I will start with a little background first.
I am a 66 year old male who had polio at the age of 4. I have 60% strength in my right upper body and 70% in my right leg. I was diagnosed with having Post Polio Syndrome about 30 years ago and have spent most of that time learning to heed the signs of early fatigue and listening to my body.
I retired a couple of years ago as I could no longer keep up the pace as an industrial production maintenance mechanic.
Last fall I had my right achilles tendon repaired ( Polio ).
That is what contributed to me being on this forum
I hadn't worn a shoe with a back in several years, so this last spring I bought new boots and trail shoes and went crazy being able to hike again.
After 3 months of ignoring the fatigue signs I crashed.
We went camping and hiking with our neighbors and I had a blow out that sent me to restroom in the middle of the night. I could set my watch off of my regularity until that night.
I first thought it was the flu or food poisoning. But after 2 weeks I made an appointment to see my GP and because we had been camping he wanted stool samples. All of the tests were negative.
He then sent me to a GI for a colonoscopy where MC was diagnosed.
My father had colitis and my mother had diverticulitis.
I didn't have D consistently, but enough to always be looking for pit stop possibilities.
Today I am on the 3rd day of my elimination diet of chicken/pork, peeled potatoes, home made apple sauce, and bananas. My BM's are now normal with no abdominal bloating or churning.
I am hoping that I got a handle on this diagnosis soon enough before it got out hand.
On my elimination diet, how long should I wait before I introduce a stressor agent. Gluten will be my first, then dairy etc?
Newbie
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
I'm sure others will chime in here but I don't think you want to introduce gluten. That seems to be a "for life" stressor. There are guidelines here by Gabes that can give you a lot of info. Most start by introducing well-cooked vegetables and broth. Down the road (and for some that takes a while) they introduce fruits and perhaps salads. Dairy, soy and eggs may or may not be something you'll be able to eat again. http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22328
Hi,
Welcome aboard. Good for you for starting the diet. It will allow your intestines to heal. I'm afraid that Deb is correct — from the day of your first symptoms forward, you will always be sensitive to gluten. MC triggers the genes that cause gluten sensitivity, and they can't be untriggered. You may have caught it in time so that you will not become sensitive to casein (the primary protein in all dairy products) or maybe not. Time will tell. As the inflammation that causes the disease decreases, your lactose intolerance will fade so that if you are not casein-sensitive, you will eventually be able to eat dairy products again without causing new inflammation, maybe within a few months or even less. If you are casein-sensitive though, dairy will never be a safe food. If it doesn't cause MC symptoms, it can cause osteoporosis.
Healing time is different for everyone. Most people are surprised at how long it takes the intestines to heal. It's possible to reach remission from clinical symptoms within a few weeks, or months, depending on circumstances; but it takes from 2 to 5 years for the intestines to completely heal. Somewhere in between those limits you will probably be able to add new foods. If you are not casein-sensitive, you will be able to tolerate dairy again as soon as the inflammation is gone.
Best of luck with your recovery, and again, welcome. And please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome aboard. Good for you for starting the diet. It will allow your intestines to heal. I'm afraid that Deb is correct — from the day of your first symptoms forward, you will always be sensitive to gluten. MC triggers the genes that cause gluten sensitivity, and they can't be untriggered. You may have caught it in time so that you will not become sensitive to casein (the primary protein in all dairy products) or maybe not. Time will tell. As the inflammation that causes the disease decreases, your lactose intolerance will fade so that if you are not casein-sensitive, you will eventually be able to eat dairy products again without causing new inflammation, maybe within a few months or even less. If you are casein-sensitive though, dairy will never be a safe food. If it doesn't cause MC symptoms, it can cause osteoporosis.
Healing time is different for everyone. Most people are surprised at how long it takes the intestines to heal. It's possible to reach remission from clinical symptoms within a few weeks, or months, depending on circumstances; but it takes from 2 to 5 years for the intestines to completely heal. Somewhere in between those limits you will probably be able to add new foods. If you are not casein-sensitive, you will be able to tolerate dairy again as soon as the inflammation is gone.
Best of luck with your recovery, and again, welcome. And please feel free to ask anything.
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.
So it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that I am gluten intolerant? Why does the elimination diet have one test for gluten first?
Even though my outward symptoms were gone by day 2, how long should I wait before I introduce a new food group?
I bought and read your book, though most of the technical aspects are beyond me, I gained much insight into something I didn’t understand before.
I can now see why I don’t like cooked vegetables now, as my mother cooked them to mush all of her life. I always thought it was a taste preference.
I have too many thoughts bouncing around my head now.
Thanks for all the info from you and everyone else on this site.
I was diagnosed a week ago today and was hoping it would go away on its own as I’m sure all of us did.
Even though my outward symptoms were gone by day 2, how long should I wait before I introduce a new food group?
I bought and read your book, though most of the technical aspects are beyond me, I gained much insight into something I didn’t understand before.
I can now see why I don’t like cooked vegetables now, as my mother cooked them to mush all of her life. I always thought it was a taste preference.
I have too many thoughts bouncing around my head now.
Thanks for all the info from you and everyone else on this site.
I was diagnosed a week ago today and was hoping it would go away on its own as I’m sure all of us did.
To satisfy your doubts. Otherwise you will remain in denial for years because most new MC patients deny that they are sensitive to gluten. It's impossible to set a time limit on when you can safely introduce new foods. If you're extremely anxious, you may have to just try a food and then listen to your body. Your body will tell you pretty quick whether or not it's ready for a given food.nikful wrote:So it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that I am gluten intolerant? Why does the elimination diet have one test for gluten first?
I was anxious like you when I was recovering, but it was a year and a half after I started the elimination diet before I could successfully add a single food (corn). But maybe I just healed slowly because my intestines had a lot of damage from years of being sick. And yes, my mother was the same way. She cooked vegetables to mush. After she was gone I realized that she was probably a celiac or had MC, but she was never diagnosed. Her doctors didn't have a clue.
Yes, a few members use a VitaMix, but no matter how you process vegetables, fiber is still fiber, and it's very irritating for our colon when it's already inflamed.
You're very welcome
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.
Thanks Tex
My wife of 46 years insists that I will have patience or else.
She is actually doing the elimination diet with me as she sometimes has bouts of D herself.
You can’t go wrong no matter what with that kind of support.
I actually searched this forum and found the same info. I usually don’t search forums because most of them don’t highlight the search words so all threads must be read.
Good job on setting this up.
My wife of 46 years insists that I will have patience or else.
She is actually doing the elimination diet with me as she sometimes has bouts of D herself.
You can’t go wrong no matter what with that kind of support.
I actually searched this forum and found the same info. I usually don’t search forums because most of them don’t highlight the search words so all threads must be read.
Good job on setting this up.
Yes, if your wife is doing the elimination diet with you that will make it much easier than if she were eating regular food. I hope that she benefits from it also after going to so much trouble.
We've saved all the posts here from all the way back to the beginning because as you point out, they're searchable and many of them contain valuable information.
Tex
We've saved all the posts here from all the way back to the beginning because as you point out, they're searchable and many of them contain valuable information.
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.