Attn newbies or anyone struggling....

[julieh2195]

I now have a bladder/kidney infection, is it safe to take Augmentin that they prescribed for me? I'm afraid it will just make my diarrhea worse
Ty for any info
Julie

[tex]

That antibiotic will probably cause your MC to react, but sometimes we have to do what we have to do. The worst risk is that it may cause a c. diff infection, afterward. A safe choice would be Cipro, or one of the other fluoroquinolones, but I doubt that you will be able to persuade your doctor to prescribe it, because Cipro has all sorts of black box warnings on the label. I've used Cipro many times over the years, mostly for dental work, without ever provoking an MC flare. And I never had any of those side effects listed on the label.

As best I can determine, anyone who has a magnesium deficiency, has a risk of developing one or more of those side effects. Without a magnesium deficiency, I think the risk is either minimal, or doesn't exist at all, but I have no medical proof of that (Dr Carolyn Dean agrees with me, though). If you're able to successfully convince a doctor to prescribe Cipro instead of Augmentin, I've always taken supplemental magnesium just to make sure that the Cipro doesn't cause any side effect problems. But don't take magnesium and Cipro at the same time. Like many antibiotics, Cipro depletes magnesium, and magnesium depletes Cipro, so take the magnesium either at least two hours after taking Cipro, or at least four hours before taking the Cipro.

I've never done this, but many patients take a probiotic for a couple of weeks after they end the antibiotic treatment to help prevent a c. diff infection.

Good luck.

Tex

[julieh2195]

Thank you Tex for your prompt reply. I appreciate your input.
Julie

[julieh2195]

Hi Tex,

Just here to give an update on the Augmentin. I never had any diarrhea from it! I'm shocked and relieved as I am now feeling great. I did start out the Augmentin very slowly, one a day for the first couple days. I was also prescribed Hyoscyamine for the bladder spasms which was a great help. When I was researching this med (Hyoscyamine) I realized it is also given for coloitis patients for diarrhea. I then remembered that my mother was on it once for her diarrhea as she also had Microscopic colitis.

Thanks again for all your help.
Julie

[LauraGld]

Is there a link or a place where all of Dee's recipes can be accessed? Thanks so much for all the help from this forum!

[tex]

Julie,

You merely have to scroll down the list of forums (on the main page) to locate Dee's Kitchen. Here's a direct link to it:

https://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB/viewf ... 0d5c812034

Note that Dee had to stop posting years ago, because she suddenly had too many personal obligations to take care of which required full-time attention. Consequently, all of the later posts on that forum are by other members who may, or may not, have different food sensitivities, so before you use their recipes, be sure that they don't contain any ingredients that you can't tolerate. In some cases, you may be able to make substitutions for those ingredients. All of Dee's original recipes should be free of all the major food intolerances, and because D was a professional chef, all of her recipes have been carefully tested to make sure that they're safe, tasty recipes.

Tex

[ajohnson618]

Gabes,

Thank you for this post. I've been especially struggling recently, and your post has given me some hope.

I am a newbie, having been diagnosed less than 100 days ago. I was prescribed budesonide for 90 days, improved while on it, but now I see a relapse and am a bit disheartened. I am seeing a naturopath, as a have a profound distrust of doctors who seem to first prescribe pharmaceuticals rather than try other treatment plans. While my ND has recommended some dietary restrictions, your post encourages me to be even more restrictive and then add in some foods.

Again, thanks again for your post. I am certain I'll be re-reading it often for guidance.

Anne

[Gabes-Apg]

Anne
welcome to the group and sympathies that you had to find us.

I am glad the post was helpful - it is almost 10 years old!!

take some time to read various sections of the forum, sadly there is no 'quick fix' or 'one size fits all' solution for MC

each person had to figure out their own MC management plan.
which medication works best, lifestyle changes etc that suit and are liveable long term.

reading the success stories area - you will see what others have done, what worked what didnt, the time it took
the guidelines to recovery section also provides some suggestions

regarding seeing functional practitioners like naturopaths - be cautious of any supplements/herbs they may recommend. MC is not like other IBD's, the functional treatments that work for Crohns dont work so well for MC.

