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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/4/2008 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Does it seem like to you that our bodies are trying to work even with colitis? I mean whenever I eat something "wrong" I'll go to the restroom more and have Diahrrea. Isn't that what our bodies want intentionally. Our bodies are trying to eliminate the "wrong" as fast as possible. I believe diet plays a big role in my UC and when I overeat or overendulge in food that's not in my usual diet it runs right through me. Like fried chicken, which used to be my favorite food, will certainly come right out as D. ANd from having UC for a couple years now i know that D is elimated a whole lot faster than formed stools.

For whatever reason our body is telling us it doesn't want what we ate. Either b/c we are allergic to us or it disturbes the microflora balance or whatever.

My company moved downtown where there are more restuarants and fast food joints so I have definiately been slipping on my diet lately and will have formed stools sometimes and D other times, so i was just wondering why.

Posted 6/4/2008 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
Well I can't say I agree with your hypothesis. I do not believe the diarrhea is caused by the food you are eating but it's caused by the disease. My last 2 years with UC were fraught with on again off again diarrhea. I had surgery and had my colon and rectum removed and have not ever had diarrhea since and that was 7 years ago. My diet is the same as it was pre-surgery too. That's just been my experience.

Sue
Posted 6/4/2008 9:41 PM (GMT 0)
Yea most people feel that way. When I am flaring bad no matter what I eat comes out as bloody D and when I am in remission I can tolerate a lot more foods. That being said, it is only during the part of a flare that I am in right now that I feel my diet is crucial and I can control my symptoms somewhat. I am almost in remission but not quite and I now my body is fighting for health but when I go out and have a couple drinks like I did this weekend or have 2 slices of B-day cake and ice cream like I did yesterday believe me I can tell my digestive system didn't want it inside me. That's just what I have learned with my UC.
Posted 6/4/2008 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
If that were the case for me, than my body must want me to be anorexic because when I flare, EVERYTHING goes right through me. There was a very long period of time when I literally could not remember what it was like to have a solid BM, and then when I finally did again, it was not a fun experience since my colon was used to the "ease" of passing D. I literally have to not eat if I want to avoid going to the bathroom a bunch. Anymore, breakfast is completely out of the question except on weekends since I end up late to work because I'm stuck on the toilet.
Posted 6/4/2008 10:59 PM (GMT 0)
I think it depends on the person. I kept a food diary for about a month during a mini-flare, and certain foods didn't seem to make a difference. And when I'm in a full flare, I have diarrhea/loose stools no matter what I eat (although I do avoid fried and spicy foods for the most part anyway).
Posted 6/4/2008 11:00 PM (GMT 0)
I had foods that definately affected me weather I was in a flare or not, ice cream and salads in particular. They were not the cause of my UC, but my gut certainly didnt like them. But it is nice to be in remission now and I have slowly been able to work these and other foods back into my diet. All things in moderation seems to be working now. I think my key has been to keep down inflammation, which has helped control my UC in acting up.

----------------------------------------------------

yuckygut
diangosed 1998
now off prednisone and colazal
drink 1 Haldi daily
Posted 6/5/2008 6:28 AM (GMT 0)
Keep in mind that food remains in the stomach for about 3 hours...give or take depending on acidity, etc.

You might also have IBS....which can be exacerbated by food or stress.

Depending on how much of one's colon is inflamed can determine symptoms.

When the colon is inflamed, it will hurry up whatever is in there out as quickly as possible. The reason you have diarrhea is because it doesn't stay in the colon long enough for the water/liquid to be absorbed.

As well, when the colon is inflamed, it goes into a super fast peristalsis...like puking from your butt....

Whatever you eat .... once it's past the small intestines (which is in liquid form)...that's the way it'll exit if more than the lower part of the rectum is inflamed.

Try not to make it all about food. Know that foods themselves to have action on the digestive tract....and if you have diarrhea, don't eat too many foods that don't absorb fluids.   If you're lactose intolerant, make sure you recognise foods that have lactose and try to stay away from them.
Bulking fibres will help and sometimes in turn, help to slow down some of the crazy out of control spasming/peristalsis.

Antispasmodics will help.

Our mouths aren't attached to our anuses, so when we eat, it's not that food will go right through quickly, but it will encourage the download/moving of anything that's already in our digestive tracts, faster than normal.

I agree, alter your diet if stuff doesn't agree or causes you exacerbation of symptoms..

