Been away, now I'm back: HI!

[artteacher]

Hi guys,

I've gotten out of the habit of checking in. I'm so sorry! No real excuse except I hit a plateau of health, got a little tired of thinking about my intestines all the time, took a break from it I guess.

We traveled for the summer, as usual, to WA to hang out with family (they kept me so busy I swear the were trying to kill me, but it was fun).

I switched from one workplace to another that I'm really happy at: working 20-25 hours a week now.

Our computer crashed and now we're on an IMac. It's very "sleek" and compact - like it but still getting used to it.

I am still kind of plateau-ed, healthwise. I did find out that levothyroxin doesn't work for me. The symptoms I was having were subtle, and didn't really show for months & years, but I probably developed other hormone deficiencies due to taking it. I've switched back to synthroid and I feel better - also need to take less of it than the levothyroxin. I found out accidently that my mom and sister react poorly to it, so it must be a familial chemistry we all have in common.

It's so nice to read posts here. You are all so grounded and not wacky. I've missed you, and appreciate the thoughtfulness and research you contribute.

I'm still DF, Gluten&GrainF, EF, low sulfite, recently lower fiber. Still take Caltrate 600Plus not for the calcium so much as it helps symptoms.

Marsha/artteacher

[tex]

Hi Marsha,

Welcome Back!

We've been wondering where in the heck you were. It's good to "hear" that you've been doing so well, healthwise.

We've missed you too, and we definitely appreciate your insight.

Thanks for the update,
Tex

[starfire]

Yes, it is great to hear from you again. So glad you have been doing so well!! We love to hear the success stories and how it happened.

Sounds like you had a lovely summer and I hope the winter treats you just as well.

Love, Shirley

[harvest_table]

You are all so grounded and not wacky. I've missed you, and appreciate the thoughtfulness and research you contribute.
Marsha/artteacher

Hi Marsha,

Great to hear from you. I also appreciate the thoughtfulness and research members here contribute but think we are a very wacky bunch, often.

That's okay, right?

Love,
Joanna

[artteacher]

Hi Joanna! And Shirley and Tex!

You're just the right degree of wackiness.

I don't really know if I'm better, just have identified the things I can't eat. Having done that, when I do eat bad stuff (dairy or grains) I get much sicker than previously. I guess I do best low carb, low-to-moderate fiber, dairy and grain free. (not just gluten free)

Over the summer I was hormone tested. I'm very low in testoserone, DHEA, moderately low in estrogens and progesterone, but fairly average in adrenal function. Supplimenting with sublingual T/E/P didn't seem to help digestion or the food intolerance/colon irritation, however. I thought I'd mention this experiment with hormone therapy, since it may help other people who've considered a hormonal connection to our colitis.

If anyone has thoughts on this or related topics, please do comment.

How have you all been since I've been away? Improving, or hanging in there? Have we made any groundbreaking discoveries?

I'll try and check in more often now that the holidays are winding down.

Happy Christmas everyone, Marsha

[tex]

Hi Marsha,

Well, since you brought it up, I have to say that I think that MC is a very big contributor to hormonal problems, and I suspect that a lot of us have undiagnosed, (or underdiagnosed), hormone problems.

During this past year, after I twisted his arm, my doc tested for two hormone levels, thyroid and testosterone. As a result, I am now taking replacement supplement treatment for both. Obviously, I/we need to do more testing along these lines, and the next time I see him, we'll probably do some more tests.

As you probably know, for men, low T levels are an invitation for osteoporosis, and fatal heart attacks, (among other things); while for women, low T levels can contribute to depression and osteoporosis, (and a few other things).

I agree that hormone replacement treatment doesn't seem to help digestion, and/or food intolerances, but if it is needed, it's very important for overall health. Ignoring it, when it should be treated, can shorten our lives.

I'm not sure that this would qualify as a groundbreaking discovery, but I've found that even though casein doesn't cause me any GI tract symptoms, (unless I eat it regularly for a relatively long period), it definitely causes arthritis symptoms for me, in the long run. Since cutting casein back out of my diet, about a month ago, (I had added it back in almost two years ago), my arthritis, (which had been getting progressively worse), is now virtually non-existent.

Happy holidays,
Tex

[artteacher]

Hey there Tex,

Since you brought it up, did you have blood tests for hormone levels, or like me, saliva testing? A friend recently had blood tests for testoserone and they were extraordinarily expensive. Her insurance covered it, though, while saliva testing is not covered. And how did you get a doctor to order it? I had to do some "shopping around" to find a doctor. It was horrible.

Marsha

[tex]

Hey Marsha,

I had the blood test. It's probably a lot easier for a male to persuade a doctor to request a T test, than a female. We needed a test to check my response to thyroid supplements, anyway, and when I asked, he added it without any argument. I think I read somewhere that something like around 35% of the men in this country who are past the age of 40, (or maybe it's 50), are deficient, but only something like 10% of them ever seek treatment.

Another reason why I say it's easier for a man to get the test approved is because I also requested that he check my estradiol level, to make sure that it wasn't too high, but I notice that he didn't do that. I guess that most doctors don't think it really matters what the levels are for hormones that are primarily the domain of the opposite gender. LOL. I'll try again in a couple of months or so, when we will need to do the thyroid tests again.

Tex

[artteacher]

Dear Tex,

Thanks for the expanded explanation. We are complicated and wonderful chemically driven organisms, aren't we?

I worry about how an unbalanced diet, over time, affects the function of a person's body. Some B vitamins only come from grains, and I don't eat grains, and haven't found a B vitamin I can take. Although I can take Brewers Yeast. ( I should probably be doing that, shouldn't I?)

I'm getting over a sinus infection, so I'm not feeling super robust right now.

See ya, Marhs

[tex]

We sure are - maybe too complicated. Too complicated for a lot of doctors, anyway. LOL.

At one time I didn't worry about vitamins, but I have to confess that after a few years, I started taking a multivitamin, and now I'm taking additional vitamin D, (during the winter months).

I've never taken Brewer's yeast, but it definitely has good credentials, except for the fact that it is usually grown on barley. That's really no different than feeding a cow barley, though, and then eating the cow, except that I have no idea how they harvest the yeast. If they sometimes scoop up some of the barley along with the yeast, that wouldn't be good. Chances are, though, the process is much more sophisticated than that. I would hope so, anyway.

I hope your sinus infection disappears soon. That's another issue that goes along with MC. I believe that Polly is still fighting the sinus infection that she discovered last spring, (at least she hasn't told us otherwise). Even surgery didn't resolve the problem for her.

Hopefully the new year will bring improved health for all of us.
Tex