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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Well, the "soft pile" is a sign of minor, osmotic diarrhea, (as opposed to the secretory D often seen with MC), indicating that you are beginning to gain some control over the D, (or, at least the Entocort is beginning to work). By "film", I assume that you are referring to the oily film caused by steaorrhea, which is simply unabsorbed fat in the stool, (caused by the malabsorption problem that usually accompanies CD and/or MC).
IOW, as Maggie said:
IOW, as Maggie said:
TexJust means that you are dealing with this crappy disease. Don't be alarmed.
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.
well tex, not really sure if the entocort is working other than my trips to the bathroom have lessened- only go 1-2 x a day. the stool issue is the same to be quite honest....have dealt with the soft pile, the watery d, the feathery stool, etc. for some time now. so i don't know what the deal is. thanks for your input though.
The soft pile with the film on the water is my everyday normal now. I can't complain, since it's often only 1/day. The film doesn't look oily to me, so I attribute it to mucous. Does this qualify as remission in MC? When is "better" good enough to be classified as remission?? Is norman the only measure of success?
No, unless that was your norm before your symptoms began. (But it's a good sign, because it's much closer to complete remission than uncontrolled watery D, 30 times a day would be, obviously).Zizzle wrote:Does this qualify as remission in MC?
When, other than the details of your treatment, your life is basically back to where it was before your symptoms began.Zizzle wrote:When is "better" good enough to be classified as remission??
That depends on your definition of "success". IMO, any significant improvement is worthy of being considered to be a "success". Ultimately, though, I have always considered overall success to imply the control of all clinical symptoms, including, (but not limited to), the return to whatever pattern of BMs was the norm before the disease symptoms presented. In the case of neurological damage, some of the damage is not reversible, so success will have to be judged by a consideration of whether of not the progression of symptoms is halted. IOW, someone in remission should not have continuing neurological damage as a result of the disease, although the existing damage that has already accrued may be permanent. Technically, of course, neurological damage is not necessarily a result of MC, per se, but rather connected with the associated leaky gut syndrome.Zizzle wrote:Is norman the only measure of success?
At least that's how I view it.
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.
Granny, I tried to find you last week on the board. I'm curious if you're still off Entocort and if things are still good. I'd love to hear an update.
Zizzle, that's a great question that I've wondered about myself, but I've come to think that it's probably very individual just like our treatments and sensitivities. I think I have a new "normal". I've been off entocort since June and manage my life quite well with just diet now. I get into trouble sometimes when I ingest things unintentionally that have my forbidden ingredients in it. I mistakenly picked up a generic calcium tablet last month that contained soy. I couldn't believe I had done that (senior or exhausted moment, not sure which one)but I started having some problems and finally figured out that's what it was. My bm are different from my pre-mc days, but I only have about 1 or 2 a day. Sometimes they are close to my old normal, but most of the time they are looser, flaky, and softer. I don't know if I'll ever return to the good old days, but I'm Ok with how things are now. JoAnn
Zizzle, that's a great question that I've wondered about myself, but I've come to think that it's probably very individual just like our treatments and sensitivities. I think I have a new "normal". I've been off entocort since June and manage my life quite well with just diet now. I get into trouble sometimes when I ingest things unintentionally that have my forbidden ingredients in it. I mistakenly picked up a generic calcium tablet last month that contained soy. I couldn't believe I had done that (senior or exhausted moment, not sure which one)but I started having some problems and finally figured out that's what it was. My bm are different from my pre-mc days, but I only have about 1 or 2 a day. Sometimes they are close to my old normal, but most of the time they are looser, flaky, and softer. I don't know if I'll ever return to the good old days, but I'm Ok with how things are now. JoAnn
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. John Wayne
Zizzle - I'm so glad you asked those questions, because it's so interesting (and reassuring) to hear people's thoughts on this topic. I agree with what is said here that the measure of success is very individual. After 10+ years of D, I've pretty much given up on Norman - at least for the foreseeable future. I have recently shifted my focus from toilet bowl gazing to looking at the sky, thinking about what an awesome planet we are privileged to live on :).
The amount of stress that has been lifted from my shoulders by this simple shift in attitude is mind boggling. I'm enjoying life again, playing with the kids, doing yoga, socializing, etc. Any time the old obsessive thoughts return, I replace them with new, positive ones - and miraculously, it works. I plan on fully enjoying the holidays with my loved ones, regardless of how my stools look, or smell :). For now, this is success to me !!!!!
Love,
Kari
The amount of stress that has been lifted from my shoulders by this simple shift in attitude is mind boggling. I'm enjoying life again, playing with the kids, doing yoga, socializing, etc. Any time the old obsessive thoughts return, I replace them with new, positive ones - and miraculously, it works. I plan on fully enjoying the holidays with my loved ones, regardless of how my stools look, or smell :). For now, this is success to me !!!!!
Love,
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,
Another thing to remember is that any dietary changes will be reflected in stool texture, composition, volume, consistency, etc. Therefore, drastic changes in diet will result in significant changes in stool characteristics. I learned that as a kid, the first time I turned a bunch of cows out of a dry pasture, and into a fresh green field of winter wheat - the result was always instant D, (for the cows, not me.
)
Seriously, though, just the shift from looking down to looking up, has to have huge psychological benefits, which can only be enhanced by the dramatic change of scenery.
Good for you. You definitely have the right idea.
Like sound in a forest, the contents of a toilet bowl are irrelevant, if no one notices. 
Love,
Tex
Another thing to remember is that any dietary changes will be reflected in stool texture, composition, volume, consistency, etc. Therefore, drastic changes in diet will result in significant changes in stool characteristics. I learned that as a kid, the first time I turned a bunch of cows out of a dry pasture, and into a fresh green field of winter wheat - the result was always instant D, (for the cows, not me.
)Well, no wonder - diverting your gaze from the toilet bowl to the inspiration offered by the endless sky, is a quantum leap in the quality of scenery.Kari wrote:The amount of stress that has been lifted from my shoulders by this simple shift in attitude is mind boggling.
Seriously, though, just the shift from looking down to looking up, has to have huge psychological benefits, which can only be enhanced by the dramatic change of scenery.
Good for you. You definitely have the right idea.
Like sound in a forest, the contents of a toilet bowl are irrelevant, if no one notices. Love,
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.