Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
First...I DO NOT HAVE UC!!!!!! When I went for my follow up appt. with my GI I discovered that my PCP had received the wrong report. I was flabbergasted! Pleasantly so, I might add. I do have LMC and the malabsorbtion problem but since I am only intolerant of NSAIDS and proton pump inhibitors and of course, fats, I feel so lucky. I have to admit that I was extremely stupid and caused this last flare myself.
My PCP had prescribed a low dose aspirin (because of my age, Hypertension and high colersterol) I thought I might be able to tolerate Aleve for back pain. I hadn`t had any problems with the aspirin. I took it every day for 2 weeks and Whamo! the big D started. I should have known better and it will never happen again.
I am losing weight on the low fat diet but haven`t had any D since I left the hospital in August. Whew!
Second...my husband, Harry has complained of severe pain in his right leg for several years and has had many tests to check for blood flow with no results. Our PCP is test happy, thank goodness, and he finally had a cardiac cath done on his leg and the Cardio found that his Femoral artery was blocked from the groin to his knee.
He thought he could angioplasty it and insert stents but no one else did. They had a surgical team prepped and ready to do a by-pass but his cardiologist persisted and with the help of three stents totalling 10 3/4 inches his leg is just fine and he is out of danger. The PA I talked to after the procedure said everyone in the cath lab was calling it a miracle...even the surgeons. One heck of a good doctor, I have to say.
Third...our dog was bitten on the tail by something and the first we knew about it was when we came downstairs one morning and found clumps of hair totaly covering the living room floor. In addition, he had chewed at his tail until it was a bloody mess about 6 inches long. We took him to the vet who said if the oral antibiotics and cream we got from her didn`t clear it up within 2 weeks we should consider amputation because of the possibility of bone infection. Well, it didn`t but I wasn`t about to let him lose that beautiful tail without a fight. The vet wanted it left exposed but after 2 different sizes of e-collars and the worthless inflatable one we got from her it was much worse than it was at the beginning.
I started doing hot salt water compresses several times a day, wrapped it in gauze, padded it with sanitary pads and wrapped the whole thing with an ace bandage. It took 4 more weeks but it is perfectly healed and hopefully all that gorgeous hair will grow back by Spring. He is a Golden Retriever and I love his tail. Never give up is my motto.
I read posts every day and am sorry I haven`t been much help in the support department but hope I am forgiven due to the circumstances of the past couple of months. I will surely try to do better in the future.
I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and is doing well in the MC department. Love, Carol
GOOD THINGS COME IN 3s
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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Carol Arnett
- Gentoo Penguin
- Posts: 423
- Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:07 pm
GOOD THINGS COME IN 3s
Carol Arnett
Hi Carol,
Wow! You did have a lot of good news, didn't you. It's really nice to see things going your way, for a change. It's definitely good to hear that your UC diagnosis was a mistake, but it's kind of a
to realize that they could make a mistake like that, and that no one even noticed, until you found the error yourself. 
I'm glad that Harry's cardiologist was able to successfully handle that artery blockage, so expertly. That was certainly a lot easier on him than a bypass would have been.
It looks like you're much better at dog tail doctoring, than your vet. Good for you. I'll bet your dog really appreciates you rescuing his tail from almost certain amputation.
Sure, you're forgiven - that was never in question. It sounds like you've been mighty busy the past few months, but everything worked out just fine. I like your motto, by the way.
Love,
Tex
Wow! You did have a lot of good news, didn't you. It's really nice to see things going your way, for a change. It's definitely good to hear that your UC diagnosis was a mistake, but it's kind of a
to realize that they could make a mistake like that, and that no one even noticed, until you found the error yourself. I'm glad that Harry's cardiologist was able to successfully handle that artery blockage, so expertly. That was certainly a lot easier on him than a bypass would have been.
It looks like you're much better at dog tail doctoring, than your vet. Good for you. I'll bet your dog really appreciates you rescuing his tail from almost certain amputation.Sure, you're forgiven - that was never in question. It sounds like you've been mighty busy the past few months, but everything worked out just fine. I like your motto, by the way.
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.
Dearest Carol,
You sure have had your plate full for some time now and I'm so glad you've had some GOOD news. I know you are relieved and I am relieved for you.
Good for you (and your dog). They are beautiful dogs and I am so happy you were able to save his tail. It's nice to hear when love prevails.
I'll bet Harry feels like he has been liberated!! I'm so glad he has such a confident, skillful doctor. Wish we had more like that.
So glad you are posting again. Missed you.
Love, Shirley
You sure have had your plate full for some time now and I'm so glad you've had some GOOD news. I know you are relieved and I am relieved for you.
Good for you (and your dog). They are beautiful dogs and I am so happy you were able to save his tail. It's nice to hear when love prevails.
I'll bet Harry feels like he has been liberated!! I'm so glad he has such a confident, skillful doctor. Wish we had more like that.
So glad you are posting again. Missed you.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Great to hear from you Carol.
So happy to hear that you don't have UC!! Whew!!!
Are you using a GI at Cleveland Clinic or onw that is closer to you?
How did they diagnose the malabsorption problem and what is their recommedation on treating it?
Just curious.
I have lots of Happys hearing from you!
Harry's leg problem was taken care of. Jack had a stent put in one of his legs in the groin area because of a blockage, which was actually caught on an arterialgram of both of his legs.
Your precious dog is hopefully on the mend.
Yipppee!!!! For You!!!!!
Love
Dee~~~
So happy to hear that you don't have UC!! Whew!!!
