Hello all,
I am new here but have come to the forum time again for perusal, however I have decided I would like some advice from others if you would all be so kind.
I have had LC for 3 years now and have up until a few weeks ago had chronic water diarrhea. 2 weeks ago I was landed in the hospital for intense abdominal pain for which the doctors and blood/urine/xray/ultrasound had no answer for. As such my chronic watery diarrhea has gone completely away and I am now stuck with intense GERD going on 2 weeks straight, I feel nauseous, hoarse and dizzy.
Is this common for LC to change directions completely and what can I do to fix it ? My N.D. prescribed a diet which may help and my GI doc prescribed a PPI.
Cheers and thank you in advance,
Joel
22 Male, Lymphocitic Colitis Symptoms
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 Joel
welcome to the group and good on you for posting - sympathies that you had to find us
and sorry you have had harsh journey with the MC.
there are many here that have varying symptoms and issues with their MC. for some here, D is not the only or worst symptom.
I am one that chronic intense cramping pain was a common symptom for many years (long before there was any D issues) - to extent that i could not stand or if I was driving, i would have to pull over as the pain was too intense.
For those that did have pain, once they follow a low inflammation MC friendly eating plan, (ie removing major food triggers) the cramping pain goes away.
what can you do to fix it?
check out the posts and topic areas aimed at new people. The guidelines to recovery section has suggested eating plan, supplements etc.
the eating plan and taking key supplements like Vit D3 and magnesium will also resolve Gerd etc.
the hoarseness can be related to excess histamine issues - again very common for many here. low inflammaton / low histamine eating plan and lifestyle will help. so will the Vit D3 and magnesium, along with some other key nutrients.
Also spend some time reading posts in the members success stories area - here you will see what others have done, what worked, and how long it took.
hope this helps
welcome to the group and good on you for posting - sympathies that you had to find us
and sorry you have had harsh journey with the MC.
there are many here that have varying symptoms and issues with their MC. for some here, D is not the only or worst symptom.
I am one that chronic intense cramping pain was a common symptom for many years (long before there was any D issues) - to extent that i could not stand or if I was driving, i would have to pull over as the pain was too intense.
For those that did have pain, once they follow a low inflammation MC friendly eating plan, (ie removing major food triggers) the cramping pain goes away.
what can you do to fix it?
check out the posts and topic areas aimed at new people. The guidelines to recovery section has suggested eating plan, supplements etc.
the eating plan and taking key supplements like Vit D3 and magnesium will also resolve Gerd etc.
the hoarseness can be related to excess histamine issues - again very common for many here. low inflammaton / low histamine eating plan and lifestyle will help. so will the Vit D3 and magnesium, along with some other key nutrients.
Also spend some time reading posts in the members success stories area - here you will see what others have done, what worked, and how long it took.
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 Joel,
I can't add much to what Gabes has suggested but I want to welcome you to the forum. The PPI is a dangerous drug in that it has many major side effect issues that will cause you to eventually regret ever using it. In the U. S. it has black box warnings by the FDA for causing osteoporposis, bacterial infections (such as C.diff), chronic magnesium deficiency, serious kidney damage, etc. The worst part about PPIs is that they cause the very symptoms they are prescribed to treat. If you use them for a couple weeks or more your body will develop a dependence on them and when you try to wean off the PPI, you will have an acid rebound that is worse than it was originally.
The best way to handle GERD is to avoid the foods that cause acid reflux, such as tomato and other citric acid sources, chocolate, fried foods (grease), alcohol (especially red wine), black pepper, garlic and other spicy foods,caffeinated drinks, especially coffee and soda, and peppermint. Avoid eating at least a couple of hours before bedtime.
Never lie on your right side when in bed )this places the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) below the stomach, encouraging acid reflux if the LES does not remain tightly clinched at all times. Elevate the head of your bed a few inches with blocks if necessary.
And as Gabes says, most importantly, taking 8,000–10,000 IU of vitamin D and at least 300–400 mg of magnesium (or the topical equivalent) daily will help your immune system to heal the damage and stop your LES from spasming and allowing acid to backflow into your esophagus.
But you need to avoid using a PPI in order to do that because PPIs weaken the LES and guarantee that you will have a backflow/reflux problem. They work by neutralizing the acid so that you cannot feel it when it refluxes, but this weakens the LES because the weaker the acid on the backside of the LES, the less tightly the LES clinches. Pretty soon it loses so much of it's clinching strength that it leaks almost constantly.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
I can't add much to what Gabes has suggested but I want to welcome you to the forum. The PPI is a dangerous drug in that it has many major side effect issues that will cause you to eventually regret ever using it. In the U. S. it has black box warnings by the FDA for causing osteoporposis, bacterial infections (such as C.diff), chronic magnesium deficiency, serious kidney damage, etc. The worst part about PPIs is that they cause the very symptoms they are prescribed to treat. If you use them for a couple weeks or more your body will develop a dependence on them and when you try to wean off the PPI, you will have an acid rebound that is worse than it was originally.
The best way to handle GERD is to avoid the foods that cause acid reflux, such as tomato and other citric acid sources, chocolate, fried foods (grease), alcohol (especially red wine), black pepper, garlic and other spicy foods,caffeinated drinks, especially coffee and soda, and peppermint. Avoid eating at least a couple of hours before bedtime.
Never lie on your right side when in bed )this places the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) below the stomach, encouraging acid reflux if the LES does not remain tightly clinched at all times. Elevate the head of your bed a few inches with blocks if necessary.
And as Gabes says, most importantly, taking 8,000–10,000 IU of vitamin D and at least 300–400 mg of magnesium (or the topical equivalent) daily will help your immune system to heal the damage and stop your LES from spasming and allowing acid to backflow into your esophagus.
But you need to avoid using a PPI in order to do that because PPIs weaken the LES and guarantee that you will have a backflow/reflux problem. They work by neutralizing the acid so that you cannot feel it when it refluxes, but this weakens the LES because the weaker the acid on the backside of the LES, the less tightly the LES clinches. Pretty soon it loses so much of it's clinching strength that it leaks almost constantly.
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.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
likely significance to the LC - no
likely signficance to the GERD - yes
any person that has excessive vomitting is going to have damage to their oesophagus (both muscular and the inner surface/lining) the combo of that event ALONG with the excess inflammation that you had prior to the LC diagnosis the gerd symptoms now are an indicator of that your body is struggling to heal - for the body to heal you need Vit D3 and magnesium.
likely signficance to the GERD - yes
any person that has excessive vomitting is going to have damage to their oesophagus (both muscular and the inner surface/lining) the combo of that event ALONG with the excess inflammation that you had prior to the LC diagnosis the gerd symptoms now are an indicator of that your body is struggling to heal - for the body to heal you need Vit D3 and magnesium.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I midas well stop being so afraid and just ask away if you don't mind answering.
Sometimes like right now my pyloric sphincter I can feel is spasming, like a twitch but internally. Is this peculiar for LC ?
Another is that sometimes I get intense chills and some nausea out of the blue, is this too common ?
Joel
Sometimes like right now my pyloric sphincter I can feel is spasming, like a twitch but internally. Is this peculiar for LC ?
Another is that sometimes I get intense chills and some nausea out of the blue, is this too common ?
Joel
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
go for it Joel - we dont mind answering questions as we want to help people get better!
the spasming is not uncommon - a reaonable indicator of magneisum deficiency.
chills/nausea etc is also common. if you use the search function - you will see many discussions about nausea.
the spasming is not uncommon - a reaonable indicator of magneisum deficiency.
chills/nausea etc is also common. if you use the search function - you will see many discussions about nausea.
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 Joel,
I agree with Gabes that spasming of the pyloric sphincter is caused by a chronic magnesium deficiency. It's also a primary cause of delayed stomach emptying (gastroparesis) and therefore a primary cause of nausea, and it can obviously contribute to GERD issues. FWIW, I had major nausea and vomiting issues when my MC was active because back them (17 or 18 years ago) I didn't know anything about the importance of magnesium. Physicians never diagnose a magnesium deficiency. It isn't even on their radar.
