MICROSCOPIC COLITIS SUPPORT

It’s really hard for me distinguish what symptoms are being caused by which food because, often what flares up the MC is not what flares up the IBS, it adds to issues from the IBS. Thanks for answering my last post so quickly!

G;uten dominates the immune system. When I was originally reacting, I cuuldn't tell what was causing me to react, either. I reacted to anything and everything, at random times. It took two or three months of strictly avoiding gluten, before I got it out of my system, and I was finally able to detect other foods that were causing me to react.

Incidentally, if you've read enough of my posts, or my books, you should be aware that "IBS" does not actually exist. The so-called disease known as "IBS" was created by gastroenterologists decades ago after they tired of telling patients that "I don't have the slightest idea what's wrong with you", after they ran through all their tests, and couldn't find any known disease. IBS essentially stands for "I Be Stymied". Now, when they can't diagnose a disease, they can smile, tell the patient, "You have IBS", and charge the patient an excessive amount without feeling like a crook. You'll note that there is no lab test for diagnosing "IBS", simply because it doesn't exist.

Tex

Thanks for answering so quickly, Tex! you will never know how much this site means to so many of us out here in GI-issues-land! I am very aware that “IBS” is basically a catch-all for whatever is still undiagnosable medically, but exists in the patient nevertheless. Likely, my IBS diagnosis 40 yrs ago was the actual forerunner of my MC-L verified by colonoscopy diagnosis 3 yrs ago. The point is that many of the Low FODMAPs Diet foods are definitely players for many who have one of the more common IBDs. So, I think I will focus what I eat, for now, on eating what will control diarrhea symptoms which typically follow any bloating/abdominal pain I ever have. I can tolerate other symptoms well, except for the diarrhea, which can so hamper ANYTHING I can take an active part in on any given day. I have a month-long road trip from here (Coast of OR) to CO in May to see my 97 yr old Mom who also has MC-L, from whom I got the genetic aspect. Then on to VA to see youngest daughter, hubby, and and 4 kids. So I have to get my current flare up of diarrhea back under control. New triggers have surfaced as I have lost 40 lbs and 20 more to go...looks like my gut is not going to tolerate the foods I can eat and will have to tweak the program I’m using...actually the ONLY one I have found success using. Husband lost his 40 lbs and is done and maintaining for months quite well. Thanks again Tex for all you have invested and continue to invest in this site to help all of us poopy people out here!

Hi! I was was diagnosed with LC in early February of this year. After struggling with "flares" for several months I found your wonderful site. My thanks to you, Tex, and the other Admins who provide such good information!

Hi,

You're very welcome, and I'm glad you found us. I hope you can find your solutions here, and if you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Tex

That is so frustrating. Luckily my doctor completely agrees that diet changes can reverse symptoms.

Kudos to your doctor. He's a lucky find in the US, because he's obviously way ahead of his peers, at understanding how to treat MC.

Tex

Gabes, this is wonderful information! Thank you for referring me to this site and for all the work you put into it. I have been on the bland diet for about 4 days now and things have slowed down but still have WD. I was getting so discouraged but after reading how long it can take I feel better, although discouraged as well. I wondered if organic grass fed beef is O.K. I had some last night and even though I have had only two trips to the bathroom this morning they were VERY urgent and watery and I have a more rumbly stomach today than yesterday. Wondering if that means beef is not a good thing for me or if I am just too early in this process to know. We have a bison farm nearby so I was thinking about calling them since wild type meat is better.

Also one other question, what are your thoughts on Amrath and Quinoa in this early stage?

I will definitely be making some soups with bone broth.

Thanks again,
Cheryl

morning Cheryl
so glad that you are investing the time in reading and learning

that sort of reaction is a good indicator that beef is not your friend. How did you cook it? did you use any oils or flavourings?

listening to your body is the best thing. noting how soon symptoms happen and changes in the poop urgency will help you sort out what are your safe foods and not safe foods

re Amrath and Quinoa
depends on what you using them in. In Australia these are not common ingredients so i have never embraced them.
based on other conversations here, like the veges etc, so long as it is 'well cooked/well prepared' that it is easy to digest (low fibre)
I am not sure of the nutritional benefit of these foods, that is why i favour having veges

if you are going to try them, follow the guideline, small small service first up, try it for a few days no other new thing at the same time,
if there is no symptoms it is a keeper

I've never tried Amaranth.

