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Hi everyone,
I'm happy to report progress with my BM's through diet changes. If I don't go out to eat, or accidentally eat something disagreeable, I'm down to one to two BM's a day. This is extremely encouraging, but now I'm wondering how long it will take before I can expect a visit from Norman? I would describe my stool consistency as mostly "wet clay" (sorry to be so graphic). Although this is a great improvement over "brown water", I'm starting to wonder if this is a reasonable progression. I have now been off gluten for about 2 and a half months, and dairy/soy perhaps one.
Also - Polly - I'm so curious about your history with MC, since you've had such amazing success. I've been trying to search through past posts on this board, but can't seem to find it???
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Warm regards,
Kari
P.S. I sent my "samples" to Enterolab about a week ago, and will report on the results when received.
Longing for Norman
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Longing for Norman
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Hi Kari!
Glad to hear about your success to date! Clay is definitely an improvement over brown water, since it indicates that your colon is healing because it is able to extract more water from the BM. YAY! (We have to be thankful for small improvements, don't we)?
I'm sure I've mentioned my history numerous times here, but maybe never in one concise post. I was diagnosed about 10 years ago with LC and had no luck with Asacol. Entocort was not yet available, so my doc suggested prednisone next, which I really wanted to avoid. So, I went online and found this board and learned about Dr. Fine's research. At that time he was only testing for gluten and yeast, and both of my tests were positive. I had to determine my additional intolerances beyond those two by trial and error. And, I was the first one here to experience multiple intolerances, so there was no precedent for me to follow. It took many years of fine tuning, but finally I had no evidence of MC on biopsy 2 mos. ago. (after 10 years, although my biopsy after 5 years was still positive).
Using only diet and trial and error, it took me 9 months initially to see my first formed BM (Norman)! I can't believe I hung in there so long and stayed patient, but I really attribute that to the wonderful support I received here.
I'll bet your recent dietary changes are already paying off. Are you on medication too (refresh my memory, please)? And soon you will have the scientific evidence from Enterolab. That's good! I'll be interested to see the results.
Keep up the good work!
Love,
Polly
Glad to hear about your success to date! Clay is definitely an improvement over brown water, since it indicates that your colon is healing because it is able to extract more water from the BM. YAY! (We have to be thankful for small improvements, don't we)?
I'm sure I've mentioned my history numerous times here, but maybe never in one concise post. I was diagnosed about 10 years ago with LC and had no luck with Asacol. Entocort was not yet available, so my doc suggested prednisone next, which I really wanted to avoid. So, I went online and found this board and learned about Dr. Fine's research. At that time he was only testing for gluten and yeast, and both of my tests were positive. I had to determine my additional intolerances beyond those two by trial and error. And, I was the first one here to experience multiple intolerances, so there was no precedent for me to follow. It took many years of fine tuning, but finally I had no evidence of MC on biopsy 2 mos. ago. (after 10 years, although my biopsy after 5 years was still positive).
Using only diet and trial and error, it took me 9 months initially to see my first formed BM (Norman)! I can't believe I hung in there so long and stayed patient, but I really attribute that to the wonderful support I received here.
I'll bet your recent dietary changes are already paying off. Are you on medication too (refresh my memory, please)? And soon you will have the scientific evidence from Enterolab. That's good! I'll be interested to see the results.
Keep up the good work!
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Kari,
I agree with Polly that you are well on your way, and Norman could make a surprise appearance any day, now. You are reaching the point at which, if you have any other undiscovered food sensitivities, your immune system may begin to make antibodies to them, which would postpone remission, but hopefully, that won't happen, since you are already avoiding the three most common food intolerances.
Congratulations!
Tex
I agree with Polly that you are well on your way, and Norman could make a surprise appearance any day, now. You are reaching the point at which, if you have any other undiscovered food sensitivities, your immune system may begin to make antibodies to them, which would postpone remission, but hopefully, that won't happen, since you are already avoiding the three most common food intolerances.
Congratulations!
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.
Hi Polly,
Thank you for your quick response. Your dedication and support to people on this board are truly exceptional!!! After 10 years of constant D, bloating and pain, I'm thrilled beyond belief with my progress, and will happily wait as long as it takes for Norman. I tend to worry about "doing everything right", so having confirmation that I'm on the right track helps.
The only med I take is Pepto when having a flare, which seems to speed the recovery. However, the concept of "flare" was foreign to me until I discovered the gluten connection, as the D was constant and persistent. I've tried just about everything (except Steroids) with only very temporary success (the topic of the post with my history is "Newbie").
How amazing that this board was here for you 10 years ago!!! It truly is a life saver for those of us fortunate enough to find it.
