A little advice would be very welcome please!

[tex]

You can find an extensive listing of natural supplements in our section on "Natural and Herbal Treatments and Supplements"

https://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB/viewf ... 40f01658c0

and you can find discussions about natural treatments at the link below.

https://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB/viewf ... 40f01658c0

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

Charlie

word of caution in trying to find supplements to fast track healing - they can cause more issue than benefit
there are a lot of products like turmeric/curcumin albeit my observations is that unless it is the right form with the right co-factors they provide limited benefit

the best option for good long term healing is avoiding as many inflammatory triggers as possible, food, lifestyle, stress, etc
fundamental basics like Vit D3, magnesium reduce inflammation and help healing
Immune system support, Vit C, zinc are also key

there is the mental and emotional aspects. being ok that it will take time,
being ok that you will have fluctuations with poop quality and there will be days of mild symptoms

hope this helps

[charlie fh]

Hi Gabes

thanks for that info..

i will keep it simple for now then. i suppose its just like life , finding the the right balance. and i suppose everyone is different. and has to find their own way of dealing with this thing. sometimes feels like a minefield.

thanks again

charlie

[Gabes-Apg]

normal to feel like a minefield at first - as our routines and the learnings to this point of our life get turned upside down

and most definitely - what works for one, can cause total chaos for another. Each person has to find their 'living with MC plan'
that is why this forum is here, with all the posts and info, members sharing what worked for them, what didnt.

[charlie fh]

Yes its all very helpful and informative! very grateful its here. And im hoping to find the right balance soon.

One thing i wanted to ask but forgot.. for you or tex or anyone who knows... Whenever i eat plain basmati rice it seems to travel through me much quicker and often comes out loose and quite orange?? What could this mean? i was thinking it might be bile malabsorbtion but it doesnt happen much with other foods. Could it suggest i dont suit rice ? would other types of rice make a difference, i.e jasmine or brown rice?

Also could it be that im not achieving "firmer" stools after almost a year because the lining of the colon takes such along time to heal? i would say ive been a 6-7/10 for a year ( 10 being firm) .

Thanks in advance for any help

Charlie

[tex]

It's certainly possible that you might be sensitive to rice, because a few of us are. However, if you're not sensitive to rice, then the following information might be helpful.

The following information is quoted from The Microscopic Colitis Diet Book.

Certain starches are easier to digest than others.
There are basically two types of starch, amylose and amylopectin. All starchy foods contain a certain percentage of each type. Amylopectin starch is much easier to digest, but it is not soluble in water. Amylose starch is water-soluble. Foods with high amylose content are referred to as high starch foods, and foods with low amylose content are known as low starch foods.

Choose waxy foods, whenever they are an option.
Low starch foods contain high levels of amylopectin, and they're sometimes referred to as waxy foods. The bottom line here is that if we're looking for foods that will be easier to digest while we're recovering, we should choose waxy foods.

Avoid resistant starches.
Beware of foods that contain high levels of starches that are referred to as resistant starches, because resistant starches are not digestible by the human digestive system. Foods in this category are often promoted as diet foods, but they are definitely not friendly foods for MC patients, so they should be avoided when choosing foods for a recovery diet. Since our digestion is compromised by the disease, any foods that are difficult to digest, should definitely be avoided while trying to recover from MC.

Consider these examples of waxy foods.
Red potatoes are much easier to digest than russet potatoes, because russets are rated as high starch potatoes. Russets have a high amylose content. Red potatoes are considered to be waxy potatoes, because they have a high amylopectin content, placing them in the low starch category. Yukon gold potatoes are ranked as medium starch potatoes, so their digestibility lies about midway between the other two examples.

Waxy foods may be poor choices for diabetics.
Easy digestion means rapid digestion. With carbs, rapid digestion means a higher glycemic index, and this may be
important to someone who has diabetes. Foods that contain higher amylose levels may be more difficult to digest, but they will prevent spikes in blood sugar, so this should be kept in mind whenever carbohydrates are being selected.

