anyone else here under 30??

collagastritis84 · Post by **collagastritis84** » Sat May 29, 2010 9:48 pm

just wondering how rare it its to have this being relatively young, im 26

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat May 29, 2010 11:36 pm

I am not under 30 (bugger it

)

when i was diagnosed my GI specialist said it was rare for people under 50 to have MC
then i found this site and was re-enlightened to the truth

there are babies and toddlers with it, there is Angy and Olivia

I have my suspicions that i was borderline IBS/MC around my early 30's. Because i followed a GF/YF/LF diet for the last 12 years or more I wonder if I kept the chronic symptoms at bay. who knows. I suppose it depends on what your major triggers are and lifestyle etc

IMO - with you being of a younger age then cell rebuild and healing post a flare should occur quickly.

no matter what your age, this condition is pretty crappy

(pun intended)
it requires fairly big lifestyle changes, it affects socialisation, i miss being able to go to the pub with work colleagues for lunch.

collagastritis84 · Post by **collagastritis84** » Sun May 30, 2010 7:04 am

yes this disease is has been quite difficult to deal with..although it does feel good to finally be on the right path as far as a diagnosis goes...the only thing I have going for me is that ive been into bodybuilding for the past few years soo the super restrictive diet is second nature to me..but socially its debilitating most of my friends have given up on getting me to come out on the weekend lol

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sun May 30, 2010 12:49 pm

there was discussion earlier in the year that there was a player in teh super bowl that does not eat wheat, dairy and a few other ingredients and we speculated if he had MC

sorry being an aussie I am not up on the top USA sports people...

as some of the very wise old timers on this site told me - you will get your life back.
diagnosis is a big step and then coming up with the best management plan is next big challenge

collagastritis84 · Post by **collagastritis84** » Sun May 30, 2010 1:31 pm

that is so true:-)

Olivia-Micro-Colitis · Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:36 pm

I'm 21

collagastritis84 · Post by **collagastritis84** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:37 am

Thanx for the reply Olivia, at least i'm not alone...

Post by **tex** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:29 am

Actually, we probably have close to a couple dozen members under the age of 30, but most of them rarely post these days, and some have never posted, (most of the posting on behalf of minors, is done by their mothers, of course). There are also a few members who were under 30 when they joined, but time keeps marching on.

Tex

NJ · Post by NJ » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:12 am

Like you, I'm 26. I was diagnosed w/ Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 19. It's not the same as Microscopic Colitis, but I can control my colitis 100% through a diet that shares a lot of similarities w/ others on this board.

Getting diagnosed w/ a disease at such a young age, or any age really, isn't pleasant but in my experience the adversity has taught me a lot of lessons and made me realize the value of proper nutrition and diet. It's not easy, but you'll adapt and change and the disease won't stop you from enjoying life. How you approach your illness really is everything.

Good luck.

collagastritis84 · Post by **collagastritis84** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:20 pm

Thanks for you reply NJ, this board had been great. We are deff not alone out here!

kate_ce1995 · Post by **kate_ce1995** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:34 pm

I was 28 or 29 when I got MC...38 now. seemingly gluten intolerant, and soy intolerant. I slipped yesterday for the first time in a LONG time on the gluten thing, and seem to have coped well...it is hard, but you can find a solution for yourself.

Hope you are feeling better and more hopeful,
Katy

Erin · Post by **Erin** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:38 am

Hi, I'm another newbie. I was diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis about 10 weeks ago.

I'm 26. I've had symptoms for about 5 years, but no one could tell me what was wrong. I was sent to the hospital by a doctor once because of the diarrhoea and cramps, only to be told by the intern that I was suffering anxiety and it was all in my head. Boy, would I like to march up to her now!!! It's a relief to know that there is something wrong (as strange as that sounds).

I'm a bit unsure of my treatment. I'm on prednisone (currently 12.5mg, on the way down from 60) and Imuran 100 mg a day. From reading this site and others, this seems to be a fairly intense treatment????? I'm responding ok - down to 2 to 3 bathroom breaks a day which is great.

As this is new to me, I'm really glad to discover this forum. Oh, and I love the 'Potty People' picture - it gave me the first good laugh I've had about this condition!
Erin

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:21 am

Erin
hey there fellow aussie. I am a brisbane gal with MC, i was diagnosed last year.
i am currently in France for work, which if you have seen my posts has had a few challenges but i am doing ok.....

there is lots of good info and fantastic recipes on this site. and most of all some great people that can help you adjust to life with MC.

managing life with MC takes patience, planning, adjustments, acceptance.
if you can embrace that then it will not own your life!

welcome aboard - and seeing as i am in france bonjour and kiss kiss as they french do!

take care
Gabes

harma · Post by **harma** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:34 am

Hello Erin,

to the potty people internet family. Glad you found us, not so glad to hear you also have MC. Also very sorry to hear you had to suffer such a long and got labeled "greasy" before you finally got a proper diagnoses. MC is a rare disease and if doctors know it, most of time they connect MC to old(er) people, especially women. Well if you take a look around here, we have men and women here in a wide range of ages. MC can affect you at any age.

The best medication for MC (that is only an opinion here, but also in medical literature) is entocort. It's a corticosteroid like prednisone, only entocort mostly does it works local in the bowel and only 10 to 15% of the hormones reach the bloodstream. That means less changes on side effect compared to prednisone. It is not very common to prescribe Imuran for MC. Of course I am not a doctor, but if MC is your only problem than my opinion is that your meds are far to heavy for your disease and probably also less effective. Entocort is by far the most effective medicine at the moment for MC.

But the other good news is that there is another treatment for MC that works very well for a lot of people here, that is food change. The believe is that MC, like celiac disease, is caused by food intolerances. First of all the gluten, followed by dairy and in half the cases also soy. A view people also have to avoid also other ingredients. (like me

). There is a lot of information on this on site and people experiences with diet.

And the real good news is, that with diet alone of with diet and medication, it is possible to get your life back, to achieve remission!! the diet part is not the easiest part of dealing with MC and it will take a while to find out what food bothers you and what not (a real way of trial and error). And also before you see results it can take a while. But I believe it is worth it.

I would first to encourage to just take a look around and read as much as you can. And also ask as many questions as you want to!!

Harma

Post by **tex** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:26 am

Hi Erin,

Welcome aboard. Wow! Your doctor doesn't mess around. The treatment he prescribed will probably be effective, but here is why I think that it is a very inappropriate treatment for someone in your situation:

Prednisone is effective for IBDs, but it can only be safely used for a short-term treatment, because of it's severe side effects, (there are many, but the most serious risk, is permanent suppression of adrenal function). In a few weeks the Prednisone will be gone, and your symptoms will return. Imuran is a powerful immune system suppressant, designed for organ transplant recipients. It takes a long time to work, (3 to 6 months, usually), but it will eventually incapacitate your immune system, so that it is no longer capable of responding to infections, diseases, or any other threats to your health. Someone at your age, shouldn't have to face those risks, just to treat lymphocytic colitis - that's scary.

IMO, it should be illegal for a doctor to prescribe Imuran for a first line of treatment for someone with LC, especially for someone so young - you still have most of your life ahead of you, and you should not have to face the daily hazards of living with a deactivated immune system - not when there are other, much safer treatment options available.

Again, welcome to our internet family.

Tex (Wayne)

P. S. See my last post in this thread, for more information:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=77474