One of the many functions of magnesium in the human body is to relax smooth muscle tissue (the pyloric spincter is mostly smooth muscle). So are the intestines. Without sufficient magnesium, muscles tend to contract and spasm instead of functioning properly. (Do you have leg or foot cramps while in bed at night?) That's due to magnesium deficiency. It happens as the body runs out of the magnesium that it absorbed from the last meal, and it doesn't have any reserves, so it pulls the last remaining magnesium out of the leg muscles to try to keep enough magnesium in the blood. (Because magnesium is a vital electrolyte and it's necessary to keep the heart beating, among other things). If you don't have leg cramps at night, you might not be magnesium deficient.
At least that's my opinion.
Tex
I agree with Gabes that spasming of the pyloric sphincter is caused by a chronic magnesium deficiency. It's also a primary cause of delayed stomach emptying (gastroparesis) and therefore a primary cause of nausea, and it can obviously contribute to GERD issues. FWIW, I had major nausea and vomiting issues when my MC was active because back them (17 or 18 years ago) I didn't know anything about the importance of magnesium. Physicians never diagnose a magnesium deficiency. It isn't even on their radar.
One of the many functions of magnesium in the human body is to relax smooth muscle tissue (the pyloric spincter is mostly smooth muscle). So are the intestines. Without sufficient magnesium, muscles tend to contract and spasm instead of functioning properly. (Do you have leg or foot cramps while in bed at night?) That's due to magnesium deficiency. It happens as the body runs out of the magnesium that it absorbed from the last meal, and it doesn't have any reserves, so it pulls the last remaining magnesium out of the leg muscles to try to keep enough magnesium in the blood. (Because magnesium is a vital electrolyte and it's necessary to keep the heart beating, among other things). If you don't have leg cramps at night, you might not be magnesium deficient.
At least that's my opinion.
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.
That's exactly the way I was when I had chronic magnesium deficiency. I thought I was getting diabetes, but it was just magnesium deficiency.
But if you feel as if you have interstitial cystitis, that's just another side effect of MC. Many of us have that issue when our MC is active. It resolves when we get our MC under control.
Tex
But if you feel as if you have interstitial cystitis, that's just another side effect of MC. Many of us have that issue when our MC is active. It resolves when we get our MC under control.
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.
The magnesium oil is a good idea if you can absorb enough of it. I'm not sure why you're taking the fish oil during the recovery stage, unless it's to treat heart or cardiovascular issues. It's a good supplement but be careful that you don't use too much of it because large doses can cause diarrhea (it's not a laxative — it acts as a lubricant).
Tex
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.
You have to be careful when following an ND's treatment advice. They have the best of intentions, but they usually believe that all IBDs respond to the same treatment regimen, and that's simply not true. MC is not as simple to treat as the other IBDs.
As a rule, ND's recommend way too many supplements. When treating MC, less is more. For example, probiotics are almost always counterproductive when treating MC. Even the American Gastroenterological Association Institute now recommends against the use of probiotics for the medical management of microscopic colitis. Prior to December of 2016 they recommended the use of probiotics. We've never recommended them because they sometimes prevent MC patients from being able to achieve remission.
The problem with taking so many supplements is that if you react to one or more of them (and most of us do), you will never be able to figure out which one is the problem because you are using so many unnecessary supplements.
Our goal is to stop the inflammation and heal the gut as quickly as possible, then we can spend some time sorting out nutritional balance issues later, after we are in remission. It's OK to take the essentials (such as magnesium and vitamin D3) but virtually all of the others are better left until after you are in remission. At least that's my opinion.
Tex
As a rule, ND's recommend way too many supplements. When treating MC, less is more. For example, probiotics are almost always counterproductive when treating MC. Even the American Gastroenterological Association Institute now recommends against the use of probiotics for the medical management of microscopic colitis. Prior to December of 2016 they recommended the use of probiotics. We've never recommended them because they sometimes prevent MC patients from being able to achieve remission.
The problem with taking so many supplements is that if you react to one or more of them (and most of us do), you will never be able to figure out which one is the problem because you are using so many unnecessary supplements.
Our goal is to stop the inflammation and heal the gut as quickly as possible, then we can spend some time sorting out nutritional balance issues later, after we are in remission. It's OK to take the essentials (such as magnesium and vitamin D3) but virtually all of the others are better left until after you are in remission. At least that's my opinion.
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.