It's best to bring your own lunch/snacks if you're finding that you're eating more fast food.  You can still make some smart choices that will be better for you than others....but maybe limiting to once a week might have you feeling better in the long run.


quincy

Posted 6/5/2008 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
Q, I can't help to make it all about food. I guess there are some hard headed people like me who don't ever want to drop another pill in there mouth. I remember when i started my med treatement i found it hard to swallow all those pills and now i think i could probably down a whole bottle in one gulp like a pro. j/k.lol. I used to be able to eat everything without any inclination of IBS. Now that I have UC i can't handle certain foods. Maybe IBD gave me IBS. And when I say runs right through me I mean around a 10 hour transit time is fast b/c I have no problems above my colon. I understand my body and have learned to listen to it. Even before I heard about the SCD and other great diets, I had a gut feeling (no pun intended) that I needed to change the way I ate. I know that there are a lot of factors to UC and genetics, stress, and hormones are all probably major players. I'm just saying that my Diet before UC had something to do with it. I'm not saying a major role or a minor. but think about it. The human body is designed with mechanisms in place to fight and to ward off danger. If I had eaten right before UC my body would have had a stronger immune system and probably everyother part would be performing at maximum efficiancy and whatever triggered my UC on that one day January 2005, when My UC hit me suddenly, would have made my body defend itself even harder. My diet before UC weakened my body instead of strengthened it.
Posted 6/5/2008 1:58 PM (GMT 0)

Got2Believe said...
My diet before UC weakened my body instead of strengthened it.

Same here. And a diet high in sugar is one of the risk factors for IBD. I agree it's not "all about food," but for most of us, diet definitely plays a key role in triggering the disease and our ability to successfully manage it and maintain remission.
Posted 6/5/2008 4:34 PM (GMT 0)

quincy said...

Our mouths aren't attached to our anuses, so when we eat, it's not that food will go right through quickly, but it will encourage the download/moving of anything that's already in our digestive tracts, faster than normal

Good point. I always say that food goes right through me (like before I'm even done eating), but I know that's not literally true, it just pushes other stuff out faster than it wants to come out.

"puking from our butts" hahah. I used to say that I am "an involuntary opposite bulemic" because my body would instantly be like "food! no! *expel*" but not from my mouth, lol

Posted 6/5/2008 4:48 PM (GMT 0)

quincy said...
like puking from your butt....

   OK, this is the funniest statement EVER posted on here! I love it so much.
Posted 6/5/2008 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
LOL....it's the best description I can think of...much worse, however, with a gastro bug that has us puking from both ends..horrific!
q
Posted 6/5/2008 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
G2B...but, you're still having problems.

Everyone should change their diet to eat as healthily as possible....but we should be able to have our cake and eat it too.  Constant stress about what we eat can also cause some symptoms that may really not be food related.  I've been there, I can relate.

If you choose to not take meds that could help, that's something you may eventually pay dearly for, because you're only focussing on the food aspect.

I'm not saying food won't give you some symptoms...that's where the wise choices come in. 

A slow simmering inflammation can do you more damage ultimately than treating it with meds.

Where is your UC extended to exactly?

When was your last c-scope?

Do you see your doc often?

Have you had stool samples done to make sure nothing else is going on?

Are you taking a fibre supplement?  Prodiem and Benefibre I believe have non-carb fibre...I'd have to check it out.

Are you using artificial sweeteners?

Have you been diagnosed with IBS?

Have you tried any antispasmodics?

Some digestive enzymes can cause diarrhea and loose stool...maybe that's part of it for you?

quincy

 

Posted 6/6/2008 3:12 AM (GMT 0)
That was funny Quincy. And thank you for all the input you give to everyone. I remember when I was first diagnosed all I could think of was talking to someone about this crazy thing. I agree with you that a slow inflamation that never goes away will cause serious damage in the long run that is why I needed to try to get off some prescriptions and try a more natural approach. I wasn't acheiving perfect remision even with asacol, imuron and mostly always on prednisone. but my doc and I were content with my condition and semi remisions i guess. Then this year I have had the best remision ever and I have gone through a very bad flare faster than I used to so I'm satisfied thinking I am better off than ever before. Still not good, but better off than the previous 3 years.

Where is your UC extended to exactly? My entire colon
When was your last c-scope? WHen I was DX 1 month into my first ever flare 3.5 years ago.
Do you see your doc often? He wanted to see me in six months my last visit about 2 months ago b/c I looked so much healthier and gained 5 lbs which was remarkble for me.
Have you had stool samples done to make sure nothing else is going on? At a random GP when I got sick back in Jan 2005.
Are you taking a fibre supplement? No. But I could try it.
Are you using artificial sweeteners? Sometimes, Sugar sometimes
Have you been diagnosed with IBS? No. My GI never mentioned this.
Have you tried any antispasmodics? Don't know what they are.
Some digestive enzymes can cause diarrhea and loose stool...maybe that's part of it for you? Maybe, I'll cut down and see what happens.
Posted 6/6/2008 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
It's just the nature of the beast...some find they have issues with foods, even the healthiest of foods and others find what they eat makes no difference in their illness...I always promote eating as healthy as possible and avoiding all and any junk for most if not all of the time, and although doing so isn't a cure-all it's still being kinder to your body (I'm of course referring to eating (healthy) what you can tolerate).

:)
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