Biljana enjoying the beach
Introduction:
I was diagnosed with colitis ten years ago, around 2002 and suffered some years before that. I am from Serbia where I had tons of antibiotics for sinus inflammations and I think that destroyed my gut. I live in Canada now, in Vancouver where I was diagnosed with it after colonoscopy.
Colitis Symptoms:
Now I have bloody stools which are very loose.
I am 53 years old, a mother of a teenager.
My problems became worse after I had my daughter, I guess the stress contributed as well. I was on Asacol for maybe 5 years and then it was better and I stopped taking them. Half a year after colitis came back so I tried Chinese Traditional Medicine in Chinatown which was very expensive because I had to take a new batch every couple of days. That helped so I stopped again, and of course, colitis came back. Then I tried acupuncture which helped for a bit, but I couldn’t pay any more. So I went back to medication, my doctor prescribed some enemas to ease the symptoms and Sulfasalazine 550 mg, 6 per day. That helped for a while too. I think that whatever I tried (Manuka honey helped for a bit too) it helped only once and not again, so my doctor sent me to a GI specialist who told me to stay Sulfasalazine for the rest of my life.
Then I found something on the internet about GAPS diet and SCD and decided to give it a try as they are very similar. I ordered the books too.
I put my medication in one of the drawers in my kitchen and decided to stop taking them.I started GAPS diet on February 11, 2012. For a couple of days it worked and then I ate some almonds and peanuts, which was too soon, so the bloody diarrhea came back. Then I started eating bone soups and it was fine until I had a lot of garlic with home-made yogurt ( I wanted to get rid of all bad bacteria at once). So now I still have blood in my stool and no idea how to stop it. I used lotus root before to stop bleeding but I am not sure if it is allowed. I am not in pain anymore so something is getting better. I just wish to stop this bleeding.
Then I found something on the internet about GAPS diet and SCD and decided to give it a try as they are very similar. I ordered the books too.
I put my medication in one of the drawers in my kitchen and decided to stop taking them.I started GAPS diet on February 11, 2012. For a couple of days it worked and then I ate some almonds and peanuts, which was too soon, so the bloody diarrhea came back. Then I started eating bone soups and it was fine until I had a lot of garlic with home-made yogurt ( I wanted to get rid of all bad bacteria at once). So now I still have blood in my stool and no idea how to stop it. I used lotus root before to stop bleeding but I am not sure if it is allowed. I am not in pain anymore so something is getting better. I just wish to stop this bleeding.
Does anyone know a herb or anything that might help with it?
written by Biljana
submitted in the Colitis Venting Area
Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2002, but dealt with symptoms for quite some time prior to the diagnosis. I’m originally from Serbia.
Hi Biljana,
So sorry to hear about your roller coaster ride with UC. We are all on it with you to some extent.
If you are searching for a natural remedy you might want to consider trying bee propolis. I have had UC for 14 years and I believe that bee propolis has played a big part of helping me to achieve my remission. It is not expensive at all and has no side effects ( unless you are allergic to bee products ). It doesn’t work for everyone but it can’t hurt for you to try it. I use the capsules and take 1 (500 mg) twice a day.
Kathleen
Kathleen,
Thank you for the suggestion. I have a propolis tincture, so I will try that. I am presently trying turmeric, dissolved in water. It tastes bad, but I think it helps. The bleeding is subsiding now, but I am very strict on GAPS diet now and SCD, which are very similar. I hope all of us together will find a way to get rid of it for ever.
maybe these links will help god bless.http://tinyurl.com/886vvty
Thank you Les for the link, I am definitely going to try it out. I am feeling better though. You guys are so nice.
have you tried imuran? at first we tried 2 pills (50 mgs.) it didn’t work, I went up to 2.5 pills and it has kept me flare free… try it if you haven’t yet. experiment and feel your own body out. good luck and take care of YOU:)
Hi Ashley,
I have never heard of imuran, I have to check it out, to see what it is. In the meantime I heard of cat’s claw, but I have not researched that either. For now, turmeric and diet are helping and the bleeding is less and less. I love experimenting and letting the body heal itself, I strongly believe it.
Biljana
I take a capsule of cayenne pepper 2x a day and a capsule of golden seal when I feel things aren’t quite right. My last flare I took immodium for diarhea and went on Entocort. Now that I’m better I don’t take any meds., just supplements. I’m also trying Manuka honey but don’t notice any difference. I’m not 100% better but no blood, slight mucus, some stomach cramping. When I notice I’m getting looser than I want to be I use a Canasa suppository for a couple nights. I noticed when I was in my last flare, probiotics made me feel worse, which surprised me a lot so I can only eat yogurt and us probiotics when I’m not in a flare. I really hope you get the help you need. Good luck to you.
