I need your help please.

[tex]

This article ( viewtopic.php?t=22331 ) recommends:

Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil

Seawater should be a good source of magnesium. It contains magnesium chloride. The Dead Sea is probably the best place in the world to absorb magnesium, and other minerals.

Tex

[Catieu]

Thank you very much, Tex.
I have looked for the magnesium you recommended, but I can't find it in my country. However, I have found another similar one. I have already started with the massages, in the morning and at night before going to bed.
Hopefully, I can give you good news in a few days.
A big hug.
Marta

[Catieu]

Hello again,

I tried the magnesium spray. The truth is that it didn't work for me. After a short time of massaging it in, I started to have stomach pains. Then I switched to only putting it on my feet before bed. The sensation it caused on the skin of my feet was very unpleasant for me. There were even days when I had to get up at night to wash my feet so I could continue sleeping. So for now, I've stopped using it.

I'm still on the strict diet, and I haven't introduced any new ingredients. I eat rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turkey, and white fish. Nothing else. I've been on this diet for almost two months now. I'm very stuck. Some days, without changing anything, I get worse and I have no idea why. I start to have a lot of pain and my bowel movements get worse. I spend a few days feeling bad, and then little by little I improve. But at no point can my bowel movements be considered normal. On my best days, they are mushy pieces. Do you think what I'm describing is normal, Tex? Is this worsening without an apparent reason part of the process? Could there be something I'm not doing right? The truth is that it has me very puzzled. And it's very frustrating and disheartening.

Thank you very much.

A big hug

Marta

[tex]

Hello Marta,

If you are better now than you were two months ago when you started the diet, then keep doing what you are doing. Yes, almost all of us sometimes react for no apparent reason, especially while we are still recovering. With cases that are difficult to resolve, such as yours, it often takes six months to a year of carefully following a recovery diet before we are able to reach remission. There is no medical research proving this, but I'm pretty sure the reason this happens is because after we have been reacting for years and years, there's so much damage to our digestive system that it requires a very long time to heal.

And the bowel movements that you describe are a stage in the healing process that most of us go through. They are much, much better than watery diarrhea, so your digestive system is definitely healing, it just needs more time to complete the healing. Don't give up, it sounds as though you are on your way to recovery.

If you continue to get worse, rather than better, try cutting the fish out of your diet, because some of us react to fish. Unless you were allergic to shellfish before you developed MC, you should be able to safely eat shellfish, including shrimp, prawns, mussels, clams, lobsters, crabs, oysters, etc.

Tex

[Catieu]

Thank you, Tex. Sorry for the delay in replying; I’m still feeling unwell and have little energy. Thank you for your encouraging words. The problem is that when you start to get worse for no apparent reason, you question everything you're doing and think maybe there’s something you're not doing right. I’ll continue the same, then.

Another question: what about the pain? Any ideas on how to manage it? Sometimes when my stomach hurts so much, it goes away by eating something. It’s strange because I’m not hungry, and my stomach tells me not to eat, but my brain says eat something and you’ll feel better. And the pain does decrease, but it doesn’t last long.

I hope to recover soon. I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you so much, I can never thank you enough.

A big hug
Marta

[tex]

The pain that some of us experience when our MC is active is difficult to manage. I didn't even try to control the abdominal pain, but some people try heat pads, or cold packs. The only medication we can safely take for pain is acetaminophen, and that doesn't seem to work for everyone. Whenever I felt a migraine coming on I took acetaminophen, but I had to take it before the pain became severe, or it wouldn't help much. And taking it with a little food helped to make it work better for me.

Tex

[Catieu]

Hello again, thank you for your response, Tex.
The heating pad is what I usually use. It calms me a bit and relaxes my abdominal muscles.
I never take any medication to calm down. I stopped taking NSAIDs many years ago.

I’m still practically the same. I eagerly hope for some improvement because this is becoming exhausting.
I’ll keep you posted in a few days.

Thanks a lot
A big Hug

Marta

[Catieu]

Hello Tex,

I'm here to tell you how I am and to ask you some questions.

I'm still on a strict diet, eating very few foods (turkey, shrimp, white fish, rice, sweet potato, and regular potato, nothing else). I haven't had any significant changes. The truth is that I constantly advance and retreat. The fatigue continues, and the pain doesn't go away. But I remain hopeful and positive. I know I will get better, although I don't know when yet.

