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When I did my colonoscopy and biopsy back in March that showed I had LC, it also showed that I had a dilated colon. The NP I was originally seeing said this was just due to the MC and it should go away as the MC heals. However, I just recently saw a new GI doctor and he said he doesn't think the MC would cause a dilated colon. Of course, he didn't further explain what else could be causing it.
Has anyone else had a dilated colon as a result of MC? Or heard anything about that?
This is a little bit interesting to me because I believe a toxic megacolon (which I don't have) can be caused by bacteria in the gut. Although I don't believe I have a true bacterial colon infection, I very strongly believe that my MC was triggered by an antibiotic that disrupted the balance of good and bad bacteria. I am wondering if the dilated colon is a result of the imbalance that I may still have and this might be worth looking into to try to correct. Unless this is common amongst MC patients?
Dilated Colon
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Dilated Colon
Sarah
Lymphocytic colitis since Feb 2019
Lymphocytic colitis since Feb 2019
Your new GI doc apparently hasn't seen very many MC cases. After my colonoscopy, my GI doc informed me that my colon was much larger in diameter and about a third longer than a normal colon. Maybe this is rare, but I had suffered from a lot of bloating for several years, so it didn't surprise me.
If you had toxic megacolon, you would have been in the emergency room, pronto, wondering if they were going to be able to save you. A lot of patients make a lot of NP's wealthy trying to treat "bacterial imbalances". So far, I've never heard of any treatments that had lasting success. Your diet and environment determine your gut bacteria balance. Other than certain infections caused by diseases such as black plague, amoebas, and protozoa, you can disrupt your gut bacteria balance temporarily, using antibiotics (or viruses), but it will always devolve to whatever state your diet and environment dictate. At least that's my opinion, based on the evidence I've seen over many years.
Tex
If you had toxic megacolon, you would have been in the emergency room, pronto, wondering if they were going to be able to save you. A lot of patients make a lot of NP's wealthy trying to treat "bacterial imbalances". So far, I've never heard of any treatments that had lasting success. Your diet and environment determine your gut bacteria balance. Other than certain infections caused by diseases such as black plague, amoebas, and protozoa, you can disrupt your gut bacteria balance temporarily, using antibiotics (or viruses), but it will always devolve to whatever state your diet and environment dictate. At least that's my opinion, based on the evidence I've seen over many years.
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.
Thank you, Tex. That eases my mind a bit to know I'm not the only one with a dilated colon here. I'm not sure what caused it, if not the MC, but I had a lot of bloating in the beginning so perhaps that makes sense. I'm just not sure if it is a temporary thing or if it is permanent (again, my doctor was not willing to provide any information).
I keep getting worried about the gut bacteria imbalance because I eat so much starchy foods now. I probably have 4-7 servings of rice and/or white potatoes a day. I also get plenty of animal protein (chicken and turkey) but I keep thinking that my symptoms might be worse because of all the bad bacteria feeding off the starches and not really getting any food that can feed the good bacteria. I'm not sure if this is the case, but I feel like I need to try something different but am afraid to take out the carbs because I can't afford to lose anymore weight. I can't believe that I am almost 3 months on Budesonide now and having a terrible WD flare at the moment.
If I did a trial of taking out rice and potatoes, what else could I eat? Just meat, other veggies, and fat (nut butters)? Do people usually have some good success with that?
I keep getting worried about the gut bacteria imbalance because I eat so much starchy foods now. I probably have 4-7 servings of rice and/or white potatoes a day. I also get plenty of animal protein (chicken and turkey) but I keep thinking that my symptoms might be worse because of all the bad bacteria feeding off the starches and not really getting any food that can feed the good bacteria. I'm not sure if this is the case, but I feel like I need to try something different but am afraid to take out the carbs because I can't afford to lose anymore weight. I can't believe that I am almost 3 months on Budesonide now and having a terrible WD flare at the moment.
If I did a trial of taking out rice and potatoes, what else could I eat? Just meat, other veggies, and fat (nut butters)? Do people usually have some good success with that?
Sarah
Lymphocytic colitis since Feb 2019
Lymphocytic colitis since Feb 2019
Hi Sarah,
You don't have to worry about "bad" bacteria in your colon robbing your nutrients, because the only things that are absorbed in the colon are magnesium and water. When bacteria ferment the contents of the colon, they can cause gas, bloating, cramps, and diarrhea, but they can't rob any nutrients. Besides, worry creates chronic stress, and probably the number one trigger for MC is chronic stress.
Quite a few of the most difficult cases here reach remission by eating only meat and fat (or going on the keto diet). Eat fatty meat, and be careful with nut butters if you have histamine issues.
Tex
You don't have to worry about "bad" bacteria in your colon robbing your nutrients, because the only things that are absorbed in the colon are magnesium and water. When bacteria ferment the contents of the colon, they can cause gas, bloating, cramps, and diarrhea, but they can't rob any nutrients. Besides, worry creates chronic stress, and probably the number one trigger for MC is chronic stress.
Quite a few of the most difficult cases here reach remission by eating only meat and fat (or going on the keto diet). Eat fatty meat, and be careful with nut butters if you have histamine issues.
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.