Hi Maggie,
I guess we are all different, Manuka helped me but only once, when I stopped taking it and tried again, it didn’t work any more. I noticed the same thing with probiotics, I eat yougurt that was fermented for 24 hours, it seems fine, but I had too much last night and I also took a probiotic, and had a problem this morning. Pain, but a very small amount of blood. I guess I wanted to take care of it too soon, impatient me… I am not sure about cayenne pepper it sounds very spicy, honestly, I am afraid of it.
Hi Biljana, sorry to hear you are having a bad time. If you found SCD or GAPS to work to start with, why not go back to one of them and do it thoroughly? They are quite similar overall, but the introduction is somewhat different for each. I personally think that the SCD intro is the lower risk one – I’ve read some concerns about using the fermented foods in GAPS at such an early stage – but I did incorporate aspects of GAPS into my SCD as I got further into the intro.
The only advice I can give if you are going to try it again is be really rigorous in sticking to the intro protocol (which ever one you choose) – no cheating and eating nuts or dried fruit or anything that isn’t soft and mushy. Just because the blood stops after a couple of days doesn’t mean that you are healed, just enough that there isn’t blood flowing. Imagine a big wound on your skin. Just because there isn’t blood flowing from it, doesn’t mean it is ready for normal treatment – it may still be weeping a little blood that you can’t see, or other fluids, or just be raw flesh, or slightly healed over.
The GAPS intro protocol is here: http://www.gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html
And the best explanation I have found of SCD intro is here: http://scdlifestylebook.com
All the best,
Catherine
Hi Cat,
Thank you for your detailed message. I am following the intro of GAPS right now, and I am still on it, phase 3), I have never abandoned it. I was only frustrated with this bleeding, it just seemed that it never wanted to stop. Now it is there only in traces, which is great, and there is no more diarrhea, just a little bit when I introduce something new and I appear not to be ready for it. I did make a mistake the day before yesterday and took some dried figs, it is not even on the intro in this phase, I skipped (I had some left over from who knows when) and I paid for it.
I found fermented foods good, I introduced them after a month little by little and they don’t cause problems. When I tried a banana it caused a problem (I found that one on SCD)> I guess I try to experiment too much, so I decided to stick with the GAPS intro. I bought both books and another one “Internal Bliss” with recipes for later on. I found one in VPL “Healing Foods, Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Chron’s and IBS” by Sandra Ramacher. I can’t wait to be able to try the stuff from there (who knows when that will happen), this book is awesome.
For now, I am learning to be patient which I never was, I think colitis is teaching me that, if I can be at all thankful to my colitis, it is for teaching me to be patient. Thank you so much for your support.
I feel like I am very much like you Biljana, not patient… I want to try everything at once.
I recently started with the GAPS diet and since I have been eating fermented veggies for a while this is not a problem for me, while other things are.. With this diet I am also taking Zn + B-vitamins and L-glutamine and found them to be working well. I drink cats claw except when I am not in the mood for it (believe it is my bodies way to let me know I don’t need it).
Hi Biljana,
I received this link from “Adam’s I Have UC” email.
I a am a Filipino, 47y, from Toronto, was diagnosed with mild UC last August 2017 on Colonoscopy but symptom started in June with few red blood coming out before or after the stool.
I was prescribed 5 ASA enema and took for a month with no side effects and was prescribed with sulfazalazine 1g 2 x a day but got a very severe headache with facial allgery for 7 days taking it so I stopped.
See a Naturopathic doctor from the US (Dr. Albert Snow) via Skype and was prescribed a very expensive supplements from MOSS Nutrition ($400) a month and I only took for 45 days and stopped as my bleeding from stool wont stop.
Seek a local Naturopath doctor and was prescribed some remedies but stopped since I dont see any result. I tried VSL # 3 probiotics for 1 month and it made me worse. So I went back to 5 ASA to control becoming worst.
Seek a local Herbalist and prescribed 3 supplements including Probiotics from NU Life LGS Gut Therapy Inflammation Support and Healing Fibre and Probiotics. I used for two months and it helps managing the symptom but not the blood on my stool without 5 ASA.
Currently taking Ayurveda 1 month ago from Planet Ayurveda. They have UC Package and taking for two weeks stopped the blood and getting a very wonderful feeling, gut stable, stools very healthy and formed.
I just eat 2 KFC fried chicken last week and it flared up again getting the same blood in the stool. Back to basic and taking this Ayurveda is helping me recover.
I am hoping this works for complete remission.