Stressin'!!!

[jillian357]

Hello All,
Hope everyone's doing ok this fine Monday--I need some input from you if you don't mind.

I was diag'd with CC in April this year, taking 3 Entecort daily.....after learning much about gluten intolerances thanks to many kind folks here, I have adopted a GF/DF lifestyle. Once I modified my diet I noticed huge changes in the CC, all for the better! Thrilling to say the least!

I tend to be a "high-strung" person....I wake early, run and lift weights, I'm always on the go, working full-time.....I really don't stop until I sit down in the evenings and then I crash big time. I'm usually in bed by 9Pm during the work week and up at 5 am.
I also have Hashimoto's disease and Asthma.

Anyway, my question is this--do you find that stress exacerbates your MC? I have had several very stressful situations happening in my home/work life as of late and I am discouraged, because in turn, the CC comes back with a VENGANCE. I can't afford to have the testing done at Enterol labs, but I'm fairly confident I'm working on removing intolerances from my diet. I'm sure there is more tweaking to be done, but I feel I'm on the right path with it.....

I've been eating very clean, broiled chicken breasts, cooked green beans, sweet potatoes, etc. Nothing radical at all.

I guess I'm just discouraged by the resurgance of my nasty symptoms. I had forgotten how bad this was until it started up again, and I'm not a happy camper!

Any tips on managing this disease better than I am right now?

Thanks!
~Jill

[JJ]

Hi Jill.....I am also Jill (alias JJ). Stress is a big part of my CC. I was down to one Entocort every other day until my job was cut back! Oh brother....big CC problems followed! I am back to 2 caps Entocort per day! I'm hoping I can start cutting back after I start my new job and finish moving! Yikes! It may take a few mos for the stress to lessen...LOL....or more. Anyway, I just wanted to assure you that stress also plays a huge part in my "wellness", or lack of it. Hang in there!

Take care kiddo...JJ

[tex]

Hi Jill,

I'm sorry to hear about all the stress that's been imposed upon you, recently. Looking back, my worst, (most intense, and most persistent), reactions, always coincided with periods of intense stress, connected with my business, so I agree with JJ, stress can definitely be a major trigger for MC reactions. I was going to offer the same advice that she did - if you have reduced the dosage of Entocort, go back to a full dose, and hold it there for at least a few weeks after most of the stress has passed. You may have to keep the dose up for six or eight weeks after the stress lets up, if you are very sensitive to gluten and/or stress.

If you're already, (or still), on a full dosage rate of Entocort, try cutting out more fiber, and especially fruit, for a while. One of our members just recently discovered that she is intolerant of green beans, though she is the first that I am aware of. Look out for anything that contains sorbitol, (some fruit even contains it, for example, peaches contain a lot of sorbitol).

In general, avoid all artificial sweeteners, especially aspertame, since they cause D for a lot of people, (whether or not they have MC), and they can be especially troublesome for MCers.

MC is definitely a malicious disease, in that it tends to kick us when we're already down, unfortunately. I would think that the regular exercise program would help, but you may need to add some stress-reliving, (mental), exercises to your program. I'm not much help on programs of that sort, but a lot of members here could probably give you some guidance on what they think works best for stress relief.

Good luck. It's a shame to have to suffer through such a setback, when you were doing so well.

Tex

[JLH]

"Similarly, because the gastrointestinal system is highly susceptible to the consequences of stress, patients with IBD often have to be more proactive than the average person in adequately managing their day-to-day stress. Stress management techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy can be useful in disease management, potentially reducing one's risk for relapse or reducing the need for certain medications."

It was in the article I sent to CCFA.

[jillian357]

Hi Jill & Tex,

Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one struggling with the stress and MC issue, although I'm sorry to hear it affects you too.

It's frustrating to say the least.....as we ALL well know, unfortunately!

I did try taking a Yoga class to reduce my stress......all I did was lay on the floor and my mind raced and raced about all the things I needed to do and could be doing. I couldn't make it stop!!

My GI did want me to reduce the Entocort down to 2 pills a day a few weeks ago, which I did for approx 4 days, and decided "Nope! not yet!" so I'm back to three a day. I'll stick with that for the time being.

When you do have flares, do you rely on Immodium mainly? Is Kaopectate better? I also have a script for Lomotil, and have toyed with the idea of taking one of those during an episode to see how effective that is. I'm afraid of taking too much medicine at this point.....but I definitely need something to help me get out of the house during these flare ups.

Thanks again!
~Jill

[tex]

Jill,

I believe that quite a few members of this board use, (or have used), Immodium and/or Lomotil to enable them to get out and about with some degree of "safety". These two meds will definitely slow down your motility, and though they aren't a long-term solution, they usually are beneficial for occasional use. It's my impression that most individuals find that one often works better than the other, (but the same one doesn't work best for everyone).

Tex

[Polly]

Hiya Jill,

I can definitely relate to your experience. For my entire life, my gut has been my target organ. Whenever I became nervous or stressed, I would get diarrhea - long before the MC raised its ugly head. So, of course, even now it happens to me when I get stressed.

I am like you - I run regularly (and am getting back to weights after finally getting over a chronic sinus infection).
However, I have found that the very BEST way of reducing stress is through regular meditation. Basically, what meditation does is to teach us how to "turn off" that old monkey mind. I could relate to your comment that during yoga "my mind raced and raced about all the things I needed to do and could be doing". It is our minds that actually cause the stress - we tend to live in the past or future in our minds while not participating fully in the NOW, the real life that we are living at this very moment. And, in most cases, whatever scenario we imagine, whatever "what if" our mind conjures up, it is never as bad when it actually happens. We are slaves to our minds - but we CAN gain the upper hand and learn to control all of that gibberish thru meditation.

There are lots of good books for beginners. I like Dr. Lorin Roche's "Meditation Made Easy". Other good books are by Jon Cabot-Zinn ("Full Catastrophic Living", etc.)
Like any discipline, it is important to try to meditate every day - even if you only have a few minutes. It amazes me how much more relaxed and creative I am when I am meditating regularly.

I prefer the Lomotil during periods of D. Also, have you eliminated soy? (50% of gluten-intolerants are also soy-intolerant). Sometimes it helps to list (here) everything you eat for several days to let others take a look to see if they can discover hidden sources of gluten/dairy.

Good luck! And keep us posted.

Love,

Polly

[JLH]

http://relaxationresponse.org/steps/

[Polly]

Hi again Jill,

Yep, the relaxation response is a great way to begin to get into meditation. In fact, it was my introduction to meditation many years ago!