The first question: how do you see my Erythrocyte Magnesium levels? In the previous test, they were low and have increased without taking any supplements. I tried some, but I couldn't tolerate them, so I stopped. These are the results, and according to the lab, I'm in the normal range. What do you think?:

ERYTHROCYTE MAGNESIUM 42.68 mg/L (Ref. Range 35 - 55)

The second question: has it ever happened to you that occasionally, I have very abundant and foul-smelling diarrhea with different textures. It starts with very severe colic pain. It's as if, over the days, I don't empty completely, and suddenly, one day, I have to empty out. The episode can last a couple of hours straight and leaves me exhausted and with a lot of muscle pain in my belly. This can happen about once a month or so. Is this normal?

As you may have read, I'm getting closer to being able to do the Enterolab tests. I hope it will be sooner rather than later. My life will change if I can start eating more foods.

Thank you very much.
A big hug,

Marta

[tex]

The erythrocyte (red blood cell) magnesium test appears to be a good, accurate test giving reasonably accurate results, so according to that magnesium test result, you must be getting sufficient magnesium from your diet.

Regarding the bowel movement pattern that you described, I don't know if it's "normal", but back when I was reacting, I had that happen to me many times, so I'm guessing that it probably happens to many of us.

Tex

[Catieu]

Hello,

I wanted to discuss some concerns.

Since Thursday, I've been experiencing a lot of pain and worsening stool consistency. And since yesterday, mucus has also appeared. It's large, thick, and white mucus. Even in the early stages of my illness, when I also had mucus and was much worse, it was never like this. Before, it was like strings mixed in with the diarrhea. But this time, it's long and thick mucus. I don't know what could be causing this. I’m still on the strict diet and haven’t changed anything; it’s been five months now. I am very disciplined and careful. What do you think could be causing this worsening? Is there anything I could do differently? I'm always wondering if I'm doing everything correctly.

Additionally, emotionally, I feel increasingly exhausted, frustrated, overwhelmed by the situation, and I have to make an effort not to break down and cry every time someone asks me how I feel. I can't see the end of this. I know it's there from everything I read here on the forum, but I still can't see the light.

Thank you very much.

A big hug,

Marta

[tex]

Something is wrong, because the increased mucus means that the inflammation is increasing. Exactly what are you eating, and what supplements or medications are you taking, if any. Maybe we can figure out the problem.

Tex

[Catieu]

Thank you for your quick response, Tex.

Since March, I have been eating turkey, fish (sole, monkfish, shrimp, squid), but in small amounts, maybe two or three times a week, potatoes, rice, and sweet potatoes. Everything is seasoned with salt and high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Nothing else. I haven't introduced any other ingredients. I am very careful and, above all, very strict and disciplined.

For medications, I take Levothyroxine and Liothyronine sodium every morning to manage my Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism. I've been taking Levothyroxine for many years, but I've been on Liothyronine for about a year and a half.

As supplements, I was taking Ginevitex, some drops of Vitex agnus-castus to regulate some menstrual irregularities. I've been taking it for over two years and have never felt it didn't agree with me.

I also started taking a supplement called NuaDha Vision, a combination of antioxidants and Omega-3, when I was diagnosed with a cataract in my eye caused by corticosteroids in early 2022.

Here are the exact ingredients:

GINEVITEX:
Orujo and Vitex agnus castus (fruits, leaves, and floral essence) in a 5:1 ratio, both from organic farming and sourced from Spain.

NUADHA VISION:

Preparation A: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Taurine, Zinc Gluconate, R-lipoic Acid, Lutein, D-alpha-tocopheryl Acid Succinate (Vitamin E), Zeaxanthin, Anti-caking Agent (Magnesium Stearate), Copper Gluconate, and Anti-caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide). Capsule composition: Coating Agent (Gelatin), Colorants (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow Iron Oxide, and Red Iron Oxide).
Preparation B: NuaDha (purified fish oil rich in DHA), DL-alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E); Pearl Composition: Coating Agent (Gelatin) and Humectant (Glycerol).

