Hi all,
I am glad to have found this forum. First, I would like to apologize if I am posting in the wrong area of the forum. I am a 26 year old female and I have been suffering from chronic D for 3 years. I try to take very good care of myself. I am overweight because of an endocrine disease I have, but otherwise I am the healthiest eater my age that I know, and I do yoga daily. I have tried various things to help with the D, to no avail. Here is a little (well, a lot) background:
I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (an endocrine disorder that affects fertility and insulin) in 2006, for which I was prescribed Metformin (given for insulin resistance). A common side effect is diarrhea, but only for the first few weeks until your body gets used to it. I thought that the diarrhea, which started around that time, was from the meds, and that I'm just more sensitive to it. However, I have since experimented in quitting the medication twice (for a month each time), and have not had symptom improvement. since the medication only stays in one's system for 2 days according to the pharmacist, there is no way it is causing my symptoms. Plus, it has been three years, which would be unheard of for this pill to wreak such havoc.
In addition to adjusting my medication, I have tried different diets as well. I am a "flexitarian," meaning I am usually vegetarian but occasionally eat chicken. I have tried high fiber, low carb, low fat, no fat, no sugar, you name it I have tried it! I still have the same symptoms: I do not feel like I have to go until it hits, and then it is a very strong urgency. the D is usually watery with sandy sediment (tmi sorry). I do not have vomiting or much pain, nor do I have any blood presence. I do get bloated, and I sometimes get gas. Mostly it is just this horrible urgency. When it happens, I usually have to go two or three times over the course of an hour or so, just to get it out of my system! With that comes extreme fatigue, worse than when I had mono as a teenager. I am afraid to go anywhere! Also, I have been tested for food allergies and I tested negative to all food allergies. I do not consume very much dairy because I try to avoid food with hormones because of the endocrine disorder. I take acidophilus daily and I also drink raw, unfiltered, apple cider vinegar. While these have not helped, I have continued this regimen because it is just healthy anyway.
Within the past few months it has gotten to the point that I need to take at least 3 immodium pills to stop it. Then I won't go for 2 days and the D starts over again. This is NOT COOL!
I didn't mean to let it go this long, but I guess this time has gone by quickly! I am definitely going to the doctor this week, but before I go asking for tests, I need to make sure my concerns are warranted, because I have to pay out of pocket as I do not have any health insurance. Obviously, something is wrong. However, I want to get some feedback. Does it sound like I have IBS? Microscopic Colitis? I just sort out my thoughts better when I bounce them off other people. Please realize that any information you provide will not be substituted for my doctor's advice, and I already have an appointment set up for this problem. But if it appears to others that my suspicions about MC are correct, I will pay the money for the test. I am getting married next summer and I don't want to poop my dress, dammit! :-)
So, comments? suggestions? opinions?
Thinking I may have MC, opinions?
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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natythingycolbery
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 590
- Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:23 pm
- Location: York, United Kingdom
Hello, and welcome to the forum.
Although I'm not a doctor, your symptoms do definatley sound like MC, so I would suggest (although you have to pay) that you ask for a colonoscopy and for them to take biopsies when they do it, as this is the only way (as far as I am aware) that you can really be diagnosed with MC. But you are in the right place for tips on going into remission etc.
Tex and some of the others know more than me though, so I would wait to listen to their opinions too :)
Big welcoming hugs from the UK
Although I'm not a doctor, your symptoms do definatley sound like MC, so I would suggest (although you have to pay) that you ask for a colonoscopy and for them to take biopsies when they do it, as this is the only way (as far as I am aware) that you can really be diagnosed with MC. But you are in the right place for tips on going into remission etc.
Tex and some of the others know more than me though, so I would wait to listen to their opinions too :)
Big welcoming hugs from the UK
Hi Kitty,
While there doesn't seem to be any official research reports that connect Metformin with MC, there seem to be some cases where females taking it to treat PCOS, end up with food sensitivities and chronic colitis. That combination, over time, can certainly cause microscopic colitis to develop.
Of course, no doctor can diagnose you over the internet, (without an examination), so neither can we, but I have to agree with Naty that, (based on your symptoms), you almost surely have MC, (with at least a 95% confidence level, IMO). Colonoscopies are not cheap, unfortunately, and taking biopsies during the process, and having them examined by a pathologist, afterward, will add a lot more to the bill, obviously, plus the cost of the GI doc's office visits and advice. That is the only way to get an official diagnosis, however, and it's the only way to obtain a prescription for any drugs that you might want to use to treat the disease. (Though it's possible to order the drugs from certain other countries, without a prescription, and at a tiny fraction of the cost of the same drugs in this country).
