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I have been checking the posts, but not contributing for the last few weeks because I have had my hands full looking after my soon-to-be-90-year-old mother in the UK. She is physically good for her age, but dementia is rapidly worsening. I needed to take some of the strain off my sister and her family - with whom she is living in a "granny flat", so gave my mum a holiday trip across the southern counties of England: Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Beautiful at this time of year. We stayed with old friends - and they had to be true friends what with her dementia and my food intolerances!! For a couple of days we stayed with some Indian friends of mine, who live in Bristol, and mum thought she was in India.....
Anyway to all newbies, so sorry to have missed you.....
And to the birthday boys and girls I have missed....
In case it is useful to read, here is an update on my MC condition...
To recap: Chronic D started in July 2008 in India. (In retrospect I had some tell-tale signs for many years - reflux issues, bouts of non-chronic D and tummy aches, balance issues, fistula in my behind; and some possible contributing causes - high use of antibiotics and NSAIDs as well as 2 celiac predisposing genes).
After Dx LC in November 2008 went on Pepto Bismol (PB) for 8 weeks with some success, but when I started to taper off chronic D returned. Kept on trying to control with PB on and off until June 2009 but could not get into remission for any length of time.
So then went onto Entocort three pills a day from the end of June 2009. Discovered this wonderful PP board and started a GF, DF, SF, other legume and nightshade free diet. Also discovered (thanks to hints from the PP) that I had low vitamin and mineral levels and osteoporosis.
D and bloating gradually improved to the point where I tapered down to two Entocort a day in January 2010, one a day in March and one every other day in mid-June.
Since tapering to that level (i.e. in the last two months) for most days I have had one or two bowl movements, of which about 70% where firm or firmish, 20% soft and loose but not D, and 10% D. During these two months I have had five days with three or four bowl movements and two flares. One flare (12 days after tapering to one every other day) lasted only three days and the second fare (51 days after tapering down to one every other day) lasted 6 days. The second one has - I hope - just ended. Each time I had a flare I added PB to my medication for a couple of days and for the second flare I increased the Entcort dosage back up to one a day for one day.
Not sure what caused the flares and I am hoping that I can handle the tapering down. Looking at my food diary it could be that I was too ambitious with fiber: I was introducing some raw fruit and especially banana - two a day. Of course I could have been accidentally 'glutened', 'caseined' or 'soyed'. My plan was that once I got back to Hong Kong I would try and come off entcort completely, but now I am thinking I should take my own advice and "softly, softly", catch this very tricky, very very naughty monkey called MC!
Best wishes for health and happiness, especially the newbies I have missed (I hope my update shows that that progress even when slow and winding can STILL BE PROGRESS), Ant
). I found your run down of your MC experiences very interesting. I'm into 10 years of coping with this disease now, and even though for most of it, I've managed just ok - recently, with a new big flare, and a failure at the drug I tried, I'm getting discouraged. Helps to hear HOW other people have managed to improve. I think I need to check out the kind of diets you guys have been doing.
and not black so I did it without help from Pepto Bismol. Best, Ant
) 