Laine,
I hear you. When MC is active, it creates new sources of stress, and amplifies most preexisting stress. So it can become virtually impossible to keep worries from dominating our mind at least part of the time. If necessary, set aside a time for worry each day, and concentrate on it then, so that you will have a logical reason for convincing your mind that it's not necessary to worry at other times, because you have a dedicated time set aside for worry. When MC is active, we have to sort of fly by the seat of our pants, and take life one day at a time. Every day we get through moves us one day closer to remission.
I totally agree that when cholestyramine is used as a regular treatment, in the long run, supplements are probably a good idea in order to maintain certain vitamins and minerals within acceptable ranges. But in an all-out, go-for-broke recovery program, I think I would skip all the trimmings for at least a week or so in order to maximize the chances of an early (or earlier) success. If you're eating meat and vegetables, then you're getting a lot of the nutrients you need from your diet. Just don't overdo the vegetables, because it's fairly easy to overdo the fiber without realizing it. Even if nutrient intake from your diet tends to fall behind, serious deficiencies are not going to develop overnight, so skipping (or skimping on) supplements for a week or so shouldn't cause any major changes in your overall nutrient availability.
IMO optimizing the timing of cholestyramine dosing (in relation to not only meds or supplements, but also meals) is the most important part of this equation. I would continue to take vitamin D, because D3 is the fuel that the immune system runs on, and since the immune system is in charge of healing, it's critically important to keep it in optimal operating condition in order to heal the intestines. Magnesium can be adequately maintained (at least for a while) with topical treatments. IMO the other supplements can wait until after remission.
I apologize for my slow response. I started this post over 4 hours ago, but it's been a busy day and I've had one interruption after another.
And yes, the vitamin patches Martha mentioned might be worth looking into if it takes a while to reach remission, because they do seem to work.
Tex
Need to vent
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Quick note before work...plus it's snowing here in Denver so the drive should be FUN!! I'm needing suggestions on keeping my weight up...can't lose anymore. Initial testing in 2011 was gluten 22, eggs 6, dairy 11, soy 10 if I remember correctly. Have always done eggs without issues I thought. Peanut butter didn't seem to be an issue either.
I cut my diet back so far this summer that I lost weight, lost hair, etc. Don't want that again. I seem to be able to do turkey, elk and lamb. Salmon seems ok. Would like to add some white fish.
Used to love my tapioca bagels (Against the Grain brand...no rice or dairy..) but wonder about tapioca..I guess I'm wondering what else I can eat if I'm not able to do rice or potatoes from my last round of testing. Do my peanut butter or not?? Have tried sunflower butter and will do some today.
I don't have a problem with meats/overcooked veggies...but I need more calories and if sugar in the form of a pop, canned fruit, etc is off the table then how can I maintain weight???? I need guidance and advice...have I grown intolerant of eggs over the years??
I'm not having diarrhea right now and haven't for awhile...take half or a whole immodium prn...my issues are me bloating/crazy churning guts...
Slept better last night after slathering myself with mag oil all day yesterday!!
I cut my diet back so far this summer that I lost weight, lost hair, etc. Don't want that again. I seem to be able to do turkey, elk and lamb. Salmon seems ok. Would like to add some white fish.
Used to love my tapioca bagels (Against the Grain brand...no rice or dairy..) but wonder about tapioca..I guess I'm wondering what else I can eat if I'm not able to do rice or potatoes from my last round of testing. Do my peanut butter or not?? Have tried sunflower butter and will do some today.
I don't have a problem with meats/overcooked veggies...but I need more calories and if sugar in the form of a pop, canned fruit, etc is off the table then how can I maintain weight???? I need guidance and advice...have I grown intolerant of eggs over the years??
I'm not having diarrhea right now and haven't for awhile...take half or a whole immodium prn...my issues are me bloating/crazy churning guts...
Slept better last night after slathering myself with mag oil all day yesterday!!
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
If I remember correctly immodium contains lactose and cornstarch. Could be causing the gas. Strangely, immodium made my MC worse.
Protein, protein to keep up weight.
Protein, protein to keep up weight.
Martha E.
Philippians 4:13
Jul 2008 took Clindamycin for a Sinus infection that forever changed my life
Dec 2014 MC Dx
Jul 15, 2015 Elimination Diet
Aug 17, 2015 Enterolab Test
Dec 2015 Reflux
Sept 2016 IC
Philippians 4:13
Jul 2008 took Clindamycin for a Sinus infection that forever changed my life
Dec 2014 MC Dx
Jul 15, 2015 Elimination Diet
Aug 17, 2015 Enterolab Test
Dec 2015 Reflux
Sept 2016 IC
Many of us (including me) have problems with tapioca for some unknown reason.Laine wrote:Used to love my tapioca bagels (Against the Grain brand...no rice or dairy..) but wonder about tapioca..I guess I'm wondering what else I can eat if I'm not able to do rice or potatoes from my last round of testing.
