My name is Gina, I’m 49 and I live in metro Atlanta. I’ve had UC for 16 years. I have gone in and out of remission during this time, but currently am in a flare. At this point of my journey my body responds better to natural treatments more than conventional ones.
Some more about me:
I’m a personal trainer and also teach piano. I love to cook, I have to, I’m on a the GAPS/SCD diet and most foods I eat are not available to me unless I cook them :) I love to spend time in the gym and help my clients reach their fitness goals. When I teach piano, it’s awesome to see my students enjoy playing a piece they worked hard to learn. I want to learn everything I can to better my health and heal from UC. When I’m in a flare, I find that I focus on myself and getting better and forget to enjoy everything else going on around me.
Symptoms:
I’ve been in a flare since early December. I go the bathroom between 8 – 10 times a day. I experience urgency, diarrhea, loose stool and blood.
Gina’s Story:
When I first was diagnosed with UC, Azulfidine and cort enemas helped. I actually went into a remission for years. It was after I had my second baby I started to have UC symptoms again. Before I got pregnant, my gyno told me to get a MMR vaccine, so I did. I was fine during my pregnancy, but soon after I had my son, the symptoms began to return. Very interesting. I believe the MMR vaccine triggered the UC to act up. Like waking a sleeping lion.
I was blessed to meet someone who told me about the SCD diet and it helped me get out of a terrible flare. I made the mistake of trying to eat illegal foods every time I would start to feel better, because each time, I would to back into a flare. If I’m stressed and eating illegal SCD foods, it would not be a good combination and would trigger a flare.
Summer of 2012 went into another flare. I was reading a blogger’s post and she wrote about how she was going to try the GAPS diet in addition to the SCD diet. Her story was so close to mine. I gave the GAPS a try after reading the book. It helped me get out of my flare. The diet is close to the SCD diet but relies a lot on fermented vegetables and other foods as well as beef stock to heal the intestines.
So fast forward to December 2013, I was on the GAPS diet for 1 1/2 years, off my meds and feeling great. You guessed it, I started to introduce illegal foods to see if my body would respond and that mixed with holiday and other stress I went into another flare!
I’m most concerned about the fact that I’m having a really hard time getting out of this flare! I’ve been on the GAPS intro diet for one month and still have the 8 -10 trips to the bathroom, blood, diarrhea, urgencies. The intro diet which once worked is not this time
Medications / Supplements:
I take SCD10+
Started back on Azulfidine when flare started, but honestly do not think it does anything for me anymore.
I just learned about Redmond Clay
I’m kind of in wait mode, anticipating everything I’m taking to kick in and work.
written by Gina B
submitted in the colitis venting area
My name is Gina, I’m 49 and I live in metro Atlanta. I’ve had UC for 16 years. I have gone in and out of remission during this time, but currently am in a flare. At this point of my journey my body responds better to natural treatments more than conventional ones.