I am new to the Forum as of January. Happy to have someplace to get further info on MC. Based on what I've read here and in Tex's books, my case doesn't seem to be typical.
As a preface, I have been constipated since childhood. Over the years I tried everything. About 2 years ago I found Natural Calm Magnesium powder, which finally got me to a normal Bristol Stool Chart #4.
My first bout of diarrhea started mid July 2019, abruptly stopping mid August for 18 days. Started up again for 9 days, then abruptly stopping again for 15 days. Towards the end of September 2019, it started without stopping. My episodes were only 1-3 times a day, and done by 9 AM. No pain, no cramps, no weight loss. The only other symptom was the gurgling.
Could not get in to see a GI until the end of November; had a colonoscopy December 13. No visual signs of inflammation, not even a polyp. Thank goodness he did 10 biopsy samples.
The biopsy diagnosis of LC was released to me online 2 weeks later. While waiting for the GI office to call, I started online searching. I bought the two MC books, read what I could about Leaky Gut from the library, and started the elimination diet. I stopped gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, tree nuts, and eggs. I limited sugar. Added beef and chicken bone broth. Ate only cooked vegetables, a small amount of fruit. Limited my beverages to chamomile tea, ginger tea and kombucha.
Two weeks into the elimination diet I finally got a call from the GI office. They wanted to put me on budesonide, which I refused. My diarrhea had already stopped! Took another week for my stool to stabilize, but then I was back to being constipated. I started again on the Natural Calm.
Began adding back the eliminated foods, 3 trial days for each one. Eggs, tree nuts, legumes, soy, dairy and finally gluten. Nothing triggered any diarrhea! For a month now I have been fine, still taking a daily dose of Natural Calm, and eating everything.
New York State does not allow me to puchase medical testing, so I cannot work directly with EnteroLab. I have an appointment with a Functional Medicine doctor next week to see if she can help me unravel this mystery.
Any suggestions or insights? It seems so odd that the elimination diet stopped the diarrhea but then adding everything back did not set it off again.
Newbie with a Too-Easy Remission
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi,
Welcome to the group. In your description of the onset of your symptoms, you could have been describing me. I also had constipation all my life. And that's exactly how my symptoms developed, except that it took me a year or two for them to fully develop. And my symptoms were worse than yours when they were active. But between episodes, I was fine. I was usually sick as a dog for a week or two, and then fine for two or three weeks. But over time the episodes became more frequent. And then like you, the diarrhea started and refused to stop, forcing me to see a doctor. Most of my food sensitivities have since proven to be permanent, so enjoy your remission while you can. It may last for years, or it might end tomorrow.
I agree with you that it might be a good idea to be armed with information about your food sensitivities so that you will be prepared if you have a relapse. As is the case with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, some MC patients have been blessed with periods of spontaneous remission. It's impossible to predict how long they will last. For many of us, relapses are much more difficult to resolve than the original episode. Your functional medicine doctor may be willing to order the EnteroLab tests for you. If she or he wants to order food sensitivity tests from some other lab though, be aware that the test results will probably be worthless for your needs, based on our experiences on this forum.
Some of our NY members have had out-of-state relatives or friends order the EnteroLab tests for them, and then they drove out of state to retrieve the tests, and they drove out-of-state again in order to mail the samples back to the lab.
Some of us don't show immediate reactions to foods. We only begin to show symptoms after enough small intestinal damage has accrued so that it disrupts our digestion (which can take months, or even years), similar to celiacs who have fully healed. This illustrates exactly why the celiac screening blood tests are worthless. They will only show a positive result if digestion in the small intestine is almost totally destroyed. Any stage below total villi flattening will yield a negative result.
Another possibility is that you have what is known as induced-tolerance. This means that you can tolerate the food sensitivities just fine without causing any digestive issues, even though your immune system is producing antibodies against those foods. As an example, I developed induced tolerance for casein. I could eat all the dairy products I wanted without any digestive issues. But I was developing osteoartritis until I cut dairy products back out of my diet.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to the group. In your description of the onset of your symptoms, you could have been describing me. I also had constipation all my life. And that's exactly how my symptoms developed, except that it took me a year or two for them to fully develop. And my symptoms were worse than yours when they were active. But between episodes, I was fine. I was usually sick as a dog for a week or two, and then fine for two or three weeks. But over time the episodes became more frequent. And then like you, the diarrhea started and refused to stop, forcing me to see a doctor. Most of my food sensitivities have since proven to be permanent, so enjoy your remission while you can. It may last for years, or it might end tomorrow.
I agree with you that it might be a good idea to be armed with information about your food sensitivities so that you will be prepared if you have a relapse. As is the case with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, some MC patients have been blessed with periods of spontaneous remission. It's impossible to predict how long they will last. For many of us, relapses are much more difficult to resolve than the original episode. Your functional medicine doctor may be willing to order the EnteroLab tests for you. If she or he wants to order food sensitivity tests from some other lab though, be aware that the test results will probably be worthless for your needs, based on our experiences on this forum.
Some of our NY members have had out-of-state relatives or friends order the EnteroLab tests for them, and then they drove out of state to retrieve the tests, and they drove out-of-state again in order to mail the samples back to the lab.
Some of us don't show immediate reactions to foods. We only begin to show symptoms after enough small intestinal damage has accrued so that it disrupts our digestion (which can take months, or even years), similar to celiacs who have fully healed. This illustrates exactly why the celiac screening blood tests are worthless. They will only show a positive result if digestion in the small intestine is almost totally destroyed. Any stage below total villi flattening will yield a negative result.
Another possibility is that you have what is known as induced-tolerance. This means that you can tolerate the food sensitivities just fine without causing any digestive issues, even though your immune system is producing antibodies against those foods. As an example, I developed induced tolerance for casein. I could eat all the dairy products I wanted without any digestive issues. But I was developing osteoartritis until I cut dairy products back out of my diet.
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.
Thank you both for your replies. So much to learn about this condition, but I'm determined to do what I can to make it tolerable. Considering this has probably been a gut issue since childhood, it's amazing I made it to 65 before the diarrhea started.
Tex, unfortunately I am one of those few people that do not have any relatives or friends in nearby states - the closest is 16 hours away. So I'll have to start with my functional medicine doctor appointment next week and see what they offer.
Tex, unfortunately I am one of those few people that do not have any relatives or friends in nearby states - the closest is 16 hours away. So I'll have to start with my functional medicine doctor appointment next week and see what they offer.