Paul,
We haven't heard from you in awhile and I've been concerned. Hope you and Charlene are doing well. Is she still in rehab or were you able to take her home?
Wishing you both the best. Check in when you can.
Carol C
Charlene
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rcchild@gpcom.net
- Little Blue Penguin
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 2:09 pm
- Location: Nebraska
Paul here - Thanks Carol, Yes, I was able to get her home Friday and begin to feed her right again. The poor guy in charge of food services tried so hard, but he just couldn't get the job done because he didn't understand her diet. She quite weak and has some confusion, but I think with physical and occupational therapy she will come around. We have home health care and the PT and OT come three times a week as does a nurse to check up on her.
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rcchild@gpcom.net
- Little Blue Penguin
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 2:09 pm
- Location: Nebraska
Floating BM's
Hi everybody, Paul here; It's been a while since I posted anything and thought I would give an update on Charlene's progress and also get some more advice.
As a refresher, She began having symptoms last spring and was finally diagnosed with CC in early August. The GI doctor prescribed the Budesenide at that time and told me the condition was not diet related and there was no reason to restrict her diet (HA!). I have now tapered Charlene completely off of Budesenide (she's been off of it for about one month). Norman began visiting in early October and he has now taken up full time residence in her toilet. Her BM's are consistently a 4 on the Bristol scale, with an occasional 3 and she usually goes once daily, but sometimes twice and occasionally skips a day.
The diet I have had her on since her diagnosis has consisted of meat (beef, chicken, pork), white rice and white potatoes and Idahoan Instant whipped potatoes. I have also been making her the Rice Chex snack and have found some gluten/dairy/soy free crackers and cookies that are pretty good for between meal snacks.
Her weight has stabilized at exactly 100 lbs. and in the last week or so I have noticed her appetite getting better.
I have been wondering if it's time to try re-introducing some foods to her diet to try to determine what she can and cannot tolerate. Last week I prepared some Bruce's canned sweet potatoes. The next day Norman took a day off and the D returned for just one day. So... I guess no more sweet potatoes!
Perhaps I'm trying to move too quickly in re-introducing foods into her diet.
Another thing I have noticed is that in the last two weeks, her poop has started floating in the toilet. I did google this condition and found the following symptoms which would require a visit to the doctor or emergency room:
Floating stool that persist more than a few days (hers has been floating for about 10 days)
Chronic constipation or diarrhea (she does not present with this)
Stool is very light or pale (hers is about the color of milk chocolate)
Weight loss - her weight is stable
Very dark urine - her urine is very pale yellow - almost clear.
Is this floating phenomenon something about which I should be concerned?
Thanks Guy/Gals!
As a refresher, She began having symptoms last spring and was finally diagnosed with CC in early August. The GI doctor prescribed the Budesenide at that time and told me the condition was not diet related and there was no reason to restrict her diet (HA!). I have now tapered Charlene completely off of Budesenide (she's been off of it for about one month). Norman began visiting in early October and he has now taken up full time residence in her toilet. Her BM's are consistently a 4 on the Bristol scale, with an occasional 3 and she usually goes once daily, but sometimes twice and occasionally skips a day.
The diet I have had her on since her diagnosis has consisted of meat (beef, chicken, pork), white rice and white potatoes and Idahoan Instant whipped potatoes. I have also been making her the Rice Chex snack and have found some gluten/dairy/soy free crackers and cookies that are pretty good for between meal snacks.
Her weight has stabilized at exactly 100 lbs. and in the last week or so I have noticed her appetite getting better.
I have been wondering if it's time to try re-introducing some foods to her diet to try to determine what she can and cannot tolerate. Last week I prepared some Bruce's canned sweet potatoes. The next day Norman took a day off and the D returned for just one day. So... I guess no more sweet potatoes!
Perhaps I'm trying to move too quickly in re-introducing foods into her diet.
Another thing I have noticed is that in the last two weeks, her poop has started floating in the toilet. I did google this condition and found the following symptoms which would require a visit to the doctor or emergency room:
Floating stool that persist more than a few days (hers has been floating for about 10 days)
Chronic constipation or diarrhea (she does not present with this)
Stool is very light or pale (hers is about the color of milk chocolate)
Weight loss - her weight is stable
Very dark urine - her urine is very pale yellow - almost clear.
