Newly Diagnosed and new to this board

[Courtney]

Hello, Kat, and

You've already gotten some really great advice in this thread, and I know all the information can be overwhelming, so I won't add to it too much. Poke around and learn all you can, so that when you go to your next GI appointment, you'll be able to make an informed decision about Entocort. I tried it, but it didn't work for me, so I am trying to achieve remission by diet alone.

MC can be isolating, and enough of us have suffered from depression that I think there's a case for a link there. And really, it would depress anyone to be in the bathroom all the time! Plus, if you're not absorbing nutrients properly, that could also lead to depression.

I, too, have really quick reactions from dairy products. If you do cut casein from your diet, watch out for rice cheese, which often includes casein. (go figure )

It's hard to understand MC unless you have it. Welcome to your new MC family!

Love,

Courtney

[Dee]

Kat!
Welcome to our online Family!!!
You will find a wealth of information here and take one day at a time to absorb everything.
We'll be right here for you on your journey...

Dee~~~

[Gloria]

Welcome Kat!

I'm someone who is controlling my MC with a combination of Entocort and diet. I keep hoping that I'll eventually figure out my last food intolerance and will be able to maintain remission by diet alone.

I believe that you can purchase cheese made out of soy, though I've read it's not as tasty as dairy cheese. I used to use hummus on crackers as a cheese substitute until I realized that I was not just intolerant to soy, but to all legumes.

Soy is a difficult intolerance to deal with because, as Joan wrote, it's in so many foods.

Since you already know that dairy bothers you, you have a good start on what to avoid. I also love butter and did without it until I found ghee. I'm intolerant to casien, which is the protein found in dairy. Ghee is butter with the protein removed and I seem able to tolerate it. I make my own ghee, but you can purchase it in some grocery stores and at Whole Foods. Be prepared to pay over $6 for one pound, however.

Honey is fine. You can find rice pasta at Whole Foods and health food stores. I've even seen it at some of the larger chain stores. If you're near a Trader Joe's, you'll find a selection of rice pasta there, too. They also carry rice milk for cheaper than other stores. Rice milk has a minute amount of gluten, but some of us can tolerate it and others can't. I make my own rice milk for use in baking and in my cereal.

There is a great deal of information on this site. You will find answers to many of your questions by reading earlier postings. But don't ever be afraid to post a question. We've all been there and understand what you're going through. I must say that I've never been ice fishing with MC, however. LOL

Gloria[/b]

[TP]

Hi Kat. I'm new to this site as well. Diagnosed with LC in December and found the Potty People right away, thank goodness. Even though it's only been a couple of weeks I feel like a success story already. My doc gave me a prescription for Entocort and I've been taking 9 mg. a day for a couple of weeks. I went gluten and soy free as well (had already been casein free for years) and in just a couple of weeks I feel like I have my life and my health back. I'm teaching Jazzercise and skiing again - two things I love that were definitely impacted by pooping all the time! In addition to the obvious timing issues, being on the brink of dehydration all the time and probably not absorbing all the nutrients from my food left me too weak and tired to be a superjock. So now I'm back and feeling good. I'm down from 10+ watery/icky stools a day to two formed. It's like the angels are singing when I go. Who knew pooping could bring such joy.

So, I don't know if it's the Entocort, gluten, or soy, but at this point I'm just glad to have relief and healing and I'll sort everything out later. I want to have the Enterolab tests, but haven't moved on that yet.

