Need help with diet change

[Miss_Cassie]

Hi

I haven't gotten the diagnosis mc but I am pretty sure I have it, I can relate to all the symptoms and have taken all different kinds of test at the hospital and all they say is that I have IBS. I have not been able to work the last 5 years and I stay in my apartment almost all the time because I have developed anxiety and panic disorder, after being desperate to know where the toilet is at all times and fear of having d on public toilets or when I visit friend or have friends over at my place.

For the last two weeks I have eaten only turkey, boiled potatoes and boiled carrots. And 1 or 2 bananas a day. I feel some difference and feel that the d is not as bad as earlier. But now I need advice on what I should start introducing to my diet and for how long before introducing something else. I am one of those who need to be told what to do. I have tried diets before that the hospital have given me but they did not help in any way.

Sorry for a lot of text but I hope you understand what I need help with

Miss_Cassie

[tex]

Hi Cassie,

Welcome to our Internet family. Yes, considering your symptoms, there is little doubt that you do indeed have microscopic colitis. You are just like the rest of us when we first developed the disease.

The digestive system heals slowly. It often takes half a year or longer for the diet changes to allow enough intestinal healing for the diarrhea to completely stop. For some of us, it can take up to a year, depending on how well we respond to the diet changes. But some of us begin to show improvement much sooner, sometimes after just a few weeks. The main point is, by eating safe foods that do not cause your immune system to produce antibodies, your digestive system will be able to slowly heal.

But because of the slow healing, we have to follow a simple, bland diet for months, in order to promote healing. It is usually safe to add a few other foods that are known to be safe for almost all of us, but if we start adding too many foods to soon, we can suffer a relapse, and have to start over. The key to the shortest recovery time is to keep the diet simple and bland, with a few simple foods known to be safe, cooked at home, while avoiding commercially-processed foods. After we have been in remission for a few months or more, then it is usually safe to try to reintroduce (one at a time) fruits and more vegetables, and even raw fruits and vegetables, but it's way too soon to be considering that when you are just starting out on your path to recovery.

In addition to turkey, the following meats are safe for most of us: lamb, duck, goose, pheasant, quail, rabbit, venison, or other wild-type meats (except for bison — most bison have DNA from domestic cattle, but bison meat is probably not readily available in Norway, anyway).

In addition to the vegetables that you are eating, most of us (but not everyone) can tolerate sweet potatoes and squash, also. Vegetables such as well-cooked broccoli and green beans are also usually safe, but broccoli can cause gas problems for some of us. It is important to minimize fiber and sugar (especially fruit sugar) while we are recovering, and absolutely all artificial sweeteners should be totally avoided.

You are off to a good start with your diet, and I feel sure that you will soon be feeling much better. And hopefully by the end of the year you will be doing well enough that you will have the confidence to leave your apartment to get out and enjoy the holiday decorations, without worrying about the location of the nearest toilet.

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

Tex

[HappyBird]

Hello Cassie,

Welcome to the forum, you are in the right place for help.

I found it very useful to look at the food journals of other members on the forum under Journals.
Mine is here : http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21620
The other members Journals are nearby.

I'm in the early stages of my recovery, reading and asking questions etc. and also trying to figure out what to add next on my diet so will be reading your thread with interest.

[Lilja]

Hello Cassie,

You have come to the right place, and you will get your life back.

It will take time, but you are young and younger people heal quicker than older ones.

If you stick to a simple diet, make sure that you get enough vitamin D3 and magnesium, you are on to a good start.

I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis back in 2010, but it was not until I changed my diet 2 years ago, that I could start to heal.

I have been GF, DF and soyfree for a little more than 2 years, and thanks to this forum my health is getting better each day.

Lilia

[Miss_Cassie]

Thank you so much for your replies!

I see that I have to have a very bland dinner this christmas but rather that then running to the toilet all the time.

Do you have any suggestions to what I can drink? I know water is the best but I will not be able to drink just water over a long period of time. I am also battling a coca cola addiction but since it contains so much sugar and caffein I understand that I need to stay far away from it.

Tex: Thank you so much for a quick and detailed reply

Happybird: Thank you for your reply, I will definitely check out the link

Lilja: I see you are from Norway, have you found any good supplement for magnesium? I have started taking vitamin d3


Miss_Cassie

[jlbattin]

Miss Cassie,

Water is absolutely the best for you. I was a diet coke junkie before this all hit me. I drank only water for the longest time, and now I have added one cup of coffee back in in the morning and one glass of iced tea in the afternoon, and the rest is water.

[Lilja]

Lilja: I see you are from Norway, have you found any good supplement for magnesium? I have started taking vitamin d3


Miss_Cassie

Cassie,
I used to order Doctor's Best High Absorption 100% Chelated Magnesium from the U.K., but they will no longer send to Norwegian customers after the new regulations as of October 1, 2015.

I have bought some magnesium from health stores here in Norway, but they usually have so many fillers, and have low values of magnesium.

Lilia

[tex]

Cassie,

As Jari said, water is the safest, but most of us can tolerate a cup of coffee or a cup of black tea now and then. Be sure that you do not use one of the "CoffeeMate" type products in your coffee or tea, because despite the fact that they are advertised as a dairy substitute, virtually all of them contain dairy ingredients, and most of us cannot tolerate them. Back when I was recovering I found Virgil's Root Beer in a health food store, and it makes a nice occasional treat, but it may not be available in Norway.

I was a Coca-Cola addict also, before my symptoms began. But after avoiding it for a year, when I tried it after I recovered, I discovered it is way too sweet for my taste. It is the fructose (from high-fructose corn syrup) that is the problem with most soft drinks. Fructose is actually a fruit sugar, and we are unable to digest it properly while our intestines are inflamed (which is why we have to avoid, or at least minimize our intake of most fruits). We have to minimize our intake of most types of sugar, and fructose seems to be the worst.

Some members here add a little lemon to water, to make the water more interesting to drink. I believe some here have purchased coconut flavored water, if I remember correctly.

You are very welcome,
Tex