Colonoscopy and Endoscopy on Monday

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:10 pm

Hi Everyone,

I have had chronic diarrhea for yrs. My first colonoscopy doc told me he found nothing. However that one was done when I turned 50 and now I wonder if he did the necessary biopsies done.

I am going to a different doc this time, one that is well versed in allergies and told me to get allergy tested after meeting me in the ER with food impaction one night. Sure enough, Wheat allergy which I did quit and now I don't' choke anymore thankfully.

I was on Zoloft off and on for yrs and recently weaned off (3 days ago) when I read about the possible link.

I also have hashimotos and psoriasis so I think I am a shoe in for MC.

It will at least be nice to have a diagnosis. I asked my hubby yesterday, what if I have it? what will I do? He laughed and reminded me that if I have it I have been living w/ it for the past 4 yrs. LOL

since I lost my first hubby to brain cancer, I have to keep that in perspective that nothing is that big of a deal as far as this goes.

Thanks for reading.

Sheila in Wisconsin

tasmtairy · Post by **tasmtairy** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:24 am

Hey Sheila, best of luck with your colonoscopy. I don't even know if biopsies are taken with routine colonoscopies. I'm glad I was able to tell the PA at my GI's office of my history of diarrhea and other problems, of course I left there with a High Fiber diet and dx with IBSD

A month later had the colonoscopy, "your colon looks great", because of biopsies a week later was called to say I had MC.

Post by **tex** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:53 am

Hi Sheila,

Welcome to the group. Your husband is very perceptive, and he is right on target. This disease is for life, but we can either fight it and suffer, or we can embrace it and learn how to control it so that it doesn't control our lives. And it can be controlled without the use of expensive drugs. You will probably find that as you begin to control the MC symptoms by cleaning up your diet, other issues, such as psoriasis, will also gradually fade away as the inflammation level declines. The reduced inflammation will help to prevent the development of additional autoimmune diseases, and it will also add years to your life, while improving your quality of life.

Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Sun Jul 29, 2018 4:05 pm

Thanks Tex!

Also my colonoscopy won't be routine as that was the one at 50. This one is specially for the diarrhea with biopsies, I bleive he said 4 in the colon and also some in the esophagus.

Tex, I was a compulsive overeater for years so diet probably won't be a problem to clean up. Over 9 yrs ago I lost 100 lbs and have kept it off and am in a normal sized body! I am sugar and gluten free and i do weigh and measure my food.

A normal day is:

1 oz of oatmeal 6 oz cottage cheese 6 milk and 2 oz banana Lunch and super the same with 3 oz protein (beef usually or cheese 1 1/2 oz), 3 oz white rice 1 tablespoon butter 16 oz raw veggies, i love tomatoes, carrots, and healthy green v8 mix.

what do you see as problem? raw veggies? milk products (dairy) and my 2 cups of coffee? this could be hard.... hmmm

thank you Tex!

Post by **tex** » Sun Jul 29, 2018 5:26 pm

Sheila wrote:what do you see as problem? raw veggies? milk products (dairy) and my 2 cups of coffee? this could be hard.... hmmm

OK, this is just based on probabilities, so it would need to be confirmed or ruled out by a stool test from EnteroLab before it could be considered a fact, but here are my thoughts:

Almost all of us are sensitive to oats. The avenin in oats is very similar to the gluten in wheat, it's just a weaker protein, so it sometimes takes longer to develop a sensitivity to it.

Milk, cheese, and butter are loaded with casein, and about two-thirds of us are sensitive to casein. Some people who are sensitive to casein are able to eat ghee (clarified butter), but the problem is that it is not usually completely free of casein and we generally react to trace amounts.

While we are reacting (while our gut is inflamed) we cannot tolerate raw vegetables. We have to avoid raw vegetables and significant amounts of fiber until we have been in stable remission long enough for our intestines to have been able to at least begin healing.

