Good day everyone,
I’m just curious? I seem to be managing and staying steady at going once a day.
I’m still taking one Imodium and one Pepto a day. Watching my diet. Still not producing anything solid but not too watery either. When I back off the Imodium or Pepto I get worse. So apparently I’m just managing not in remission. Is this normal? So frustrating! It’s so hard to be social with this nasty thing.
What’s normal
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Re: What’s normal
We're all different, during the recovery process. Some of us go from watery diarrhea to a solid stool within a day or two, whereas others spend weeks or months at various stages in between. This probably depends on how much intestinal damage we had when we started to recover. But it also may depend on whether any trace amounts of cross-contamination are still hidden somewhere in your diet.
Sorry I couldn't be more definitive.
Tex
Sorry I couldn't be more definitive.
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.
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Re: What’s normal
Hey there billy
for me in the first 12-18 months normal varied. I struggled with constipation a bit so I either had MC mud or constipation. along with various other niggling symptoms (cramps, pain, gas, fatigue, joint pain, foggy brain etc)
fast forward a few years (I am 12 years post Dx) - my normal is minimal symptoms (no gut pain, no gas, no joint paint, minimal fatigue) most days my poop is solid 4-5 days a week. So long as I follow my safe eating plan and have good rest
any day that I have excess stress (whether that be physical, mental or emotional) or high adrenalin situations. the next day I will have an incident of MC mud. very very rarely does it continue unless my body is fighting something (like flu)
depending on what I am eating I can get a big constipated at time, I increase magnesium intake slightly and this resolves
If I have 'treat ingredients' this will soften the poop a bit but not to MC mud status
I dont take any medication for digestion/colitis
when you are reducing the medication - the fact that your poop changes is an indicator that you are ingesting or having contact with a major trigger.
and that the inflammation levels are high. This also means that your ability to get good healing and be less sensitive is inhibited
hope this helps
for me in the first 12-18 months normal varied. I struggled with constipation a bit so I either had MC mud or constipation. along with various other niggling symptoms (cramps, pain, gas, fatigue, joint pain, foggy brain etc)
fast forward a few years (I am 12 years post Dx) - my normal is minimal symptoms (no gut pain, no gas, no joint paint, minimal fatigue) most days my poop is solid 4-5 days a week. So long as I follow my safe eating plan and have good rest
any day that I have excess stress (whether that be physical, mental or emotional) or high adrenalin situations. the next day I will have an incident of MC mud. very very rarely does it continue unless my body is fighting something (like flu)
depending on what I am eating I can get a big constipated at time, I increase magnesium intake slightly and this resolves
If I have 'treat ingredients' this will soften the poop a bit but not to MC mud status
I dont take any medication for digestion/colitis
when you are reducing the medication - the fact that your poop changes is an indicator that you are ingesting or having contact with a major trigger.
and that the inflammation levels are high. This also means that your ability to get good healing and be less sensitive is inhibited
hope this helps
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Re: What’s normal
Thanks you guys,
Re: What’s normal
Billy, I am about the same place as you.
I quit Pepto a little over 4 weeks ago because I thought it was causing other problems (it wasn't) and my stool got softer. While I was on Pepto my stool was at least close to the coveted #4 Bristol and now it's back to #5 and #6 (very soft, flaky, disintegrates when flushing). Still once a day, on occasion twice. I've been tempted to go back on Pepto but since I am now able to function and I want to know how I am actually doing I have avoided doing so.
Any variation in my gut behavior definitely kicks my brain into overdrive; if I go a second time in a day I start wondering if there was gluten cross-contamination or if I have a new sensitivity to one of the foods I'm currently eating. I'm finding this illness very hard to gauge.
One other thing; Tex, if you read this thread I am the one that in a previous thread talked about the GI not finding any sign of MC. I got a summary of the colonoscopy and lab result and they made no mention of a check for MC - they just did a lab test on the polyp that was removed. I'm trying to decide what my next move should be with regards to our medical establishment since I (appear) to be doing better on my own.
John R.
I quit Pepto a little over 4 weeks ago because I thought it was causing other problems (it wasn't) and my stool got softer. While I was on Pepto my stool was at least close to the coveted #4 Bristol and now it's back to #5 and #6 (very soft, flaky, disintegrates when flushing). Still once a day, on occasion twice. I've been tempted to go back on Pepto but since I am now able to function and I want to know how I am actually doing I have avoided doing so.
Any variation in my gut behavior definitely kicks my brain into overdrive; if I go a second time in a day I start wondering if there was gluten cross-contamination or if I have a new sensitivity to one of the foods I'm currently eating. I'm finding this illness very hard to gauge.
One other thing; Tex, if you read this thread I am the one that in a previous thread talked about the GI not finding any sign of MC. I got a summary of the colonoscopy and lab result and they made no mention of a check for MC - they just did a lab test on the polyp that was removed. I'm trying to decide what my next move should be with regards to our medical establishment since I (appear) to be doing better on my own.
John R.
Re: What’s normal
John,
It sounds as though you're probably better at diagnosing this disease and treating it than your gastroenterologist. If he didn't take about a dozen biopsies from various locations in your colon, and have a pathologist examine them under the microscope, there's no way he could've diagnosed MC. If you don't intentionally look for the markers of the disease, you certainly won't find them accidentally. My initial gastroenterologist made the same mistake. Of course this happened over 20 years ago, but based on what he had read about the disease, he assumed that it was a disease of older women, so we never bothered to look for It in men, at least not back then. I never went back.
Tex
It sounds as though you're probably better at diagnosing this disease and treating it than your gastroenterologist. If he didn't take about a dozen biopsies from various locations in your colon, and have a pathologist examine them under the microscope, there's no way he could've diagnosed MC. If you don't intentionally look for the markers of the disease, you certainly won't find them accidentally. My initial gastroenterologist made the same mistake. Of course this happened over 20 years ago, but based on what he had read about the disease, he assumed that it was a disease of older women, so we never bothered to look for It in men, at least not back then. I never went back.
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.
Re: What’s normal
Billy and John,
I was diagnosed a year ago.
I took zero meds, just stuck to a super strick bland diet......the same 6-7 foods all day long, everyday.
It took 10 months before i had a "normal" solid bm.
Maybe you just need a little bit more time.
Stay the course, you will get there!
Jen
I was diagnosed a year ago.
I took zero meds, just stuck to a super strick bland diet......the same 6-7 foods all day long, everyday.
It took 10 months before i had a "normal" solid bm.
Maybe you just need a little bit more time.
Stay the course, you will get there!
Jen
Re: What’s normal
Hi everyone,
At least my gastro did that much. But to tell me that diet will not help me floored me.
Needless to say I fired him. I have an appointment coming up with a new one.
I honestly don’t know if I should bother at this point. Listen to the people in this forum. Healing can start here.
At least my gastro did that much. But to tell me that diet will not help me floored me.
Needless to say I fired him. I have an appointment coming up with a new one.
I honestly don’t know if I should bother at this point. Listen to the people in this forum. Healing can start here.
Re: What’s normal
John,
Do you have a copy of Tex's book? The link is in the upper right. It is very helpful.
Do you have a copy of Tex's book? The link is in the upper right. It is very helpful.
Re: What’s normal
Thank you Brandy. I have a copy of "Microscopic Colitis", read it twice. I thought maybe the the medical community had caught up somewhat with MC since the book was published. Maybe I got a GI group that has not yet done that.
John R.
John R.