Well, apparently I am not gluten intolerant. I was gluten free for 2 1/2 months, with gradual improvement in the D department, til I was nearly a normal person again. Then for no reason I had another little flare and I said, Hey, I haven't consumed any gluten and here I am with a problem. So that night I had some macaroni and cheese. What the heck. The next night I had some pizza. My original CC (2003) was (I believe) caused by overuse of NSAIDs and heaven only knows what set it off this time. But it apparently is not gluten. Tex, you were right. Anyway, it is over now. I did discover that I really like quinoa!
We just got back from a month in Atlanta with our son's family. He had bunion surgery (making a great recovery) and his wife had some medical problems (was in the hospital) so we were busy with the grandkids. It is SO quiet here at home.
Hope to make the next chat.
gluten-free no more/update
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Kathy,
Okay, I'm a little confused, so I've got a dumb question. If you were steadily improving on a GF diet, and suddenly began having a flair, (which all of us do, on rare occasions, despite our best efforts), how could you logically conclude that it meant that you were not gluten sensitive?
Okay, I lied, actually I have two dumb questions. How could you tell that eating the macaroni and pizza did not affect you, if you were already having a flare?
You're right, of course, that you may not be gluten sensitive, if NSAIDs are your primary trigger. If you can eat a gluten-rich diet, for at least four or five months, without having a relapse, that's pretty convincing evidence that you are not gluten sensitive. The thing about gluten sensitivity is that not all of us react to it immediately. Some react in as little as ten minutes, while others take months, (IOW, some of us may have to accrue a certain amount of intestinal damage before we begin to react).
I may be that way, because I never could tell by looking at my diary, that I was gluten sensitive. Cutting it out of my diet though, eventually brought relief, and three years later, a fat malabsorption test at Enterolab showed that I still had some residual intestinal damage.
Tex
Okay, I'm a little confused, so I've got a dumb question. If you were steadily improving on a GF diet, and suddenly began having a flair, (which all of us do, on rare occasions, despite our best efforts), how could you logically conclude that it meant that you were not gluten sensitive?
Okay, I lied, actually I have two dumb questions. How could you tell that eating the macaroni and pizza did not affect you, if you were already having a flare?
You're right, of course, that you may not be gluten sensitive, if NSAIDs are your primary trigger. If you can eat a gluten-rich diet, for at least four or five months, without having a relapse, that's pretty convincing evidence that you are not gluten sensitive. The thing about gluten sensitivity is that not all of us react to it immediately. Some react in as little as ten minutes, while others take months, (IOW, some of us may have to accrue a certain amount of intestinal damage before we begin to react).
I may be that way, because I never could tell by looking at my diary, that I was gluten sensitive. Cutting it out of my diet though, eventually brought relief, and three years later, a fat malabsorption test at Enterolab showed that I still had some residual intestinal damage.
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.
Having hung out hear for some time and seeing how we all respond to a gluten free diet I can only hope that you have not given up to early.
Many members have not responded to a strict gluten free diet for as much as nine months before they had a formed stool. That was my experience.
Two years into it , it was even more remarkable with only occasional flares. It’s a long study but well worth the effort.
Matthew’s rule of thumb #1- Every flare can teach you something.
I can understand your logic but this disease demands a whole new logic.
Love
Matthew
Many members have not responded to a strict gluten free diet for as much as nine months before they had a formed stool. That was my experience.
Two years into it , it was even more remarkable with only occasional flares. It’s a long study but well worth the effort.
Matthew’s rule of thumb #1- Every flare can teach you something.
I can understand your logic but this disease demands a whole new logic.
Love
Matthew
I guess I decided to give it up because after my first treatment with Entocort I was fine for so many years eating my normal diet. Then diarrhea returned last Christmas. I didn't want to go back to the Dr. and I didn't want to go back on the medicine, so I thought I'd try what works for so many of you. I improved on the gluten-free diet but maybe I would have improved anyhow. I had a couple of episodes--the Edy's mint chocolate chip Ice Cream being by far the worst--before the one where I hadn't eaten anything different. That turned out to last only that afternoon and since then I am fine. I guess it remains to be seen whether norman and his little cousins keep hanging around my house. Hope so.
kathy
Kathy,
I certainly hope that you will stay symptom free, too. One never knows what to expect from this disease - I don't believe that anything about it is chiseled in stone.
It is indeed documented, as you pointed out, that in many cases that were originally triggered by medications, remission can be achieved, (and presumably, maintained), simply by avoiding those medications in the future. Of course, you probably didn't take any NSAIDs either, just before you had that flare, but the reaction could have even been caused by a "bug" of some sort, or who-knows-what.
I'll keep my fingers crossed, and hope for the best. When you get down to the nitty-gritty, that's really what most of us end up doing, at one time or another, no matter how we go about it.
Tex
I certainly hope that you will stay symptom free, too. One never knows what to expect from this disease - I don't believe that anything about it is chiseled in stone.
It is indeed documented, as you pointed out, that in many cases that were originally triggered by medications, remission can be achieved, (and presumably, maintained), simply by avoiding those medications in the future. Of course, you probably didn't take any NSAIDs either, just before you had that flare, but the reaction could have even been caused by a "bug" of some sort, or who-knows-what.
I'll keep my fingers crossed, and hope for the best. When you get down to the nitty-gritty, that's really what most of us end up doing, at one time or another, no matter how we go about it.
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.
Hi Kathy,
Sorry you had a flare! I hope it was just a bug. This disease is very complicated, as you know. I was asymtomatic when I went gf, based on my test results from Dr. Fine. That was 5 years ago and I haven't had a relapse of MC since. I'm an asymptomatic gluten intolerant case, until I have a relapse of MC, that is. Clear as mud, I know.
Love,
Alice
Sorry you had a flare! I hope it was just a bug. This disease is very complicated, as you know. I was asymtomatic when I went gf, based on my test results from Dr. Fine. That was 5 years ago and I haven't had a relapse of MC since. I'm an asymptomatic gluten intolerant case, until I have a relapse of MC, that is. Clear as mud, I know.
Love,
Alice