Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
Luce wrote:When you are ready, I know you can do this. You just don't sound like you are ready right now. Holidays are tough. Hang around for support, whatever you do, ok? We all have to find our own way, but we want to follow your journey.
That's exactly the message that I get, when I read these posts. You have to be motivated, or the diet will never work. You have to be committed to getting your health back, or you will never be able to stick to the diet long enough to make it work. And I agree that the holidays are a doubly tough time to be starting a restrictive diet.
Luce wrote:There's no point in doing an elimination test if you don't do it consistently.
Very, very true. I fumbled around for a year and a half, on a GF diet, experimenting with also removing casein, or corn, or sugar, or fruit, or soy, etc., but never really got anywhere, until I finally bit the bullet, and removed all that stuff, (in addition to gluten), and after that, it didn't take long to reach remission. Now, I can eat most of that stuff again, without any problems, after I gave my gut plenty of time to heal. (Of course, I'll never intentionally eat any gluten, again, though).
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.
faithberry wrote:Hey Pinball Wizard,
how about just trying a diet of about 5-10 foods you think might be safe and seeing if that brings relief.
I am trying. I feel a lot better this morning. I went and got some things that would be pretty good for me, today. hummus, gf rice crackers, beets, goat yogurt, kombucha... hummus is excellent.
I need a list of foods that I like eating that are easy, fast, cheap, ready, tasty... Rice, beans, eggs, yogurt, cheese, beef, chicken, protein shakes, sausage, mustard are all easy ones for me.
I am gonna try an elimination diet again and do something longer term. I will do it long-term. Being really sick has me motivated again to make me think I can do it. I just need a list of foods. Its so hard to do it 100%.
I think I know how you feel. It is soooo hard to give up soooo many foods we have loved and found convenient too. I am still struggling with what to cut out, but I seem very gradually, with quite a few ups and downs, (which I put down to dietary mishaps) to be getting closer to remission. That is still with 9gm of Entocort a day, so I have a very long way to go still.
I need a list of foods that I like eating that are easy, fast, cheap, ready, tasty.
Here is what I think is a pretty safe list:
White rice
Beef (including 100% burgers)
Pork chops
Lamb chops
Chicken breasts (not the fatty part)
All types of fish (not smoked)
Shell fish (probably but you would need to check)
Well cooked brocolli, cauliflower
Potatoes without the skins
Mushrooms (probably)
Olive oil
Wine vinegar
Salt and pepper (not too much pepper)
tea
And for you, because you do not appear to be intolerant to milk....
Yogurt
cream
cheese
milk
I am still trying to work out what fruit I can tolerate at this stage of the gut healing process (I am currently experimenting with drinking one glass of fresh lemon soda a day)
If I where you, I would cut out beans from your list. IMO, unless I have got this very wrong, if you are Soy intolerant all legumes are on suspect. Also, unless you know for sure they are 100% meat, sausages can be bulked out with grains (gluten) so they could be suspect too.
I am completely unqualified so this is just suggestions. Perhaps others will make other suggestions.
Wishing you all progress with whatever you decide to do. Best wishes, Ant
Ant wrote:I am completely unqualified so this is just suggestions.
I beg to differ. You've been a member of this board for roughly 5 months now, and you've spent many, many hours reading and researching relevant information, so you probably know more about treating this disease than at least 95% of the GI doctors out there, who probably haven't spent more than a few hours studying the basics of the disease, using out-of-date sources.
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.
Looks like you are onto something good! Watch out for protein shakes. Protein powders are virtually all hydrolyzed and thus contain glutamates, which some of us have a problem with. Might be fine for you.
I see 2 basic challenges with this elimination diet. what can I do to work through them?
Non-food problems
First, my symptoms of tendonitis, muscle and joint pain, have been to a large extent related to what I am doing physically. For Example, I have for the many days have been on an elimination diet. I have not really eliminated anything yet. And I have not worked out either....until today. All I did was 15 minutes on a stationary bike and a couple long walks. That is pretty lame for a very active young man who sometimes spends a couple hours in the gym 5 days a week. But, lately, 15 mins is all I need for the pain to come back. After working out, I have felt for the first time my pain has come back in the last few days. I am assuming the best route is that I should continue not to workout on the elimination diet and see if symptoms appear foods being tested. Is this your recommendation?