Laine wrote:Do my peanut butter or not??
Is almond butter or cashew butter an option? Many brands have risky ingredients (processed on equipment that may be contaminated), but there are safe brands available. The only truly safe brands I've found are these:https://www.amazon.com/Kevala-Almond-Bu ... it?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/Kevala-Cashew-Bu ... oding=UTF8
If you can tolerate ascorbic acid, you may be able to eat canned fruit in limited amounts, such as this:
https://www.delmonte.com/snacks/snack-s ... -100-juice
Canned, undiluted coconut milk is quite rich, and a good source of calories. But some brands contain gum, and some contain citric acid.
Can you tolerate corn? Farmers and ranchers fatten livestock by feeding them a ration consisting mostly of corn. But I had to avoid corn while I was recovering. Now I can tolerate it just fine. It's far safer to get to remission as fast as you can and then you can try adding foods to increase calorie intake. Adding foods during the recovery stage is very risky, because it can prevent remission. The more complex the diet, the greater the risk of failure.
Most of us gain weight (or reduce weight loss) by simply eating more of the foods that we know are safe. Adding additional foods is not an ideal way to add weight, because of the risks involved. Eating twice as much of the foods that you know are safe, doubles your calorie intake.
Martha is right on target about protein. Believe it or not, a 100 % meat diet is very healthy (if that's all you can safely eat, for example). You just have to eat enough of it, and make sure that it contains enough fat to cover the minimum fat requirements for good health.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
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.
Tex-
When I did the C1 panel this summer, NOTHING came up with none or 1+ reactivity, everything was a 2+ except rice being 3+. Corn was the least reactive, beef was the least reactive and Cashews the least reactive (almonds the most reactive).
So I had added some beef back into my life and have added a little cashew butter back. Just was wondering how people handled sunflower seed butter! That was a new one for me that I just grabbed at the store.
Vitamin patches are new to me....will have to investigate that. My problem with eating 5 meals a day is that I work full time as a physical therapist in a busy hospital..I'm lucky if I can just snack on something during patients and notes. That's why I had been doing a little peanut butter and a small cranberry juice...easy to grab and eat/drink while I was typing.
Again, thanks guys...I've been feeling better the past few days and will keep soldiering on with the diet thing.
Laine
When I did the C1 panel this summer, NOTHING came up with none or 1+ reactivity, everything was a 2+ except rice being 3+. Corn was the least reactive, beef was the least reactive and Cashews the least reactive (almonds the most reactive).
So I had added some beef back into my life and have added a little cashew butter back. Just was wondering how people handled sunflower seed butter! That was a new one for me that I just grabbed at the store.
Vitamin patches are new to me....will have to investigate that. My problem with eating 5 meals a day is that I work full time as a physical therapist in a busy hospital..I'm lucky if I can just snack on something during patients and notes. That's why I had been doing a little peanut butter and a small cranberry juice...easy to grab and eat/drink while I was typing.
Again, thanks guys...I've been feeling better the past few days and will keep soldiering on with the diet thing.
Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
Laine,
It's good to see that you're feeling better. What was your overall score on the C1 test results? That's the most important number. If it's relatively high (30–40 range or so), the 2+ foods may cause significant problems.
I've never tried sunflower seed, but some members seem to do OK with it. Probably not many members here have ever tried it.
Snacking time is definitely limited with your work schedule. We need to figure out some better snacks you could eat under those conditions — something like safe, home made elk jerky, for example. No one reacts to venison.
Or better yet, pemmican. Pemmican is a high-protein, high-energy food that's relatively easy to make and doesn't need refrigeration. You can make it on weekends and adjust the ingredients to suit your needs, and you can carry enough in a ziploc bag in your pocket to keep you going all day while at work.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-foo ... rz1509zbay
https://www.thepaleomom.com/recipe-pale ... a-caveman/
Maybe someone else has some good recipes.
Tex
It's good to see that you're feeling better. What was your overall score on the C1 test results? That's the most important number. If it's relatively high (30–40 range or so), the 2+ foods may cause significant problems.
I've never tried sunflower seed, but some members seem to do OK with it. Probably not many members here have ever tried it.
Snacking time is definitely limited with your work schedule. We need to figure out some better snacks you could eat under those conditions — something like safe, home made elk jerky, for example. No one reacts to venison.