Warm regards,
Kari
Thank you for your quick response. Your dedication and support to people on this board are truly exceptional!!! After 10 years of constant D, bloating and pain, I'm thrilled beyond belief with my progress, and will happily wait as long as it takes for Norman. I tend to worry about "doing everything right", so having confirmation that I'm on the right track helps.
The only med I take is Pepto when having a flare, which seems to speed the recovery. However, the concept of "flare" was foreign to me until I discovered the gluten connection, as the D was constant and persistent. I've tried just about everything (except Steroids) with only very temporary success (the topic of the post with my history is "Newbie").
How amazing that this board was here for you 10 years ago!!! It truly is a life saver for those of us fortunate enough to find it.
Warm regards,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Hi Tex,
Thank you for your response and ever present encouragement. It is so comforting to have you here, sharing your apparent wealth of knowledge.
Although I'm thrilled with my progress, I have this nagging suspicion that there is something in my diet that needs further tweaking. I should probably try the Paleo diet, but somehow it seems too difficult for me at this point in time. I have already become very fond of "Pamela's" products, "Mary's gone crackers", Coconut Yogurt, etc. Since I'm feeling so much better, I am waiting until after I receive my Enterolab results to make further modifications.
Warm regards,
Kari
Thank you for your response and ever present encouragement. It is so comforting to have you here, sharing your apparent wealth of knowledge.
Although I'm thrilled with my progress, I have this nagging suspicion that there is something in my diet that needs further tweaking. I should probably try the Paleo diet, but somehow it seems too difficult for me at this point in time. I have already become very fond of "Pamela's" products, "Mary's gone crackers", Coconut Yogurt, etc. Since I'm feeling so much better, I am waiting until after I receive my Enterolab results to make further modifications.
Warm regards,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Kari,
I'm in exactly the same boat as you. 3 months GF and mostly dairy, soy and yeast free. I eat out alot, so that's not helping things. I had massive improvement early on, even 1 or 2 almost normans. Then things got worse, 2-3/day, more urgency, etc. I'm more stressed now, which could be related, but I think I have to completely avoid dairy now (a small amount of goat's milk yogurt made me sick the other day). I'm also trying to avoid carageenan, an intestinal irritant, so there goes the coconut yogurt, several almond milk brands, etc. I'm by no means feeling sick or in pain, just waiting for norman, and still making occasional mad dashes to the bathroom.
I read here that soy lecithin, soybean oil and even butter are safe as far as the protein is concerned. Based on my symptoms, I would agree. But I'm cooking more with coconut oil and olive oil at home. Going out is another story...
http://www.drdahlman.com/pdf/DrDahlmans ... olitis.pdf
I'm in exactly the same boat as you. 3 months GF and mostly dairy, soy and yeast free. I eat out alot, so that's not helping things. I had massive improvement early on, even 1 or 2 almost normans. Then things got worse, 2-3/day, more urgency, etc. I'm more stressed now, which could be related, but I think I have to completely avoid dairy now (a small amount of goat's milk yogurt made me sick the other day). I'm also trying to avoid carageenan, an intestinal irritant, so there goes the coconut yogurt, several almond milk brands, etc. I'm by no means feeling sick or in pain, just waiting for norman, and still making occasional mad dashes to the bathroom.
I read here that soy lecithin, soybean oil and even butter are safe as far as the protein is concerned. Based on my symptoms, I would agree. But I'm cooking more with coconut oil and olive oil at home. Going out is another story...
http://www.drdahlman.com/pdf/DrDahlmans ... olitis.pdf
1987 Mononucleosis (EBV)
2004 Hypomyopathic Dermatomyositis
2009 Lymphocytic Colitis
2010 GF/DF/SF Diet
2014 Low Dose Naltrexone
2004 Hypomyopathic Dermatomyositis
2009 Lymphocytic Colitis
2010 GF/DF/SF Diet
2014 Low Dose Naltrexone
Hi Zizzle,
We do seem to have similarities, don't we. I'm realizing that getting back to normans will take a lot of patience and experimentation. It is a constant process of refinement. I don't really have it in me to go on the paleo diet at this point in time, but it might be necessary some time in the future??? Right now I'm satisfied to know that I'm on the right track. I'm also dealing with shopping and preparing my own meals at home, which in itself is a huge challenge, albeit, an immensely rewarding one. People like Gabes and Gloria, and others here on the board, are such an inspiration.
I have now finally accepted that I need to read labels very carefully (if I can only remember to bring my reading glasses to the store:). I have printed out Jean's List of Gluten, Dairy, Soy and Corn Sources (thank you Jean), and will start bringing it along with me when shopping. At this point in time, I view this as a journey, and expect that as time goes by, it will become easier and easier.
