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As I have tested negative for celiac disease, what is the best way to tell if I am gluten sensitive. Will the fact that I am taking Entocort make a difference?
--Joe
Celiac Disease vs Gluten Sensitivity
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Eliminate it from your diet and see if there is improvement and/or test with www.enterolab.com
I don't think so but I'll let Tex or someone else answer that question. I have been using a GF, DF, SF diet as my only treatment. My intolerances were confirmed by EnteroLab.
I did have to take Welchol at the beginning of this journey with LC. I found the PP on a Friday and by Monday, I was GF. I did great for a month or two and started relapsing. I suspected soy because of the experience of the PP. Unfortunately, it was confirmed by EnteroLab. I hate that intolerance the most. I hope you are lucky and do not have it.
I don't think so but I'll let Tex or someone else answer that question. I have been using a GF, DF, SF diet as my only treatment. My intolerances were confirmed by EnteroLab.
I did have to take Welchol at the beginning of this journey with LC. I found the PP on a Friday and by Monday, I was GF. I did great for a month or two and started relapsing. I suspected soy because of the experience of the PP. Unfortunately, it was confirmed by EnteroLab. I hate that intolerance the most. I hope you are lucky and do not have it.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and don't play one on TV.
LDN July 18, 2014
Joan
LDN July 18, 2014
Joan
Hi Joe,
When you say "tested negative to celiac disease", I assume that you are referring to the classic celiac blood tests, followed by negative results to examination of biopsies taken from the small intestine, during an upper endoscopy. If you did not have any biopsies examined from the small intestine, then you only had a negative result to a celiac screening test.
The blood tests are notoriously insensitive, for detecting gluten sensitivity. Typically, they will only detect fully-developed celiac disease. They will only very rarely detect the early stages of the disease, where gluten sensitivity is present, but the villi of the small intestine do not yet show any significant damage.
The stool tests offered by Enterolab are several orders of magnitude more sensitive than the blood tests, for detecting gluten sensitivity. That's because these antibodies are produced in the intestines, so that's the logical place to look for them. By the time those antibodies reach detectable levels in the blood, the disease is far advanced, and significant damage has accrued.
If you have fully-developed celiac disease, then Entocort should not resolve your symptoms, (at least not fully), since celiac disease primarily affects the small intestine, and Entocort does not become activated until it reaches the ileum, (the lower third of the small intestine), and the colon. When upper small intestinal involvement is not present, (with MC), Entocort does a pretty good of resolving inflammation in the lower ileum and the colon, that's why it works so well for MC. Entocort will not adversely affect an Enterolab stool test, unless you have taken it long enough for it to suppress your immune system. Normally, that should take over a year, though, at least, (usually, in fact, several years), because only about 10 to 15% of budesonide, (the active ingredient in Entocort EC), is absorbed into the bloodstream, which is why Entocort EC poses a very low systemic risk, compared with the other corticosteroids.
I would venture a guess, (strictly a guess), that even with celiac disease, Entocort might eventually provide symptom relief, if it were taken long enough to suppress the immune system. However, that would be a very inefficient way to control the disease - the GF diet is obviously much safer.
Alternatively, (to testing at Enterolab), you could eliminate gluten, (and any other food sensitivities), from your diet, until you attain remission, and then reintroduce gluten to your diet, to see if the symptoms return. Of course, as Joan mentioned, you would have to stop taking Entocort while doing such a trial, since it would confound the results.
Tex
When you say "tested negative to celiac disease", I assume that you are referring to the classic celiac blood tests, followed by negative results to examination of biopsies taken from the small intestine, during an upper endoscopy. If you did not have any biopsies examined from the small intestine, then you only had a negative result to a celiac screening test.
The blood tests are notoriously insensitive, for detecting gluten sensitivity. Typically, they will only detect fully-developed celiac disease. They will only very rarely detect the early stages of the disease, where gluten sensitivity is present, but the villi of the small intestine do not yet show any significant damage.
The stool tests offered by Enterolab are several orders of magnitude more sensitive than the blood tests, for detecting gluten sensitivity. That's because these antibodies are produced in the intestines, so that's the logical place to look for them. By the time those antibodies reach detectable levels in the blood, the disease is far advanced, and significant damage has accrued.
