Why do I feel worse in the mornings?

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 2:40 pm

Polly,

I get my chocolate fix from a few Enjoy Life mini chips in coconut macaroons. It is the difference between staying sane and going insane! I hope you can have a square a day like Jean!

The acetaminophen was yellow on MRT, as was salicylic acid (I have very oily skin and have used products containing salicylic acid for as long as I can remember!) Those were small pieces to my puzzle.

Green peas were yellow, too, and I LOVE them. I have been eating them fresh grown since my grandpa used to let me raid his garden when I was 7! Hops was red, and my son is a brewer! :(
Sweet potato was yellow and I like them, too.

So, that's why I wondered if eventually I will be able to consume some of my yellows.

I don't eat any veggies and just a few cooked blueberries now...it's just meat and arrowroot biscuits & coconut & sunflower seed butter!

I did take a lot of ibuprofen in my 20's and 30's due to monthly menstrual cramps...that was most likely part of my MC issue, as well as a strong antibiotic for pre-pneumonia, a few years back.

Like you, I am working on healing without drugs because I am so sensitive to them all.

Let us know how the trial of chocolate goes!!

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 6:08 pm

God Carol, I feel for you. So frustrating!!! When I was reading your list of foods you are eating, I did think of the nitrites in the turkey. If Histamines are an issue for you, then you must know that you are eating quite a few high histamine foods. The turkey, any leftovers?, chocolate, and mustard. Histamines are one of those "over dose" things. A little is probably OK, but when they accumulate…. bam!

Polly has given you some great advice. I could never tolerate any fish oil ( although I can eat white fish) and when I wasn't doing well, I stopped taking everything.

I hope you figure this out soon and feel better

Leah

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 6:56 pm

Hi Leah, yeah I could definitely have had some 'drift' over time, in an effort to add more foods. I do try to rotate things around so I'm not loading up too much histamine in one day. Polly's advice was good and I've already started. Looking forward to feeling better.

Carol

Post by **tex** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:56 pm

Carol,

What about the inactive ingredients in amitriptyline?

Inactive ingredients of Elavil tablets are calcium phosphate, cellulose, colloidal silicon dioxide, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, lactose, magnesium stearate, starch, stearic acid, talc, and titanium dioxide. 10 mg amitriptyline HCl tablets also contain FD&C Blue 1.

That's 11 inactive ingredients plus the dye. I've often wondered why manufacturers feel obligated to use so many inactive ingredients in their pharmaceutical products. Lactose is ingredient number 6 in the list, so the amount should be relatively small, percentage wise.

The generic amitriptyline contains colloidal silicon dioxide, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate, sodium starch glycolate and titanium dioxide. The 10 mg tablets also contain FD&C blue #1 lake.

That's 9 inactive ingredients plus the blue dye. Lactose monohydrate is ingredient number 3 in the list, so that makes it a much more significant percentage of the total amount in each tablet.

Tex

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:13 am

After actively following this thread, I was struck by a thought..... does MC seem so much more intricate than ulcerative colitis? I have two acquaintances with UC, and they both took drugs for about 6 months, and then went back to their usual way of life....including eating any foods (maybe this is uncommon

and I'm completely off base here??) I only have these two sources that I'm basing this on, but it seems that MC is a constant balancing act, and even the smallest changes can have a great effect on our health.

I don't want to debate which condition is more severe, but just the mention of the word 'microscopic', and I am dismissed as it is a 'small' amount of colitis that effects me, and the life changes we endure are minimal, when in actuality it is a total lifestyle change that will always be there to a certain degree.

And, the drilling down while trying find the reason for symptoms can be so labor intensive, at any stage of the disease. It took me over $1,000. and about 5-6 months just to get all sources of the food sensitivities out of my life (because they were hidden everywhere), and we have to do most of it by ourselves, because of the lack of knowledge in the medical community.

So, I guess I just want to say thank you to all of the experts on this site, that selfishly continue to give back daily to help us figure it all out.

I honestly don't know where I'd be right now, if it were not for your advise! :yourock:

Post by **tex** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:52 am

Hi Linda,

Yes, most UC and Crohn's disease patients tend to see periods of spontaneous remission. MC and celiac patients are rarely that lucky.

Tex

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:42 am

Tex, I hadn't even considered the inactive ingredients in Amitriptyline, although I check them in everything else I take like Claritin. I also question why there needs to be dyes in meds, especially pills and vitamins. Like we care about the appearance? Not only would lactose be a problem but I'm sure blue dye shows up on my MRT list in the yellow. I get the generic version, not Elavil.

This is my second morning after 50mg of Benadryl and I skipped vitamins last night. I even went to bed early. I'm dragging a little this morning but definitely am not aching as much as I did Tuesday. My gut is relatively quiet. So far so good.

thanks-
Carol

PS- I almost forgot. I was actually hungry this morning at 7:30! That's different.