The diet was relatively easy for me to start because I had already been off casein (dairy gives me migraines) and my son has been gf/cf/sf for a while now. I could just eat what he eats, but we have different tastes. He's a kid and likes Applegate Farms hot dogs, Shelton's turkey balogna, Ian's allergen free chicken nuggets, Envirokidz cereals, and the Kinnickinnick Vanilla Glazed Donuts that Tex turned us on to. Last night the kids had pizza - yes, PIZZA. I wouldn't try this right away, because you kind of have to forget what normal pizza tastes like to enjoy gf/cf/sf pizza, but they took individual sized Kinnickinnick pizza crusts (pretty good), covered them in Muir Glen spagetti sauce, topped them with Applegate Farms Pepperoni and sliced olives, then put just a little bit of peeled and grated zucchini on top. It looks, but doesn't taste like cheese when it cooks. They loved their pizza party. I had soup and potato chips because that's what I like. I usually just eat a lot of meat or poultry with potatoes or rice. The kids like gluten free breads and crackers, but I'm not a bread person. Tinkyada brown rice spagetti is also a staple at our house. My husband prefers it to regular semolina pasta and he doesn't HAVE to eat it. There are lots of sources of info on the diet out there, but let me know if you want other ideas. We've tried lots of different brands. Some are good and some are yucky, but it's all a matter of taste, and time spent without the "real" stuff.

So, anyway, hope is on the horizon. The effort is definitely worth it.

[TP]

Hi again, Kat.

A quick list of supplements for depression: St. John's Wort, 5-HTP, SAM-e, Omega Brite.

St. John's Wort and 5-HTP shouldn't be taken with other antidepressant meds, Omega Brite is okay to combine with meds, and I haven't found anything on SAM-e.

I had depression before LC, and control it without meds. It runs in my family and I've had depressed periods my entire adult life. I researched the meds, but wasn't impressed with either the results or the side effects. My sister is on a couple of different meds and still doesn't really have it under control and I lost a good friend years ago to suicide despite his trying all the good drugs, so I have to say I have emotional baggage that makes me kind of...anti-antidepressant.

Several years ago I had a bad episode when I could barely get out of bed and stay out of bed for the day. Everything that was nothing was just too much. I pulled out of it with a combination of SAM-e and 5-HTP. SAM-e does a number of things in the body, but I'll spare you my amateur attempt at explaining biochemistry. The effect it has on me is to give me more mental energy to deal with everything. 5-HTP is an intermediary step of l-tryptophan (amino acid) on it's way to becoming serotonin ("feel good" neurotransmitter). The SSRI drugs affect serotonin levels, and 5-HTP gives you the building block for your body to create more serotonin. I took a lot of these to pull out of that bad episode - 800mg of SAM-e in divided doses, and 400 mg of 5-HTP also divided throughout the day. After that I started taking a fish oil supplement called Omega Brite. The therapist I was seeing said she saw a real difference in me after the Omega Brite. http://www.omegabrite.com

Over the years I've reduced my dosage of these. Last summer I started to have more anxiety and stopping the SAM-e helped with that. I also quit coffee at that point and am only now coming to the realization that I probably should be avoiding chocolate too. So, right now the depression is at bay with four 500 mg capsules of Omega Brite and 100 mg. of 5-HTP at bedtime when I'm feeling a little anxious or unmotivated.

Diet can affect depression as well. I don't know, but it seems likely that food intolerances could cause mood issues. Also, I've noticed in myself and heard from other people that low carb diets can exacerbate mood disorders. Trans fats do the opposite of omega-3s and I find I can take less omega brite with the same therapeutic effect if I don't eat trans fats.

Hope this helps.

[tex]

Hi TP,

Great posts! And, I'm happy to see that you're doing so well, after such a short treatment time. As you say, now that you are in remission, you can work out the details of your treatment, at your leisure.

I just wanted to make a comment on your concern about chocolate. While it's certainly not impossible that you might react adversely to chocolate, (cocoa), for most of us, it's the soy in chocolate that's the source of our problems. Most brands of chocolate contain soy lecithin, though there are a few brands that are manufactured without soy lecithin. Here's some information on soy lecithin:

http://westonaprice.org/soy/lecithin.html

Also, I believe that you are quite correct about virtually all of the prescription anti-depressant drugs on the market. They are all capable of serious side effects, and they seem to affect everyone differently. Most of them seem to be very sensitive to dosing, which most doctors don't seem to be very good at managing, either. As with most drugs, in the long run, they seem to benefit the pharmaceutical companies more than they benefit the average user.

