Possible Colitis...Afraid to eat

1longroad

My daughter thought she had colitis, but is gluten and dairy intolerant. An elimination diet helped her tremendously.

jess6742

It's getting frustrating trying to figure out what this is. I got the clonoscopy results back and it's not crohns or colitis. I am going to have some blood work done to test for celiacs.

My GI is leaning towards it being IBS that is diarrhea dominant. But I'm really worried because doesn't explain the bleeding episodes I've had.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I definitely think I will try the elimination diet. I just hope this resolves soon!

MinMin97

My daughter thought she had colitis, but is gluten and dairy intolerant. An elimination diet helped her tremendously.

Oh yeah, this is true, sometimes you don't realize what's bothering you.
For me, I thought was allergic to dairy or wheat. I tried all kinds of diets, avoiding this or that, it was insane.
Then, by accident, I guess, I discovered I was allergic to the prevalent food ingredient carrageenan...."allergic" applied loosely, because carrageenan is a GI irritant....if you are already irritated, this one will really getcha.

Kimberrh6

My fiance's dad has Crohns and my fiance most likely has it as well. His dad likes to eat yogurt and handles it well. I seen where someone said walnuts? NO. Nuts are not a good choice because if you are having inflammation, nuts can get stuck in the folds in your intestines and cause issues. My fiance's dad is not supposed to ever eat nuts (but he doesn't listen).

JanAlyssa825

Is it possible you have a fissure? That would explain the bleeding.

jess6742

Is it possible you have a fissure? That would explain the bleeding.

Nope I don't have a fissure. My doctor said he has no explanation for it.

I wish I could eat yogurt. A lot of people have recommended it. Unfortunately it makes things worse. I have to stay away from dairy in general

lcfairbairn74

I have atypical IBS. No constipation, just diarrhea and bleeding from ulcers in my bowel. The only way to find out what I could tolerate was by eliminating everything and starting from scratch. Go for low fibre, bland (beige and boring) foods. White bread and pasta; lean meats etc. I have to be careful with dairy, I can only tolerate low fat, heat treated milk. You can build it up from there. It will be difficult to find your trigger foods at the moment though because you sound like you're in a flare up phase so everything is going to irritate your bowel at the moment. It took me about a year to figure out my triggers. It takes time, but you will get there.

The one thing that does help my symptoms and keep things ticking over daily is peppermint oil capsules. All the prescription medications never helped, but peppermint oil has been my saviour! I would discuss that option with your doctor. Best of luck :flowerforyou:

Katla49

You will likely need to become your own research project. You should keep records of what you eat. MFP will help with that since you're tracking all of your foods anyway. Then make yourself a blog, chart, or diary, and note how you feel after eating XYZ. If you have digestive upset after eating X, avoid it for a while, and try it again. If you keep on having a negative experience with X, eliminate it.

I was once diagnosed with colitis, but never ulcerative anything. The colitis diagnosis was accompanied by tranquilizers. I had a roomie from Saudi Arabia at the time who'd gone to school with several women whose symptoms matched mine. She said they were allergic to milk. I quit taking tranquilizers and quit drinking milk. My symptoms improved. Now I know I am lactose intolerant, not allergic. I can have moderate amounts of cheese because the enzymes that turn milk into cheese solve my digestive problem for me. Butter is my enemy. This took a long time to understand. Later I developed another digestive problem and was advised by a doctor to avoid nuts. More experimentation on my part led to the conclusion that I can eat nuts, but need to limit the quantity.

Medical understanding of digestive intolerances has increased over the years, and you may find a doctor who can help with your situation. Your own body will be the final arbitrator on many things. Good luck.

MinMin97

Also there is a mental/emotional side to gut problems. Did you know that in the womb as the body forms, cells that make up your brain also became the cells that make up your digestive system? here's a link with some info in case you had never heard of that http://www.connectwc.org/what-is-the-gut-brain-connection.html

Anyway, regarding the mental/emotional, bitterness toward a person, for example, can really mess up the gut. May be worthwhile to consider the mental/emotional things that may be affecting you.

Hope you feel better!!

leena31

Are you taking birth control? I had the same issues last year and was about to get tested for Crohn's until I went on vacation and forgot my pills. All of the symptoms (diarrhea , inflammation, bloody and mucousy stools and weight loss) went away.

jess6742

Thanks everyone! The more I read the more I need to do an elimination diet and start from scratch. Everyone's experiences are so varied!

leena31, I'm not on birth control.

As for the emotional part, I know stress makes it worse but nothing stressful is going on. I plan on going back to school for my phd in psychology and I work in the medical field. So I really try to take care of myself emotionally and physically. That's why all of this is so strange.

MinMin97

Glad you are checking it out!