Hi everyone -
Sorry I've been away so long, been very busy with work, gardening and having a fun summer! (and was without internet for four months).
I have been in remission since June, thanks to the Entocort. As soon as my course of Entocort finished, the GI put me on Asacol, twice a day for ?? I have been faithfully taking it, each and every morning.
The past few weeks I have noticed that each time I eat lettuce, spinach, kale, etc., my gut reacts as if I were back in the middle of a flare, and it usually takes two to three days to straighten out. Does anyone else have this issue with leafy greens? I know now not to eat them, but was just curious if others had experienced this.
Thanks in advance for any input!
If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. - Thich Nhat Hahn
It's good to see you posting again, and it's great to hear that you've been in remission for most of the summer.
Yes, virtually all of us cannot tolerate lettuce, until our gut heals, and probably that includes other similar, leafy vegetables. The problem seems to be that it irritates the colon, (by rubbing on the intestinal walls, due to it's coarse texture). The fact that it is still occurring, is an indication that your gut still has a ways to go, to finish healing. Usually, once our gut heals, we can tolerate lettuce again. Other raw vegetables may also be a problem until healing is completed. Believe it or not, it seems to take from one to three years for the gut to completely heal, probably depending on how much damage was accrued, before treatment began.
Spinach is a separate issue, because well-cooked spinach should not irritate the colon, (in the way that lettuce does). Instead, spinach is a source of oxalic acid, (in fact, it is very high in oxalic acid), and this is probably why it causes problems for many of us, especially before our gut completes the healing process. You can "google" "spinach oxalic acid" to read some discussions on this issue.
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!
I knew you would have the answer. It makes sense, I did suffer for a while before receiving treatment, so why do I think it will only take six months to heal?
I was talking with my husband tonight, telling him about Dr. Fine's tests. I am thinking about having them done in the future. If I have gotten the CC under control with medication, will the gluten/soy/dairy/egg, etc. intolerance show up?
If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. - Thich Nhat Hahn
According to the folks at Enterolab, unless you have been taking an immune system suppressant long enough that your immune system is actually very suppressed, the tests should work normally. Entocort is an immune system suppressant, but a couple of weeks after you stopped taking it, your residual levels of the med should have fallen to a level where it won't have any effect on any test results.
Asacol shouldn't affect the test results at all.
You're most 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.