Tex

[katbox]

Hey TP & Tex,

thanks for all the encouraging words and information concerning depression. it also runs in our family and I've tried drugs in the past for it. don't like em. I spent most of last night reading from this board and my brain is swimming! but in a good way. I have lots of things I want to try for my MC and also depression.

This AM I had the most "normal" poop I've had in 6 weeks of D! I'm also having a cup of coffe for the 1st time in over a week, and it's GOOOOOD!!!

I'm very grateful for this board for all the great info and support.

I have started a food journal today and am excited to see what my own investigation will reveal. I may at some point get tested at Enterolab.

thanks for the pizza recipes and today I will shop for items you guys have mentioned. ghee for sure!

on a side note, in my readings last night I found threads from the other Kat (with a K!). interesting, cuz it's unusual to find people that use that name, but there's also another Kat at my work! the one here is a hoot!

I have a couple ?? about some of the verbiage used (I'm not that im saavy): what's with the penguins? what does IMO stand for?

oh and also what is trigger finger?

well, it's finally above zero here in MN...we've had such COLD weather here for quite some time, and so much snow.

Please take care and wish me luck!

-kat

[JLH]

I am reacting to the Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips which are very free of allergens.

More later, DH is waiting and not too patiently.

[tex]

kat,

It's great to see that you're making such good progress.

The penguins are just a cute way to indicate the approximate count range of posts made by each member. As you surpass certain post count thresholds, the system will automatically change your penguin rank, to match your post count. The exact number of posts are listed also, of course.

The stars represent years of membership. On each annual anniversary of registration, another star is added.

IMO means In My Opinion. IMHO means In My Humble Opinion. You can see a list of commonly used abbreviations here:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=845

A trigger finger is a result of a tendon problem. Here's a detailed description of the problem:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00024

You're most welcome, and best of luck with your treatment program.
Tex

[Dee]

Please be very careful with adding any "natural' herbal product if taking prescription drugs as some have adverse side affects. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of them.

Dee~~~~

[G'ma Mary]

Kat;

I'm a bit slow at finding your first post, but wanted to welcome you here! The information from folks on the MC board that preceeded this one was invaluable to me when I first found them. I don't want to think about where I'd be today without the help I found here!

Today, I am in complete remission with only the GF (gluten free) diet. I do not intentionally vary from that, but I know that I continue to be gluten intolerant as on occasion if I eat away from home to eat something I question, I will react.

Learning all the things to avoid on this diet can be very difficult, but maintaining it can be quite simple if you intend to do so. There are so many more gf products out there than previously, and so many wonderful recipes on this site and elsewhere that it's really a "do-able" life-style change. If you haven't found it yet, go to Dee's Kitchen and find lots of recipes! I also find that if I am craving anything I google for a recipe (indicating gluten free in my search) and there are so many out there that I have never had a difficult time finding one I want.

Once again, welcome!! Come by frequently, share frustrations, ask any questions you have, and offer any suggestions you have for us, also!

We care about you!
G'ma Mary

[katbox]

thanks G'ma Mary,

Yes, I am finding tons of information, recipes, ideas, support and I feel the love!

I'm not yet quite sure what foods I'm intolerant to, but I'm starting with gluten free and see how I feel.

I'm 1 week into taking 9mg Entocort/day and I will continue this until I figure this all out! I think it may be finally making me a little better as today I had my first sorta normal BM!

I got some great advice from this board and also Dee is helping me with my shopping list(s).

thanks again for the warm welcome. glad to hear you are basically in remission. I hope to be there soon!

love, kat

[TP]

Hi - note to Tex about my chocolate comment - I don't think the chocolate is causing GI troubles for me, I think it's making me jittery/anxious. Probably the theobromine in it. I love it, though, and snuck into the Enjoy Life chocolate chips yesterday. Was a little shaky this morning, but able to work out the jitters on the ski hill today (bliss! )

I did read the info on soy lecithin you provided the link to. I had no idea.

Thanks.

[tex]

TP,

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. Sorry I jumped to conclusions.

Chocolate is actually a fairly potent substance, isn't it, in the sense that it tends to cause various physiological and neurological effects. It sure is good, though.

You're most welcome.

Tex