Happy Healing

[LauraGld]

Thanks for this Gabes!!! Definitely bookmarking...so helpful to newbies and also those of us who have been here a while :)

All the best,

Laura

[Komorebi]

I wanted to thank you all for this help. I just got diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago. Was started on budesonide...I still feel extremely exhausted and to be honest just trying to stay positive and move day to day..the tips are extremely helpful as my GI team just tells me...you look very well for an individual with IBD..I understand that but I sure do feel so tired...love ya

[tex]

Welcome to the group. I hope you can find the solutions you're looking for, but if you can't, feel free to ask.

Tex

[Jessica]

I'm grateful to find this site - Diagnosed just a week ago, after almost 5 months of being chained to Mr T. Now going to try to read and read and read the many wise contributions to this form.

Thank you Gabes!

Jess

[jimbo mack]

Hello there to all the recent newbies!!! - This info may be helpful to others who are struggling.

Some mc basics and essentials.....

- most people have D (diarrhea) and some have C (constipation) dominate MC, other symptoms like pain / bloating /gas are all signs of inflammation. Inflammation damages the gut, long term inflammation leads to leaky gut (search for leaky gut on the archives or on google) it also means that the ability to absorb nutrients is compromised ( either from food or supplements)
There is no magic quick fix for inflammation caused by MC. we need the right nutrients/minerals, low inflammation gut healing eating plan to heal. You have to eliminate/minimise any and all triggers to have a chance at healing.

- MC makes our bodies super sensitive and reactive (and sometimes to the weirdest things)

- there is no right way or wrong way to manage /live with mc. There is your way.
What works for one may not work for another.
ie - a medication that works great for one person, can cause total chaos for another.
Listen to your body, keep a journal, with observation the clues will reveal themselves.

- there is no quick fix or guaranteed solution. for medication support it can be a bit of trial and error as to which will work best for you.

-if you want to heal and optimise wellness, it is highly recommended to follow a lifestyle and eating plan that minimises inflammation
As we age, and the longer one has chronic symptoms, the bodies ability to heal gets harder.
It takes time for the body to heal..... Be patient

-If you are have symptoms, you are having contact with a trigger. You won't get better until you eliminate/minimise that trigger....

- mast cell /histamine is very common. When you have some spare brain cells, do the reading about this topic.

- yes gluten is a very common irritant approx 90%. Dairy, soy is an irritant for ?70%. Eggs, nitrates, sulphides are an irritant for ?50%.
If you are having symptoms, bang for you buck, remove these ingredients and within weeks you are likely to confirm if it is an issue or not.
Your doctor may have done a caeliac blood test, you tested negative and they told you to eat gluten. ALmost everyone here that has major MC reactions to Gluten, tested negative on the caeliac blood test. In MC world it is not a reliable indicator of gluten sensitivity.

- not all triggers relate to food/ingredients. It can be stress (physical, mental, emotional), it can be environmental; season changes, pollens, chemicals, mould. Things like hormone changes, thyroid etc can also be a trigger. One of the reasons we recommend the eating plan of avoiding triggers is so that we can cope better with the external type triggers and minimise inflammation reactions

- finding a good doctor /gi is rare. It is mostly an outcome of the health systems within our countries, not necessarily that doctors are bad. The published info on things like mc is outdated and incorrect.
Research, ask questions, and make your own decisions. Listen to your body, don't reject your doctor, we still need them, just have realistic expectations of what they and the health system can do to help you.

- living with mc can be crap! If what you are reading on this site is making you scared, hesitant about all the changes, that is understandable. As you read the posts of peoples MC journey you will see the sacrifices, changes suggested by these wonderful people are worth it.
We also have to do some mental/emotional reading/work on transition, change, acceptance.

- It may take months if not a year or so to sort out your mc management plan.
There will be progress, set backs (which are learnings)
It may take every ounce of courage, patience, tenacity that you have...
All of which is definitely worth it!!!!

