Corn? Are you shi**ing me?

al · Post by al » Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:55 am

I just suffered a "code brown" accident while walking into the ice rink to play hockey. It was a horrible mess!!!!

What came out was the can of corn I'd eaten 9 hours prior to the poop explosion. I chose to eat canned corn because of the suggestions on this forum. Does anyone have any feedback on why this would go through my GI tract so quickly? I've never had an experience like this. I've been gluten, dairy, and soy free since I joined this forum 2 weeks ago!!! Any thoughts? Thank you! Al

Post by **tex** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 11:08 am

Al,

Someone here suggested eating canned corn? We often suggest corn chips, or tortillas, or other forms of ground corn, or masa, but whole corn is kinda difficult to digest. I hope it wasn't me. What did you eat besides the corn? When you have a reaction, the corn is naturally going to come out along with everything else, because when the entric nervous system gives the order to purge, everything in the gut must go. The corn is most recognizable because humans cannot digest the pericarp of corn, so it appears as if the entire kernels are still undigested in bowel movements. However, if the corn pericarp integrity has been compromised by a crack or any other opening, everything inside was probably digested. So despite the fact that the presence of the corn's hulls in the "mix" was so obvious, it may just be an innocent bystander that got caught in an incident for which it was not responsible.

That may have just been a random reaction due to whole corn being hard to digest. Two weeks is not anywhere near long enough to bring stable remission in most cases. In most cases, our gut has to have more time to heal.

Or on the other hand, it's possible that you may react to corn. It's not a very common food sensitivity, but it's not rare, either. I had to avoid all traces of corn and corn derivatives when I was recovering, and that's tough to do, because corn and its derivatives are in almost everything.

I'm sorry that happened, but your unfortunate experience brings back "fond" memories for many of us of our own "accidents" when we were recovering. Hopefully you can track down what really caused that reaction. If it was indeed corn, I believe that Jean has compiled a long list of corn derivatives and ingredients that have to be avoided.

Tex

Post by **tex** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 7:44 pm

Ai,

I forgot to mention in my last post that canned corn (which is actually a processed form of fresh corn) differs significantly from the types of corn products that we can tolerate because of the sugar content. As corn is growing, the material (endosperm) inside the pericarp is primarily a form of sugar, so fresh or canned corn has a very high sugar content. As the kernel matures and dries, all of the sugar is converted into starch (because the plant considers it to be food that the germ can use when it germinates to form a new plant. The conversion takes place because starch stores/ages much better than sugar. Then when the germ emerges into a new seedling, as soon as the germination begins, an enzyme is released to convert the starch back into simple sugars (because the seedling can feed on the sugars much more easily — it's predigested).

So anyway, you may have had a reaction that was prompted by too much sugar. The corn products that we can tolerate are all made from mature corn (starch), not fresh corn (which is loaded with sugar). Because it has to be digested (split into simple sugars) before it can be used by the body, mature corn kernels don't provide the sugar rush of fresh corn.

I hope that this is helpful.

Tex

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:43 pm

Hi Al,
I’m sorry you had to deal with that. I can’t discuss it at the same level as Tex but I thought I’d throw in that when I was in my first big flare, I also had to give up sugar, fat, anything acidic, caffeine, and any fiber, in addition to gluten, dairy and soy. Often it wasn’t one thing but a combination of irritants that caused a reaction- my gut was just ridiculously hypersensitive to so many things. Even seasonal allergies, fatique, or strenuous exercise could be triggers. Keeping a food log was very helpful in exposing any trends that initiated a gut problems.
The good news is now I can have a little sugar, caffeine and fiber but before remission all of those things, alone or together, could cause me grief.

Best of luck-
Carol

al · Post by al » Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:24 am

Thanks to you all for your feedback. This is just so complicated and individually oriented. As a general surgeon, I'm so used to researching and getting my information from truly reliable, scientific/peer-reviewed sources. now I'm having to adjust to relying on anecdotal information. And it's so complicated, and it takes so long to see results, and what works for you may not work for me! Going gluten-free at my age is not easy. And, now I need to avoid dairy, sugar, soy, and so many other items??? This is really tough, man! Oh, and it may take months to years before I start healing and having normal poops?

I'm just venting here because I can and you all are so helpful...

It seems to me that the biggest adjustment I need to make is mental; and dietary!!

Pam V · Post by **Pam V** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:58 am

...hey, I hear you, Al. It is tough. Try really hard not to think about the things that you can't eat or it is just too depressing. Find your basic safe foods - I'm 8 months in to this journey and most days I eat safe protein/rice/baked potato/sweet potato for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will eat some steamed vegetables and occasionally sneak a piece of lettuce. I eat a lot of bananas and a few times a week will enjoy (thoroughly enjoy) Justin's Almond Maple Butter and Rice Cakes. I will have a glass of wine on the weekend (I like Fit Vine - lower in sugar and sulfites). I have travelled to New York City successfully by eating salmon/baked potato at every restaurant I went to and getting a little fridge in my room where I kept some ground bison and rice.

...I miss the freedom of being able to order a piece of pizza and a Coke if I wanted to but I feel pretty good. I am tapering off Budesonide, brain fog has lifted, mood is good, I'm gaining some weight back. Many members have posted some recipes that I look forward to trying as a treat (Erica's Sugar Cookies!). Life is good. I don't miss a lot of the things that I wept about earlier. I think as you feel better, giving up gluten won't be that awful.

Hang in there!