If you have fully-developed celiac disease, then Entocort should not resolve your symptoms, (at least not fully), since celiac disease primarily affects the small intestine, and Entocort does not become activated until it reaches the ileum, (the lower third of the small intestine), and the colon. When upper small intestinal involvement is not present, (with MC), Entocort does a pretty good of resolving inflammation in the lower ileum and the colon, that's why it works so well for MC. Entocort will not adversely affect an Enterolab stool test, unless you have taken it long enough for it to suppress your immune system. Normally, that should take over a year, though, at least, (usually, in fact, several years), because only about 10 to 15% of budesonide, (the active ingredient in Entocort EC), is absorbed into the bloodstream, which is why Entocort EC poses a very low systemic risk, compared with the other corticosteroids.
I would venture a guess, (strictly a guess), that even with celiac disease, Entocort might eventually provide symptom relief, if it were taken long enough to suppress the immune system. However, that would be a very inefficient way to control the disease - the GF diet is obviously much safer.
Alternatively, (to testing at Enterolab), you could eliminate gluten, (and any other food sensitivities), from your diet, until you attain remission, and then reintroduce gluten to your diet, to see if the symptoms return. Of course, as Joan mentioned, you would have to stop taking Entocort while doing such a trial, since it would confound the results.
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.
-
Joefnh
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 2478
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:25 pm
- Location: Southern New Hampshire
Tex I only had the blood test for the celiac disease that was run in February and the biopsies were taken during a screening colonoscopy and I don't think the biopsies were examined for celiac disease, but I am not sure of that. I have only been taking the Entocort for ~ 2 weeks now and fortunately it has almost totally eliminated all of the symptoms. I am hoping to be able to taper off the Entocort after the initial 8 week course.
I am trying to learn about the dietary aspect of controlling this disease so that I will hopefully not have to take the medications long term, but I am wondering what would be the affect of dietary changes be to the Crohns disease. I have eliminated dairy form my diet for the past 5 years as I have noticed a sensitivity to milk and cheese etc.
Thanks again Tex, you really should write a book or in your case an encyclopedia...
I am so glad that you are doing better after your time in the ER last week
--Joe
I am trying to learn about the dietary aspect of controlling this disease so that I will hopefully not have to take the medications long term, but I am wondering what would be the affect of dietary changes be to the Crohns disease. I have eliminated dairy form my diet for the past 5 years as I have noticed a sensitivity to milk and cheese etc.
Thanks again Tex, you really should write a book or in your case an encyclopedia...
I am so glad that you are doing better after your time in the ER last week
--Joe
Joe,
To diagnose celiac disease, the biopsies have to come from the upper small intestine, (which can only be accessed by an upper endoscopy). Your biopsies were from the colon, which would make them specific for diagnosing an IBD.
The GF diet certainly shouldn't have any adverse effect on the treatment of Crohn's disease. In fact, there is a very good chance that it will either partially suppress your symptoms, or possibly even bring remission. If eliminating dairy from your diet helped your Crohn's symptoms, then removing gluten, (and any other food intolerances that you might happen to have), from your diet, should certainly be beneficial for treating your Crohn's symptoms, and\or keeping them in remission.
Contrary to the position of many/most GI docs, I can't help but believe that digestive system diseases, (such as IBDs), are associated with, (or at least affected by), diet. That obviously apples to celiac disease, (even the GI docs agree with that one), and microscopic colitis, (according to the collective experiences of the vast majority of the members of this board), so it isn't much of a stretch to suggest that appropriate diet changes might have a beneficial effect on the other IBDs. Crohn's disease and microscopic colitis have a number of characteristics in common. For example, they both can affect any part of the digestive tract, from mouth to anus, (unlike ulcerative colitis), and both diseases can wax and wane. However, we have found that as long as an effective maintenance treatment is continued, MC remains in remission. There are no drugs labeled specifically for MC, however, drugs labeled for Crohn's disease seem to be the most effective choices for treating MC, also. For some reason or other, many GI docs have developed the habit of treating an IBD flare aggressively, (such as with a corticosteroid), and then letting the patient "coast", until a relapse occurs, and then treating it aggressively, etc. Why not just continue a maintenance treatment indefinitely, and thereby prevent relapses? That seems to me to be a more appropriate way to address the problem. These diseases are permanent - they are not temporary issues. Once they are triggered, we have the diseases forever. The problem with treating flares, is that in the case of Crohn's disease, for example, serious, irreversible damage can occur, with each subsequent flare. That can't happen, as long as remission prevails.