Or better yet, pemmican. Pemmican is a high-protein, high-energy food that's relatively easy to make and doesn't need refrigeration. You can make it on weekends and adjust the ingredients to suit your needs, and you can carry enough in a ziploc bag in your pocket to keep you going all day while at work.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-foo ... rz1509zbay
https://www.thepaleomom.com/recipe-pale ... a-caveman/
Maybe someone else has some good recipes.
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
as quite a few of us have mentioned through this discussion - PROTEIN - and based on what you are currently eating, you are not having enough protein.My problem with eating 5 meals a day is that I work full time as a physical therapist in a busy hospital..I'm lucky if I can just snack on something during patients and notes. That's why I had been doing a little peanut butter and a small cranberry juice...easy to grab and eat/drink while I was typing.
there are loads of MC safe protein snacks that you can have with you at work. we mention these in the guidelines for recovery eating plan
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=79
I dont mean to sound harsh - this is said with love and support - your health wont change if you dont change - if you want to improve, then you have to make changes.
many here have juggled full time work, stressful jobs, travel with work and all sorts of personal issues, and the key to optimising wellness is lots of protein. I do cook ups on the wekeend so i have snacks and meals prepared for the week. My main meal of the day is breakfast, big serve of protein, this also helps to support me for busy work day.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Thanks Gabes...actually I think I am getting enough protein..have lots of meat daily...just everything else. Have just been eating the sweet potatoes like baked potatoes...maybe that is a problem..all other veggies have been cooked to death.
I know this sounds stupid but I think I am actually maybe overdoing the cholestyramine at this point and am constipated which is making me miserable. Have see sawed back and forth on this stuff since starting it with some other hormonal things going on too. So really, I havent had diarrhea in weeks..just rolling guts/bloating..I've been backing off on the dosage lately.
It's a process I know. I will keep working at it.
Laine
I know this sounds stupid but I think I am actually maybe overdoing the cholestyramine at this point and am constipated which is making me miserable. Have see sawed back and forth on this stuff since starting it with some other hormonal things going on too. So really, I havent had diarrhea in weeks..just rolling guts/bloating..I've been backing off on the dosage lately.
It's a process I know. I will keep working at it.
Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
Hi Hockey Mom,
Your snacks at work should be substantial to get enough calories. I agree with Gabes, try to have a pretty substantial breakfast. Maybe eat at home then eat some more in parking lot at work before you walk in the door.
I think Tex mentioned it is safer to safer
Your snacks at work should be substantial to get enough calories. I agree with Gabes, try to have a pretty substantial breakfast. Maybe eat at home then eat some more in parking lot at work before you walk in the door.
Some additional ideas in addition to the homemade jerky, pemmican, substantial amount of almond butter or cashew butter, hard boiled eggs, banana,I had been doing a little peanut butter and a small cranberry juice
I think Tex mentioned it is safer to safer
Laine,
I too have the rolling gut/extreme bloating going on. I think mine was started by drinking some holiday alcohol. I know better because it just sends my MC into a tizzy....not D, but the rolling gut and bloat.....I literally can open my mouth to put something in it and my whole gut gurgles, like it has a mind of its own rebelling against what I might be sending to it....I know, sounds nuts!!!!
I will go with what Gabes said saying my health won't change if I don't. I need to make better choices , I slipped up, now I suffer....only I can change that. I hope your gurgle and bloat subside soon....I feel your pain and it's miserable!!!!
Lou Ann
I too have the rolling gut/extreme bloating going on. I think mine was started by drinking some holiday alcohol. I know better because it just sends my MC into a tizzy....not D, but the rolling gut and bloat.....I literally can open my mouth to put something in it and my whole gut gurgles, like it has a mind of its own rebelling against what I might be sending to it....I know, sounds nuts!!!!
I will go with what Gabes said saying my health won't change if I don't. I need to make better choices , I slipped up, now I suffer....only I can change that. I hope your gurgle and bloat subside soon....I feel your pain and it's miserable!!!!Lou Ann
Laine,
Yes, you're probably right about the cholestyramine. The dose has to be be regulated to suit your needs.
You're on the right track for recovery, I believe, but here's some "Food for Thought" to illustrate why we are so "pro-protein" for recovery diets.
We are taught from infancy that we have to eat a balanced diet. We grew up with the government's (USDA) infamous Food Pyramid, which is the main reason why allergies and many diseases are on the increase today. The food pyramid recommended vast amounts of grains (carbs) in the diet. So our doctors, Hollywood celebrities, and virtually all other health "experts" parroted the same misinformation and hammered it into our brains. So it's no wonder that our diet priorities became so convoluted. We're creatures of habit, so we develop eating habits that become second nature, and therefore difficult to change.
But guess what? Carbs are the one thing in our diet that humans can do totally without and still remain perfectly healthy. Protein and fat are essential diet components, but carbs are truly superfluous. Carbs (and especially grains) are a cheap source of energy, and as is always the case, we get what we pay for. Cheap energy comes with a cost to our long-term health.
Getting our energy from protein and fat avoids those problems. Eating too much protein and fat (in combination) has few disadvantages, and no major consequences (except improved health), but eating too many carbs has jeopardized the health of millions and millions of people. Protein is essential for healing damaged tissue. Fat is a much safer source of energy than carbs. What do carbs have to offer? They make people and animals fat, they disrupt blood sugar and other metabolic processes in the body, and they are loaded with lectins and other antinutrients that not only interfere with digestion and promote inflammation, but they are also capable of causing increased intestinal permeability.
So you're not really missing anything worthwhile by not being able to eat grains. But my point here is that while it's true that many vegetables are generally good, nutritious additions to anyone's diet, they are by no means essential/indispensable. And they are not free of liabilities. Overdoing carbs (even when exclusively from vegetables) during recovery, has thwarted the success of some otherwise well-designed recovery programs, because of the fiber in vegetables, and also because of the various lectins and antinutrients in vegetables. So during recovery, the fewer carbs in our diet, the more likely we are to achieve remission success, and the sooner we are likely to accomplish that goal.
Please don't think that you are eating too much protein. Look at it this way — protein heals, while carbs disrupt healing and promote inflammation. After we are in remission we can better tolerate the antinutrients found in various carb sources, but during recovery it's helpful to minimize those issues. If you need to see further evidence, I'll be happy to share detailed information (supported by medical research references) about the detrimental effects of the various classes of antinutrients and how they make us vulnerable to the development of MC or other IBDs. I'm currently working on the chapter that discusses these issues in Edition II of Microscopic Colitis.
Tex
Yes, you're probably right about the cholestyramine. The dose has to be be regulated to suit your needs.
You're on the right track for recovery, I believe, but here's some "Food for Thought" to illustrate why we are so "pro-protein" for recovery diets.
We are taught from infancy that we have to eat a balanced diet. We grew up with the government's (USDA) infamous Food Pyramid, which is the main reason why allergies and many diseases are on the increase today. The food pyramid recommended vast amounts of grains (carbs) in the diet. So our doctors, Hollywood celebrities, and virtually all other health "experts" parroted the same misinformation and hammered it into our brains. So it's no wonder that our diet priorities became so convoluted. We're creatures of habit, so we develop eating habits that become second nature, and therefore difficult to change.
But guess what? Carbs are the one thing in our diet that humans can do totally without and still remain perfectly healthy. Protein and fat are essential diet components, but carbs are truly superfluous. Carbs (and especially grains) are a cheap source of energy, and as is always the case, we get what we pay for. Cheap energy comes with a cost to our long-term health.
Getting our energy from protein and fat avoids those problems. Eating too much protein and fat (in combination) has few disadvantages, and no major consequences (except improved health), but eating too many carbs has jeopardized the health of millions and millions of people. Protein is essential for healing damaged tissue. Fat is a much safer source of energy than carbs. What do carbs have to offer? They make people and animals fat, they disrupt blood sugar and other metabolic processes in the body, and they are loaded with lectins and other antinutrients that not only interfere with digestion and promote inflammation, but they are also capable of causing increased intestinal permeability.
So you're not really missing anything worthwhile by not being able to eat grains. But my point here is that while it's true that many vegetables are generally good, nutritious additions to anyone's diet, they are by no means essential/indispensable. And they are not free of liabilities. Overdoing carbs (even when exclusively from vegetables) during recovery, has thwarted the success of some otherwise well-designed recovery programs, because of the fiber in vegetables, and also because of the various lectins and antinutrients in vegetables. So during recovery, the fewer carbs in our diet, the more likely we are to achieve remission success, and the sooner we are likely to accomplish that goal.
Please don't think that you are eating too much protein. Look at it this way — protein heals, while carbs disrupt healing and promote inflammation. After we are in remission we can better tolerate the antinutrients found in various carb sources, but during recovery it's helpful to minimize those issues. If you need to see further evidence, I'll be happy to share detailed information (supported by medical research references) about the detrimental effects of the various classes of antinutrients and how they make us vulnerable to the development of MC or other IBDs. I'm currently working on the chapter that discusses these issues in Edition II of Microscopic Colitis.
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.
Lou Ann,
Yes, alcohol is claimed (by medical researchers) to be the number 1 cause of leaky gut.
I hope those symptoms will resolve soon.
Tex
Yes, alcohol is claimed (by medical researchers) to be the number 1 cause of leaky gut.
I hope those symptoms will resolve soon.
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.