Pam

al · Post by al » Thu Jan 11, 2018 10:19 am

Thanks, Pam. That helps!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 6:20 pm

It seems to me that the biggest adjustment I need to make is mental; and dietary!!

Yep and once you do the mental and emotional work, the other stuff (dietary and supps etc) is easier

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:42 pm

Al, Welcome to the board. Do you have Tex's book? He has his material footnoted throughout so you can do further research. It is the only book written on microscopic colitis. Link is top right hand corner.

We also have good information on our foundation website. Link is top middle. We are working on grants/fundraising for research.

For foods early on think "unprocessed" and "plain."

Protein, overcooked veggie and potato or rice is a good way to go. It takes a lot of protein to get into remission.

I am now again in remission from a reflare 18 months ago and my boyfriend and I are eating really good.

Most of us get health improvements once we get our diet and MC under control as our MC diet is low inflammation.

Prior to MC I had a lot of aches and pains--knee pain, hand pain, wrist pain etc. Now I live pain free with consistent energy throughout the day.

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:50 pm

HI Al,

I commend you for allowing yourself to befriend this forum...you are a surgeon and come from a medical world, and I'm sure reading things here make you shake your head...a lot. I am comforted that you are here, learning like a lot of us are, you have a strong mind and you are allowing it to reach beyond the known, I know you will overcome this gut syndrome because so many here have learned how to live and let heal including myself. The mental aspect of this has taken a really a hard toll on me as well....but I am managing and finally making my way to a better place

I hope you share your findings here with other like minded friends in your area. I didn't understand how to deal with my diagnosis of LC until I jumped right in with the offerings from this site and the newly created microscopiccolitisfoundation.org

I have more to learn, and I am doing so much better...but it has been a 2 year almost three pretty soon, journey of healing...so prepare yourself and accept how ever long it may take because the other side of not feeling well is feeling incredibly well

Hugs
Erica

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:06 pm

Yes, changing your diet completely is extremely difficult and depressing. At first I tried to adjust my favorite recipes to the new gluten free, soy free, dairy free, egg free reality and the results were disappointing to catastrophic. Many went directly into the garbage. Eventually, I began a modified Paleo diet and concentrated on making that work. Together with budesinide, I finally achieved remission after 2 years. This Board and Tex played a very major part in figuring out what to do and how to do it.

Now, about 4 years into remission, I remain on the modified Paleo diet that I started with. Eating while away from home can be a big problem and I’ve found that it’s better to go hungry than eat something I know will make me feel sick. I ate an ear of fresh corn last summer and was sick the next day. Never again. This past week at a funeral out of town my lunch and dinner consisted of my homemade Paleo muffins that I brought with me. There wasn’t one thing that I could eat at either meal. I am determined to stay well and would rather go hungry than eat something containing gluten or that I’m unsure of.

Sheila W

Remain positive and find foods that you enjoy that work for you.

Tor · Post by **Tor** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:32 pm

As a general surgeon, I'm so used to researching and getting my information from truly reliable, scientific/peer-reviewed sources. now I'm having to adjust to relying on anecdotal information.

I have a collection of a couple of hundred peer reviewed papers on MC, and there’s really not that big a difference between the peer reviewed stuff and the information on this site. The peer reviewed stuff mostly presents this view:

«The cause of MC is unknown, but it is believed that a luminal agent triggers an uncontrolled immunologic response in the mucosa of genetically predisposed individuals. [...] On a scientific level, continuous epidemiologic studies should be encouraged not only to monitor incidence data but also to focus on environmental factors, such as drugs, infections, or food that might play a pathogenic role." http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2013.12.026

One of the authors of the article cited above, Andreas Münch, is head of the European Microscopic Colits Group, and he is one of the more prominent researchers on MC.

There’s really not that much more passing through the lumen than food and drink, drugs, bacteria, virus and bile. And it has been shown that the bile acid malabsorption is secondary to the inflammation. When it comes to the role of gluten, there actually are some peer reviewed articles. One of the most compelling is this: https://www.nature.com/articles/ajg2000504. But there are definitively more evidence, and the incidence of MC in celiacs is 50 times the general population.

I don't think it's controversial to go down the food route, and neither does my gastroenterologist. But nothing beats success as an argument.

—Tor

jlbattin · Post by **jlbattin** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 3:55 pm

Going gluten, dairy, and soy free in an otherwise gluten, diary, and soy world is very difficult! But, after having done this for a couple of years now, I can't imagine life any other way! I feel so much better than I ever have.

You do have to get in the right mindset and that does take a little bit of work. I had to change my attitude from "live to eat" to "eat to live" and I found that it was much easier!

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:10 pm

Hi Al- one more random thought. While you are clearing the gluten, etc out of your diet be aware of products that could be cross contaminated. For example- I ate almond butter regularly but then the manufacturer changed their process and my almond butter was made on shared equipment with soy products. That was enough to create problems for me. To this day I will not eat anything made on shared equipment (especially with wheat or soy).
Just think of cooking simply- a lean roast with carrots and potatoes, roast chicken with white rice and squash or green beans. Once you know what you can tolerate it gets better. Use spices and herbs too. It doesn’t have to be bland. Flavorful food does improve a person’s mood, in my experience.

Carol

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:49 pm

Hi Al, sorry for you're experience. I've had a series of flashbacks in my mind of similar experiences and it is truly awful. I hope you were just entering the rink and not the ice in full pads. My husband played hockey and the pure bulkiness of the gear would be a nightmare in that situation.

I hope you have luck figuring out what your safe foods are. It's frustrating but it is a Godsend to be able read others experiences and have ideas of what to try next.