Some Thoughts On Treating Microscopic Colitis

[tex]

Hi Erica,

It's best (safest) to wait until normal BMs have been the rule for at least several weeks (preferably longer). I don't claim to be a coprologist or scatologist, but IMO a rating of at least a Bristol scale 4 would be desirable. That said, some members have tried new foods sooner. The main point is that you have to be doing well enough that if you have some sort of reaction you will be able to detect it without any question. Sometimes initial reactions to a new food will be mild, and increase with additional exposures. The farther along we are with healing, the easier it becomes to spot such minor reactions.

What you don't want to happen is to try a food and not be able to definitely decide whether or not you are reacting to it, or to something else. Testing new foods is usually not nearly as easy as it appears, because there are almost always complicating issues that can confound the results. That's what makes the EnteroLab results so beneficial.

Obviously, in such a situation where one is still in the early stages of recovery, testing foods that virtually everyone finds to be safe, will be more productive than testing riskier foods.

Tex

[Erica P-G]

Ok, Thanks Tex.

That's what I needed to hear, I should be getting my Enterolab kit any day now and in the mean time I have been trying to narrow my foods down to what I feel is helping me at the moment.

One other question, if I'm only eating Turkey, Potato, White rice, Chicken broth (sometimes made into a soup with a small amount of carrot and celery) and Rice Chex/Cinnamon with Coconut milk, those ought to be fairly safe correct? I'm assuming Potato is still ok and chicken, if I find they aren't(because of Enterolab) I like sweet potato but on my blood tests it said to avoid it, I guess what I'm trying to say is just because it says avoid on the blood test does it hurt to try it and see if I react at this stage in the game. It's one of those ODD avoids on my list I pretty much know to stay away from GF, DF, SF and EF right now, and it isn't a grain like corn, which I am avoiding just because. Also an Apple, I know right now fruit is not my friend, but what is in an apple to set someone off?

Thanks, I'm starting to do better.....but it is a sloooww start
Erica

[tex]

Erica,

Yes, statistically speaking, your current diet is probably safe, and of course the EnteroLab results will soon cast the deciding vote on chicken and potato.

Probably, if you were to test sweet potato and fail the test, it would only cause relatively minor problems for a day or so, rather than a major reaction that would put you back to square one. Of course we are all different, so there are never any guarantees with MC, but for most of us, sweet potato would be a low-risk item.

Outside of the fiber, Apple's primary distinction is probably its malic acid content. Most of us aren't particularly bothered by malic acid, though. Apple has the same problem as most fruits in general however, namely a significant fructose content.

Apple juice malabsorption: fructose or sorbitol?

You're most welcome,
Tex

[Shunya]

HI - this is my first posting here though I have tried many dietary plans for other autoimmune issues. I need to eat more, not less, so do not want to eliminate anything unnecessarily. Is there a good place to see what foods typically flare MC?
thanks!

[Gabes-Apg]

welcome Shunya!

based on what we have learnt from over 2000 members;
over 90% react to Gluten and excess fibre
over 75% react to Dairy (lactose and Caesin)
around the 60% react to Soy, Eggs

beyond that each person reacts to individual type ingredients, ie one person can handle chicken ok, others cant.

we have prepared a guidelines for recovery - to help people adjust to MC gut healing eating plan..
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=79

hope this helps

[tex]

Hi Shunya,

Most people mistakenly assume that a restricted diet requires eating less (total volume, nutrients, etc.). That's simply not true. A restricted diet merely requires eating less variety. Variety is a relatively recent innovation in human history. Prior to approximately a hundred years or so ago, most people (except for royalty and the very wealthy) ate a very limited diet. Diets were determined mostly by what was available locally.

With the advent of mechanization and transportation innovations, foods from outside sources became available, and gradually, foods from all over the world became available almost everywhere in developed countries. But that's not the way our digestive systems evolved. Most primitive societies ate a very, very limited diet, that varied seasonally, in some locations.

So as industrialization progressed, variety in the average citizen's diet became widely available as a product of increasing affluence, but variety has never been a necessity. When recovering from MC, the simpler our diet (fewer ingredients), the faster our digestive system heals, and the faster we recover.

The solution is simple. Forget variety and eat more of the few foods that you can safely eat. After you have been in remission long enough to allow your gut to do some serious healing, then you can experiment with adding some variety back into your diet. But a recovery diet for MC definitely does not meet the definition of a gourmet lifestyle, and no one should expect it to be. An MC recovery diet is the medicine that will heal your gut. Until we are in stable remission, everything else is secondary to recovery.

Again, welcome aboard and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[Kdebruin]

First of all, I would like to thank you for the wealth of information that has made me hopeful about living with LC. I was diagnosed a year ago and when I went to my first appointment, I was timed with my food journal feeling very sure that I could do something without medication. No one even explored that option and I was told that there is nothing I could do, except take medication. I was then told that I shoul not take medication any longer than necessary. Talk about a mixed message. After a reaction to Budesonide, I was switched to Lialdal that fortunately gave me some relief. When the generic form came out, I had a reaction to it so I am back on the brand name.

