The Story:
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis my last year of college in 1987.
I’ve had flare ups over the last 23 years, some bad, some tolerable, and all of them HUMILIATING!
As I’ve “matured” (gotten older), the flares are less and less. I’ve taken all kinds of the typical meds, prednisone being the first one to work. Over the years, it worked less to not at all. Been on pills, enemas, you name it. Got so desperate, I tried accupuncture, holistic….. etc.
In 1997, I encountered several books on UC, the BEST one was the Breaking the Vicious Cycle
, primarily because it taught me how to try to eat. I tried most everything in the book, but with my job, having such strange hours, I had to limit what I could prepare. The MAJOR lesson from this book, for me, was to eliminate pretty much everything WHITE!! Sounded strange because that was all I WAS eating and I thought, at the time, it was easier to digest than fruits and veggies! Wow, I can’t express the DIFFERENCE I felt when I changed my way of eating! Less pain, less cramps, less blood!!!
Now, I KNOW EXACTLY what I can digest without discomfort and what I can’t. I’ve completely eliminated all PASTA, RICE, CORN, BEANS and most WHEAT & SUGAR products whether I’m in what I call my “normal” state, I can eat almost anything without it bothering me EXCEPT for these items. 
When I’m flared up, I also completely eliminate anything with flour/wheat and no dairy. I know everyone is different, but you do have to do a trial and error experiment to see what works best for you. So basically, for about these past 14 years, I’ve really only had maybe 6/7 flares, with only two of them being really uncontrollable (no hospitalizations though- YAY!)
A little added bonus….. I lost weight, without even trying, by eating like this!
Now, the best part…… I’ve always worked out and excercised, but last October, I started to train for the Rock’n’Roll marathon in Las Vegas, benefiting CCFA. I did the half marathon AND raised $$ for our cause! There were bathrooms all along the way, which decreased my stress level tremendously! My supportive Mini-Team was called “Eat Run Poop”, which is what we had printed up on our shirts! I love the running and continue to train for more 5k’s and 1/2 marathons as I’ve found a new passion at age 45!
So there you have it…. to the point, nothing special, just wanted to share. Life and all it has to offer does return once you can get your food intake in order. I’m not saying it works for everyone, but I do think everyone should try it! It definitely can’t hurt and this is coming from a skeptic!!! Good luck to all!
Medications:
I’ve been on Asacol for probably over 12-14 years already. At this point, I take it because I’m “supposed” to. I’m not really sure if it helps or not, but I
know that when I flare, it doesn’t do anything different, but I keep taking it.
Breaking the Vicious Cycle Colitis Diet Book From Amazon Click Here!
