Greetings all:
Thanks for letting me post on this site. I have been having on an off GI signs for over a year. It began with gradually increasingly soft stools, which I didn't think anything of, and has progressed. I have intermittent explosive diarrhea, but usually fairly normal stools. I have even "sharted" in my pants a couple of times. My main problems now are colonic (I think) pain and heartburn. The pain feels like it is in my transverse colon, and I often have upper left quadrant pain. Sometimes, I can feel a pulse in my left side, almost like a throbbing sore (like if it was on your skin it would throb). I have been on elimination diets, but I cannot seems to find a trigger. But my symptoms have subsided for weeks or months at a time. My latest flare started 5 months ago and I have had very few good days since.
Blood work completely normal (CBC, metabolic panel, lipase, thyroid, CRP), abdominal ultrasound and CT scan normal.
I had a normal colonoscopy in 2014 (no biopsies, just visual)
I have been on sertraline for 16 years (100 mg)
My latest bout started after traveling to France (where my GI was perfect), and taking fairly large doses of ibuprofen (600 mg several times a day for a couple of weeks).
Do these symptoms sound like they could be due to MC? I have an appointment with a GI specialist on Friday, and I am wondering how hard to push getting a colonoscopy/endoscopy.
New: 56 year old female, no dx yet, do symptoms fit?
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Hi,
Welcome to the group. With those symptoms and a history of NSAID and sertraline use, you almost surely have microscopic colitis.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to the group. With those symptoms and a history of NSAID and sertraline use, you almost surely have microscopic colitis.
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.
The symptoms can start slowly and get worse. For a year or two I thought that I was just getting the flu over and over again. Until finally the diarrhea started and wouldn't stop.
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.
Welcome! If you decide to do a colonoscopy MAKE SURE THEY GET MULTIPLE BIOPSIES. MC is diagnosed through the biopsies. Also make sure they have the Pathologists get mast cell counts. Biopsies and mast cell counts are not routinely done with colonoscopies.
Regardless of the results you are welcome to hang out with us. We have several members who don't have a medical diagnosis they just hang out with us.
Regardless of the results you are welcome to hang out with us. We have several members who don't have a medical diagnosis they just hang out with us.
Hello. Several years ago I had an accident at work in June. I had to leave to go home to change. I thought it was from too much ice cream that I had eaten at new student orientation at my son's college. In August the week he left for college the explosive D started and didn't stop. Luckily I was scheduled for a colonoscopy due to my age so it didn't take long until I received the diagnosis of Lymphocytic Colitis. To answer your question, yes, you can start and then be "normal" for a while until it rears its head again. Welcome to our group, it has been a lifesaver for me.
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
Should you be diagnosed with MC, as I was over a year ago, I would suggest that you look into Enterolab stool testing. Instead of going through an elimination diet on your own, you can find out via Enterolab, what foods you need to avoid, what you've developed antibodies to. It's not inexpensive but it was well worth it to me. The A1 and C1 panels are what many of us order.
Welcome to this forum. As Marci said, it has been a lifesaver.
Susan
Welcome to this forum. As Marci said, it has been a lifesaver.
Susan
Hi Tango,
I can look back and see times when I thought I had just eaten something that didn’t agree with me or that maybe I had a 24 virus, or felt excessively tired, were really mini-flares. Then the big one hit and didn’t stop. Waxing and waning actually makes sense.
I highly recommend the Enterolab tests, with or without a diagnosis of MC. For me it was a fast track to knowing what to eliminate and it took out a lot of guess work.
Welcome to the forum. You’ll find very sound guidance here. I certainly did.
Carol
I can look back and see times when I thought I had just eaten something that didn’t agree with me or that maybe I had a 24 virus, or felt excessively tired, were really mini-flares. Then the big one hit and didn’t stop. Waxing and waning actually makes sense.
I highly recommend the Enterolab tests, with or without a diagnosis of MC. For me it was a fast track to knowing what to eliminate and it took out a lot of guess work.
Welcome to the forum. You’ll find very sound guidance here. I certainly did.
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou