Question about fever and microscopic colitis

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:02 am

Hi Mary,

Betty is adorable! I'm sure you must have seen that African grey parrot named Einstein who had such a huge vocabulary. Have you read the book "The Parrot Who Owns Me"? It's a hoot!

To answer your question, yes, there is every reason to believe you will go into complete remission. I am a pioneer here - was diagnosed 10 years ago (before Entocort) and was the first to discover multiple intolerances. I have managed my disease with diet alone, but it took me a long time to figure out all of my intolerances using the trial and error method. My colonoscopy biopsies 5 years after diagnosis were still positive. Ten years later - NEGATIVE. But then, 6 weeks later, I experienced the worst flare I have ever had after Rusty died. (Thanks for your sympathy - it truly is life's worst "lemon" to lose a pet IMHO). Yes, MC is not curable at present but definitely can be managed so that one has a good quality of life.

My vet used to have a cockatoo in the office who would make full blast vacuum cleaner noises all day just to annoy the staff. He also imitated every dog/cat/bird who entered the office. It was definitely a zoo!!!

Love,

Polly

Linda in BC · Post by **Linda in BC** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 12:16 am

LOL... I can just imagine, Polly, what it sounded like in that vet's office! That Myna my brother had knew small and large dog barks, cat meowing and cat fighting and the streetcar and he never was quiet unless someone put a cover on the cage! A parot in a vet offcie .. . 50 dominant species to mimic!!!

littlemary · Post by **littlemary** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:37 pm

Polly, yes, parrots are a lot of work. You have to love your vacuum cleaner. It is not unusual in my house to have vegetables flying across the living room! She tosses peanut shells on the floor (I put papers around her cage). The other night she hit me in the face with a carrot!

Starfire, I am so glad I have pets too. They help me feel so much better. They are my therapy after being with obnoxious people at work all day.

Linda, thanks so much for the compliment on Betty. She is my special little girl. She has canine celiac disease and several food intolerances and perhaps inflammatory bowel disease.
She was really sick for awhile until the vet and I figured things out. I was so afraid of losiing her that one day I was holding her in my arms like a baby, crying "please don't leave me, Betty". (I have abandonment issues after my dad left when I was little). Betty is very, very shy and fearful around people, but loves other dogs. She has big boobs. The vet thinks she had puppies at one time. I call her my little buxom beauty!

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Smokey oinks like a pig and gobbles like a turkey and clucks like a chicken. Says a lot about the owner, doesn't it!

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:38 pm

Mary,

I know a poodle named Daisy who has been diagnosed with MC. She takes Entocort and is on a grain-free diet.

Love,

Polly

littlemary · Post by **littlemary** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 9:36 pm

Polly, how unbelievable. I had no idea dogs could get MC. I'm afraid to ask, but how was the diagnosis made. Maybe that could be part of Betty's problem too.
The vet has Betty on something called Tylan powder. It has an anti-inflammatory effect. It seems to work pretty well. I asked about Sulfasalazine, but the vet said there have been cases when it completely dried up the dog's tears so that they would eventually go blind. That would be great if me and Betty could share Entocort. She is also on a grain-free diet, and is fed a really high quality raw food that I just warm up a little for her. I did a LOT of research into canine nutrition when she was sick, and dog food companies, believe it or not, are light years ahead of us in knowing about a good diet. Grains are just fillers in their diets and never needed. There are a lot of good grain-free dog foods being developed. Grain-free treats are harder to find. Darwinspet.com is where I get Betty's food.

So I guess MC is kind of like cancer in terms of you can go into remission, but are never really cured? So you can come out of remission in periods of great stress, I guess. If I had had this disease when I was caring for my mom before she died, it would have killed me. I am also HLA-B27 positive, have had iritis, and am currently being treated for possible ankylosing spondylitis. I inherited a lot of bad genes from my mom's side. But I guess you just have to take it one day at a time.

My employer and fellow employees have treated me horribly throughout this whole ordeal, and I feel like a leper at times. That's why I love my animals so much!

Linda in BC · Post by **Linda in BC** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:10 pm

Mary, I'm very sad to hear that your employer and fellow employees have not treated you well.

Linda

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:07 pm

Hi Mary,

Regarding your associates and employer... some people simply need to become afflicted with this problem so that they might have some inkling of what you experience. I call this "the vanity of life". People can be so shallow, perhaps that is why my wife and I tend to prefer pets over people too.

I don't know what advice to give you regarding your work situation except that I (we) understand how you feel. We care. And though I do not with ill will towards your associates, no one is immune to the ailments life brings. They too will face their demons some day.

Rich

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 4:07 pm

Hi Mary,

You know, I never asked how the doggie diagnosis was made. But in humans we know that it can't be made without looking at a colon biopsy sample under the microscope, so I am asssuming the vet did the same.

I couldn't agree with you more about grain-free dog food. I switched my dog to it (raw food) after he was diagnosed with an autoimmune problem at age 7. He did very well on that diet for the next 7 years. I swear by it! The last brand he was on was "Stella and Chewy's" which was carried by my nearby Pet Depot. I also found grain free dog biscuits and treats. Interesting about the sulfasalazine. I didn't know that.

It does sound as if you have more than your share of bad genes. Did you see my post about the mind/body book? I was amazed to learn that regular relaxation/meditation/prayers can actually change gene expression........at least it can change the expression of certain genes responsible for stress-related diseases. So the good news is that we may actually be able to have some control over those genes we have been dealt.

Like Linda and Rich, I am so sorry that you are exposed to such unsympathetic co-workers. Every one of them should experience uncontrollable D for a month! There! They'd change their tune pretty fast, wouldn't they? If it helps, please feel free to unload on us and rant and rave about them. We have big shoulders and completely understand what you are going through.

Love and a :bigbighug:

Polly

JoAnn · Post by **JoAnn** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 4:49 pm

Hi everyone, what a great thread about all those special animals in our lives. A few years ago, I came home and was getting out of the car. I heard an unusual bird sound coming from one of our trees. I started mimicking it and noticed a yellow cockatiel sitting in the branches. Pretty soon he flew down and landed on my head! I had a golden retriever and a black lab (Sadie and Boomer) greeting me at the door and they went wild when they saw the bird on my head. We found him a safe place on top of the TV cabinet where he ate and ate like he hadn't had food in days. Animal control in our little town came and got him. We contacted them and they said a family had been looking for him so hopefully he got home.
Mary, I hope things will improve for you at work. Thanks for sharing your animal stories. JoAnn

Linda in BC · Post by **Linda in BC** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

JoAnn, that is such a nice story with a happy ending, about the cockatiel.

Were Sadie and Boomer excited about it ( as in happy) or did they think it was hurting you? (I'm just curious as to what they were thinking when Mom had a bird on her head

... )

Linda

littlemary · Post by **littlemary** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:24 pm

Polly, I forgot to tell you that I do have that book about Einstein the parrot. Didn't read it yet, though. If you love dogs too, or anyone else who loves pets, get the book "Getting Lucky". It is about Angel's gate animal hospice and Lucky is one of the dogs. I absolutely loved this book, but needed lots of hankies while reading this.

Linda and Rich, I feel very much alone at work. People treat me like a leper, because once in awhile if I am feeling very ill from a flare, I have to call off. I eat dinner alone, and no one even walks out to the car with me anymore. I see people in groups whispering about me.
If jobs were easier to come by, I would quit here. I actually had to get an "as needed" medical leave, so that my sick days don't count against me. It is designed for people with chronic illnesses. The thing is, with MC, you look ok on the outside, so everyone probably thinks I am faking it. I mainly keep to myself at work. I am on anti-anxiety medication because of the situation, and recently had to go part-time because I have several other autoimmune things going on, and the people stress was making it worse. People I thought were my friends say things nasty that get back to me. Luckily, I have one of my best friends in the world working here, on a different shift. I even put her in my will, along with my pets.

littlemary · Post by **littlemary** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:28 pm

Joann, did the bird poop on your head?! I walk around the house with Smokey on my shoulder a lot, and sometimes when I am at the grocery store, I wonder why people are looking at me strangely, until I realize I have bird crap on the back of my shirt!!!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:20 am

Mary,
What are your symptoms for the "possible ankylosing spondylitis"? I've often wondered about this with my on-and-off low-back pain. I've read that fewer women get diagnosed than men, probably because their symptoms are milder.

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:41 pm

littlemary wrote: I am also HLA-B27 positive, have had iritis, and am currently being treated for possible ankylosing spondylitis.

Mary that's funny I have had the exact same 'other' issues for about 10 years now. I actually think the MC started about the time the iritis and uvitis started. Not long after the hip and back pain kicked in and I also tested positive for the HLA-B27 gene and AS.

From what I can tell these are all autoimmune conditions. I have heard that MC frequently is accompanied by other autoimmune conditions. I believe there was a poll on this site a while back regarding this topic.

Recently what highlighted this point was that I started Imuran which is a immune system suppressant. I found that within just a couple of weeks all of the pains that I had been dealing with for over 10 years 90% disappeared along with the D. Its also been great to have 'Norman' stopping by more often (as long as I don't eat soy).

That's awful that your coworkers have not been understanding of your needs, that just makes the day that much tougher to get through.

--Joe

littlemary · Post by **littlemary** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:29 pm

Zizzle and Joe, my problems started about 4 years ago, with severe diarrhea, about 20-25 times per day. Kind of hard to ignore. Diagnosed with MC. I belong to the bone marrow registry, and requested my results, and found out I was HLA-B27 positive. Then there was achilles tendonitis and strange golfers elbow, which I later learned was enthesitis. Then came the strange back pain without being injured, like back pain that wasn't like the usual back pain. I also developed uveitis. Pieces of the puzzle were beginning to come together. I also had severe left hip pain and temps at times into the triple digits. I was exhausted. I went through several rheumatologists who didn't know what to do with me. Luckily I found a great one at Johns Hopkins who put me recently on Humira, and guess what? ALL THE PAIN WENT AWAY! I actually had a doctor who was ready to do a hip replacement! That's scary. So far I am x-ray negative, but I understand it takes almost 10 years for the damage to show up.
I started Humira 9/13, and have been doing well ever since. The tummy stuff still happens, but other than that, I feel great.

Yeah, I get very little support from bosses and coworkers, and I feel very much alone. Luckily I have best friends and my animals who get me through the rough times.