Complete remission w/o drugs or diet change

[Gmrockman]

We all know that there is no absolute cure for microscopic colitis. The only thing that worked for me to control my symptoms was Budesonide. I was diagnosed with MC more than six years ago following a colonoscopy procedure. Budesonide helped but I would finish the course and then within a few weeks need another course of the medication. I did not want to be on this medicine for the rest of my life. So. . . I experimented and am now symptom free in remission. It took a while. I tried different things, but finally found a solution that works for me:

1. Heathers Tummy fiber (follow product instructions)
2. Pure Peptic-care zinc-L-Carnosine dietary supplement
3. Probiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii
4. Puritans Pride Probiotic 10

These are all non- prescription supplements I take daily. For the first 1 year I took each of these twice daily. Now one time daily in the a.m. is all I require to control my symptoms. I have kept my normal diet. I have one firm bowel movement daily, occasionally two, but no urgency, cramping, bloating or diarrhea. I have been symptom free for 2 years. This is not an inexpensive fix. Some of these items are expensive and you should not follow this course without checking first with your physician. I am simply reporting what works for me to control my symptoms. However, it is not a quick fix. If you decide to follow this course, I recommend that you start during the last two weeks of being on a course of Budesonide or prescribed medication that controls your symptoms. Again, be sure to consult your physician first (although I, myself, did not. I was desperate to try anything other than prescribed medication). My investigative, inquisitive mind led me to try different things until I found this. There were some bumps in the road, but I can honestly say I have the formula that works for me. I also drink cinnamon tea with lemon in the morning. Cinnamon reportedly has positive effects on digestion, but I think the main things that help me are the four items I have listed above. I hope this will help some of you. Martin

[dolson]

I have never been in remission. I eat what I am suppose to eat and drink what I suppose to drink. I do everything right and I still have bouts of diarrhea. I take my cholestrmyine packets with a protein drink almost every day. I went to church today and I am doing fine. I will start tomorrow taking about 4 or five packets with my protein drink. I am tired of this disease and my diabetic doctor wants me to put on weight. He said "try Boost." I told him I can't have dairy. He said I am too thin. I can't help it. I have tried to eat my three or four meals but I can't put on weight. This disease won't kill me but Type I diabetes will kill me. I will probably have a heart attack like my daddy. I am on the Omnipid and Decxom, but there will never be a cure for this disease. The pharma companies make too much money off me. All the supplies and insulin and it's expensive.

Can you help me about the stuff you take? I read it but I don't understand it. Thanks, Dorothy

[jbrohlr]

Hi Dorothy,

What are the ingredients in your protein drink? Seems like other people in this site have had problems with protein drinks, especially the commercially available ones.

Also make sure to find out what ingredients are in these "cure ingredients" posted by Martin before you dive into that. Saccharomyces Boulardii is the only thing that has some history of helping that I've seen.

John R.

[Gmrockman]

John,
You should know better than post about “cure ingredients.” I did not say that and, to my knowledge, there is no known cure for this disease. I simply described what works for me, resulting in remission. Curious minds, such as yourself, can easily look up the product labels online for the supplements I listed and consult their physician, as I recommended. This is simply a sharing by me, not a sell campaign. Alternately, others may elect to take Budesonide for the rest of their lives. But, of course, they should also take care to read the product label and note reported side effects.
Martin

[SJH]

Thank you for sharing your experience Martin.

[sharv]

That is fantastic that you have been able to figure out what works for you. I was diagnosed in 2017 and was advised to take a pepto bismol table 2x/day. I did this for the past 6 1/2 years and kept it mostly under control with that and my diet. Once in awhile I would have a slight flare up but I could get back to normal in 2-3 days. However, in July I was hit with the worst flare up ever. I ended up at the gastro and he prescribed budesonide. I am starting week 7 of the 12 week regimen. I have to say that the first 5 weeks or so have been rough. At first, I think it was the disease giving me fits (multiple bathroom episodes) to the point where I could not go to work. Fortunately, my office has allowed me to work remotely through this. But then the side effects have really been awful, abdominal pain, headache, week, shaky, gas, and more diarrhea like I didn't have enough already. Now I am trying to get back on my regular diet but it is a very slow process. I had my first colonoscopy when I was 50 (my paternal grandmother passed away from colon cancer). I was through menopause and having major diarrhea. I was diagnosed with IBS and nothing else. I feel like that is probably when the MC started. I was under tremendous stress because my husband died at that time as well. So I did alot of research and stumbled on Heather's IBS and started using her fiber and drinking her peppermint tea and sometimes fennel tea. They have helped me so much. I also take saccharomyces boulardii + MOS and it is helpful too, plus I take a probiotic. My question: Is there something special about the Puritan Pride probiotic that you take or was that just something you decided to try and it worked? I am considering adding that, along with the Pure Peptic-Care Zinc L-Carnosine. I am concerned about relapsing when I complete the regimen because the success rate is not that high. And besides that, I, like you, do not want to take medication the rest of my life - especially a steroid. Thank you for your insight and suggestions. I look forward to your reply to my question.

[Gmrockman]

It sounds like you’ve had a long battle with MC. There is no magic in the Puritans pride product. I just included all of the supplements that I take in case anyone would be interested. I’m sure there might be other products that would work for someone else. It’s just that I developed this protocol by Trial and error for myself because I didn’t want to be on Budesonide for the rest of my life. I have no delusions about being “cured “but I am happy that the regimen I am on keeps the symptoms at bay. However, it is a process. It takes a while before one can conclude that particular supplement has some or no benefit at all. Also, for the first year I took these supplements twice daily. Now, just in the a.m.