Fortunately, drugs are not necessary for treating the disease, (though certain drugs will help to control the symptoms sooner than the diet alone), and drugs will not "cure" the disease. If you wish to try to treat the disease yourself, (and save at least several thousand dollars), you can send a stool sample to Enterolab in Dallas, Texas, (for an accurate and reliable test for food sensitivities), and based on the test results, if you will modify your diet to eliminate all traces of the foods to which you are sensitive, and cut out all raw vegetables and fruit, (except for bananas), and minimize fiber and sugar, your gut will heal, and your symptoms will disappear. Most of us are sensitive to gluten and dairy products, and about half of us are also sensitive to soy. Some have other food sensitivities that they have to avoid. It usually takes about 6 months to a year for the diet to bring remission, but if you are faithful to it, it will allow you to get your life back. Usually, you will begin to see improvements within a few weeks to a few months, but it takes a year or more for the gut to completely heal from the damage caused by gluten.
Note that I can't advise you to do this, since it's not an approved medical treatment, (and I'm not a doctor), but it's the way that many of us here, control our symptoms. If you can afford it, I recommend that you should see your doctor, for a referral to a good GI specialist to get tested for microscopic colitis. If you can't afford that, it's still possible to get your life back, by natural means.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do, and please keep us updated on your situation. We learn from each other, here. Feel free to ask anything. We will try to help you in any way that we can.
Tex (Wayne)
While there doesn't seem to be any official research reports that connect Metformin with MC, there seem to be some cases where females taking it to treat PCOS, end up with food sensitivities and chronic colitis. That combination, over time, can certainly cause microscopic colitis to develop.
Of course, no doctor can diagnose you over the internet, (without an examination), so neither can we, but I have to agree with Naty that, (based on your symptoms), you almost surely have MC, (with at least a 95% confidence level, IMO). Colonoscopies are not cheap, unfortunately, and taking biopsies during the process, and having them examined by a pathologist, afterward, will add a lot more to the bill, obviously, plus the cost of the GI doc's office visits and advice. That is the only way to get an official diagnosis, however, and it's the only way to obtain a prescription for any drugs that you might want to use to treat the disease. (Though it's possible to order the drugs from certain other countries, without a prescription, and at a tiny fraction of the cost of the same drugs in this country).
Fortunately, drugs are not necessary for treating the disease, (though certain drugs will help to control the symptoms sooner than the diet alone), and drugs will not "cure" the disease. If you wish to try to treat the disease yourself, (and save at least several thousand dollars), you can send a stool sample to Enterolab in Dallas, Texas, (for an accurate and reliable test for food sensitivities), and based on the test results, if you will modify your diet to eliminate all traces of the foods to which you are sensitive, and cut out all raw vegetables and fruit, (except for bananas), and minimize fiber and sugar, your gut will heal, and your symptoms will disappear. Most of us are sensitive to gluten and dairy products, and about half of us are also sensitive to soy. Some have other food sensitivities that they have to avoid. It usually takes about 6 months to a year for the diet to bring remission, but if you are faithful to it, it will allow you to get your life back. Usually, you will begin to see improvements within a few weeks to a few months, but it takes a year or more for the gut to completely heal from the damage caused by gluten.
Note that I can't advise you to do this, since it's not an approved medical treatment, (and I'm not a doctor), but it's the way that many of us here, control our symptoms. If you can afford it, I recommend that you should see your doctor, for a referral to a good GI specialist to get tested for microscopic colitis. If you can't afford that, it's still possible to get your life back, by natural means.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do, and please keep us updated on your situation. We learn from each other, here. Feel free to ask anything. We will try to help you in any way that we can.
Tex (Wayne)
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.
Well, I went to the doctor on Friday and he wasn't able to determine the exact problem without testing, so he decided to treat me the easiest and most inexpensive way first, and see if that works. So, I have been given 10 days worth of Flagyl (generic version) to see if it is simply a bacterial imbalance. If that doesn't work, he's going to see about giving me other medication for IBS symptoms. Lets hope it works!
If you have MC, it is continuing to damage your intestines, while your doctor plays treatment games. Without a colonoscopy with biopsies to confirm the presence of MC, he cannot legally prescribe a drug that will effectively treat the inflammation. The longer the damage accrues, the longer it will take to control the symptoms and heal the gut. IBS drugs will not help to control the inflammation of MC.
Good luck with your treatment, whatever you decide to do.
Tex
Good luck with your treatment, whatever you decide to do.
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.
Kitty,
Although I was certain that taking an antibiotic would "cure" my D, my GI wisely did all other kinds of testing to rule out other conditions. A colonoscopy w/biopsy confirmed MC. I agree with Tex that your doctor is experimenting with your very fragile gut bacteria. I personally wouldn't take the antibiotic until he rules out MC by taking a biopsy.
Gloria
Although I was certain that taking an antibiotic would "cure" my D, my GI wisely did all other kinds of testing to rule out other conditions. A colonoscopy w/biopsy confirmed MC. I agree with Tex that your doctor is experimenting with your very fragile gut bacteria. I personally wouldn't take the antibiotic until he rules out MC by taking a biopsy.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.