If coffee didn't send you straight to the bathroom before MC, then it will probably be OK after MC. You might need to avoid it during the recovery period, but even if it bothers you during recovery, it will probably be OK after you are in remission, at least that's what most of us find to be true. Don't use creamers in your coffee because they all contain derivatives of casein (even so-called non-dairy creamers). Use sugar (no artificial sweeteners), coconut milk, almond milk, etc.

And finally, most of us cannot tolerate the citric acid in tomatoes while we are reacting. After we are in remission they can usually be (slowly) reintroduced to the diet.

Remember, these guidelines are not chiseled in stone — they're true for most of us. I hope this is helpful.

Tex

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:31 pm

Thank you for your reply. What kind of cereal do you eat? maybe cream of rice? I did buy some almond milk. do you have a food guide on this forum? thank you. currently I am suffering through my marvelous prep drink. lol

Post by **tex** » Sun Jul 29, 2018 8:31 pm

Hi Shelia,

Since I have no problem with chicken eggs or pork, I usually eat eggs and bacon for breakfast. Occasionally I eat pancakes and maple syrup, with pancakes made from King Arthur's Gluten-Free Pancake mix, using almond milk and olive oil (instead of butter). I cook up a batch, freeze them in individual zip-loc bags, and when I want to use one or two (depending on the size) take it/them out and thaw it/them in the microwave before tossing them onto the griddle to warm up for a minute or two in the bacon grease just before the bacon is done.

Cream of rice would probably be OK (as long as it doesn't contain any of the wrong ingredients. If/when I eat cereal, I usually eat General Mills Rice Chex, Corn Chex, or Blueberry Chex. If you like sweetened cereal I think they have a GF Honey Nut Something-or-Other Chex cereal, also. Post's Fruity Pebbles and Chocolate Pebbles are also GF, but they're too sweet to suit my taste.

Here are some food/meal and other guidelines for recovery:

https://perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=79

Tex

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:45 pm

Well, finally today i received my diagnoses. I have the colitis and he also said it could or could not be related to the low dose of trazadone i take at night for sleep. 25 mgs. He also said i have barrets esophagus and NO eosinophils present. so that was good because back in 2008 i have over 35 which meant i was super allgergic to something and that something happened to be wheat, so had already given it up.

Soooo since i had already prepped on the 29th of July and had already been dairy free for 2 days i decided to quit dairy. My diarrhea has almost ceased!

My hubby and i went on a trip for 5 days and one night we went to dinner and i had sour cream and butter on my potato and within just a couple of hours i was in the bathroom. So i kind of tested that out and it didn't work out so well. Was glad it was only the one incident.

i also had some peanut butter upon return and by morning- same problem.

so i am now off the wheat, dairy and nuts. seem okay!

Thanks Tex!

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:21 pm

I just ordered your book! Can't wait to read it. Thanks Tex!

Post by **tex** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:01 pm

Peanuts are a legume, so if you react to them, you may be sensitive to soy and most legumes. The good news is that you may not necessarily be sensitive to tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.

You seem to be well on your way to recovery. I hope you find the book to be a good reference.

Tex

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:03 pm

Well, I was in remission for a looooong time and then had an extra amount of mushrooms on my steak 11 days ago and I am back in the bathroom multiple times per day, up to 12 or so. I pulled out your book and am dairy free today and tomato free and tomorrow no oats. Kind of sad cuz I had such a long remission, I thought I was cured. But hey, I got this.

thanks for still being here Tex!

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:11 pm

Bummer! Nearly all of us have been there at one time or another.

I hope that you're able to stop that flare soon.

Tex

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:22 pm

I'm wondering if the mushrooms had some gluten contamination from cutting board.

sheilafray · Post by **sheilafray** » Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:26 am

What was that receipe to stop it again? Like 8 pepto a day for a 8 days or so? doc just called in Levsin, but I don't think it will help much.

Post by **tex** » Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:16 pm

The Pepto treatment is 8 tablets (or the equivalent) per day for 8 weeks. Average time to remission for the subjects in the official (published) trial was 2 weeks, and the treatment is about 85 % effective.

Tex