Is this floating phenomenon something about which I should be concerned?
Thanks Guy/Gals!
Hi Paul,
Everyone is probably a bit different on how soon they can start reintroducing foods, depending on the rate at which their intestines are healing. I'd go slowly at first. If you start too soon, she might react to foods that would be OK later. It took me about a year before I was able to safely reintroduce foods back when I was recovering. But I didn't know any better, so I tried every couple of weeks, anyway.
I wouldn't worry about the floating stool. Whether it floats or not depends mostly on one's diet, and any degree of incomplete digestion that might be present. It also depends on the microbiome in the colon (gas content), but again, the gut bacteria population depends on diet.
Tex
Everyone is probably a bit different on how soon they can start reintroducing foods, depending on the rate at which their intestines are healing. I'd go slowly at first. If you start too soon, she might react to foods that would be OK later. It took me about a year before I was able to safely reintroduce foods back when I was recovering. But I didn't know any better, so I tried every couple of weeks, anyway.
I wouldn't worry about the floating stool. Whether it floats or not depends mostly on one's diet, and any degree of incomplete digestion that might be present. It also depends on the microbiome in the colon (gas content), but again, the gut bacteria population depends on diet.
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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rcchild@gpcom.net
- Little Blue Penguin
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 2:09 pm
- Location: Nebraska
Hi Paul,
Introduce foods very slowly. It just gets depressing if you go back to WD. She should be okay with salt and pepper.
Maybe try a food every 3 weeks or so.
Some foods that are generally okay (although there are always exceptions)
uncured bacon, bananas, avacado, coconut oil--the extra virgin is flavorless, olive oil (get one with the
north american olive oil label on it it is about the size of a dime and a red smudge it tells you the
olive oil is actually olive oil and not adulterated, a sweet potato that is from the product department that you bake
also almond butter (avoid peanut butter)
I can now eat almost anything but sugar, gluten and dairy but it has taken me years to get here.
I think Gabes has a post about stage 2 eating you should look at too.
You are doing a great job!
Introduce foods very slowly. It just gets depressing if you go back to WD. She should be okay with salt and pepper.
Maybe try a food every 3 weeks or so.
Some foods that are generally okay (although there are always exceptions)
uncured bacon, bananas, avacado, coconut oil--the extra virgin is flavorless, olive oil (get one with the
north american olive oil label on it it is about the size of a dime and a red smudge it tells you the
olive oil is actually olive oil and not adulterated, a sweet potato that is from the product department that you bake
also almond butter (avoid peanut butter)
I can now eat almost anything but sugar, gluten and dairy but it has taken me years to get here.
I think Gabes has a post about stage 2 eating you should look at too.
You are doing a great job!
Here is Gabes stage 2 eating plan. It is worth a read.
https://perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22328
https://perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22328
Paul here, Charlene is experiencing a flare up, Norman left and the WD is back. Three "accidents" today. Don't know why. The only change I've to her diet is putting a little black pepper on her eggs in the morning (she seems to tolerate eggs very well).
She has been completely off of the Budesenide for about a month. When a flare up happens, should she go back on the Budesenide for a while, or do we just try to ride it out?
Thanks
She has been completely off of the Budesenide for about a month. When a flare up happens, should she go back on the Budesenide for a while, or do we just try to ride it out?
Thanks
Hi Paul, Sorry to here that. You might give it two or three days to see if she bounces back. SometimesCharlene wrote:Paul here, Charlene is experiencing a flare up, Norman left and the WD is back. Three "accidents" today. Don't know why. The only change I've to her diet is putting a little black pepper on her eggs in the morning (she seems to tolerate eggs very well).
She has been completely off of the Budesenide for about a month. When a flare up happens, should she go back on the Budesenide for a while, or do we just try to ride it out?
Thanks
I bounce back pretty quickly. It is up to you on the budesonide. If it gets her a better quality of life
without side effects I'd be inclined to go back on it.
I'm wondering if the pepper was contaminated with gluten sometime in production before you bought it.