Are you using a GI at Cleveland Clinic or onw that is closer to you?
How did they diagnose the malabsorption problem and what is their recommedation on treating it?
Just curious.
I have lots of Happys hearing from you!
Harry's leg problem was taken care of. Jack had a stent put in one of his legs in the groin area because of a blockage, which was actually caught on an arterialgram of both of his legs.
Your precious dog is hopefully on the mend.
Yipppee!!!! For You!!!!!
Love
Dee~~~
"What the heart gives away is never gone ... It is kept in the hearts of others."
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Carol Arnett
- Gentoo Penguin
- Posts: 423
- Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:07 pm
answers
Dear family,
Thank you for all the kind responses. I can always count on good feedback here.
Dee..I am sorry to say that when I visited my PCP I was so taken aback hearing he thought I had UC that all my questions went out the window.
As far as treatment for malabsorbtion the only thing he said was to stay on a low fat diet. I have no idea how they discovered it but like Barbara, I am going with a list of questions in hand when I go back in January.
I watch a segment on Fox News every Sunday morning with Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld and a few weeks ago he touched much to briefly on malabsorbtion but said that if a person suffers from it even though labs show a good B-12 level that taking extra would be benificial in lessening the effects. I have already been doing that but he didn`t say how much. Another question on my list.
I did think to ask the GI if it would ever resolve itself and he said unfortunately, no.
My GI is local. His name is Dr. James Lisi and he is said to be the best in NE/N. Central Oh. I told him about this forum and he said he had heard about it and planned to visit the site. I hope he has done so. He is very open to suggestions and will answer every question you might have. Again, when he told me I don`t have UC I was so elated I didn`t ask some of the important questions. He is also like my PCP and never seems to be in a hurry even though I know he is one of the busiest docs in the county. I get a lot of inside info from my daughter who is a nurse and knows every doctors reputation in the area.
Sounds like you had a very busy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. I am very happy for you. some much needed rest now. Love, Carol
Thank you for all the kind responses. I can always count on good feedback here.
Dee..I am sorry to say that when I visited my PCP I was so taken aback hearing he thought I had UC that all my questions went out the window.
As far as treatment for malabsorbtion the only thing he said was to stay on a low fat diet. I have no idea how they discovered it but like Barbara, I am going with a list of questions in hand when I go back in January.
I watch a segment on Fox News every Sunday morning with Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld and a few weeks ago he touched much to briefly on malabsorbtion but said that if a person suffers from it even though labs show a good B-12 level that taking extra would be benificial in lessening the effects. I have already been doing that but he didn`t say how much. Another question on my list.
I did think to ask the GI if it would ever resolve itself and he said unfortunately, no.
My GI is local. His name is Dr. James Lisi and he is said to be the best in NE/N. Central Oh. I told him about this forum and he said he had heard about it and planned to visit the site. I hope he has done so. He is very open to suggestions and will answer every question you might have. Again, when he told me I don`t have UC I was so elated I didn`t ask some of the important questions. He is also like my PCP and never seems to be in a hurry even though I know he is one of the busiest docs in the county. I get a lot of inside info from my daughter who is a nurse and knows every doctors reputation in the area.
Sounds like you had a very busy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. I am very happy for you. some much needed rest now. Love, Carol
Carol Arnett
Carol,
Malabsorption is a part of MC for many of us, but it should slowly disappear, after you get your symptoms under control, and your gut has time to heal. Most vitamin B-12 supplements are not in a very absorbable form, and just go right through your GI tract. The best ones to take are the sublingual form, that are designed to dissolve under your tongue, because the sublingual B-12 will go directly into your bloodstream. It's just about impossible to overdose on B-12, and the body can store it for a long time, (for years), so you can take a bunch of it, safely, and then coast for a while, if you want. You can get 1,000 IU, or 5,000 IU sublingual tablets, that work well. Adequate folic acid is necessary for the body to utilize B-12, but it is possible to overdose on folic acid, so a good supplement to take is 1,000 IU B-12 sublingual tablets, which are available with 400 IU of folate, (folic acid), in each tablet. One a day is a good dose, for a few weeks, at least, until you get your B-12 level back up. You can safely take in about 800 IU of folate per day, but if you get up to around 1,200 IU or more, that may be crowding the safe limits for folate.
It's interesting how the best doctors can always find time to actually talk with their patients, isn't it, no matter how busy they are.
Love,
Tex
Malabsorption is a part of MC for many of us, but it should slowly disappear, after you get your symptoms under control, and your gut has time to heal. Most vitamin B-12 supplements are not in a very absorbable form, and just go right through your GI tract. The best ones to take are the sublingual form, that are designed to dissolve under your tongue, because the sublingual B-12 will go directly into your bloodstream. It's just about impossible to overdose on B-12, and the body can store it for a long time, (for years), so you can take a bunch of it, safely, and then coast for a while, if you want. You can get 1,000 IU, or 5,000 IU sublingual tablets, that work well. Adequate folic acid is necessary for the body to utilize B-12, but it is possible to overdose on folic acid, so a good supplement to take is 1,000 IU B-12 sublingual tablets, which are available with 400 IU of folate, (folic acid), in each tablet. One a day is a good dose, for a few weeks, at least, until you get your B-12 level back up. You can safely take in about 800 IU of folate per day, but if you get up to around 1,200 IU or more, that may be crowding the safe limits for folate.
It's interesting how the best doctors can always find time to actually talk with their patients, isn't it, no matter how busy they are.
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.