MICROSCOPIC COLITIS SUPPORT

Hi everyone, I'm new here and new to MC. I'm a 24yo brazillian, who is struggling with MC for 4 months now.

Briefly telling my story: In 2019 I started taking escitalopram for anxiety. Since the first weeks of the medication I noticed that my intestine was very different, I became sensible to milk, cookies and other types of foods that I was used to eating.
When I reported that to my doctor, she told me that escitalopram was a top-quality medicine and that it had praticaly no effect on the intestine, and that the issues with my intestine came probably from my own mind and anxiety.

Well, 2 years later last September, after my dosage of escitalopram raised from 15mg to 20mg, I bled unexpectedly (around 1 month later) when going to the bathroom (it only happaned 3 times). And since then, my intestine has never been the same. I had to run to the bathroom minutes after eating something, I have pain, discomfort, and a constant fear of losing control over myself.

I had my exam, which the result was: unspecific colitis, nothing else. I saw a doctor (online due to covid) and she prescribed budesonide for me. It was, to some extent, a life saver. The quality of my bowel movement improved, I had to go only 1 - 2 times to the bathroom a day, and there was no urgency anymore (aside from when I ate ketchup, which I reacted really bad). I stopped the first 6 weeks of budesonide last week, 03/02/22, and today the D came back again, right when I was starting to feel hope that I was improving. I asked the pharmacy for another round of it, to take for another 2 weeks (as prescribed by this doctor). Weird thing is, my bowel alternates between constipation and D, usually after some short or long period of constipation I immediately start to go to the bathroom again with urgency.

I'm really afraid, uncertain of the future, thinking that I won't be able to live a normal life again, fearing for my relationship (I moved in with my partner in january) and ended up making him go through this struggle with me.

Please, is there anyone there with a case similar to mine? How long can I expect to improve my life quality? I'm in a very dark moment of my life.

Sorry for any misspelling.

Hi,

Welcome to the group. When I developed microscopic colitis, my symptoms were just like yours, alternating constipation and diarrhea. And I had the same experience with my doctor. He told me that it was all in my head. Now, of course, when a gastroenterologist tells someone that the symptoms are all in their head, I know that he or she doesn't know what they are doing, and they aren't qualified to be dispensing medical advice. I learned how to control my microscopic colitis symptoms almost 20 years ago, by studying medical articles published in medical journals, and experimenting with my diet. Microscopic colitis (MC) is caused by inflammation in our intestines. All we have to do is avoid all the foods in our diet that are causing our immune system to produce antibodies against them, and we can stop the inflammation, and put the symptoms of our disease into remission. Most of us here control our disease by carefully controlling what we eat. If I were you, I would start by reading at the following link. It will tell you what foods you need to avoid.

viewtopic.php?f=79&t=22328

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

Tex

Hi Sorria,

Welcome!

Are you off of the med that caused the colitis? Stopping the med may stop the colitis. I'd talk to a doctor about this.

If budesonide worked we generally find 3-5 months or a bit more is effective timetable (so you don't revert back to D).
It takes going gluten free and dairy free to really heal the gut and get off of the budesonide so you don't relapse.

This is our success story link. The posts are helpful when you are going through dark times.

viewforum.php?f=71