- highly recommend to check your vit d levels, If money is tight, this is the must have supplement. You need good levels of vit d in the cells of your body to absorb nutrients. inflammation depletes Vit D3. If you don't have good vit d3 levels, you are not absorbing nutrients from foods or supplements. Search the archives for vit d3, the articles and reading on this topic is worthy of your time.
NB, going outside in the sun for an extra 20mins per day won't solve this issue....

-Linked to my saying, there is no right way or wrong way.... What each individual does or doesn't do is governed by many factors..... Money, family, work, beliefs, etc all have influence. There is no shame if you do or don't do something that other MC'ers are doing.
I have never done the enterlab testing. Yes it has helped a lot of people, for some it didn't reveal anything new. I figured out my major triggers within 6mths.

- in line with the point above about stress being a trigger, for some there is some limitations on physical, emotional mental energies. Push the limits on one and/or all of these and you may have symptoms or major flare. Learn what your limits are, plan your day, plan your week to align with what you can handle physically, mentally and emotionally.

- MC is for life. you can 'get rid of it' or 'cure it' with the right management plan you can have long periods of remission.
part of the process is acceptance of this, and that you dont always get to 'control' MC.

You can get your life back!! Albeit it may not be the exact same as what it was before the MC diagnosis,
When you have time, read some of the posts in the success stories, this will give an indicator of how easy it was for some, and where it may have been challenging for others. And the time it took.

What you will see from reading the posts and discussions, the people that gave it 100%, listened to their bodies, and followed the advice of these generous supportive people; climbed mountains!!!!!

All the supportive, knowledgeable people who will help you through the MC maze, are doing it because they want you to be well, symptom free. They sincerely want you to get your life back.

This is not a typical forum, it is a family!!! Distance and time difference doesn't seem to matter. Some of my closest friends are potty people members that I met due to MC. I consider those friendships the beautiful gift that MC brought to my life.

Take some deep breaths!!! Feel safe and relaxed that you have found a place that can help you. The success of living with MC, symptom free is up to you and how you approach this..... Only you can take all the info from this site and make it work!!! It's free!!!! No conditions or payment required!!!!

Most of all, healing hugs for your mc journey.

Hi Gabes

I hope this finds you well. I am new to this forum following a recent diagnosis of Collagenous colitis (diagnosed following biopsy). I am a 38 year old male from the UK.

I was fortunate to be able to stop the diarrhoea myself after purchasing Enterosgel from the chemist but I cannot seem to shake off the pain which is presumably from the inflammation ? I also get cramping and bloating and all of this is making me feel very fatigued with brain fog and other symptoms. I feel like a different person to who I was - a shadow of my former self you could say!

As I am completely new to all this I am trying to avoid the need to take medication where possible, but the pain is bad and I’m suffering - it’s constant, affecting my sleep etc.

From your experience, can you recommend anything that helps with pain, bloating and cramps, as I imagine it will take me a while to notice any positive effects from diet changes. I would be grateful for any advice or sign posting re pain management.

Many thanks, James.

[Gabes-Apg]

Welcome James, and sympathies that you had to find us

yes, pain is generally the inflammation

the best option is low inflammation eating plan
bland, well cooked, small amount of ingredients.

Vit D3 and Magnesium - this reduces inflammation, encourages healing etc. this will help with the brain fog

the other thing that helped me with brain fog issues was 'methyl B12' (active form of B12)

sadly there is no quick fix. good healing takes time.

If you are reading posts on this forum and making adjustments in your life to reduce impact of MC you are on the right track to minimising issues long term.

hope this helps. spend some time reading other areas of the forum (success stories and guidelines to recovery)

[cloud9er]

Hi James,

If you don’t have reflux you could try peppermint tea. Paracetamol from my understanding is ok when needed. I use a hot water bottle or heated pad when in pain and cramping.

How did you discover Enterosgel? Was it recommended by your gastro? I can’t see any ingredients listed on their website.

Kind Regards,

Amy