Too many food problems
Entero Labs says I am sensitive to glutin and soy. The other test shows I should avoid nightshades and spicy foods and my experience tells me to avoid fructose sugar.
So which foods should I strictly adhere to?
I can be religious about glutin and soy.
But all nightshades and all fructose????? that is quite limiting! Tonight for example, I did happen to have a spicy tuna roll (pepper is a night shade) today and I eat the occaisional fruit a few times a day but not things like grapes and cokes and other high fructose. So I am greatly reducing these nightshades and fructose. And I will keep it down for a while longer, another week?, and start adding things back in. What do you guys think?
Potatoes without the skins
Ant, is this ok, if I am trying to eliminated nightshades? ANd by the way, my food allergy test said that I was not allergic to potatoes.
I, like you, am still learning. The latest thing I have noticed is that having cut out tomatoes and reduced potatoes (even without skins) my BMs are getting firmer (only seven days so early days yet, and of course still on 9gm Entocort --- so ways to go). So maybe, at least in my case, potatoes should be out. I seem to be getting closer and closer to a full Paleo diet.....
You might like to check out Paleo diet for athletes....
You might want to visit the Yahoo Group Fructose Malabsorption Australia. It's not about eliminating all fructose necessarily unless you have a severe case of FM. The diet is about limiting food very high in fructose like high fructose corn syrup and then limiting fruits and vegetables that have higher levels of fructose than glucose. If they are equal or fructose is lower than glucose, they might be fine for you because glucose assists in the transport of fructose. Some people on the diet also need to eliminate fructans and polyols. So if you want to know more, study up and ask questions at the Yahoo Group above. And remember, almost everybody has a limited ability to transport fructose, so eat a huge amount will make almost everyone sick. Some of us just have a much more limited ability.
I agree with the other responses you've already received. The lowered threshold for pain, fatigue, etc., is due to the MC. Most of us have found that continuing to work out is not harmful, (to the contrary, it's usually beneficial, since it helps to increase the production of hormones that help to reduce depression, and generally promote an improved state of mind). You just need to tailor the workouts to your needs, and your current condition, so that you don't overdo it. Once you get your MC symptoms under control, and your gut has had time to heal, all those superfluous aches and pains will disappear, and your body will return to a normal state of response to your workouts.
All nightshades belong to the family Solanaceae. Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison and it is quite toxic, even in small quantities. Commercial potatoes are screened for solanine, of course, so the only time that they may present a problem, is when they are exposed to sunlight for a significant amount of time, after they leave storage. Other than the plant itself, most of the solanine in potato tubers, is either in the skin, or just below it. After the peel is removed, if the potato has a green color, throw it away, because the presence of chlorophyll indicates the probable presence of solanine, also. Many/most of the edible parts of the other nightshades are typically green in the normal state, which increases the odds of a reaction. That's probably why green bell peppers, for example, bother so many people, (in the general population, not just those with MC). Tomatoes are nightshades, of course, and much more of a problem for us than potatoes. Chilis, (chili peppers), are often a problem for many/most of us while we are healing, simply because they tend to irritate an already hypersensitive gut.
Very, very few of us on this board are bothered by potatoes, so they are generally considered safe. I few of us do seem to be bothered by them, however, so those individuals are better off avoiding potatoes, at least until they have been in remission long enough for their gut to heal. I lived on pork, chicken, potatoes, a little rice, and an occasional serving of squash, broccoli, or green beans, for a couple of years, while I was recovering. The odds are in your favor - IOW, you should be able to safely eat potatoes, but remember that we are all different in our reactions.
Good luck with your diet,
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.
MSG is in many of the foods you eat. It is in soy sauce, ketchup, jerky is loaded with it and it is in pretty much ALL fast foods. It is a dough conditioner in pizza dough, it is in many cheeses and most tomato sauces, it is added to raw chicken. It is frankly everywhere.