Of course, in many cases, flares/relapses occur, in spite of a maintenance treatment. In those cases, however, we have found that it is usually because of undiscovered, (or undetected), food intolerances slipping into the diet. Some people are so sensitive to gluten and/or soy, for example, that it is almost impossible to escape reactions caused by tiny trace amounts in their diet, due to cross-contamination. In those cases, a combination of diligent diet control, plus a maintenance dose of Entocort EC, (such as one pill per day, or every other day, or even one every third day), can help to maintain remission.
The alternative, of course, is to take an immune system suppressant, such as methotrexate, or one of the powerful anti-TNF drugs. To my way of thinking, that's a last-ditch effort, if I ever saw one, but many doctors promote them as "safe" and effective.
We have members who have tried methotrexate without success, and we have at least one member who is taking one of the anti-TNF drugs, (for other reasons), but it seems to make her MC worse, rather than better, so they are not a guaranteed-effective treatment, for MC, though they might work for some individuals. Strangely, though, to the best of my knowledge, no one here has had any luck with any of those drugs, (though, in all fairness, I should point out that very few members have tried them). Also, the problem with taking a drug that triggers MC for an individual, is that no matter what else the individual may try, as long as they take that drug, they will be unable to achieve remission, and that is exactly what happened to the member mentioned above. She feels that she cannot do without the drug, (because of another disease), so she has chosen to live with severe MC symptoms. 
Please don't be disappointed if a relapse occurs, when the Entocort is tapered, and/or discontinued. It takes much longer than just a few weeks for the inflammation from MC to heal, and most GI docs don't give the inflammation connected with MC the respect it deserves, (presumably, because they can't see it, the way they can see the lesions connected with Crohn's disease). Hopefully, in connection with the diet, you'll be able to achieve and maintain remission relatively quickly, (and maintain both IBDs in remission), but for many of us, it can take 6 months to a year, before we're able to reach a state of completely stable remission, where we feel mostly normal, again. (And some of us take longer than that, of course).
Thanks, I appreciate the support.
Tex
To diagnose celiac disease, the biopsies have to come from the upper small intestine, (which can only be accessed by an upper endoscopy). Your biopsies were from the colon, which would make them specific for diagnosing an IBD.
The GF diet certainly shouldn't have any adverse effect on the treatment of Crohn's disease. In fact, there is a very good chance that it will either partially suppress your symptoms, or possibly even bring remission. If eliminating dairy from your diet helped your Crohn's symptoms, then removing gluten, (and any other food intolerances that you might happen to have), from your diet, should certainly be beneficial for treating your Crohn's symptoms, and\or keeping them in remission.
Contrary to the position of many/most GI docs, I can't help but believe that digestive system diseases, (such as IBDs), are associated with, (or at least affected by), diet. That obviously apples to celiac disease, (even the GI docs agree with that one), and microscopic colitis, (according to the collective experiences of the vast majority of the members of this board), so it isn't much of a stretch to suggest that appropriate diet changes might have a beneficial effect on the other IBDs. Crohn's disease and microscopic colitis have a number of characteristics in common. For example, they both can affect any part of the digestive tract, from mouth to anus, (unlike ulcerative colitis), and both diseases can wax and wane. However, we have found that as long as an effective maintenance treatment is continued, MC remains in remission. There are no drugs labeled specifically for MC, however, drugs labeled for Crohn's disease seem to be the most effective choices for treating MC, also. For some reason or other, many GI docs have developed the habit of treating an IBD flare aggressively, (such as with a corticosteroid), and then letting the patient "coast", until a relapse occurs, and then treating it aggressively, etc. Why not just continue a maintenance treatment indefinitely, and thereby prevent relapses? That seems to me to be a more appropriate way to address the problem. These diseases are permanent - they are not temporary issues. Once they are triggered, we have the diseases forever. The problem with treating flares, is that in the case of Crohn's disease, for example, serious, irreversible damage can occur, with each subsequent flare. That can't happen, as long as remission prevails.
