I inked my first post in another thread and was encouraged to start my own introduction thread so here goes.
First, here's my health background. I've been a healthy type 1 diabetic for 39 years now, so modifying and monitoring diet to improve health is second nature to me. I exercise at least 5 times a week with a mix of cardio and weights. Stretching and yoga have become important parts of my routine as I've aged. About 5 years ago, I decided to get serious about losing weight and dropped 45 pounds over the course of three years mostly by avoiding simple carbs. Eating a salad every day for lunch has become a fixture for me. I eat lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and lean protein. I eat complex carbs sparingly - lots of whole grains, which I've learned that I should probably avoid.
I was diagnosed with LC in Feb 2013. My symptoms flared up in Dec 2012 so it didn't take long to get diagnosed. My GI scheduled a colonscopy at my first office visit and diagnosed the LC with a biopsy. Prior to the colonscopy, my symptoms had cleared up. My GI had also prescribed heavy antibiotics to flush any nasties out. I took these in the week leading up to the colonscopy. This fed into my theory that I had picked up a parasite in it's cyst form backpacking as the symptoms hit about 5 days later. Because, the symptoms cleared, I almost bailed on the colonscopy. Glad I didn't!
Prior to the antibiotic, I was visiting the loo 12+ times a day. No stomach pain - just frequent, urgent trips. Now, I'm down to about 6 trips daily.
I like to try to avoid medications if possible. But because I had a business trip coming up, I took Lialda for about two weeks (talk about sticker shock!). Now that my business trip is over, I am abandoning the meds and tackling my challenge through diet. I think the Lialda was starting to drag on my energy level, plus I can't imagine the long term effects would be pleasant. This site has become my primary resource for modifications to experiment with.
The first thing I eliminated was eggs and immediately noticed a difference in gas, but not frequency of trips in the morning. I have also added 5000 IU of D3, 450mg of magnesium, a multi vitamin and tumeric supplement in the mornings. I've been doing this for about a week. After getting a lot of great anecdotal feedback on this site, my new theory is that beer is one of the main culprits for me. I have (had) about 3 beers a night. While taking the antibiotics leading up to my colonoscopy, I was told not to drink any alcohol. I was good patient and followed instructions. Upon reflection and research, I think this may be why my symptoms cleared up. I am also targeting wheat for elimination starting this weekend.
Anywho, I definitely see that my struggle with LC pales in comparison to the struggles others on this site have. But feedback for my little fight is still appreciated. I have a week long, high mileage backpacking trip scheduled for the fall so I am very motivated to strike the right balance
First, here's my health background. I've been a healthy type 1 diabetic for 39 years now, so modifying and monitoring diet to improve health is second nature to me. I exercise at least 5 times a week with a mix of cardio and weights. Stretching and yoga have become important parts of my routine as I've aged. About 5 years ago, I decided to get serious about losing weight and dropped 45 pounds over the course of three years mostly by avoiding simple carbs. Eating a salad every day for lunch has become a fixture for me. I eat lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and lean protein. I eat complex carbs sparingly - lots of whole grains, which I've learned that I should probably avoid.
I was diagnosed with LC in Feb 2013. My symptoms flared up in Dec 2012 so it didn't take long to get diagnosed. My GI scheduled a colonscopy at my first office visit and diagnosed the LC with a biopsy. Prior to the colonscopy, my symptoms had cleared up. My GI had also prescribed heavy antibiotics to flush any nasties out. I took these in the week leading up to the colonscopy. This fed into my theory that I had picked up a parasite in it's cyst form backpacking as the symptoms hit about 5 days later. Because, the symptoms cleared, I almost bailed on the colonscopy. Glad I didn't!
Prior to the antibiotic, I was visiting the loo 12+ times a day. No stomach pain - just frequent, urgent trips. Now, I'm down to about 6 trips daily.
I like to try to avoid medications if possible. But because I had a business trip coming up, I took Lialda for about two weeks (talk about sticker shock!). Now that my business trip is over, I am abandoning the meds and tackling my challenge through diet. I think the Lialda was starting to drag on my energy level, plus I can't imagine the long term effects would be pleasant. This site has become my primary resource for modifications to experiment with.
The first thing I eliminated was eggs and immediately noticed a difference in gas, but not frequency of trips in the morning. I have also added 5000 IU of D3, 450mg of magnesium, a multi vitamin and tumeric supplement in the mornings. I've been doing this for about a week. After getting a lot of great anecdotal feedback on this site, my new theory is that beer is one of the main culprits for me. I have (had) about 3 beers a night. While taking the antibiotics leading up to my colonoscopy, I was told not to drink any alcohol. I was good patient and followed instructions. Upon reflection and research, I think this may be why my symptoms cleared up. I am also targeting wheat for elimination starting this weekend.
Anywho, I definitely see that my struggle with LC pales in comparison to the struggles others on this site have. But feedback for my little fight is still appreciated. I have a week long, high mileage backpacking trip scheduled for the fall so I am very motivated to strike the right balance
