Hi Cristi!
I just saw your questions for me in the 9-page thread. I don't have time to answer them just now but will later. Hang in there.
Love,
Polly
Paging Cristi!
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Paging Cristi!
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Mornin' Cristi!
I'm back! You know, I think you are really on the right track. You have "digested" (no pun intended) huge amounts of info/advice and are asking excellent questions.
You have hit upon a huge issue for newly-diagnosed MCers! That is, how do you know what you are reacting to when you are having constant diarrhea (D)? You don't, in a nutshell. It is the most difficult period as you have already seen. It becomes much easier to fine tune the diet as time goes by.
Here's what I did. For the first 8 and 1/2 months I eliminated only gluten, yeast , and dairy. When I did my stool test with Dr. Fine, he was only doing those 3 tests, so I didn't know about other intolerances. Eliminating those 3 alone put me into remission, although it took quite a while.......mainly because I was continuing to eat other, unknown triggers like soy, tomatoes, etc. And, would you believe I went from months of watery D to fully formed stool in less than a week, when it finally happened?
Even though it took almost 9 months for me to see a formed stool, I was noticing other improvements, like an increased feeling of well-being, less aches/pains, less explosiveness and urgency (which allowed me a few minutes to get to the toilet - a MAJOR improvement in quality of life, as we all know), and slightly less frequency (from 10-15 D episodes down to 6-8 per day). That, as well as the support here, kept me going.
After I had formed stools for several months, I began to notice some softening. It was then that I began testing additional foods, and it was MUCH easier to tease them out without constant D. Dr. Fine told me at the time that this is not unusual - that as the body heals ("purifies" is the word I think he used), other triggers often become apparent.
Here's what I would advise for you: eliminate those foods to which you have proven intolerances. And just be patient.
Luce hit the nail on the head about the relationship between the paleo diet, avoidance of lectin in legumes, etc. All of this info was a process for those of us who preceeded you here. When we learned about the paleo diet fairly recently, I decided to try it, because over time I had noticed that I just seemed to FEEL better when I ate NO grains, legumes, etc. I have only been eating paleo for about 6-8 months now.
WOW! Six years on Prilosec! Proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec have definitely been shown to start the MC process rolling. As have antibiotics. I believe antibiotics caused my MC - check out my sad story in the "Confessions Forum" if you're interested. Do you understand the issues about bacterial balance? If not, I (or someone else here) would be happy to discuss further.
Well, I hope I have answered your questions. If not, please keep asking away. And feel better, kay?
Love,
Polly
I'm back! You know, I think you are really on the right track. You have "digested" (no pun intended) huge amounts of info/advice and are asking excellent questions.
You have hit upon a huge issue for newly-diagnosed MCers! That is, how do you know what you are reacting to when you are having constant diarrhea (D)? You don't, in a nutshell. It is the most difficult period as you have already seen. It becomes much easier to fine tune the diet as time goes by.
Here's what I did. For the first 8 and 1/2 months I eliminated only gluten, yeast , and dairy. When I did my stool test with Dr. Fine, he was only doing those 3 tests, so I didn't know about other intolerances. Eliminating those 3 alone put me into remission, although it took quite a while.......mainly because I was continuing to eat other, unknown triggers like soy, tomatoes, etc. And, would you believe I went from months of watery D to fully formed stool in less than a week, when it finally happened?
Even though it took almost 9 months for me to see a formed stool, I was noticing other improvements, like an increased feeling of well-being, less aches/pains, less explosiveness and urgency (which allowed me a few minutes to get to the toilet - a MAJOR improvement in quality of life, as we all know), and slightly less frequency (from 10-15 D episodes down to 6-8 per day). That, as well as the support here, kept me going.
After I had formed stools for several months, I began to notice some softening. It was then that I began testing additional foods, and it was MUCH easier to tease them out without constant D. Dr. Fine told me at the time that this is not unusual - that as the body heals ("purifies" is the word I think he used), other triggers often become apparent.
Here's what I would advise for you: eliminate those foods to which you have proven intolerances. And just be patient.
Luce hit the nail on the head about the relationship between the paleo diet, avoidance of lectin in legumes, etc. All of this info was a process for those of us who preceeded you here. When we learned about the paleo diet fairly recently, I decided to try it, because over time I had noticed that I just seemed to FEEL better when I ate NO grains, legumes, etc. I have only been eating paleo for about 6-8 months now.
WOW! Six years on Prilosec! Proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec have definitely been shown to start the MC process rolling. As have antibiotics. I believe antibiotics caused my MC - check out my sad story in the "Confessions Forum" if you're interested. Do you understand the issues about bacterial balance? If not, I (or someone else here) would be happy to discuss further.
Well, I hope I have answered your questions. If not, please keep asking away. And feel better, kay?
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Polly,
I read your MC story on the "confessions forum". I think it is a very female thing to look back and blame ourselves for bad things that happen to us. I certainly feel soooo stupid for taking prilosec that long, for being anemic for decades without figuring out the root cause and for taking my surgery so lightly. Women and guilt...I try not to blame myself....but I always end up there when I get low.
As far as bacterial balance....I understand that I want the good ones and not the bad....and because of the prilosec and antibiotics I probably have too many bad. I am afraid of probiotics...they usually make me ill....but I'm wondering if being ill for a while will make me better in the long run.
I will work on the patience....I feel I've turned into quite the pitbull about my health as I was too weak to stand up for myself in the past.
Thanks for all your help Polly.
Love,
Cristi
I read your MC story on the "confessions forum". I think it is a very female thing to look back and blame ourselves for bad things that happen to us. I certainly feel soooo stupid for taking prilosec that long, for being anemic for decades without figuring out the root cause and for taking my surgery so lightly. Women and guilt...I try not to blame myself....but I always end up there when I get low.
As far as bacterial balance....I understand that I want the good ones and not the bad....and because of the prilosec and antibiotics I probably have too many bad. I am afraid of probiotics...they usually make me ill....but I'm wondering if being ill for a while will make me better in the long run.
I will work on the patience....I feel I've turned into quite the pitbull about my health as I was too weak to stand up for myself in the past.
Thanks for all your help Polly.
Love,
Cristi
-
moremuscle
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 706
- Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 6:16 am
- Location: South Carolina
Good Morning Cristi,
"A pitbull about your health" - I like it!
Some healthfood stores have Probiotics that are w/o our allergens - if you want to reconsider a probiotic you could try asking a knowledgable person at your HF store "pharmacie" about their probiotics. Otherwise you can go there and read labels and take notes by yourself to determine if there is one you might feel safe trying. Dr. Fine recommended in an email to me that I get a probiotic from the HF store's refrigerated area; I took one for several months and did well with it (did not get sick).
Also, Matthew was the one who brought me on to fermented foods - fermented cabbage such as Kim Che have live cultures in them. The brand of Kim Che I eat is from the HF store's refrigerated area, it is called Sunja's Kim Che. You can eat a little of it instead of probiotics.
Wishing you all the best in your recovery.
Love,
Karen
"A pitbull about your health" - I like it!
Some healthfood stores have Probiotics that are w/o our allergens - if you want to reconsider a probiotic you could try asking a knowledgable person at your HF store "pharmacie" about their probiotics. Otherwise you can go there and read labels and take notes by yourself to determine if there is one you might feel safe trying. Dr. Fine recommended in an email to me that I get a probiotic from the HF store's refrigerated area; I took one for several months and did well with it (did not get sick).
Also, Matthew was the one who brought me on to fermented foods - fermented cabbage such as Kim Che have live cultures in them. The brand of Kim Che I eat is from the HF store's refrigerated area, it is called Sunja's Kim Che. You can eat a little of it instead of probiotics.
Wishing you all the best in your recovery.
Love,
Karen
Inspired by the paleolithic diet and lifestyle -
living w/o gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and yeast.
living w/o gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and yeast.
Hi ,
Do you think I should try these before I have formed stools or wait till my system is healed?When I tried a probiotic for a few days it gave me lots of gas and bloating. I have a lot less of that since I eliminated rice....unfortunately the rice was keeping my weight stable....without it I'm back to losing again. Maybe the probiotic would be okay now.
I just have to tell you Karen that I always love seeing your picture. Strong healthy and active....it doesn't get any better than that. It's what keeps me hopeful. Thanks.
Love,
Cristi
Do you think I should try these before I have formed stools or wait till my system is healed?When I tried a probiotic for a few days it gave me lots of gas and bloating. I have a lot less of that since I eliminated rice....unfortunately the rice was keeping my weight stable....without it I'm back to losing again. Maybe the probiotic would be okay now.
I just have to tell you Karen that I always love seeing your picture. Strong healthy and active....it doesn't get any better than that. It's what keeps me hopeful. Thanks.
Love,
Cristi