Good luck to you in your continued search for Norman!!!
Warm regards,
Kari
We do seem to have similarities, don't we. I'm realizing that getting back to normans will take a lot of patience and experimentation. It is a constant process of refinement. I don't really have it in me to go on the paleo diet at this point in time, but it might be necessary some time in the future??? Right now I'm satisfied to know that I'm on the right track. I'm also dealing with shopping and preparing my own meals at home, which in itself is a huge challenge, albeit, an immensely rewarding one. People like Gabes and Gloria, and others here on the board, are such an inspiration.
I have now finally accepted that I need to read labels very carefully (if I can only remember to bring my reading glasses to the store:). I have printed out Jean's List of Gluten, Dairy, Soy and Corn Sources (thank you Jean), and will start bringing it along with me when shopping. At this point in time, I view this as a journey, and expect that as time goes by, it will become easier and easier.
Good luck to you in your continued search for Norman!!!
Warm regards,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Zizzle,
Dr. Dahlman says this about butter:
Other sources also claim that soy lecithin and soy oil is free of soy protein, and theoretically, (in a perfect world), it is. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and many, many members here can testify by personal experience that he is also dead wrong about those products. They will trigger reactions for many of us.
One of our members was personally treated by Dr. Dahlman, using the techniques that he describes. His treatment was not successful for her, unfortunately.
Remember - the internet is loaded with misinformation about MC, and most of it comes from doctors and hospitals.
Tex
Dr. Dahlman says this about butter:
Unfortunately, that protein in butter is casein, so Dr. Dahlman is dead wrong about butter being acceptable for someone with an IBD.Do you like butter? Good, enjoy it. But, it’s a dairy product you say. That’s right, but it’s almost pure fat.
There are 3 components to a milk product: sugar (lactose), protein and fat. Fat causes none of the
problems that the milk sugars and proteins do. Enjoy it.
Other sources also claim that soy lecithin and soy oil is free of soy protein, and theoretically, (in a perfect world), it is. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and many, many members here can testify by personal experience that he is also dead wrong about those products. They will trigger reactions for many of us.
One of our members was personally treated by Dr. Dahlman, using the techniques that he describes. His treatment was not successful for her, unfortunately.
Remember - the internet is loaded with misinformation about MC, and most of it comes from doctors and hospitals.
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.
Robbie,
A good substitute for butter is clarified butter. A few of us react to it, but many of us who are sensitive to dairy products, can use clarified butter without any problems. In case you're not familiar with it, clarified butter is an ancient Hindu Ayurvedic product. Many gourmet chefs use it in place of butter. You should be able to find it in health food stores, or in supermarkets that carry foods from India.
Tex
A good substitute for butter is clarified butter. A few of us react to it, but many of us who are sensitive to dairy products, can use clarified butter without any problems. In case you're not familiar with it, clarified butter is an ancient Hindu Ayurvedic product. Many gourmet chefs use it in place of butter. You should be able to find it in health food stores, or in supermarkets that carry foods from India.
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.
Yes, I eat ghee almost every day. Harma eats it also as I recall. I've done without it at times but I've never noticed any difference with or without it. I make my own, but I would suggest buying it first to see how you tolerate it.
It's sold in a jar near either the baking supplies or shortening. It doesn't need to be refrigerated because all of the casein is removed. It is more expensive than butter - about $6 - $8 for a pound, which is why I make it myself.
Gloria
It's sold in a jar near either the baking supplies or shortening. It doesn't need to be refrigerated because all of the casein is removed. It is more expensive than butter - about $6 - $8 for a pound, which is why I make it myself.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
For those that react to Soy, alot of butter replacements have vegetable oil that is soy based
the same for things like non stick cooking sprays
Kari
one thing i have accepted is that life with MC, things may never be the same as what they were before and progress is in baby steps.
A good day for me is when i have minimal BM trips to the toilet (around 2) - a my BM's can go from semi norman in the morning, to D in 3 hours later and then back to semi norman 5 hours later.
While you are figuring out foods etc be patient, it takes a while to be a super slooth and find all the little ingredients that are causing issues.
the same for things like non stick cooking sprays
Kari
one thing i have accepted is that life with MC, things may never be the same as what they were before and progress is in baby steps.
A good day for me is when i have minimal BM trips to the toilet (around 2) - a my BM's can go from semi norman in the morning, to D in 3 hours later and then back to semi norman 5 hours later.
While you are figuring out foods etc be patient, it takes a while to be a super slooth and find all the little ingredients that are causing issues.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
A health food store that I sometimes visit, keeps their ghee in a refrigerator, next to the butter, and various margarine substitutes, so if you can't find it anywhere else, you might look near the butter.
Tex
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.