New....and overwhelmed!

[KYKatie]

Hi all. I just found out today I have MC. I've been dealing with issues since mid Dec and thought I had IBS D with touches of C, but the colonoscopy biopsy revealed MC; don't know if it's CC or LC. I meet with my Dr 3/14. I've spent the evening looking up info and found this site. What I've read has been helpful but a bit distressing. I'm a vegetarian and the thought of giving up gluten, dairy, soy and eggs has me wondering what I will eat! One thing I read said that NSAIDs are implicated in MC and I've been taking them since July 2010 for TMJ. Could it be that the NSAIDs gave me MC and that stopping them will help clear up the MC? Or is it more likely that the NSAIDs have done permanent damage to my Gut? Any info you can share, especially regarding vegetarians and MC will be greatly appreciated!

[tex]

Hi Katie,

Welcome aboard.

Could it be that the NSAIDs gave me MC and that stopping them will help clear up the MC?

Yes, it's possible, and worth a try. If that doesn't work, then obviously, additional steps will have to be taken, to attain remission.

Here's hoping that it works.

Tex

[Gloria]

WELCOME, KATIE!!

You have found the most informative MC website on the Internet. Collectively, we have years of experience to help and guide you.

It doesn't really matter if you have LC or CC - both conditions have the same symptoms and are treated the same way.

NSAIDS usage is definitely associated with MC. Although discontinuing some other drugs sometimes resolves MC, I don't believe discontinuing NSAIDS will. I took a daily aspirin regimen for years before I had MC and have discontinued taking it. Nonetheless, my MC didn't go away.

I'm a vegetarian and the thought of giving up gluten, dairy, soy and eggs has me wondering what I will eat!

There are a few vegetarians on the board. It can be difficult to remain a vegetarian and manage MC through dietary changes, mostly because you won't get enough protein. Hopefully you will still be able to eat eggs. Not many of us are intolerant to them, but almost everyone is intolerant to gluten and dairy; about half of us are intolerant to soy.

Hopefully some of the vegetarians will stop by and give you some insight.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions - we are here to help you. You will get better and you will get your life back!

Gloria

[mbeezie]

Katie,

Welcome! I was previously a vegetarian so I can imagine that this is causing some concern. Here are some thoughts:

1. I suggest testing with Enterolab so you know where to start with diet. You can test for gluten, dairy, soy and eggs. You may be able to tolerate some of those things.

2. Some gluten free grains are high protein such as quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. Gluten is the least of your worries as that is quite easy to replace - lots of options.

3. There are many great milk substitutes like almond milk, hazelnut milk and coconut milk. There is a soy free cheese replacement called Daiya, which is tapioca based.

4. You may need to cut down on fiber for a while, but once things are under control you could add back. Many of us avoid beans, but all veggies will have some protein.

5. Nut butters will still be a good source of protein. Here is a link on making and using nut butters creatively
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe ... 000040028/


6. Are you opposed to eating seafood? It might be a place to start.

7. I do eat meat now but I make every effort to buy humanely raised products. Here is a great website to help you find pastured meats in your area http://www.eatwild.com/

When you visit your doctor don't be surprised if he tells you not to worry about diet. We have all heard that from our own doctors, but we know that diet is very important.

I know this is hard to wrap your mind around but you will feel so much better once you get symptoms under control. I personally have never eaten so healthy in my life. When I was vegetarian I used to load up on soy based meat analogs. Now I can't imagine ingesting GMO soy and all that highly processed food. I don't overdo meat now by any means. I sometimes still have completely meatless days.

We are here to help you figure this out - ask any question.

Mary Beth

[ant]

Hi Katie

Welcome from Hong Kong. I hope giving up NASAIDs does it for you. I believe that if you do turn out to be intolerant to eggs it would more likely be the white than the yoke that is the problem.

Best wishes on your journey to remission,

ant

[MaggieRedwings]

Good Morning Katie,

I totally understand your situation with being a vegetarian. I was a vegan for 35+ years and I honestly wrestled with it long and hard while dealing with my CC. However, since I am intolerant of soy I had no choice. After great reflection and advise from my advisors, I had to give it up and go mainstream and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It has definitely given me the protein and sustenance that I need to survive.

NSAIDs are something that I and most of us cannot tolerate.

Please take your time reading around the site and I am sure you will gain a wealth of knowledge. I wish you luck on your choice of diet plans but do suggest that you try to work around the vegetarian angle for now.

Maggie

[Foxnhound8]

Hi Katie

I too was vegetarian and have a 14 year old daughter who still is. That being said, I would not have gotten through the worst of my symptoms early on had it not been for chicken and rice. They were a life saver and still are if I have a flare. It's a struggle to learn how to eat and yes, my Dr. looked at me like I had two heads when I asked her why she had not given me some information about how diet affects MC. She said it doesn't, and this is a doc from a very respected Ann Arbor, MI hospital working out of a HUGE "Center For Digestive Care" claiming what you put in your mouth has no effect on what comes out the other end. Hang in there and read, read, read, ask some questions, and find the balance between your doc and the advice given here. It will take some time. This is a GREAT place for support and potty talk ;-)

foxnhound

[TooManyHats]

Welcome! I couldn't have said it better than foxhound.

[KYKatie]

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement. I have checked out a lot of the posts here and the finerhealth.com website and feel a bit less overwhelmed. Knowing there are others with the same diagnosis who have found relief and remission through diet and lifestyle changes is very encouraging. I am hopeful that stopping the NSAIDs will help and won't aggrevate the TMJ further. After doing some brief reading on Dr Fine's site I am wondering if the GF diet might not help that too. Knowing that the remedy for TMJ led to MC has me less than eager to start taking any other meds, so I'm highly motivated to implement a diet change in the hopes of improvement to my overall health. Interestingly, since last Friday I've pretty much lived on sourdough bread and bananas and things seem to have improved. No Norman's but no explosive episodes either. Last night I even ate ravioli and tomato sauce and thus far have not had any ill effects. But I won't press my luck; it's not worth it. Thanks again!

[tex]

I am hopeful that stopping the NSAIDs will help and won't aggrevate the TMJ further. After doing some brief reading on Dr Fine's site I am wondering if the GF diet might not help that too.

I'm guessing that gluten-sensitivity is the source of your TMJ. Back before I adopted the diet, I had TMJ so bad that some days I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich. In fact I could barely get a teaspoon between my teeth, so I usually ate soup on those days. After I was on the diet long enough for my gut to begin healing, the TMJ completely disappeared, (along with many other satellite symptoms, such as arthritis, migraines, etc.

Tex

[KYKatie]

Tex, it's good to hear that the GF diet cleared your TMJ! I can almost get my mouth open wide enough to eat a small banana, but that's about it. Any sandwich has to be cut in order to be eaten. And I haven't eaten an apple out of hand since last July......and apples are among my favorite foods. I know what you mean about eating soup......that's been a staple since July. It's kind of amazing to me that a diet change like GF can have such wide ranging positive impact on the body, even beyond the gut. But everything in our bodies is connected so it makes sense. Here's hoping and praying the GF diet change has a similar impact on me! Thanks.

Katie

[tex]

Katie,

For those who are sensitive to it, gluten peptides cause the tight junctions between the cells that line the mucosal walls of the intestines to open too wide, and remain open, which allows various peptides, (partially-digested polymer chains of amino acids), to pass through into the bloodstream, so that they are carried all over the body, and they settle out in various organs, joints, etc., causing aches and pains, and various other symptoms. Gluten can even penetrate the blood/brain barrier, to cause neurological symptoms.

When these peptides settle in knee, hip, or other joints, they cause a type of arthritis, (associated with MC), and when they settle in the temporomandibular joints, the cause the symptoms of TMJ. The layer of enterocyte cells which lines the intestines is only one cell thick, so that's why proper functioning of the tight junctions is so vital to good health. This condition, (where the tight junctions remain open when they shouldn't), is known as the leaky gut syndrome, (LGS). Many GI docs don't seem to even be aware of LGS, and the role that it plays with MC. Not everyone with MC has LGS, but many of us do. Those who have only watery diarrhea, with none of the aches and pains that so many of us experience, have classic MC, without complications. For those of us who also have LGS, we tend to have many additional symptoms, most of them painful.

Tex