Intro:
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+
, S. Boulardii, cod liver oil, vitamin D, Floic acid, L-Glutamine
and Redmond Clay.
Started back on Azulfidine when flare started, but honestly do not think it does anything for me anymore.
I just learned about Redmond Clay
so I was excited to give it a try. Also, S. Boulardii is supposed to be good if you have any kind of yeast issues and diarrhea and thought it might be good to include in my daily supplements.
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.
