my bowels a flare up

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ant
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Post by ant »

Dear Harma

Sorry to hear about your flare. I seem pretty similar to you. Needing one entocort a day to be safe and occasionally messing up on the diet. I have fresh lime or lemon sodas (no sugar and no mint and not cordial from a bottle) most days and they seem fine to me (but as we know we are all different). When I started drinking these it coincided with a big improvement in BM quality, so I have thought the lemon might have been good for me as well as tasting refreshing. But that might have been chance with so many other variables in play.

I will need to think more about mint as a result of your post. I occasionally have it with lamb.

Thanks and good luck, ant
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Post by Gloria »

Harma,

I hope things clear up for you. It's maddening to have to keep thinking "What now?" It sounds like you've found a great, if temporary, place to live. I'm pretty impressed that you rented a car and drove all around. You have a lot of courage and gumption.

Gloria
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Post by harma »

It is still not going well, actually I can't remember that it ever has been this bad. It's dirty water everytiime I go to toilet. The problem is, I can't take two entocort in morning, makes me feel horrible. I am going to give it a try, one in morning and one in the afternoon (it seems to take about 8 hours before one is out of your system). Also I have been going through all my food items again and hopefully I found one of the sources, my fruit tins. What do you think, contains corn syrup. I know corn is a big no for me, but if this is the same for corn syrup, I don't know actually.
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
ant
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Post by ant »

Dear Harma
contains corn syrup
I am no expert but if that is anything to do with "Fructose Corn Syrup" it is likely to be a big no.no.

Best wishes, ant
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Kari
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Post by Kari »

Harma,

So sorry to hear you're still flaring - MC can be just maddening ............ I bet you've discovered the culprit, though, and hopefully when you eliminate the fruit tins, you'll start feeling better. I have been boiling fresh, peeled apples and pears (with cinnamon) for quite some time now, and am doing well with them. Perhaps this could be an option for you when it comes to fruit.

Love,
Kari
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tex
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Post by tex »

Harma,

I believe that Ant and Kari are correct. Fructose can be a problem for many of us, when we ingest large amounts, but in your case, I suspect it's most likely the corn protein, (zein), that contaminates the corn syrup and/or high fructose corn syrup, (HFCS), that causes you to react to it, rather than the sugar itself. Corn syrup is a mixture of dextrose, maltose, and dextrins. When some of the dextrose is converted to fructose, (to make it sweeter), it's called HFCS.

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Post by Joefnh »

Hi Harma, I'm sorry to hear of your current flare up. I have experienced similar problems to what's described here. If I have too much fructose that does become an issue and the HFCS does cause issues as well. Imhave to be careful to be sure that I do not have a drink where that has been added

I hope you feel better soon

Joe
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tex
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Post by tex »

Some/most of us are confusing corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. They are not the same product. Corn syrup does not contain fructose. It contains only dextrose, (which is glucose - the same sugar that is normally in your bloodstream to nourish your body and your brain), maltose, and dextrins. For clarification, here's a quote from the Karo Syrup website:
Is high fructose corn syrup the same as corn syrup?

No. high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup are distinctly different products. When Karo was introduced in 1902, it did not contain high fructose corn syrup. Sometime in the 1970's, it was added to the Karo light and pancake syrups. As a result of consumer requests, the high fructose corn syrup has now been removed and all Karo products are high fructose corn syrup free.
http://www.karosyrup.com/faq.html

Therefore, anyone who reacts to plain corn syrup, is reacting to traces of the protein, (zein), that contaminates the syrup. They are not reacting to fructose, because there is no fructose in corn syrup. Fructose is only found in high fructose corn syrup.

As a side observation, I note that when a leading syrup manufacturer removes HFCS from their products, the industry is backpedaling in a hurry, to distance themselves from HFCS. I'm beginning to wonder if this could ever happen to gluten, as more and more consumers shun it. :headscratch: To some extent, it's already happening, as manufacturers label their products Gluten-Free in large letters. So far, it's mostly to attract the GF market, though - I wonder if it could ever become mainstream, as more and more headlines are devoted to pointing out the negative attributes of gluten. Could mainstream manufacturers one day try to distance themselves from it, simply on the basis of health considerations?

Tex
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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.
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Post by harma »

Thank you all for your support and Tex thanks for the explanation about corn syrup and glucose/fructose syrup. I know from the past I have no problem with glucose, dextrose, glucose/fructose syrup or what so ever. Although I try to eat things with only normal sugar. But I saw corn syrup and I know I have problems with corn, so I thought maybe that could be it. I am going to avoid my canned fruit for a while anyway.

Even today with an extra entocort this afternoon, it does not seem to make any difference (what worries me). I am almost 100% sure there is something in my food, what is the cause of all this trouble. First I thought mint, especially fresh mint, bases on looking back on the last weeks and when all the troubles started. But I still find it hard to believe. In the Netherlands I drank a lot of mint tea, but never with fresh mint.

Really this flare is one of the last things I expected to happen here.
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
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tex
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Post by tex »

Harma,

Maybe this is connected with your worries about your father's autoimmune issues, and your anguish over whether or not your moving to Jordan might have played a part in triggering his lupus.

Tex
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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.
harma
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Post by harma »

That has crossed my mind Tex, but this flare up seems to have start off about 6 weeks ago, the lupus of my father I only found out a two days ago. The first weeks it seems to recover very quick, it was a bit on and off. Sorry to keep on nagging about this, but this is the only place in the world (I guess) where we can nag now and than about our BM's and our disease.

It is getting worse. The extra entocort tablet doesn't seem to do anything. Also I had a bad night, it is so busy in my bowels. Today I have decided to go an the BRAT diet for a couple of days (for new ones, brat banana's, rice, apple sauce and tea).

What confuses me it that is feels different than two years ago when it all started. Or maybe I don't remember it all very well. But than for my feeling it was just loose stools and especially fatty smelly stools mostly due to the fat malabsorption. I haven't notice that now (what do you mean I am a poop watcher :sad:). My explanation for that is, the result of a gluten free diet. So probably this time only the large bowel is affected (what is good news).

I also keep wondering if I might have another bowel problem. Like an bacteria, virus or another "animal". I don't think it is food poisoning, I am not nauseous, having no cramps. A virus crossed my mind, I have heard of others here with the same problems. But that is normally a couple of days and than it is over. And again, mine all seems to have started 6 weeks ago and slightly have been getting worse.

Oh I know for 95% this is MC. If I was in the Netherlands I would go to my GP and ask for a test to rule out viruses, bacteria's and parasites. If things will not get better soon, I will go and see a doctor here too. But before that I will give diet change. I have to give diet a change, I have to give it some time.

But my mind keeps on running, what could cause this? Trying to analyze it.

Another option I consider is calling my GI in the Netherlands. But again, before that I will do the BRAT diet for a couple of days and sees if it makes any difference.

Really this is the last time I expected, I thought with diet and medication I had it all under control. Again this shows how unpredictable this disease can be.
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
ant
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Post by ant »

Dear Harma

Sorry you are still in a flare. I am too. :sad: (I was up on the loo most of last night).

I think I can trace it back to eating tomato that was included in a risotto dish last Friday but, like you say, it is difficult to work out.

Hope the BRAT works out. I will be doing chicken and boiled rice tonight.....

Best Ant.
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Post by harma »

oh sorry Ant you are struggling too. I think I also will add chicken to my brat :grin: :grin:
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
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tex
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Post by tex »

Harma,

I'm sorry that this flare just keeps going on and on. I would suspect something like C. diff, but you should have severe cramps and pain, with C. diff, (plus possibly bloody stools). I'm not familiar enough with the Mid-East to know if there are any special parasites or pathogens that pose a higher risk there.

If MC is the problem, then there's a good chance that whatever is causing the problem is something that you are eating every day, (and something that you might never suspect).

Do you have any fever? It's not impossible to have fever with MC, but fever would be more likely to point to an infection with some pathogen or parasite.

Tex
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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.
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Post by sarkin »

Harma,

I'm so sorry to hear about this flare. I believe your thinking is good - that it's probably something about the change in food, but *might* be something like a pathogen you need to investigate... and that a super-simplified diet might help. For me, homemade chicken broth is the most comforting, safe and soothing thing. I always mean to freeze some for future use, but there is never any left ;)

I hope you're feeling better quickly, and that diet works (and that there's no "bug" in addition to worry about).

Be well,

Sara
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