Of course, in many cases, flares/relapses occur, in spite of a maintenance treatment. In those cases, however, we have found that it is usually because of undiscovered, (or undetected), food intolerances slipping into the diet. Some people are so sensitive to gluten and/or soy, for example, that it is almost impossible to escape reactions caused by tiny trace amounts in their diet, due to cross-contamination. In those cases, a combination of diligent diet control, plus a maintenance dose of Entocort EC, (such as one pill per day, or every other day, or even one every third day), can help to maintain remission.
The alternative, of course, is to take an immune system suppressant, such as methotrexate, or one of the powerful anti-TNF drugs. To my way of thinking, that's a last-ditch effort, if I ever saw one, but many doctors promote them as "safe" and effective.
We have members who have tried methotrexate without success, and we have at least one member who is taking one of the anti-TNF drugs, (for other reasons), but it seems to make her MC worse, rather than better, so they are not a guaranteed-effective treatment, for MC, though they might work for some individuals. Strangely, though, to the best of my knowledge, no one here has had any luck with any of those drugs, (though, in all fairness, I should point out that very few members have tried them). Also, the problem with taking a drug that triggers MC for an individual, is that no matter what else the individual may try, as long as they take that drug, they will be unable to achieve remission, and that is exactly what happened to the member mentioned above. She feels that she cannot do without the drug, (because of another disease), so she has chosen to live with severe MC symptoms. Please don't be disappointed if a relapse occurs, when the Entocort is tapered, and/or discontinued. It takes much longer than just a few weeks for the inflammation from MC to heal, and most GI docs don't give the inflammation connected with MC the respect it deserves, (presumably, because they can't see it, the way they can see the lesions connected with Crohn's disease). Hopefully, in connection with the diet, you'll be able to achieve and maintain remission relatively quickly, (and maintain both IBDs in remission), but for many of us, it can take 6 months to a year, before we're able to reach a state of completely stable remission, where we feel mostly normal, again. (And some of us take longer than that, of course).
Thanks, I appreciate the support.
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.
Joe,
By "permanent", I don't mean to imply that they are always symptomatic, I simply mean that they have no known cure, and so an episode can either be chronic, or a new one can be triggered at any time. With MC, it is claimed, (according to "official" research), that over time, the majority of cases resolve spontaneously, (IOW, without any need for intervention), however, to the best of my knowledge, we have only a handful of members who have actually experienced such good fortune, (less than a half dozen), and most of these are cases where the disease was initially triggered by a drug.
For most of us on this board, the disease seems to be unusually persistant, (as IBDs go), with periods of spontaneous remission being quite rare. We seem to enter a flare every time we stop our treatment, (slip up on our diet, or stop taking Entocort, for example). IOW, we have found that the claims of spontaneous remission found in the literature, (and also claimed by many GI docs), are very rarely realized among the members of this board. The reasons behind that are unclear, but I tend to attribute that to the likelihood that many patients with MC are either satisfied with the treatment offered by their GI doctors, and don't bother to search for additional information on the internet; or they choose to live with their symptoms, and don't go back to their GI docs for additional help. We have found that if a patient does not return to a doctor for additional help, the doctor virtually always records the case as successfully resolved by his or her last suggested treatment, when in fact, the patient just became frustrated, and either switched doctors, or gave up on the hope of receiving help from the medical community. Statistically, I believe that accounts for a large percentage of cases that are "successfully" treated by GI docs, (but I have no proof, of course).
Theoretically, at least, there are never any valid reasons for surgical intervention, since there are never histological changes that are life-threatening, such as is the case with Crohn's or UC. IOW, CC and LC only superficially affect the mucosa of the epithelia, (except that CC is marked by sub-mucosal thickening of collagen bands), with no lesions that actually cause gross physical damage to the crypt architecture of the intestines. In layman's terms, MC doesn't cause any physical damage to the tissues of the intestines, that would justify surgical intervention. It is true, however, that diverting the fecal stream from the colon, will bring instant remission, (IOW, an eleostomy will resolve MC, every time, and a reversal of the procedure will bring a relapse).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7615 ... t=Abstract
I have an ileostomy, but it was not because of MC, (my MC was in remission, for the previous 6 years), - it was due to massive bleeding, presumably because of one or more defects caused by diverticulitis. A few GI docs do recommend surgery to some MC patients, (after they are unable to help them to achieve remission), but in general, surgical intervention to treat MC, is somewhat like burning down the barn, to get rid of rats.
