for MC patients. It can increase secretions from the stomach, pancreas, or other organs, but that's not necessarily always a bad thing. The bottom line is that if drinking a cup of coffee always sent you rushing for the bathroom before your MC developed, then it will continue to do so now, and if you're like most of us, you probably don't need any stimulants to encourage you to make an additional trip or 2 to the bathroom. If drinking coffee didn't cause you to immediately have to dash for the bathroom before your MC developed, then it probably won't cause any adverse effects now. Most of us here find that we are able to drink coffee (in reasonable amounts at least) without any undue problems.
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.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
i forgot to mention the coffee thing...
prior to my MC diagnosis i was drinking freshly brewed coffee with lactose free milk. Post MC diagnosis i migrated across to weak black coffee (again - organic freshly ground then brewed coffee)
Coffee does not affect my MC.
be cautious of some of the flavoured instant coffees as they can contain gluten
if you are using a diary based creamer in your coffee, consider swapping across to a MC friendly version and for now maybe reduce the coffee intake a bit. In line with what both Tex and I said, take it a step a time with the changes. go at the pace your body can handle.
prior to my MC diagnosis i was drinking freshly brewed coffee with lactose free milk. Post MC diagnosis i migrated across to weak black coffee (again - organic freshly ground then brewed coffee)
Coffee does not affect my MC.
be cautious of some of the flavoured instant coffees as they can contain gluten
if you are using a diary based creamer in your coffee, consider swapping across to a MC friendly version and for now maybe reduce the coffee intake a bit. In line with what both Tex and I said, take it a step a time with the changes. go at the pace your body can handle.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
We have a guidelines to recovery that has info for a good 'stage one' and 'stage two' eating plans that focus on minimal inflammation and optimise healing
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=79
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=79
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama