HI! I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robin and I was diagnosed about a year ago with MC. I was put on an anti-inflamatory drug called Apriso (anyone else taking this? I didn't see it listed in the newbie topics.) I also took Endocort for about 2 months. I went gluten free after looking on line and doing some reading and have been GF for about a year now. With this regiment I went from spending the first 6 hours of my day in the bathroom to feeling like it was manageable only having to be in the house for the first hour or so. However, I have not had a normal BM ("norman?") in about 5 years.It's always loose and explosive. Prior to the MC diagnosis, I had C-Diff 5 years ago. That was horrendous and probably contributed to the MC. I was lucky that the vancomycin antibiotic worked and I have not had a recurrence of the C-Diff to date. I also have diverticulitis so it makes my eating choices even harder.
I stumbled upon this website tonight and wish I had found it earlier. I seem to be having a relapse with much worse diarrhea
and was trying to figure out how to manage my MC through diet. I look forward to having a support group and learning from those who have been successful with a change in diet. :)
I'm a Newbie...
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hello Robin,
Welcome to our Internet family. There are additional diet changes that you may need to make to get into good stable remission. Since you don't know what foods are causing the problem, you may need to adopt a simple, bland diet for a few weeks in order to allow the inflammation to fade away and your intestines heal. Then you can test foods one at a time as you reintroduce them into your diet. All dairy products are off limits for most of us. At least half of us are sensitive to soy and/or eggs. Normal amounts of fiber or sugar will almost surely be too much while your gut is inflamed.
Foods that are safe for everyone include turkey and lamb, and any wild meat such as venison, duck, goose, rabbit, etc. Peel and overcook small servings of vegetables such as carrots, squash, potatoes or sweet potatoes, etc. Fruit should be avoided during recovery in order to minimize fiber and sugar, except that raw bananas can usually be tolerated. Non-essential vitamin supplements and other supplements should be discontinued during recovery because many of them contain additives that may trigger MC. If you will do this it will get you to remission in the shortest amount of time.
Again, welcome aboard and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to our Internet family. There are additional diet changes that you may need to make to get into good stable remission. Since you don't know what foods are causing the problem, you may need to adopt a simple, bland diet for a few weeks in order to allow the inflammation to fade away and your intestines heal. Then you can test foods one at a time as you reintroduce them into your diet. All dairy products are off limits for most of us. At least half of us are sensitive to soy and/or eggs. Normal amounts of fiber or sugar will almost surely be too much while your gut is inflamed.
Foods that are safe for everyone include turkey and lamb, and any wild meat such as venison, duck, goose, rabbit, etc. Peel and overcook small servings of vegetables such as carrots, squash, potatoes or sweet potatoes, etc. Fruit should be avoided during recovery in order to minimize fiber and sugar, except that raw bananas can usually be tolerated. Non-essential vitamin supplements and other supplements should be discontinued during recovery because many of them contain additives that may trigger MC. If you will do this it will get you to remission in the shortest amount of time.
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.
Welcome. Sorry you're here but you're in the right place. These people know of what they speak. :)
Sue
Sue
Sue
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Thanks Tex,
I already feel better having a support group that understands my problems! I was wondering about the medication that my doctor has had me on for the last year- Apriso. It's an anti-inflammatory. I take 4 pills every morning. Should I also stop taking that or taper off, a pill at a time over a period of weeks?
also, no coffee? :(
Robin
I already feel better having a support group that understands my problems! I was wondering about the medication that my doctor has had me on for the last year- Apriso. It's an anti-inflammatory. I take 4 pills every morning. Should I also stop taking that or taper off, a pill at a time over a period of weeks?
also, no coffee? :(
Robin
Hi Robin,
If the Apriso is helping to mask the symptoms you may want to continue taking it, to make life more pleasant while the diet changes are healing your intestines, but if it's not helping, or if you don't want to take a med when it's not essential, stopping it won't interfere with healing. IOW the Apriso treats the symptoms (treats the inflammation), not the problem causing the symptoms. The diet changes will stop the inflammation from being regenerated, thus allowing the gut to heal. You can taper if you want, but it's not essential. There are no side effects to stopping cold turkey. That only applies to ending a corticosteroid treatment. Tapering will allow you to see at what point it stops helping to mask the symptoms (if it helps), but if that doesn't matter, it's irrelevant.
If coffee caused you to promptly need to go the bathroom before MC, then it will continue to do so, only more urgently. If it didn't bother you before MC, then it usually doesn't make make much difference after MC. Anything that you add to the coffee will be more important than the coffee itself in this case. Most so-called non-dairy coffee creamers for example, contain casein, and should be avoided if you are sensitive to casein. Real sugar, coconut milk, almond milk, etc., are much safer choices.
Tex
If the Apriso is helping to mask the symptoms you may want to continue taking it, to make life more pleasant while the diet changes are healing your intestines, but if it's not helping, or if you don't want to take a med when it's not essential, stopping it won't interfere with healing. IOW the Apriso treats the symptoms (treats the inflammation), not the problem causing the symptoms. The diet changes will stop the inflammation from being regenerated, thus allowing the gut to heal. You can taper if you want, but it's not essential. There are no side effects to stopping cold turkey. That only applies to ending a corticosteroid treatment. Tapering will allow you to see at what point it stops helping to mask the symptoms (if it helps), but if that doesn't matter, it's irrelevant.
If coffee caused you to promptly need to go the bathroom before MC, then it will continue to do so, only more urgently. If it didn't bother you before MC, then it usually doesn't make make much difference after MC. Anything that you add to the coffee will be more important than the coffee itself in this case. Most so-called non-dairy coffee creamers for example, contain casein, and should be avoided if you are sensitive to casein. Real sugar, coconut milk, almond milk, etc., are much safer choices.
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.
vitamins
Hi Tex,
I also have osteopenia and need to take a calcium supplement with vitamin D, especially if I am cutting out the yogurt for now. What do you recommend I take for calcium and vitamin D?
I also just ordered the book Microscopic Colitis: What really causes Microscopic colitis, Celiac disease, and other autoimmune. I am looking forward to reading it. :)
Robin
I also have osteopenia and need to take a calcium supplement with vitamin D, especially if I am cutting out the yogurt for now. What do you recommend I take for calcium and vitamin D?
I also just ordered the book Microscopic Colitis: What really causes Microscopic colitis, Celiac disease, and other autoimmune. I am looking forward to reading it. :)
Robin
Well, actually, I don't recommend any calcium supplements for anyone. Taking calcium without taking magnesium can be dangerous. Your diet almost surely has enough calcium already; your body is just unable to use it. You just need vitamin D to absorb it and magnesium to transport it to your bone cells. Most doctors misunderstand this process and so they mistreat their patients. Have you ever heard of anyone who actually improved their osteopenia/osterporosis condition by following their doctors orders to take calcium?
To learn the details of how it all works, please download the following short digital book and read chapters 2 and 3, about magnesium and diabetes. It's free of charge.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/665808
You can also get the book from Amazon in either printed or digital form, but they charge for it even though the royalty is zero.
If you should decide to take a calcium supplement anyway, please be sure to take enough magnesium with it, otherwise it will only unnecessarily increase your cardiovascular risk in the future. Calcium and magnesium are both electrolytes. They both regulate the way your heart performs. A severe deficiency or major excess blood level of either one can be fatal. Excess calcium in food, does not pose a risk, but calcium supplements can be deadly if you don't have enough magnesium to get the excess out of your blood, when the level gets too high. This has been verified by research.
Breast Cancer and Heart Attacks: A Deadly Side Effect of Calcium Supplements?
Tex
To learn the details of how it all works, please download the following short digital book and read chapters 2 and 3, about magnesium and diabetes. It's free of charge.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/665808
You can also get the book from Amazon in either printed or digital form, but they charge for it even though the royalty is zero.
If you should decide to take a calcium supplement anyway, please be sure to take enough magnesium with it, otherwise it will only unnecessarily increase your cardiovascular risk in the future. Calcium and magnesium are both electrolytes. They both regulate the way your heart performs. A severe deficiency or major excess blood level of either one can be fatal. Excess calcium in food, does not pose a risk, but calcium supplements can be deadly if you don't have enough magnesium to get the excess out of your blood, when the level gets too high. This has been verified by research.
Breast Cancer and Heart Attacks: A Deadly Side Effect of Calcium Supplements?
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
welcome Robin
via the info in Tex's book, and reading the posts here that are aimed at new people, you will learn lots of things that will help a multitude of health issues/symptoms etc.
another good area to read through is the member success stories area - this is where you can see what others have done, what worked, how long it took etc.
take your time... there is no quick fix, and figuring out your MC management plan is a learning experience, we learn as we go.
via the info in Tex's book, and reading the posts here that are aimed at new people, you will learn lots of things that will help a multitude of health issues/symptoms etc.
another good area to read through is the member success stories area - this is where you can see what others have done, what worked, how long it took etc.
take your time... there is no quick fix, and figuring out your MC management plan is a learning experience, we learn as we go.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Welcome Robin,
The 'Sticky' area has some great posts to start with, and may answer lots of questions
I am 2 years into healing with LC....there is a 'new normal' out there and you will find yours
Cheers
Erica
The 'Sticky' area has some great posts to start with, and may answer lots of questions
I am 2 years into healing with LC....there is a 'new normal' out there and you will find yours
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
Hi, Robin. Welcome to our internet family. I am four years into healing with LC. This is the best group around and their advice and support have truly helped me to get my life back. Search the forums, read Tex's book, ask questions and before you know it you'll be giving advice to newbies!
Marcia
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My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style. - M. Angelou
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My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style. - M. Angelou
Hi Robin,
After taking calcium supplements for decades. Citrical--I've moved into another direction.
I'm drinking two glasses of almond milk per day. I drink one large bottle glass of San Pellegrino sparkling water a day.
The two glasses of almond milk=90% daily value
The entire bottle of San Pellegrino=12% daily value
I have a little bit of coconut milk yogurt (plain) here and there.
My recycling tote has 7 bottles of San Pellegrino in it every Monday.
After taking calcium supplements for decades. Citrical--I've moved into another direction.
I'm drinking two glasses of almond milk per day. I drink one large bottle glass of San Pellegrino sparkling water a day.
The two glasses of almond milk=90% daily value
The entire bottle of San Pellegrino=12% daily value
I have a little bit of coconut milk yogurt (plain) here and there.
My recycling tote has 7 bottles of San Pellegrino in it every Monday.