In 1997 I began to have many of the joint issues you have noted in your posts. I began to see a rheumatologist who wanted me to go on methotrexate. After researching that, I decided NOT to take it. During my research I learned that MSG was a problem for many people and that eliminating it had helped. So I eliminated MSG from my diet and believe me it was not something I wanted to give up. I have a very physical job and have always been very active and in good shape, but I would come home from work and literally hurt everywhere. It felt like someone had taken me and thrown my body into a brick wall. I had total brain fog, was depressed and the only thing that helped was to sleep it off. Now when I am exposed to MSG I can feel it immediately. Most people get headaches, but what I get is muscle pain. It begins in my lower arms and legs and depending on how much I have ingested, can literally put me to sleep. For days afterwards I have joint pain. I have tested negative for the Rh factor, but it is likely that I've inherited something as many of my siblings have had joint issues so maybe there is more than MSG going on for me, but clearly MSG is a poison for me.
I was recently diagnosed with LC and CC and have been treating it w/o steroids and having some success. I posted my protocol in an earlier post today.
I highly suggest that you look into this as a possible cause of many of your health issues. I know this is daunting, it was daunting for me and very depressing, but you have to stick to something long enough for your body to heal. If gluten is a problem it can take a long time w/o it for your gut to heal. There is no easy fix.
Perhaps you can find a girlfriend who likes to cook healthy foods for you??? LOL
Resolved MC symptoms successfully w/L-Glutamine, Probiotics and Vitamins, GF since 8/'09. DX w/MC 10/'09.
I am a week into this Elimination diet having totally abstained from gluten and soy and kept nightshades, peppers and fructose at a minimum. I will eventually going to start on the elimination diet sometime within the next week. I think I have a few food sensitivities. However, I think my tendonitis and joint pain is from something else.
I am thinking I stumbled upon what my real issue is:
A bad reaction to cipro. It explains my issues better than anything else has. My symptoms haven't gone away. They just pretty much wax and wane at this point based mostly upon whether or not I over exert the gentle tendons.
I believe I am a little sensitive to certain foods after all the antibiotics (three kinds). But, tendon pain may actually be something else. That is what I believe.
We will know really soon once the elimination diet is done. Yay. And once that is over, I can move forward on a path that I can control.
Faithberry actually gave me the idea to checkout the yahoo groups when she mentioned the fructose group. When I looked at the fructose group, I also searched other groups and I found the cipro and quinolone groups.
And when I read their stories, it all made sense.
And according to what there stories indicate, most people recover fully. Pretty much everyone recovers to some degree. And it takes about 5 years on average. I am a year and half into it.
Now, I know to include this in my 5 year plan!
I am actually very much relieved and I felt thankful when I heard similar stories.
In conclusion: I took 3 antibiotics. It messed up my digestive tract and I became slightly allergic/intolerant/sensitive/whatever to stuff. But the tendonitis is different. It was damaged from the cipro. It did not resurface until later after I started working out intensely again. And now, I believe I have about 2-3 years more since my case is more mild than others.
I just read the links you posted. Wow! It makes tobacco companies and Colombian drugs cartels seem like saints in comparison to big pharma and the established medicinal community..... There needs to be a revolution in medicinal "industry" thinking if humanity is going to benefit from the huge potential of exponential growth in knowledge.
Congratulations on your find about antibiotics. I haven't had a chance to look at the links, but if this resonates for your so strongly, it may very well be the case.
At the same time, I fully agree with Stanz. I get joint pain from MSG and Free Glutamic Acid and other foods like apples and avocados. My muscles are completely wrecked and weakened now so I can hardly tolerate any exercise at all. Free Glutamic Acid even occurs in regular foods like parmesan cheese (very high) and chicken that's not injected, though much lower. Any protein shake will be loaded with free glutamic acid. I hope this isn't an issue for you, but you might keep it on the back burner just in case.