Quinoa is controversial in the US. It is a GF grain. The problem is that it is a grain that is frequently contaminated with wheat due to storage/shipping procedures between South America (where frequently grown) and the US.

I only started buying it around 6 months ago due to the contamination risk.

I am okay with eating quinoa.

If you buy quinoa only buy one that is labeled that it is tested and gluten free with lab results.

The one I bought is pricier, I'm sure due to the testing. It has the round "Certified Gluten Free" circle emblem on the bag. I would not buy a bag that simply said gluten free (i.e. random marketing says gluten free) on the label.

If you are having WD I would stick with rice, potato, or sweet potato for starches.


Try quinoa and amaranth down the road.

Thanks Gabes and Brandy!
Gabes the reason I asked is that both grains, which are GF, are a good source of protein, which is something my body seems to crave. The Amaranth (sorry, spelled it wrong before) is my favorite. You can use it in breads, soups, and many other things, but my favorite way is as a hot cereal for breakfast (I miss my oatmeal). I will hold off a little while, especially since I had a possible reaction to the beef and then maybe try a very small amount and see what happens. Oh, the beef was cooked on the grill with no additives at all. It is so hard to know what I am reacting to while in this flare up, but I will put the beef away for awhile. Waiting to hear back from the bison farm to give that a try.

Brandy, I did check both the Quinoa and the Amaranth and both are certified GF. Thanks for reminding be about that! Keep forgetting that just because something says GF doesn't necessarily mean it really is. I will plow on with the bland diet. I am not so sure about sweet potatoes back when I was having horrendous D I remember seeing a lot of it in the stool. That said, I may try and reintroduce it again in the near future. I love them and it would be so nice to add this to this diet.

Thanks so much again to both of you. So good to have a place to go to get help from such encouraging people!
Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

Please be aware that these days, virtually all of the bison in the US (and most of them in Canada) contain domestic cattle DNA, due to cross-breeding after they became so depopulated in the 1890's. The US government came up with the "brilliant" idea that exterminating the vast bison herds would force the Indians onto the reservations (by starving them off their lands), so they offered a bounty on bison, and by the 1890's, enterprising bounty hunters had effectively done the job.

The few remaining bison scattered across the plains usually joined cattle herds for companionship, resulting in cross-breeding. And even today, bison ranchers crossbreed their bison (with domestic cattle) every few generations, in order to overcome the stunting, disease vulnerability, and various other problems that are caused by inbreeding of limited populations of any species.

That said, that doesn't guarantee that you will react to the meat — just be aware of the risk. Like venison, it's much leaner meat, so if digesting fat is causing a lot of trouble, then bison meat or venison should eliminate that problem.

Also, please note that just because you see an undigested food in your stool, doesn't necessarily mean that you are reacting to that food. It does mean that you are not able to digest it. That could be due to a lack of a sufficient supply of the specific digestive enzyme needed to digest that food. In some cases, it could mean that you are reacting to it, but remember that we only react to certain proteins. We don't react to carbs (sugars). Too much sugar in the diet can result in not only failure to digest it, but it can lead to digestive upset and diarrhea (but not a reaction caused by antibody production). There's one exception to the rule that we react only to proteins, and that's alpha-gal sugar, which causes mammalian meat allergy, but you have to have that allergy in order to react to alpha-gal. That allergy has nothing to do with microscopic colitis — it's a completely separate issue, caused by a bite from a Lone Star tick.

I hope I haven't just confused the issue.

Tex

Is it ok to drink coconut water in this first stage? I mean fresh, straight out of the coconut? I live in Costa Rica and I want to add one daily as they are a great source of natural electrolytes, including magnesium. Thoughts?

"You put the lime in the coconut and shake it all up (to relieve the bellyache)"
I won't add the lime:)

try a small amount to start - no more than half a cup for a few days, if no major symptoms or changes to your poop, it will be ok