That said, here is an alternative viewpoint. The following statement will probably come as a shock to most of the founding members of this board, because prior to to this point, I have been adamantly opposed to the idea of surgical intervention to resolve MC. Now that I have personally lived with an ileostomy for a while, though, and learned how to deal with it, if I were unable to achieve remission from MC, and the symptoms were as bad as what I experienced for several years before I discovered the diet, I would have to give some very serious thought to a surgical solution. Be aware, though, that most people with an ileostomy are unable to get decent wear time out of their appliances, and they are almost constantly worrying about leaks, or other failures. It can absolutely kill your social life, unless/until you learn all the tricks needed, in order to "do it right". The choice of appliances, and the right technique and skill in proper preparation of the site, and application of the appliance, make all the difference in the world, between getting a few hours of wear time, a few days, or a week or more.
I had a colostomy for over 4 years. Compared with an ileostomy, dealing with a colostomy is a cake walk. An ileostomy, by contrast, requires some engineering skills, but once you figure out the best way to go about it, and hone your skills, it's a piece of cake, too. The best part is, it can totally unchain you from the bathroom. If you ever need any details on how to deal with an ileostomy, (or a difficult colostomy), or know of anyone else who could use some guidelines, please let me know - I'll be happy to go into detail. Based on my experience, I can guarantee that you can't get that information from your surgeon, or your ostomy nurse. They can get you started, but most of them don't have the foggiest idea how to make the best equipment choices, nor how to get a respectable wear time out of it, let alone maximum wear time, unless you happen to have a picture perfect stoma. If it's like mine, (down in a big crease, because my colon is now missing), they will tell you that the best you can hope for is 3 days. Early on, before I did some research, and figured out a few tricks, I had one that leaked within less than a half-day. Trust me, having to change one that soon, especially while still recovering from the surgery, is a very painful experience, and it's definitely something to be avoided, if at all possible. After a lot of experimenting, (I have a degree in engineering, so I'm rarely happy with the status quo), I've worn one for as long as 2 weeks, and it was still intact, but I usually change the body seal at around 8 days, since ileal output is usually caustic, and I don't want to risk any skin damage right around the stoma, in case the seal begins to break down, (which can certainly happen by 10 days to 2 weeks).
Sorry - I didn't mean to write a book, but if an ostomy should ever come into your life, please ask, and I'll be happy to discuss all the gory details involved in changing it from a despised liability, into a well-behaved asset.
Tex
By "permanent", I don't mean to imply that they are always symptomatic, I simply mean that they have no known cure, and so an episode can either be chronic, or a new one can be triggered at any time. With MC, it is claimed, (according to "official" research), that over time, the majority of cases resolve spontaneously, (IOW, without any need for intervention), however, to the best of my knowledge, we have only a handful of members who have actually experienced such good fortune, (less than a half dozen), and most of these are cases where the disease was initially triggered by a drug.
For most of us on this board, the disease seems to be unusually persistant, (as IBDs go), with periods of spontaneous remission being quite rare. We seem to enter a flare every time we stop our treatment, (slip up on our diet, or stop taking Entocort, for example). IOW, we have found that the claims of spontaneous remission found in the literature, (and also claimed by many GI docs), are very rarely realized among the members of this board. The reasons behind that are unclear, but I tend to attribute that to the likelihood that many patients with MC are either satisfied with the treatment offered by their GI doctors, and don't bother to search for additional information on the internet; or they choose to live with their symptoms, and don't go back to their GI docs for additional help. We have found that if a patient does not return to a doctor for additional help, the doctor virtually always records the case as successfully resolved by his or her last suggested treatment, when in fact, the patient just became frustrated, and either switched doctors, or gave up on the hope of receiving help from the medical community. Statistically, I believe that accounts for a large percentage of cases that are "successfully" treated by GI docs, (but I have no proof, of course).