I stopped taking these supplements last Saturday, with no improvement yet, though it's probably too early to tell.

I still need to review my cosmetics, but as I mentioned in the other post, they are all non-toxic and organic. I've been using most of them for a long time.

After thoroughly analyzing everything, I don't see any reason for this worsening. I haven't changed anything. Perhaps my schedule is a bit less organized since we are on vacation, but I still lead a very limited life, resting a lot.

Maybe you can see something I'm missing.

Thank you so much for your dedication. I will be eternally grateful to you.

A big hug

Marta

[tex]

It's difficult for me to check ingredients of products available in Spain from here in North America, but a number of things in your diet may be suspicious. For example, shellfish are generally safe(shrimp, squid, clams, mussels, prawns, etc.) but some of us react to fish. A few of us react to rice. Because of the pandemic, contaminated olive oil is very common in most parts of the world. And most of it is contaminated with cheaper oils such as soy. So check out the quality of the brand of olive oil you're using very carefully, because that could be a problem, since most of us react to soy. Taking supplements while reading covering is very risky. D-alpha-tocopheryl Acid Succinate, for example is made from soy oil here in North America. I have no idea what it might be made from in Spain, but it very likely could be soy oil, because soy oil is very cheap.

Many women who have MC react to birth control products and most other hormonal supplements. Some are able to use bioidentical hormone supplements after they are in remission, but they are especially risky before reaching remission. The fact that we used a supplement or a medication for many years before developing MC is irrelevant, because MC causes us to react to many ingredients that never bothered us before we developed the disease. And products of that type (that we have used for many years) are usually the hidden culprits that prevent us from being able to reach remission, because ee tend to trust them because we've used them for so long without any problems.

You're taking so many supplements that it's no wonder that you're still inflamed. We can't do that. The way to get to remission is to put the fewest number of things into our mouth possible — only a few safe foods, and only medications and supplements that are absolutely necessary to prevent a life-threatening risk. We absolutely have to lower the inflammation level in our intestines if we ever intend for them to heal, and the best way to do that is to avoid all the nonessential (or inflammatory) items in our diet.

Tex

[Catieu]

Thank you, Tex, for your response.

I forgot to mention that the mucus is only present in the first bowel movement of the day. In the subsequent ones, there's no trace of it. I'm not sure if that means anything.

I will eliminate white fish and stick to shrimp and squid.

As for the oil, I buy it directly from the producer once a year after pressing. It’s of very high quality, for which I pay a high price. I don't think there's any problem with it.

For now, I don't want to give up rice because it’s hard for me to find sweet potatoes, and I would be left with only potatoes. I’ll wait fifteen days, and if there's no improvement and the mucus persists, I'll eliminate it. I hope that won't have to happen.

I will also continue not taking the supplements. I just hope I don't have irregularities with my menstruation again because my problem was that I menstruated very often. Out of thirty days in a month, I could be menstruating for twenty. And as a result, I had anemia. Still, it seems strange that the supplements could be the cause since I started taking them when I already had Microscopic Colitis and they didn’t give me problems. I was taking them before starting the elimination diet and continued after. And throughout this time, I’ve had better days and worse days. But I won't take them again.

Tomorrow, I will review the cosmetics with my daughter's help.

I hope to give you good news soon.

Thank you very much.

A big hug,

Marta

[tex]

Regarding the increased mucus in the mornings: That may mean that your meal of the evening before contains something that is causing inflammation. But maybe the mucus just has more time to build up during the night. The point is, the epithelia of the colon produces the mucus in order to try to protect it from whatever is in your colon. If nothing in the colon is inflammatory, then you won't notice any abnormal amounts of mucus.

Please note that MC often adversely affects the menstrual cycle for many women (probably most women). Your doctor should be aware that any inflammatory bowel disease tends to cause menstrual cycle problems. There's published medical research data available. I copied the following quote from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation website:

When a woman's IBD is active, the inflammation itself can cause the body to shut down normal hormone function. Restoring health is the way to restore regular periods

In other words, they're saying that the only way to restore normal menstrual cycles is to get the MC into remission.

Maybe someone else here knows more about this, and can advise you. I'm certainly not an expert on this problem.

Here's a link to a medical website that discusses the issue:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articl ... our-period

Tex