Hi everyone!

[orange al]

Hi there!

My name is Allen, I'm 36 and I live just north of Seattle. I'm so glad I found this forum. I'm in the early stages of just finding out that I have the "LC" colitis I guess. I finally got the nerve or courage plus a little nudge from my wife to go get checked out. I have been dealing with this for a long while to long really.
I haven't figured out what I can and can't eat yet. One issue that I have, hoping someone will have a answer, is that from what I understand is that the form of colitis that I have does not cause rectal fistula's. I have one. This is what my doctor is telling me.
As far has eating goes should I have allergy testing done? Kinda overwhelmed really trying to figure out whats right for me. And info or tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

[MBombardier]

Hi Allen! Welcome to our internet family! I live in Vancouver, so I am about three hours south of you.

I don't know about rectal fistulas. My father had one, and I suspect that he's the one from whom I received my celiac gene. But someone will be along who knows more than I do. I am fairly new to this stuff.

I do know that going gluten-free was the beginning of better health for me, and is that way for pretty much all of us on this forum. The best way to test for that is to go through http://www.enterolab.com, but frankly, you will know by going gluten-free without waiting for the testing. The testing can confirm things, and also tell you about other food intolerances, if any.

Welcome again!!

[tex]

Hi Allen,

Welcome to the board. As you add to your knowledge about this disease, and learn how to control the symptoms, you'll discover that there's a lot the doctors don't know about it, since for decades, it was considered to be a rare disease. Now, we realize that it was only "rare" because it can't be diagnosed, unless it is specifically searched for, (with biopsy samples from the lining of the colon), and historically, doctors seldom looked for it, because it was considered to be a "rare" disease - a "catch 22" situation if there ever was one.

While rectal fistulas are not documented to be commonly associated with LC/CC/MC, they do sometimes occur, though fortunately, not very often. Based on our member statistics, I would hazard a guess that they may develop in approximately one out of every 200 to 400 cases.

As far as diet is concerned, most GI specialists still insist that diet has absolutely nothing to do with inflammatory bowel diseases, but we have found that careful diet control holds the key to lasting remission, either alone, or in combination with certain medications. Some people with this disease are able to control their symptoms by taking a prescription drug, (at least that's what the doctors claim), but most of us here have found that it's simply not enough to control our symptoms, without some major dietary changes.

Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex (Wayne)

[connie]

Sorry to hear that you have been suffering for some time. Hopefully now that you have a diagnosis you can begin the path to getting your life back.

Most doctors don't seem to be clued into the diet connection but there are some folks here who have achieved remission through diet alone. There are medications that can help the symptoms but finding the right diet seems necessary even with medication.

Gluten seems to be the most common intolerance. Dairy and Soy are a problem for a number of folks here too.
Please read all you can and be encouraged that you will find a lot of support here.
Connie

[ant]

Sorry you had to find us. Well before I was Dx Mc (about 10 years before chronic D set in) I had an abscess near my rectum (which did not become a fistula). It was painful and treated with a major cocktail of antibiotics. IMHO there could be a connection between abscesses/fistulas and MC.

(I also believe there is a correlation between Crohns and fistulas).

Wishing you all the best on your journey to remission, ant

[sarkin]

Welcome, Allen - sorry you had to meet this wonderful bunch under adverse health "luck" - but as a newbie here myself, I can tell you that this is a really exceptional source of good info and kindness. Although what works for some may not be the right answer for others, there is so much experience here with diet, testing and medications that it is giving me a lot of confidence about what next steps to take.

For now, I am eating a much more restricted diet than may turn out to be necessary. My first priority is soothing and healing the current internal 'outrage' and I am willing to be a little bored in the short term. I have had a lot of my own homemade chicken broth (I need to start some wings simmering, come to think of it!). At first I didn't even add a carrot, but now I am tolerating those OK. And I had a lot of white rice at first, but now I am experimenting with no grains at all. I do eat the meat from the chicken as well, and have added turkey. I also eat bananas and applesauce.

I've added a few more things, but what I meant to say is that I think you can have some very satisfying meals even with a 'palette' that's more limited than you may eventually be able to tolerate (and enjoy). I also used pepto-bismol for a little under a week, which helped. I had seen a recommendation to use it 8x/day for 8 weeks. That's a lot, and I'm kind of a medicine-phobe, but I would have kept at it longer if necessary. You'll find many other folks' helpful experiences on this forum, many of which may turn out to work better for you than my ideas.

I hope you find a speedy path to whatever combo of diet, medications and luck makes you feel great, and brings you lasting healing and remission.

Sara

[JLH]

Allen. We are glad you found us.

I had allergy testing and it didn't show anything. I had testing from www.enterolab.com
and it showed sensitivities to gluten, casein and later, soy. I dislike the latter the most.

If your doctor, like most of them, says diet has nothing to do with MC, don't believe him/her.



The PP know otherwise.

[orange al]

Thanks for all the great information!