Theoretically, at least, there are never any valid reasons for surgical intervention, since there are never histological changes that are life-threatening, such as is the case with Crohn's or UC. IOW, CC and LC only superficially affect the mucosa of the epithelia, (except that CC is marked by sub-mucosal thickening of collagen bands), with no lesions that actually cause gross physical damage to the crypt architecture of the intestines. In layman's terms, MC doesn't cause any physical damage to the tissues of the intestines, that would justify surgical intervention. It is true, however, that diverting the fecal stream from the colon, will bring instant remission, (IOW, an eleostomy will resolve MC, every time, and a reversal of the procedure will bring a relapse).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7615 ... t=Abstract
I have an ileostomy, but it was not because of MC, (my MC was in remission, for the previous 6 years), - it was due to massive bleeding, presumably because of one or more defects caused by diverticulitis. A few GI docs do recommend surgery to some MC patients, (after they are unable to help them to achieve remission), but in general, surgical intervention to treat MC, is somewhat like burning down the barn, to get rid of rats.
That said, here is an alternative viewpoint. The following statement will probably come as a shock to most of the founding members of this board, because prior to to this point, I have been adamantly opposed to the idea of surgical intervention to resolve MC. Now that I have personally lived with an ileostomy for a while, though, and learned how to deal with it, if I were unable to achieve remission from MC, and the symptoms were as bad as what I experienced for several years before I discovered the diet, I would have to give some very serious thought to a surgical solution. Be aware, though, that most people with an ileostomy are unable to get decent wear time out of their appliances, and they are almost constantly worrying about leaks, or other failures. It can absolutely kill your social life, unless/until you learn all the tricks needed, in order to "do it right". The choice of appliances, and the right technique and skill in proper preparation of the site, and application of the appliance, make all the difference in the world, between getting a few hours of wear time, a few days, or a week or more.
I had a colostomy for over 4 years. Compared with an ileostomy, dealing with a colostomy is a cake walk. An ileostomy, by contrast, requires some engineering skills, but once you figure out the best way to go about it, and hone your skills, it's a piece of cake, too. The best part is, it can totally unchain you from the bathroom. If you ever need any details on how to deal with an ileostomy, (or a difficult colostomy), or know of anyone else who could use some guidelines, please let me know - I'll be happy to go into detail. Based on my experience, I can guarantee that you can't get that information from your surgeon, or your ostomy nurse. They can get you started, but most of them don't have the foggiest idea how to make the best equipment choices, nor how to get a respectable wear time out of it, let alone maximum wear time, unless you happen to have a picture perfect stoma. If it's like mine, (down in a big crease, because my colon is now missing), they will tell you that the best you can hope for is 3 days. Early on, before I did some research, and figured out a few tricks, I had one that leaked within less than a half-day.
Trust me, having to change one that soon, especially while still recovering from the surgery, is a very painful experience, and it's definitely something to be avoided, if at all possible. After a lot of experimenting, (I have a degree in engineering, so I'm rarely happy with the status quo), I've worn one for as long as 2 weeks, and it was still intact, but I usually change the body seal at around 8 days, since ileal output is usually caustic, and I don't want to risk any skin damage right around the stoma, in case the seal begins to break down, (which can certainly happen by 10 days to 2 weeks).Sorry - I didn't mean to write a book, but if an ostomy should ever come into your life, please ask, and I'll be happy to discuss all the gory details involved in changing it from a despised liability, into a well-behaved asset.
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.
-
Joefnh
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 2478
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:25 pm
- Location: Southern New Hampshire
Thanks for the reply Tex. I thought that you were an engineer of one type or another. You answered 2 of my questions; the first being the length of time this lasts (long) and the damage that may occur. I guess in my case the risk of damage requiring surgical intervention would be from the Crohns. I am guessing that by following a body friendly diet and medications to stay in remission for both Crohns and CC would be the best way to avoid permanent damage.
Tex you should charge by the 'visit'. In the handful of I times that I have been on this site you have answered 50x the questions that either my GI or PCP were ever able to answer.
I still think that you should write a book though, your knowledge in this area is more than exceptional.
What is your engineering background?