Potatoes are lowest in nightshades, so it may be why they are OK on your test when the other nightshades are counter-indicated. I myself react to potatoes but don't know why (nightshades or oxalates, don't know). The last time I had half a potato a few weeks ago, I was running to the bathroom although I didn't have D just urgency and soft stools.
In any case, if you have a serious version of fructose malabsorption it can take 1-2 years to heal and improve. That's why it might be useful to have the test done so you know for certain. In any case, it can't hurt to reduce the fructose anyway.
I agree with you that the Cipro is most likely the cause of your tendinitis. If you had told us right off the bat, that you had been taking Cipro, we could have saved you a lot of time in tracking down that connection. We have to know the pertinent facts, before we can accurately analyze your particular situation.
That's not really a rare issue. We've discussed it many times in the past. (In fact, if you had done a search on this board, you probably would have found it yourself). For example, here are a few of the past threads where we've discussed this connection, between Ciprofloxacin and tendinitis, (and there are many more in the archives, here):
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.
This recent discussion on antibiotics has been a real eye-opener for me. I truly hope that you have found your answer is your use of Cipro, PBW, although the 5 year sentence of illness is unbelievably sad.
This led me to research my medical records. In '05 I had 5 UTI's, was given bactrim each time and it cleared up, but obviously not for long as it came back every 10 wks or so. In '06 had 3 more and was given trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. On 11/30/06 I was given a MASSIVE dose of it (56 SMZ-TMP Tab 800mg/160mg) because of the continuous problems with infections and also that I was getting cysts/boils in my groin fairly regularly that looked like those associated with MRSA. At that Nov. visit with my PCP I told her that I was convinced I had MRSA. Her response was that MRSA was so common she didn't feel she needed to do the cheek swab test and simply prescribed me the 56 pills. THIS is when my problems started. My D started in mid Dec. '06 and was intermittent until 12/11/07 when I had a very traumatic event in my life and the D has been constant since then.
I have not had another UTI since I took the massive dose of SMZ-TMP in '07, but because of all my problems with D that my new PCP didn't seem concerned about (as I was tested for C-Difficile, HLA B-27 ((because I had a severe case of food poisoning in Nov. '99)) and other possibilities and all were negative) this year I asked for a test to show if I had the markers for EVER having MRSA. Again the results were negative - so what was going on then?
Looking back further I see that I had had more infrequent "infections" of various kinds ever since I'd had day surgery to remove scar tissue from my wrist in early '02 and most of the time had been prescribed penicillin. Back further from this I had a severe reaction to Velosef in '95. I have no idea how this all translates out. Sometimes I've felt like there is just TMI on the Internet and that my PCP's just think I am nuts and maybe I am, but IMO Western Med. needs to do some major changing of how they view those of us with chronic problems. I am just thankful that I didn't buy into using Methotrexate, Sulfasalazine, having a trapeziectomy, etc. as these people are just inept and dangerous and beholden to the drug companies for funding for research. It is truly pathetic.
I see people in my own family circle who are being literally poisoned every day by the "medicines" they are prescribed. At Thanksgiving dinner my daughter's FIL who has Parkinson's (maybe) drank 2 diet cokes before he ate dinner, as did his obese daughter, HELLO!!. His wife, who is on multiple meds didn't know who my SIL (her son) and my daughter or their kids were and sure as hell didn't know who any of the rest of us were or why we were even there.
It is overwhelming. Hopefully the new crop of doctors will spend more time on studying how all of these problems relate instead of being asked to memorize stuff they can easily access via computer. Truly, if med. students were assigned the task of doing what we have all done to diagnose ourselves as a part of their schooling, I believe that so many people would be spared from life-long or life-ending illnesses that are drug induced. I imagine you have all likely heard of the recent study that shows that the #1 cause of death is problems with prescription drugs. Will stop here because...well you know.
Resolved MC symptoms successfully w/L-Glutamine, Probiotics and Vitamins, GF since 8/'09. DX w/MC 10/'09.
It is soooo hard to give up soooo many foods we have loved and found convenient too. I am still struggling with what to cut out, but I seem 
