Back after 7 year remission

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:37 am

Erica P-G wrote:Hi Karen,
Does your small town start with an S or I....I lived in Kent as a young child :-) Near Maple Valley.

You ought to be able to find a likeminded naturopathic Dr in your area....good luck! Yes Walla Walla only has so many choices and I will need to re-look as my last dr retired :-(

We get to endure another 100+ degree day with bad air condition due to all the chafe from wheat harvest and fire smoke coming up from OR and Cali fires....not very comfortable over here at the moment.

I live in Duvall, Erica. :)

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Aug 08, 2018 12:49 pm

You had a few of the major triggers, NSAIDs, foods, and stress.

With right eating plan and Vit D3, Magnesium things will improve.

The other aspect that could be at play is hormones and /or histamines.
Both are linked to low magnesium and low B6.

In the past 5 years we have found big link with methylation cycle, (reliant on active B's) and MC, and excess histamine.
There are lots of good posts on these topics.

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Wed Aug 08, 2018 1:29 pm

I feel for you. Remember when that used to happen in developing countries? Now it's a constant problem here. Here in Texas our once-clear air has been polluted for weeks/months by sand blowing off the coast of Africa. The sky is constantly hazy.

IMO most of it is our own fault. Nature used to clear out the underbrush in forests with naturally-occurring fires. We think we know better than Mother Nature, so we stop all those fires. Now the underbrush is so thick in many forests that once a fire starts, it can't be controlled, and it consumes everything in it's path. But I doubt that we (politicians who make the laws and bureaucrats who write the regulations) will learn from the experience.

I agree Tex, nature used to be in control...key word "used to". Many like minded people in this area agree that long ago small fires should have been allowed even encouraged in order to help the biology of the forests, but too many people get scared, build in all the thick under brush and don't clear things away....what do they expect! Yes fire contributes to the smog situation... but the ecosystem would have taken care of itself had we let it many years ago. I know many would disagree but that is my take on it, and I visit our Blue Mountains often, and after a fire it looks pitiful, but the regrowth afterwards is beautiful and exactly what the forest cover needed (if anything it produced more trees by the fire cracking open the tree seed so it can germinate ;-)

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Thu Aug 09, 2018 6:04 am

We're getting smoke from the California fires now. So depressing. I think you're onto something with your thoughts on the fires, Tex.

Some other random thoughts:

My LC has jetlag. This flare started when I was on the east coast, and now it wakes me up super early every morning. When I first returned (4 days ago), it was awakening me at 3am. Now it's progressed to 4:30 am. It doesn't have to do with my sleep/eat schedule, as I changed that right away. My body "knows" what time zone it's in, I guess, and it takes time for the gut to return to the west coast.

I searched the board for thoughts on fasting. Last year, I had a surgery go bad (a hysterectomy, and they accidentally poked holes in my bladder requiring an emergency fix). I was under anesthesia way longer than expected, and it all ended up with a post-surgical ileus, which is when your digestive system shuts down entirely. I was hospitalized with no food or liquid intake for several days to give my system a chance to wake up. It did wake up, and when it did I swear it was kind of "reset." Based on this I've played with the idea of a bone broth and water fast for a day to see if it allows my system time to soothe a bit. I have no evidence to support that this would work, just an intuition. Searching this board gave me no evidence that such a thing has worked for others, so I'm not going to try it now. I may, however, try it before I resort to meds if my current dietary changes don't work. If I do, I'll let everyone know how it goes.

skp · Post by **skp** » Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:40 am

I have fasted before in the earlier stages of my LC. I do think it helped and have considered doing it again for 24 hours due to a mini flare I have been having. My internist is big on fasting and a friends GI doc told her that if everyone fasted one day a week, there would be far fewer digestive issues than we have now.

Susan

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:21 am

I have never been able to fast, or do it like its been suggested. There are certain times of each month that I can extend the hours in a day due to hormones perhaps, and/or productivity in something interesting if my stomach doesn't growl during that time. I also have never had sugar number issues but I can tell if my body is running on low glucose if I get light headed or weak, hence why I eat when I am hungry but I don't over eat. I also make sure I drink water in some of those hunger cases just in case it is dehydration and not so much hunger.

Small meals at the time of hunger seem to be the best match for me, even if my body is going thru a weird flare.

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:00 pm

Thanks Susan and Erica!

I don't know if I can fast, either. If I do try it, I'll let you all know how long I last!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:57 pm

For many many years long before my mc Dx, short term fasting, rest with water helped my gut.

Now adays, I listen to my body, I fast some as long as is comfortable. Some days it is 14 hours, some days 18' and occasionally slightly longer.

I do this on weekends, when I can rest a bit towards the end of the period.

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:27 am

I'm better today! Still have D, but only 2 episodes which is down significantly in frequency. And, I feel some energy! I think I may be able to get through this flare without resorting to meds. I've been eating hominy grits for breakfast (I'm from the south so I like them, and it's a low-fiber grain I can tolerate), turkey, homemade bone broth, potatoes or rice, and well-cooked veggies mostly from my own garden (that I know were grown organically).

It's such a relief to feel some energy returning. I didn't realize how truly fatigued I was until I felt a little better.

Post by **tex** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 9:19 am

Tex

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:56 pm

Good Deal!

If I do too much and don't realize my own stopping points I pay for it by not sleeping well that night or muscle fatigue the next day, even 2 days.....not fun and sometimes I just don't learn!

So I increase my Magnesium just a little like 200 mg than normal, and be sure to drink decently during the day and I'm usually able to get back in the saddle by the third day

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:16 am

I was doing better, then I dared to eat a GF cookie.

Mistake! Probably because of a small amount of soy. I guess my gut needs more healing time before I can eat anything but turkey/rice/potatoes/overcooked veggies/bone broth. I have no excuse except that I wanted the cookie.

Post by **tex** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:37 am

Been there, done that — it must be a part of being human.

Tex

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:10 am

Thanks, Tex. I was beating myself up pretty hard for this, as I knew better. It helps to know I'm not the only one who has done something like this.

karenswans · Post by **karenswans** » Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:07 am

Update: I'm much better now thanks to my highly restricted diet. I'm starting to add back a little more variety and so far, so good.

I had made an appointment with a new gastro for this past Thursday in case I needed to get meds. I was somewhat better by the time the appointment rolled around but decided to keep it anyway as I was seeking out a new doctor. Gah, she was awful. She was amazed that I had a 7 year remission in my LC, and asked how. When I said dietary changes she didn't respond at all. She ordered tests for parasites and such, which I don't need, and also wants me to take a blood test for celiac disease (which every doctor in the world always wants me to take because I showed lymphocytes in my duodenum during an upper endoscopy in 2011). I have lymphocytic colitis, doctor. Really. It was diagnosed through a biopsy. No need to go hunting for something else. And I control it completely through diet right now. The only thing I need from you is a prescription for the medication of my choosing should I not be able to control a flare.

She's probably on a message board somewhere complaining about me.