Take care
--Joe
Tex you should charge by the 'visit'. In the handful of I times that I have been on this site you have answered 50x the questions that either my GI or PCP were ever able to answer.
I still think that you should write a book though, your knowledge in this area is more than exceptional.
What is your engineering background?
Take care
--Joe
That would be mechanical engineering, but my engineering background is actually mostly only academic. I taught for a few years at UT, (vibration and control, manufacturing processes, etc.), but I spent most of my years in agriculture, first in production, (IOW, farming, LOL), and then I built a small food corn processing facility, and got into the food corn business, to supply chip and tortilla producers, mostly in Austin, (until Frito-Lay decided to put most of the larger ones out of business).
Remember a company named Guiltless Gourmet? They started from a garage operation, in the early 1990s, and quickly grew into an international business, using my corn. One of the founding partners developed the first practical process for manufacturing baked chips, and they were going great guns, until he made the mistake of thinking that he would sell his controlling interest to Frito-Lay, (silly boy). Trusting them, (and thinking that they were sincere), he allowed Frito-Lay reps, (engineers, I would presume), to tour the plant, and within a few months, Frito-Lay was manufacturing their own baked chips. That was the undoing of Guiltless Gourmet, of course. Frito-Lay plays hardball.
Soon after that, Frito-Lay, (allegedly), bought up most of the shelf space for corn chips, in the major grocery chains, and put most of the rest of the larger corn chip and tortilla makers in that area out of business, (a couple of them survived, but on a much smaller, local scale, of course), so I switched to bagging deer corn and feed corn. I was up to supplying a couple of national chains, when the MC came along, just before the turn of the century, and I was forced to stop expanding, and begin downsizing. I just couldn't continue to spend the long hours necessary to keep everything working smoothly, when I was sick so much of the time. MC sucks, if you have to work for a living, (to say the least).
"Charging" for anything, would take all the fun out of it, (I'm sure you've noticed that this is an ad-free site), and I'm a firm believer that information on the internet should be free. Besides, while I know a little about a lot of things, I don't consider myself to be an expert on anything. I'm a student of MC, for example, just like everyone else, here, trying to learn as much as I can about it, but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
Actually, I have given some thought to possibly writing a book, in order to compile most of the worthwhile information available here, into a more organized form, and I'm currently in the process of learning to use publishing software, though I haven't actually written anything, yet.
We have at least one or two other engineers here, also. One of the founding members, Katy, (kate_ce1995), is a working CE, and I believe that hotrod, (RUBYREDDOG), is also an engineer. I gather you're an engineer, also.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words,
Tex
Remember a company named Guiltless Gourmet? They started from a garage operation, in the early 1990s, and quickly grew into an international business, using my corn. One of the founding partners developed the first practical process for manufacturing baked chips, and they were going great guns, until he made the mistake of thinking that he would sell his controlling interest to Frito-Lay, (silly boy). Trusting them, (and thinking that they were sincere), he allowed Frito-Lay reps, (engineers, I would presume), to tour the plant, and within a few months, Frito-Lay was manufacturing their own baked chips.
That was the undoing of Guiltless Gourmet, of course. Frito-Lay plays hardball.Soon after that, Frito-Lay, (allegedly), bought up most of the shelf space for corn chips, in the major grocery chains, and put most of the rest of the larger corn chip and tortilla makers in that area out of business, (a couple of them survived, but on a much smaller, local scale, of course), so I switched to bagging deer corn and feed corn. I was up to supplying a couple of national chains, when the MC came along, just before the turn of the century, and I was forced to stop expanding, and begin downsizing. I just couldn't continue to spend the long hours necessary to keep everything working smoothly, when I was sick so much of the time. MC sucks, if you have to work for a living, (to say the least).
"Charging" for anything, would take all the fun out of it, (I'm sure you've noticed that this is an ad-free site), and I'm a firm believer that information on the internet should be free. Besides, while I know a little about a lot of things, I don't consider myself to be an expert on anything. I'm a student of MC, for example, just like everyone else, here, trying to learn as much as I can about it, but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
Actually, I have given some thought to possibly writing a book, in order to compile most of the worthwhile information available here, into a more organized form, and I'm currently in the process of learning to use publishing software, though I haven't actually written anything, yet.