Similar rules apply to food such as rice.
Long grain rice cooks up fluffy, and doesn't tend to stick together, because it has a relatively high amylose content. But this makes it more difficult to digest. Short-grain rice is usually easier to digest, because it contains a higher percentage of amylopectin. Jasmine rice is an exception, because even though it's a long grain rice variety, it contains more amylopectin than most other long grain varieties. But the easiest rice to digest is waxy rice, or what's known as glutinous rice. This rice is usually grown in East or Southeast Asia. It contains the highest amylopectin percentage of all the rice varieties. But as with potatoes, waxy rice may not be a good choice for anyone who has diabetes.

Tex

[charlie fh]

Very interesting.!!. thanks for that. i shall try some other rice types to see .
all the best

[Gabes-Apg]

Also go for organic brand of rice

cheaper brands can be high in chemicals, and may not be processed/packaged in gluten free environment

[charlie fh]

thanks i always try to get organic when possible (affordable)

[charlie fh]

Hi there i just wanted to say ive tried a few different types of rice over the last few days and generally still get bright orange looking looser stools.. which are semi formed .. no discomfort or bloating.. what do you think this could mean ? its very strange .

i always have it very plain with some form of meat. im trying not to give up rice as i wont have much left to eat apart from potatoes etc.

thanks in advance

[tex]

That's a relatively rare issue. Unless you're eating some orange colored food, that's probably a bile deficiency problem. Either your liver is not producing enough bile, or there's a blockage in your bile duct. That said, gallbladder issues are somewhat commonly associated with microscopic colitis, and many MC patients have unnecessarily undergone gallbladder surgery because of their doctor's well intended, but ill advised advice. Typically, gallbladder issues resolve on their own, as the inflammation associated with MC slowly fades away, when the disease is brought under control.

Tex

[charlie fh]

thanks for your insight . i did have a ultrasound a few years ago and they found 2 very small polyps in my gallbladder . Whats strange is the orange colour often only happens when i eat rice. mind you , i havnt had as many "dark coloured " stools since i developed MC. I suspect this may be normal though and could be the speed at which the food is digested?

perhaps im not generating enough bile or have malabsorbtion... would this recover once the gut heals fully?

Im also debating taking a very low dose of budesinide to see if this will encourage a better state of healing . just for a short time perhaps a few weeks. Is this worthwhile or a waste of time? sorry for all the questions again.

mant thanks

charlie

[tex]

You're correct, stool color darkening depends on time spent in the colon, as bilirubin causes the color change, and MC typically causes increased motility (rapid transit).

As I mentioned in my previous post, normally, bile-associated issues tend to normalize as our intestines heal from the damage caused by MC.

In virtually every case posted here, beginning a budesonide treatment with a low dose provides no benefit. All oral corticosteroid treatments begin with the full dose, which is then tapered. Corticosteroids work by shocking the system with the initial dose. If there's no shock effect, there's usually no benefit.

Tex

[charlie fh]

Many thanks for that info Tex... i was about to try a low dose but shall do the full dose for a while as i feel my gut unstability at the moment is getting worse. Because of my mild symptoms i think it may have been masking the inflamation thats going on . I cant seem to reach a state of full remission and have concluded that i need a little help in terms of the budesonide while trying a gluten free diet. i hope this helps.

Out of interest , is there any use in doing a short term course of budesonide 9mg to "shock the system" or should i d the full 3 months and taper off.

All the best and thank you!

C

[tex]

Most of us find that the optimum time to step down our budesonide dose is at the first signs of constipation. For some of us, that may be a matter of weeks, while for others, it's a matter of months, depending on our respective inflammation levels. After we get down to one capsule per day, we have to listen to our bodies so that we can decide whether to go to a capsule every other day, and then every third day, etc., or just maintain the status quo as a maintenance dose, depending on how confident we feel about our symptoms. I hope that helps.

Tex