Today, a miracle happened and I stumbled upon your support group. I have learned more in a couple hours than my doctor told me and finally have hope that I can live without medication, or at least take less of it. I have always had a healthy diet and do not mind making whatever changes can heal my poor gut. I haven’t paid much attention to gluten because I don’t eat much bread but I will be paying VERY close attention now. I also love my big salads and did wonder if it was too much for my digestive system so I will sadly say good-bye to them for a bit.

I am wondering if I should have the gluten testing done to know what foods I am reacting to. I looked up the lab and saw there are several options. Does anyone have suggestions or advice about the testing? Have most people had the testing done? I was happy to see that the testing does not need to be ordered by a physician. Has anyone had their insurance company pay for the testing?
Thank you for any ideas that you can offer,
K

[Erica P-G]

Hi Kde,

Glad you found us :-) I stumbled upon this group 2.5 years ago also...it is a blessing in disguise!

The enterolab test I would opt for is the A1-C1 unless you are vegetarian or vegan then there is another one for those who eat those foods. It certainly pin points thing down so that one can begin their eating journey with a certainty. If you haven't been tested for IgA you may want to know that first so that test results from Entrolab aren't skewed or show numbers that are lesser than they really are.

I am going to have to let someone else reply about insurance, as I have a VEBA reimbursement plan and I was reimbursed for this medical lab, which was nice. My insurance did not compensate.

Cheers
Erica

[tex]

Hi K,

Welcome to our Internet family. Yes, the doctors claim that they can treat MC, but as soon as you have to wean off the medication because of the side effect risks, you're left without a treatment. Why bother to claim a short-term treatment is even a treatment? This is a lifetime disease. So it demands a lifetime treatment plan. Which means modifying the diet to avoid the problem foods.

The test for IgA that Erica mentioned is to rule out Selective IgA deficiency. The stool tests offered by EnteroLab are based on IgA antibodies. About 1 in 500 people have selective IgA deficiency so they can't use the EnteroLab tests because they would probably receive false negative results due to the fact that they aren't capable of producing normal amounts of Immunoglobulin A.

Some insurance plans reimburse for these tests and some don't. They are more likely to cover them if your doctor orders the tests, but the problem with that is that most doctors don't believe in stool tests because they have been burned years ago by other (unscrupulous) labs. You can call EnteroLab and ask for the insurance codes for these tests (yes, most people order the A1+ C1 Panels), and then you can call your insurance company to ask if they cover those codes.

I hope that this is helpful. Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[LauraAnn]

Hi K ... I just want to throw in my two cents. If not for getting the enterolab test I would not be here to say hi to you. The information provided was priceless. It was all I had ( not to discount this family here) to get me directed to a normal life. Information is very powerful and they give you what you need to know. That said,..... the people here will also give you information to guide you to getting your life back. I have spent hours and hours reading about the life's of the folks here and have learned so much. Welcome and ask any question you come up with.

[gmontl49]

Kari, thank you for sharing. I hope to get as far along as you have. I have adhered to a completely milk free, casein diet for 8 years, after reading many of the posts I realize that that is not enough. Thanks for your advice. Deb

[RolinRiver]

Hey Tex, smart man glad your here. I can eat one thing like you say over and over to feel better. So far it seems to be boiled or roasted chicken. I have also had a slice of sour dough bread, banana, applesauce. Do you suggest that I only eat one food for say a week and then try another food added to it for say another week. I am willing just not sure where to start. Blessings

[tex]

Hi,

It's not necessary to eat only a single food, but if you do eat only one food all week, it would need to be meat, because that's the only food that contains all the essential amino acids. It's best to keep the diet very simple, though, and lean heavily toward the protein. We also have to have a certain minimal amount of fat in our diet, but we can do without the carbs. Carbs are very difficult to digest, anyway, when our gut is inflamed.

Unless you find it necessary to remove a food from your diet, the fastest path to remission is to stay on the same, simple diet while recovering. Adding a food that doesn't work might lead to having to start over. Bread is a no-no.

Tex

[RolinRiver]

I did some research on Amino Acids and will try to add one at a time to see how that works. I will remove bread and I don't think beans is a very smart choice. One step at a time I will get there. So happy for all the help and understanding here. Thanks so much

[Dogwood6]

I’m struggling I’m at the jumping off point. This form is stressful and hard to follow. Where do I find the right diet? I hate this life the medicines make it worse. I’ve cut so many things from my diet and yet it just gets worse. I’ve been doing this for ten years but have never been as bad as the last ten months. I’ve given up two jobs because I can’t work and be in the bathroom. Im thinking there has to be some way to stop this without steroids which I am allergic to but am taking anyway. I’ve had six colonoscopies in eight years. How close is mc to celiac disease. Is there any natural treatment as I feel the drugs do more damage than good?