We have at least one or two other engineers here, also. One of the founding members, Katy, (kate_ce1995), is a working CE, and I believe that hotrod, (RUBYREDDOG), is also an engineer. I gather you're an engineer, also.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words,
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.
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Joefnh
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 2478
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:25 pm
- Location: Southern New Hampshire
Yes Tex I am an engineer. In reading your posts over the past month I figured you had some background in engineering and / or academia. Your writing and thought process are very ordered and precise. Overall an excellent communicator.
My direct background is EE, but ME and optics are a close second. You sound like you have had a great career, at least until the MC came knocking... I am starting to appreciate how disruptive MC / IBD can be. I just took the month of April off (unplanned) and not the way I would like to. Hopefull the Entocort will keep this in remission allowing for some healing and I wil be able to get back to work this week.
So far at 44, I have no major health issues until now; however the non-GI part of these IBD diseases has been chasing me on/off for over 10 years.
It may be due to better diagnostics and / or awareness, but I have noticed a significant uptick in the number of people that I know who are dealing with one form of IBD or another. I would imagine that a book on this topic would unfortunately have a good market of potential readers.
It certainly is a dog eat dog and steal dogs lunch money world when it comes to big business. I had a similar experience when I developed a product for an imaging company in the late 90's; the design was stolen and manufactured in china basically shutting down the small company that I worked for at the time. Not a thing we could do about except complain to the commerce and state departments, of course nothing was ever done about it.
Thanks again Tex
Best Wishes
--Joe
My direct background is EE, but ME and optics are a close second. You sound like you have had a great career, at least until the MC came knocking... I am starting to appreciate how disruptive MC / IBD can be. I just took the month of April off (unplanned) and not the way I would like to. Hopefull the Entocort will keep this in remission allowing for some healing and I wil be able to get back to work this week.
So far at 44, I have no major health issues until now; however the non-GI part of these IBD diseases has been chasing me on/off for over 10 years.
It may be due to better diagnostics and / or awareness, but I have noticed a significant uptick in the number of people that I know who are dealing with one form of IBD or another. I would imagine that a book on this topic would unfortunately have a good market of potential readers.
It certainly is a dog eat dog and steal dogs lunch money world when it comes to big business. I had a similar experience when I developed a product for an imaging company in the late 90's; the design was stolen and manufactured in china basically shutting down the small company that I worked for at the time. Not a thing we could do about except complain to the commerce and state departments, of course nothing was ever done about it.
Thanks again Tex
Best Wishes
--Joe
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8367
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Joe / Tex
re the discussion about a book. what i have found in recent times is that by the time you research, formulate and produce a book, things have changed.
that is why the internet has become the key resource for this type of thing, and wonderful sites like this one, as new research or articles on the topic are released, this site is a means of comparing the new article to previous research
re the discussion about a book. what i have found in recent times is that by the time you research, formulate and produce a book, things have changed.
that is why the internet has become the key resource for this type of thing, and wonderful sites like this one, as new research or articles on the topic are released, this site is a means of comparing the new article to previous research
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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Joefnh
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 2478
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:25 pm
- Location: Southern New Hampshire
Gabes I love the phrase "intestine whisperer" That one gave me a good laugh (thanks I needed that after the last few weeks)
But you are correct Tex is tops
I noticed you are in Brisbane. I spent a couple months in the land of Oz in 2000 for business. I spent most of my time traveling between Brisbane and Sydney. I do miss that part of the world; I had a great time there.
--Joe
But you are correct Tex is tops
I noticed you are in Brisbane. I spent a couple months in the land of Oz in 2000 for business. I spent most of my time traveling between Brisbane and Sydney. I do miss that part of the world; I had a great time there.
--Joe
Joe
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8367
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
were you doing engineering stuff when you were in Oz?
I grew up in the Hunter Valley (wine and coal mining region 2 hours north of Sydney), I have also lived in Sydney and Canberra.
Have been in Brisbane for the past 16 years.
I grew up in the Hunter Valley (wine and coal mining region 2 hours north of Sydney), I have also lived in Sydney and Canberra.
Have been in Brisbane for the past 16 years.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama