Still feeling a lot better, though I've been a bit constipated the last few days. Constipated in that I can go, but they are smallish round stools instead of formed stool.
I've been able to eat some things I wasn't able to eat before. Namely baked goods with sugar. I've been eating PB cookies, yum! All without problems like I had before. Also been eating popcorn without a problem too. Wonder if these food items I haven't eaten for a bit are contributing to the constipation or if perhaps the methane producing bacteria are back and not effected by the rfamixin.
Oh and I"m still gaining weight, just hit the 150 lb mark after a low of around 141 or so. Haven't gained weight like this or weighed 150 for about 9 months now. Need to start working out and lifting weights again so I don't just gain fat. LOL
Mike
Back from the GI Dr
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
JJOk here's an update. The good news, BMs are less constipated since stopping the antiboitic. Now for the bad news...
Problem is I got a bit too abitious or excited about the posibilities of what I could now eat. And let's just say I'm not quite ready for that yet. :(
I added a few too many things on Sunday so I wasn't sure what contributed to it or if they all did. But I ate corn on the cob, a flourless chocolate cake, some apple/pear and drank some wine. At around 9:30 that night I had severe pain/cramps just below my belly button, a head ache. Went to the bathroom a lot and then eventually diarrhea. Lost 2 lbs in 24 hours. Felt like crap yesterday during the morning but felt better and decided that it was the wine that was the cause so I tried chocolate cake again. Damn! Woke up at 2:30 am last night with severe cramps, went to the bathroom, but no D, woke up in the morning and went and went and went and then had D. :( Lost another 1/2 lb. No chocolate cake for me. :(
Oh and the chocolate cake was a cake my 4yo daughter and I made, boy was it good, better than any I've ever had and other's loved it as well. Though not quite worth the pain and problems.
I go to see the GI Dr again in a couple of weeks, seems he's really busy now. :( Was hoping to see him sooner rather than later.
Mike
PS. I still think that bacteria is the cause for me, but need to figure out what else might be going on or how to better get rid of em.
Problem is I got a bit too abitious or excited about the posibilities of what I could now eat. And let's just say I'm not quite ready for that yet. :(
I added a few too many things on Sunday so I wasn't sure what contributed to it or if they all did. But I ate corn on the cob, a flourless chocolate cake, some apple/pear and drank some wine. At around 9:30 that night I had severe pain/cramps just below my belly button, a head ache. Went to the bathroom a lot and then eventually diarrhea. Lost 2 lbs in 24 hours. Felt like crap yesterday during the morning but felt better and decided that it was the wine that was the cause so I tried chocolate cake again. Damn! Woke up at 2:30 am last night with severe cramps, went to the bathroom, but no D, woke up in the morning and went and went and went and then had D. :( Lost another 1/2 lb. No chocolate cake for me. :(
Oh and the chocolate cake was a cake my 4yo daughter and I made, boy was it good, better than any I've ever had and other's loved it as well. Though not quite worth the pain and problems.
I go to see the GI Dr again in a couple of weeks, seems he's really busy now. :( Was hoping to see him sooner rather than later.
Mike
PS. I still think that bacteria is the cause for me, but need to figure out what else might be going on or how to better get rid of em.
Corn on the cob can/will clean out virtually anybody. That might have started the ball rolling. Once the neon signs in the GI system start lighting up with the word "Tilt", then a lot of other things can "carry the torch", to keep the reaction going.
I agree, you may have been a bit ambitious. Hope it doesn't last long.
Tex
I agree, you may have been a bit ambitious. Hope it doesn't last long.
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.
Ok, can't remember exactly where I left off. But I've had a course of Neomycin, then Rifaxmin, and then Neomycin again and now I'm on a small does of Erythromycin to help with motility. I'd have to say for the most part I feel better, but still have episodes and sporadic D/loose stools.
I'm going in for another SIBO test as he wants to check that again before we do another colonoscopy. And he'll do an endoscopy and biopsy at the same time. Not really looking forward to that, but should be interesting to see if there is still any inflamation.
He says the majority of patients he has with MC that it will burn out after some period of time.
Regardless, I'm now working on the mental aspect of not letting my symptoms rule my life. I have a very good book to recommend on this topic that seems to be helping me out in this regard as well as seeing a counselor too.
I was really hopefull that this was the solution, and it seems to have helped, but something's still amiss.
Thanks,
Mike
I'm going in for another SIBO test as he wants to check that again before we do another colonoscopy. And he'll do an endoscopy and biopsy at the same time. Not really looking forward to that, but should be interesting to see if there is still any inflamation.
He says the majority of patients he has with MC that it will burn out after some period of time.
Regardless, I'm now working on the mental aspect of not letting my symptoms rule my life. I have a very good book to recommend on this topic that seems to be helping me out in this regard as well as seeing a counselor too.
I was really hopefull that this was the solution, and it seems to have helped, but something's still amiss.
Thanks,
Mike
Just got done with this second SIBO test. Though I have to see the Dr on Thursday about the results, I got to see the numbers and from what I can see I am most certainly now negative for SIBO. Don't know what did it for sure as I was and am on multple things, but at least this is gone and out of the way. Though there is always the potential for it to come back.
Given that I've had a lot less gas lately this seems to be true, also notice that sugars don't bother me as much as they once did before this treatment. Perhaps I can try that gluten free chocolate cake again. :)
What was odd, and I'll be sure to as the Dr about it, was that my levels were flat, normally it should rise some and peak when it hits the large intestine, but I didn't see that in the numbers I saw. So perhaps my motility is so slow that it didn't get there in 3 hours (which is pretty darn slow given that it was indigestable sugar) or that my colon is extreemly low in bacteria now (which is a posibility, but strange).
Guess I'll learn more on Thursday.
I'm planing on asking for a lactose and fructose breath test to see where I'm at with those. Though perhaps drinking a glass of apple juice one day and a glass of fat free milk will tell me on my own. But I'd like to see how much if any intollerance I might have for these.
Oh and I'm going to see an endocrinologist on Friday just to talk about my low free testosterone and other hormone strangeness. Hopefully I won't come off sounding like a nut. :)
Thanks,
Mike
Given that I've had a lot less gas lately this seems to be true, also notice that sugars don't bother me as much as they once did before this treatment. Perhaps I can try that gluten free chocolate cake again. :)
What was odd, and I'll be sure to as the Dr about it, was that my levels were flat, normally it should rise some and peak when it hits the large intestine, but I didn't see that in the numbers I saw. So perhaps my motility is so slow that it didn't get there in 3 hours (which is pretty darn slow given that it was indigestable sugar) or that my colon is extreemly low in bacteria now (which is a posibility, but strange).
Guess I'll learn more on Thursday.
I'm planing on asking for a lactose and fructose breath test to see where I'm at with those. Though perhaps drinking a glass of apple juice one day and a glass of fat free milk will tell me on my own. But I'd like to see how much if any intollerance I might have for these.
Oh and I'm going to see an endocrinologist on Friday just to talk about my low free testosterone and other hormone strangeness. Hopefully I won't come off sounding like a nut. :)
Thanks,
Mike
Ok, Dr says I don't have SIBO anymore. Yippie! And I'm on the Erythromycin still. But he wants me to cut it in half to 50 mg or .6725 ml, boy it's going to be interesting trying to get a dose that small. LOL
For the most part I feel a lot better now. I still have a daily loose stool as my second BM a bit after my first in the morning. But it isn't painfull and isn't urgent. I don't feel achy anymore either and no more gas to speak of.
So I am going to get a lactose and fructose test done to see what my tolerence is there. That should be within the next couple of weeks. And then I get a colonoscopy and endoscopy August 21st. I picked the afternoon one because it was sooner than the morning one in September. Wondering if that'll be a mistake as I'll have to be on a liquid diet longer. He wants to see that I no longer have LC as do I. And I want to get the endoscopy to check that everything is ok up top. :)
He mentioned perhaps trying gluten to see if it will cause me problems. Something like a small cracker each day. I'm still not sure if I want to or not. I did have the lab results from enterolab saying that I have the genes for celiac and I did show anti ttg as well as anti gliaden in the stool. Along with the IgG showing gluten. Part of me wants to see if it was just bacterial overgrowth causing me problems. (similar to me thinking that my fructose was SIBO as well). But the other part of me wants to avoid it all costs. But who knows for sure. I really wish Dr Fine would publish his results soon as it might make me decide otherwords.
Though even if I can eat gluten again I'm not sure I'd want to eat a lot of it. Perhaps just here and there and not have to worry about trace or tiny bits of it in foods. Who knows.
Mike
For the most part I feel a lot better now. I still have a daily loose stool as my second BM a bit after my first in the morning. But it isn't painfull and isn't urgent. I don't feel achy anymore either and no more gas to speak of.
So I am going to get a lactose and fructose test done to see what my tolerence is there. That should be within the next couple of weeks. And then I get a colonoscopy and endoscopy August 21st. I picked the afternoon one because it was sooner than the morning one in September. Wondering if that'll be a mistake as I'll have to be on a liquid diet longer. He wants to see that I no longer have LC as do I. And I want to get the endoscopy to check that everything is ok up top. :)
He mentioned perhaps trying gluten to see if it will cause me problems. Something like a small cracker each day. I'm still not sure if I want to or not. I did have the lab results from enterolab saying that I have the genes for celiac and I did show anti ttg as well as anti gliaden in the stool. Along with the IgG showing gluten. Part of me wants to see if it was just bacterial overgrowth causing me problems. (similar to me thinking that my fructose was SIBO as well). But the other part of me wants to avoid it all costs. But who knows for sure. I really wish Dr Fine would publish his results soon as it might make me decide otherwords.
Though even if I can eat gluten again I'm not sure I'd want to eat a lot of it. Perhaps just here and there and not have to worry about trace or tiny bits of it in foods. Who knows.
Mike
Mike,
I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling better and your symptoms are abating. I really have to admire the way you have researched and stuck to your resolve to uncover all possible problems & solutions. I'm sure it has already paid off and will continue to do so.
Good Luck, and thank you for keeping us posted on your results, etc.
Love, Shirley
I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling better and your symptoms are abating. I really have to admire the way you have researched and stuck to your resolve to uncover all possible problems & solutions. I'm sure it has already paid off and will continue to do so.
Good Luck, and thank you for keeping us posted on your results, etc.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Mike,
I can't believe that you're barely "out of the woods", and you're contemplating a gluten challenge. It's almost as if you miss the daily diarrhea. LOL.
I suspect that your logic may be sound, since there is evidence that enteric trauma can cause food intolerances, (for example, lactose intolerance is a common side effect of the flu). IMO, though, since you have clearly tested positive for gluten sensitivity, your gut needs to be healed for at least several years, before there's any significant chance that you might be able to tolerate gluten without any adverse consequences. That said, though, YMMV, so I'll continue to follow your progress reports with great interest.
Best of luck to you, if you decide to do it. That's how we learn - by taking calculated risks.
Tex
I can't believe that you're barely "out of the woods", and you're contemplating a gluten challenge. It's almost as if you miss the daily diarrhea. LOL.
I suspect that your logic may be sound, since there is evidence that enteric trauma can cause food intolerances, (for example, lactose intolerance is a common side effect of the flu). IMO, though, since you have clearly tested positive for gluten sensitivity, your gut needs to be healed for at least several years, before there's any significant chance that you might be able to tolerate gluten without any adverse consequences. That said, though, YMMV, so I'll continue to follow your progress reports with great interest.
Best of luck to you, if you decide to do it. That's how we learn - by taking calculated risks.
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.
I know I'm a glutten for punishment.... hmmm... gluten ... glutten seems they're related eh? :)tex wrote:Mike,
I can't believe that you're barely "out of the woods", and you're contemplating a gluten challenge. It's almost as if you miss the daily diarrhea. LOL.
I suspect that your logic may be sound, since there is evidence that enteric trauma can cause food intolerances, (for example, lactose intolerance is a common side effect of the flu). IMO, though, since you have clearly tested positive for gluten sensitivity, your gut needs to be healed for at least several years, before there's any significant chance that you might be able to tolerate gluten without any adverse consequences. That said, though, YMMV, so I'll continue to follow your progress reports with great interest.
Best of luck to you, if you decide to do it. That's how we learn - by taking calculated risks.
Tex
I actually do have daily D, at least 15-30 minutes after a normal stool in the morings I have a lose stool, sometimes just very soft other times completely unformed. But this might be related to my daily dose of Erythromycin which I'm cutting in half after Drs orders since he thinks it could be the cause as well. Right now I'm taking it for motility, but since the methane producing bacteria are now gone I might not need it all.
My theory is that for myself all the GI troubles and other symptoms were all due to SIBO. Which I promised I'd write about and will.
As far as healing I've been off gluten ever since I found you guys at the old site. So I think that was near the end of 2004 (or was it 2005). Though the SIBO could have been causing damage as well so perhaps I'll need to wait. But then I don't think that gluten containing foods are healthy for "normal" folks anyway given recent findings.
Mike
Yeah, I really wish I had gone with my intuition/gut when I thought it was SIBO last year. But then I've learned a lot since then so I can't complain too much. :)starfire wrote:Mike,
I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling better and your symptoms are abating. I really have to admire the way you have researched and stuck to your resolve to uncover all possible problems & solutions. I'm sure it has already paid off and will continue to do so.
Good Luck, and thank you for keeping us posted on your results, etc.
Love, Shirley
Thanks again for your support.
Mike
Oh forgot to mention. I saw the Endocrinologist today, doesn't see any issues with my hormon labs, though he did want me to try a 24 hour urine test for testing if I have a urinary issue (possibly diabetes insipidous). Though my other labs don't show this.
Supposed to log how much I drink vs what I output and then test the urine.
Mike
Supposed to log how much I drink vs what I output and then test the urine.
Mike
Here's an upate. Got tested for Fructose Intollerance/Malabsorbtion. According to the test I don't have it. And FWIW I ate an apple on Saturday and felt no effects. Though in the past it'd make me pretty ill. Gassy, crampy, D.
One problem with the testing today. I see that the methane is starting to show up again. And given I've been a bit more constipated lately I'd say that fits in. :(
I'm going to schedule a follow up for this testing after I get a lactose intollerance/malabsorption test next Tuesday. Then the week (or 2) after that it's time for my colonoscopy. At least this time I don't have to drink the gallons of golytely. Only a bit of the nasty salty stuff.
Mike
One problem with the testing today. I see that the methane is starting to show up again. And given I've been a bit more constipated lately I'd say that fits in. :(
I'm going to schedule a follow up for this testing after I get a lactose intollerance/malabsorption test next Tuesday. Then the week (or 2) after that it's time for my colonoscopy. At least this time I don't have to drink the gallons of golytely. Only a bit of the nasty salty stuff.
Mike