Jeff,
Are you being treated by Dr. Fasano? That's awesome, if that's the case. Polly, (you've probably seen some of her posts here), is a pediatrician, practicing in Maryland, and she's a colleague, (and I believe she's also an acquaintance), of Dr. Fasano.
While D is the best known symptom of MC, (and probably the most common), not everyone has it predominately. You'll notice that I said that, "A lot of days I had uncontrollable diarrhea." Those episodes would last for roughly a week, (sometimes less, sometimes more), but in between, I would either have normal BMs, or none at all, (constipation). Quite a few members here have alternating D and C, and there are several others for whom D is not a significant symptom, so you are not unique, in that respect. It is typical for those who do not have a serious issue with D, to assume that they are not gluten sensitive, but a stool test at Enterolab, will show that they are indeed gluten sensitive. Their symptoms tend to present in other forms, such as you have experienced.
Rosie, for example, comes to mind as one who does not have a problem with D. You might be interested in reading some of her posts, describing her symptoms. Here's one to begin with:
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10353
MC can present in many ways, and it's a very insidious disease. For some of us, neurological issues are the most significant, while for others, GI issues are the most prominent. Many of us have both, of course. Whatever the form, the treatment is generally the same.
It's true that D is a very powerful motivator, to encourage us to find our food intolerances, but those intolerances can be tracked down by monitoring most of the other symptoms, also. The aches and pains, joint problems, extreme fatigue, brain fog, etc., will all go away, as the gut heals. Without the D as a marker, it may take longer for improvement of some of the other symptoms to become evident, but they
will respond to the removal of your food intolerances from your diet. The fatigue is usually the last symptom to resolve, but one day you will wake up and realize that, "Hey! I feel great!".
It's impossible to predict how long it will take, but I hope that that day of epiphany will come sooner, rather than later.
You're most welcome,
Tex
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
