a recent picture
Introduction:
My name is George and I live in Napa, Ca. I am 66 years old and was diagnosed with UC (proctitis) in June of 2010, one month after my 65th birthday. Colon problems run in my family. I have one brother who has Crohn’s and another with IBS and yet another brother who’s gut frequently feels like garbage. My mother had colon problems and I think my dad did too (he always tried to keep his health issues to himself….. like they were some sort of secret!). Also my 17 year old grandson seems to have some sort of intestinal problems that started about a year ago.
My Colitis Experience:
I started the SCD diet 11 weeks ago when I was having a bad flare . At that same time I also started taking prednisone to put the fire out. I stopped taking the prednisone when I went into remission (after 6 weeks) but two weeks later, the beginning stages of another flare started. I am still on SCD but so far I
haven’t seen much evidence of it helping my nagging proctitis. When I started SCD I weighed 162 lbs., which is ideal for my height and frame. Since I’ve been on SCD I have lost 10 pounds and I think that I need to gain it back, and I’m having a hard time doing so. I am not sure if I should continue with the SCD diet and I welcome any input on this.
a recent pumpkin weigh-in
I have also been taking mesalamine (both oral and suppositories) for about 10 months and they don’t seem to help much at all. My GI doc suggested that I start taking 6MP. I told him I would let him know after I did some research on it. My google search led me here to this website. (Hey Adam, I really like your site!).
One of my hobbies is competitive giant pumpkin growing…… yeah, I’m one of those guys that you see dragging one oft hose huge-ass pumpkins to Half Moon Bay. I missed going to Half Moon Bay and several other giant pumpkin weigh-offs in 2010 and 2011 because of bad flare-ups at weigh-off time. Hopefully I will be able to grow one that weighs over 3/4 ton next year and be in remission in October when its time to weigh it . Woo-hoo! (>:
One of my other hobbies is videography. Proctitis flares have forced me to keep my camera in its bag on more than a few occasions the past year-and-a-half.
I usually make it to the gym 3 to 4 days a week. I feel that my workouts help with my UC.
I also take VSL #3 but I’m not sure how much it helps. (I know…. its not on the USD approved
George with a long skinny gourd
list).
I started juicing 8 months ago. I do juicing just about every day; mostly red cabbage and carrots with a little bit of fresh ginger.
I also take fish oil and turmeric pills and a good multivitamin/mineral pill every day. I no longer drink coffee but sometimes have a cup of green or mint tea, and occasionally an approved herbal tea. I quit drinking beer and wine and will sometimes have a vodka with apple cider…… why drink vodka with apple cider you ask…….. well, one day I was looking for something to mix with my vodka and all I had in the fridge was a bottle of Trader Joe’s apple cider……. and I developed a taste for it!
I had to give up golf because of UC. As you can imagine, it takes a long time to play a round of golf. After several holes, many of the bushes start to look like outhouses to someone with UC…… lets just say its ‘nearly impossible’ not to use one or two of them….. and leave it at that. Oh well, I was a crappy golfer anyway…. no pun intended. (I think the groundskeeper who caught me needs to develop a
better sense of humor) (>:
I am an occasional cigar smoker and after reading about smoking here on this site, I am wondering if I should start enjoying some of my Romeo y Julieta’s more often!
George in Napa
Submitted via the Colitis Venting Area
My name is George and I live in Napa, Ca. I am 66 years old and was diagnosed with UC (proctitis) in
June of 2010, one month after my 65th birthday. Colon problems run in my family. I have one brother who has Crohn’s and another with IBS and yet another brother who’s gut frequently feels like garbage. My mother had colon problems and I think my dad did too (he always tried to keep his health issues to himself….. like they were some sort of secret!). Also my 17 year old grandson seems to have some sort of intestinal problems that started about a year ago.
