I was diagnosed two years ago with Microscopic Colitis. 17 years prior I was diagnosed with celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. I take Asacol and Entocort. My frustration is with abdominal pain. I am constantly pulling things out of my diet that may be problematic but sometimes I get flares for no reason. Any thoughts for those of you out there?
Nurse with IBD
7/30/08 6:25pm
Mary Lee,
I'm glad my suggestions helped. And, Bravo! for taking a day for yourself. It can be hard to do but so important - Yipppeee!
Thank you for regarding my book well enough to recommend it (you cold write a review on amazon.com if you were inclined). I have thought of writing a 2nd book but am not settled yet on which path to take it. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on what you would find helpful or would like to read more about - you could email me with your thoughts, if you'd like: ibdauthor@yahoo.com
I grew up in Racine, WI (and love Madison!) and know how brutally hot and humid those mid-west summers can be. I find that big weather shifts and extremes (either really hot or really cold) can adversely affect my gut as well. Just a thought. . .
Keep up the good work!
8/31/08 1:43pm
You mentioned removing things off your diet - have you tried eliminating red meat? We have done that with my daughter, 11 - who has ulcerative colitis, along with high-fat foods and milk, and it seems to really make a difference in diminshing the stomach pain. When she does have pain, we give her Gas X (symethicone), the highest dose possible, and that usually takes care of it within 30 minutes. Good luck!
8/31/08 2:09pm
Hi Sandy:
Yes, I basically have eliminated red meat from my diet. When I do eat it infrequently, I always purchase meat without antibiotics, etc. High fat foods are an issue - I have had trouble with that since my gallbladder came out in 1992 -- long story -- but I do have to be careful. I've tried lactose free milk which seems to be ok. Thanks for the recommendation of Gas-X - I need to be more consistent with this.
Again, I appreciate your feedback.
1/31/10 3:07am
Mary,
I know how you feel it is so frustrating to feel powerless like something is taking over your body and you can't stop it. I have Chrohns Disease, I think I would be okay if that was all I had. 2009 has not been good to me or my family. I was diagnosed at 22 and haven't held a job since. It makes you feel useless and you have something that is preventing you from what you think is your purpose in life. I'm on Asacol and Predisone right now due to an obstructed bowel. When I went to the hospital the first time they thought they needed to bring me to labor and delivery, that really made me feel good. I also had several bulging discs in my cervical of my neck and that was really painful and I'm still recovering because I just had surgery in December. The predisone gave me osteoporosis so there goes my bones too. Sometimes I feel like the walking death because nobody understands how bad you feel and you should never judge a book by it's cover. About your job if you can;t preform your normal tasks and are having a flare up your making it worse, talk to your supervisor they won't fire you for that or try to see if people will cover for you.We all have to work to have money but we need our health to work
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Hi Mary Lee,
Starting with your diet and how what you eat makes you feel is great. But, since you aren't able to see a corollary between foods and your symptoms you might want to take a look at your stress levels.
I KNOW, first hand that stress isn't the cause of IBD, but I also know that stress can affect my symptoms and make them worse. You're a nurse, so I can only imagine that you are under some stress from your job, as well as the long hours you probably work, and the rest of your responsibilities in life. Do you have a way to cope with stress? To de-stress? Yoga, meditation, rhythmic breathing, a 20-minute walk, alone, per day? A half hour to read a favorite book or magazine?
Making time for ourselves seems like a luxury, I know, but it is so very important for keeping our lives balanced and this includes our body as well as our souls. In my 10 years of living well despite having both IBD and IBS I have learned, that for me, keeping a good balance between work and family and responsibility and time for myself is IMPERATIVE to staying healthy.
Schedule time in each day, even if it's only 10 minutes, just for YOU. And do what you want with that time. The gut is the root of all physical and emotional 'stuff' in our body. You may actually be a lot more stressed than you fully realize and you may be storing that stress in your gut.
Just start by giving yourself 10 minutes a day and see how you feel in a week.
Good luck,
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth: Nice to hear from you. I have just been rereading your book and recommending it to a counselor friend and my internist. You're probably right about the stress. I don't do bedside nursing anymore; rather, I am a discharge planner. Most of the staff nurses say they wouldn't want my job! I think I need to get back into my exercise program, as suggested, as well. And, yes, stress hits me in the gut and has for most of my life. Thank you for your kind reminders. As a matter of fact, I have a day off today and am just relaxing. It's great! Have you ever thought of writing a sequel to your first book?
Thanks again.
Mary Lee
Madison, WI