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:32 am

Sounds promising so far.

I agree about the dyes. I was sensitive to the red, yellow, and green dyes that the MRT tested, so I wouldn't be surprised if all dyes are problematic for me. Is there one good reason to add a dye to ANYTHING? And studies have shown that many kids with ADHD are sensitive to dyes. It turns my stomach to see products brightly colored with dyes. How about those Gatorade colors? UGH. And those bright neon orange Cheetos that stain your fingers. Double UGH.

Another suspect inert ingredient in your amitriptyline is that "starch". And why do you suppose that lactose is used so commonly as an inert ingredient, when so many are sensitive to it?

Keeping finger and toes crossed for continued improvement,

Polly

Linda, your thoughts are right-on. MC is always considered the "stepchild" of IBDs, which has never made any sense to me. You are correct that it is a far more difficult disease to understand and treat.

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:33 pm

And I've wondered why tablets that you swallow have to contain mannitol, sorbitol etc.
Everything from Pepto tablets to antihistimines contains artificial sweeteners.

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:51 pm

Beautifully said Cory, I'm still not there yet and it's been a little over two years of serious and informed effort for me and it is worth it- no doubt about it!

Glad to hear you are doing well.

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:40 pm

Okay, this was day 3 of taking 50mg Benadryl at night, and I am not aching any more, although I felt groggy today so tonight I'm going to take 25 mg and see if that's enough. It's only been 2 days after stopping all vitamins, and I stopped eating rice cakes to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination.

Can I assume, since the Benadryl was effective, that the aching was a histamine issue?

Carol

Post by **tex** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:06 pm

Carol wrote:Can I assume, since the Benadryl was effective, that the aching was a histamine issue?

One thing that antihistamines do is to work relatively quickly, if they're going to work at all, so it's probably safe to make that assumption. But remember that it's possible that antihistamines may resolve (or cause) other issues. For example, did you know that like anti-depressants, antihistamines can increase appetite, and thereby cause weight gain? It's conceivable therefore that antihistamines might possibly treat some other issue associated with MC that we're not even aware of. But of course even if that's possible, it would only be of academic interest, because for the purposes of treating the symptoms of MC, if it quacks like a duck . . .

I'm certainly not suggesting that antihistamines actually do have such an effect, but by the same token, it can't necessarily be ruled out, either.

Anyway, that's good news that you seem to have verified the problem so quickly. And good for Polly for pointing out the solution to your dilemma in her first post in this thread.

Tex

DJ · Post by DJ » Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:37 am

I think my soy sensitivity is worse than my gluten sensitivity.

Hi Carol, I'm sorry that you are back into detective work. I hope it all squares away quickly. Your post is a good reminder for me. When traveling this week, I was mostly careful to ask for labels. In one case, I ate taco shells without asking for a label knowing that some brands contains soy. That is a very slippery slope. Soy makes me very sick. After reading the Board for a period of time, I know the outcome of growing weary of maintaining a careful diet. I see that you are getting some good advice. Your journey helps others too.

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:22 am

DJ- I don't think the detective work ever really ends. It might become less frequent but it seems to be necessary and ongoing.

Clearly I need to be more suspicious of the histamine issues. I figured I had some but it feels like it was building up--certainly I was reacting more and more every few days. In all honesty I was afraid I was getting fibromyalgia or whatever the next round of auto-immune issues might be for me (my dad had fibromyalgia so it's always a thought in the back of my mind). It's a relief to see that I'm probably not there yet.

So, although the preservatives in the Oscar Mayer turkey were not high on my MRT list, I'll find another preservative free brand because I need to have something that I can grab that doesn't have to be cooked. I think another factor is the amount of stress/demands I'm under. In the summer when I'm not working I can pace myself better, not that my life is without stress, but I find I can tolerate certain foods that I don't tolerate as well during hectic parts of the school year. Pacing (managing stress and getting adequate rest) is key.

I'm ditching my liquid Omega-3 supplement because of the tocopherols, since soy is often the source for these (thanks Polly, I didn't know this). I'm not going to take my other vitamins until I'm consistently stable then I will challenge them. The color in the vitamins comes from carrots and beets the label says but the facility is not a dedicated facility and processes tree and soy nuts. Not on the same line but in the same facility. I'm thinking I will probably be looking for a new source of vitamins when it's all said and done-- although I have been taking them for over a year...

Still if there's a chance they can be contaminated I could probably do better.

Anyway this has been a learning experience. Be aware of 'drift' (from the low histamine diet), stress and (soon) allergy season!

Thanks to you all for your help and input. As we've said before, it's a journey we all take together.

Carol

DJ · Post by DJ » Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:05 am

I find reducing stress more difficult than a limiting diet. MCer's likely have some commonalities in personality. How do we become people who don't dig our heels in on any topic? When I thinking about just smiling and taking it all in, I think about the life of a parakeet. On the other hand, parakeets are quite adorable.