A step back???

[ant]

Hi,

Same diet today. The "Entocort flavor" was almost as delicious as that lovely hot rice cream - quite tasteless. .... Actually, having read a few posts today on the subject, I will in future be taking the Entocort as a pre-meal "snack", 20 minutes before breakfast and dinner.

BMs twice today - once in morning and once about 6pm. Not large quantity but soft (almost D ). So today no improvement... lets see what tomorrow brings...

good night ant

[jillian357]

Awww Ant,

I'm sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well lately. I tell you, these flares that suddenly appear stink, don't they?

Take comfort that we all can identify with what you are going thru....and hope that it passes very quickly.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one eating the blandest food known to man!
Chicken, potatoes, rice....chicken, potatoes, rice....every day.....
BORING!

Hang in there!
Love,
Jill

[no-more-muffins]

YAY! I am so glad to hear that you are doing better!

[ant]

Dear Jill and NMM

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement.

Today's menu had a small change in that I had smoked mackerel and rice pasta in the evening. One BM in the morning, but still very soft (almost D) and still some slight rumbling, especially this evening. So I am holding it at bay....just.

I hope you both are doing OK. When it is hard to find solutions and things seem to go backwards its really tough.....and thank goodness for the help and kindness of everyone here!

All best, Ant

[ant]

Hi, thought it time to update this.

I continued with hot rice cream, smoked mackerel, grilled chicken, potatoes, rice cakes.

Sunday 11th I achieved my first "firmish" BM since the flare started on 3rd October. (D had stopped on the 6th and between 7th and 10th my BMs were soft)
Monday 12th one firmish MB in morning and then D at mi-day.
Tuesday 13th one soft BM in morning ---- and added lean grilled steak to the menu at lunch
Wednesday 14th one firm BM (nearly Norman) in morning -- again a lean grilled steak at lunch
Thursday 15th one firmish BM in morning --- added kipper in the morning and poached cod in the evening
Friday 16th one soft BM in morning then a (small) D in the afternoon --- salmon in the evening (poached with some corinda and small amount of chives)
Sat 17th D in the morning and increased tummy rumblings --- no lunch, tonight I am going to have grilled chicken and nothing else.

So I am wondering is it the fish that is the problem or possibly rice?? I do not think the I had enough chives and corinda to make a difference and D seemed to be on the way back before I eat them. (The hot rice in the morning is brown rice and the rice cakes are wholegrain puffed rice, but the variable seems to be the increasing consumption of fish).

Also I took two pepto-bismol tablets at mid-day today to try and calm the gut since I was in a meeting and beginning to worry. (I have not taken pepto-bismal since 27th June this year - two days after starting onto Entocort). Has anyone else taken pepto-bismol and Entocort at the same time? I hope it is OK to do that. My first treatment after diagnosed with LC was pepto bismol and I found it about 80% effective at a time that I was on no diet. I came off pepto bismal because I had been on it too long and quickly my symptoms worsened. That is when I switched to Entocort. I have never tried a pepto bismal treatment combined with a GF, DF, SF, GF diet. Maybe I should throw everything at this....Diet, Entocort and pepto-bismal???:headscratch:

All best, Ant

[tex]

Hi Ant,

Sorry that your recovery seems to have been temporarily derailed. Smoked foods, (such as kipper), may be a problem for some of us - I know that smoked beef was bad news for me, when I was recovering. If the corinda you're referring to is the fruit from India, that's a very acid fruit. It might be a problem - I don't recall anyone else ever mentioning eating it while they were dealing with MC. Chives, being related to onions, might be a problem.

The thing is, when our intestines are hypersensitive, it may not take much, of even slightly aggravating foods, to throw our GI tract for a loop, and reignite the inflammation.

I see no reason why Entocort and Pepto cannot be taken together - there are no known interactions that I'm aware of, at least. They work by different mechanisms - Pepto not only applies a protective coating on the surface of the mucosa, but it has antibiotic properties. Obviously, if they don't play nice together, stop taking one of them. Pepto has been demonstrated to work in some cases where Entocort was ineffective, so it's worth a try.

Tex

[ant]

Thanks Tex

That is interesting about smoked foods. It was possibly also smoked bacon that originally started the flare.

I think I spelt "coriander" wrong (it is also known as "chinese parsley"). It is a small leafed herb which is meant to help remove my high level of arsenic (identified by Mineralysis hair testing which I have just had done). My dietitian says that one of the symptoms of too much arsenic is D.

Other results of that test were:

Sodium and potassium elevated (apparently an indication of stress and inflammation)
Zinc level is low (apparently Zinc helps reduces toxic effects of arsenic and inflammation)
Chromium markedly elevated
Rubidium markedly elevated

All the best, ant

[angy]

ant... i eat most of the same foods as you, chicken .potatoes, rice and amongst others. I never seem to have a full week without a flare and im pretty strict with my diet most times...I do okay on the brat diet and try to add more fish into my gut...salmon is great for me and i love it too with potatoes...however i cannot tolerate smoked foods....anything with brine such as tinned tuna or smoked haddock...i get an immediate flare with those foods...Bacon of any sort is a nono for me as are a lot of prepacked meats...

i cant give you any advice on entocort as i have never taken it., also i dont take pepto bismal...i use gaviscon... you have received some good advice so far and i hope you find something that works for you......I hope you start to feel better soon ant, even it means getting the benefit of a few days without a flare sigh!!

[ant]

Dear Angy

Angy wrote

however i cannot tolerate smoked foods

And you are from Scotland! I love Scottish smoked fish, but it looks like that is off the menu for both of us.....Oh and I love whisky too (also a no no) what to do??

Best, Ant

[tex]

Ant,

Why is whiskey a no-no?

Tex

[angy]

Whisky will never be a no-no....hehe!! I luv whisky...Preferably a good malt one.... .it's a good painkiller when my gut hurts. Also the malt in it is distilled so that's good. Come to think of it I need to buy some bottles soon for crimbo lol...

[ant]

Have a misunderstood I thought.... that since blended whisky is made from grain and barley it was off-limits for GF. Also that single malt (made from malting barley) would also be off-limits. Now, if I can justify going back to drinking a few, wee drams !!!!!!!!! My favourite single malt is Ardbeg (very peaty)

All best, Ant

[tex]

Ant,

Angy is right. Any distilled spirits are safe. The only ones that contain gluten, are those that have malt, or some other gluten-containing product blended in after the distillation process. Beer is off limits, of course, but there are some GF beers, (actually, they're very low gluten beers, but they pass the 20 ppm Codex specs for GF labeling).

Tex

[angy]

ant...if I were you I would get to the store in a flash!!! Lol now that you have discovered you have been cheating yourself all this time you poor soul.

[ant]

Dear Angy

Youbetcha.... In fact, I have still have some in my cupboard that I had reserved for guests! I will be having a nightcap tonight. .... well I will not guzzle exactly like the emoticon!

Best ant