I realize that doctors have a mandate under "Obamacare" to try to cut costs by eliminating unnecessary tests, but personally I don't feel that it's appropriate for them to bet/speculate that something else will kill us before a polyp can develop into a lethal threat. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that since you had so many polyps on your last colonoscopy, an annual colonoscopy would be prudent. IMO your doctor is letting you down — she or he should go to bat for you in this situation.
Tex
New to Budesonide treatment + psyllium + hemorrhoid
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Doesn't magnesium encourage loose stools though? Would you recommend taking it if D is a problem? And if so, what kind? Thanks!tex wrote:Two reasons why we advocate taking magnesium (in addition to it's critical role in creating healthy bones) is that an estimated 80 % of the general population is magnesium deficient (virtually all IBD patients are magnesium deficient because of the malabsorption problem) and magnesium deficiency causes insulin resistance and eventually type 2 diabetes. Magnesium also helps to prevent muscle spasming and helps to treat or prevent GERD, which is very common with MC.
Tex
Whether or not to take magnesium if you have D is a difficult question to answer, because yes, certain types of magnesium act as a laxative. The safest type to take (the least likely to cause D, while still being easily absorbed) is magnesium glycinate (chelated magnesium). If you feel that oral magnesium glycinate causes you to have D, try topical (transdermal) magnesium, in the form of magnesium oil or lotion, or soak your feet in Epsom salts, or add about a cup of Epsom salts to your bathwater and soak about for about 15 or 20 minutes. For some people, transdermal matgnesium even causes D, in which case you'll just have to avoid it, and heal more slowly.
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.
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armstrongpilot
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Good question. As far as I know there's no contraindication, it will probably just result in less frequent, but bigger bowel movements. Don't wait too long, though, in case there's a risk of significant constipation.
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.
My husband is finding that Metamucil gives his stool a bit of a shape (may be a 5 on the Bristol Meyers chart). Sometimes even a sort of 4. Instead of a 6, which he has without Metamucil. He is just starting his healing process, changing his diet, etc. He has suffered a great deal of weight loss over the past year due to undiagnosed MC, and is now down to 108 lbs. He's 82. So not an age when you want to lose this much weight.
So here's my question: I know from this wonderful forum that Metamucil and similar products are not ideal because they can irritate the colon, delay healing, and don't address the underlying root cause.
However, if the product is giving my husband's stool some shape, does that mean that it is slowing down elimination in the colon enough to help him absorb more?
I am presuming that the weight loss that accompanies MC is due to the fact that the material moves so quickly through the colon that the body can't absorb it, right? And if so, doesn't slowing down that motility through products like Metamucil help the body absorb better?
Or does the Metamucil prevent absorption?
Thank you!
Lydia
So here's my question: I know from this wonderful forum that Metamucil and similar products are not ideal because they can irritate the colon, delay healing, and don't address the underlying root cause.
However, if the product is giving my husband's stool some shape, does that mean that it is slowing down elimination in the colon enough to help him absorb more?
I am presuming that the weight loss that accompanies MC is due to the fact that the material moves so quickly through the colon that the body can't absorb it, right? And if so, doesn't slowing down that motility through products like Metamucil help the body absorb better?
Or does the Metamucil prevent absorption?
Thank you!
Lydia
Hi Lydia,
Because it's fiber, my opinion is that Metamucil is not doing what what you believe it's doing. Yes, it adds bulk to the stool (because it's indigestible), but it does not slow down motility — it actually speeds up motility. Essentially, fiber "aids' bowel movements by tearing many of the epithelial cells in the lining of the colon, causing the colon to increase mucus production (which tends to speed up motility). The article by Dr Michael Eades at the following link explains in detail why this is true:
Is increased fiber intake really a good thing?
Here's a link to the original research article:
The Path to Digestion Is Paved with Repair
The primary cause of malabsorption with MC is the high level of intestinal inflammation that's always associated with the disease unless it's in remission. As remission is induced, the inflammation slowly fades away, the gut begins to heal, and normal (or near-normal) absorption returns.
Tex
Because it's fiber, my opinion is that Metamucil is not doing what what you believe it's doing. Yes, it adds bulk to the stool (because it's indigestible), but it does not slow down motility — it actually speeds up motility. Essentially, fiber "aids' bowel movements by tearing many of the epithelial cells in the lining of the colon, causing the colon to increase mucus production (which tends to speed up motility). The article by Dr Michael Eades at the following link explains in detail why this is true:
Is increased fiber intake really a good thing?
Here's a link to the original research article:
The Path to Digestion Is Paved with Repair
The primary cause of malabsorption with MC is the high level of intestinal inflammation that's always associated with the disease unless it's in remission. As remission is induced, the inflammation slowly fades away, the gut begins to heal, and normal (or near-normal) absorption returns.
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.
MC is a disease of the entire digestive system, similar to Crohn's disease in coverage. The small intestine is probably involved even more than the colon in most cases, but since diagnostic criteria for only the colon was cited when the disease was originally described, virtually every medical professional views MC as a disease of the colon (only). This discrepancy has been well documented in many medical research articles for many years, but conventional medical interpretations are virtually chiseled in stone, so precious few doctors ever bother to update their education on MC after they receive their license to practice, or their certification as a specialist. The involvement of numerous organs in the digestive system is explained in complete detail in several of my books. Here's a link to one of many references cited, for example:
MICROSCOPIC COLITIS: CLINICAL FEATURES AND GASTRODUODENAL AND IMMUNOGENETIC FINDINGS
Tex
MICROSCOPIC COLITIS: CLINICAL FEATURES AND GASTRODUODENAL AND IMMUNOGENETIC FINDINGS
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.