Introduction:
Hi, my name is Melissa. I’m 42 and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2006. I initially took Asacol but eventually was up to 4 pills, 3x a day. Steroids were the next step. That is when I went to a naturopath and eventually had testing done to see what foods I am sensitive to. For several years, eating well and avoiding the “bad” foods has kept me off of medications and pretty symptom free. However, the last few months I have been a bit lazy and cheating on my diet. I started back with a few symptoms here and there. However, the last few weeks have been crap (no pun intended). I’m glad I found this site.
Current Symptoms:
My current symptoms range from diarrhea to constipation. I currently can eat only very small amounts of food without nausea and vomiting. Stomach cramps and lots of fatigue.
When I was diagnosed in ’06 I was very diligent about focusing on my health and getting better.
Between then and now, I only had a few flare ups. I’m not sure what made me ignore things… maybe because I was feeling pretty good for so long. I now know that I can’t let things slide anymore. I’m currently in the worst flare I’ve had since my diagnosis.
Last summer I was supposed to go to my GI doc for a check up and colonoscopy. I blew it off, which I probably should not have done. My family has a history of colon cancer, so I know that this is not something that I can ignore and just treat when I am feeling really bad.
My friends and family are very helpful when it comes to trying to accommodate meals for me. I tell ya though, it gets boring and frustrating sometimes when there are things that I really want to eat and know that I shouldn’t. (I’m sure that is why I am feeling so bad right now) To make things even more challenging diet wise, I don’t eat meat and can’t tolerate dairy. My family never knows what to make for me on holidays. I just tell them not to worry about me.. I’ll find something and bring what I need. As far as my diet though, what I miss most is wine! I’m slowly learning that when I have wine I also have symptoms. That really sucks!
I hope that by finding this site it will keep me focused and motivated to take care of myself. I really don’t want to end up back on meds for a long time and I definitely don’t want the disease to destroy my colon. I’m looking forward to advise and insight from you all.
Where I’d Like to Be in 1 Year:
Hi, my name is Melissa. I’m 42 and was diagnosed with UC in 2006.
Hi Melissa…
Please read my posts. I seem to be controlling my UC with one strong probitic. I was in a bad flare since taking AVELOX for pneumonia two years ago. Caould’t get better. The huge dose of asacol was doing nothing, and I got tired of taking it for the last 13 years. I started a probiotic, and almost one month later…everything is so great! I have NO symptoms. I have not changed my diet at all. I stopped the asacol almost a month ago, and I take no other UC meds, nor will I. I simply refuse to. They never work, and they just make me feel bad.
I must confess that I have never drank, so I don’t know if or why alcohol is bad for UC. I wonder if it removes the good bacteria? I wish I knew, because alot of UC sufferers say that they cannot drink alcohol. Somebody should get to the bottom of that, I think!
Cheers,
Bev:)
Hi Bev, thanks for your reply. I will definitely check out your posts. It’s good to see that others here are managing with diet. It makes me hopeful that I will get back to a good place again!
Hi Mellisa. I also miss my wine and I have found a substitute that doesn’t bother me and it is the carbonated apple cider in wine bottles at your local grocer. There is no alcohol in it but I think it is fantastic You might want to give a try. Well good luck to you.
Hi Merlin, thanks for the suggestion. I have never thought about that.
Melissa
I, too, have cheated on my diet by drinking coffee in the morning for the last 5 days. OOPS. I could see that I was at the beginning of a flare so today no coffee. Of course I know better. Fortunately, I can handle green tea, maybe 1 to 2 cups a day. The only medication I take for UC is Canasa when I feel I need and for the last 3 nights I used it and will tonight, too. Today I was much better. It’s hard to be good all the time. I’m also gluten intolerant. I can’t tolerate wine but I’ve discovered recently I can tolerate a gluten free beer called Redbarn. Of course I only have one at a time and definitely not every day but it sure tastes good, like the beer I used to drink and it’s made by Budweiser. I’m not advising anybody to dring this beer, just letting you know I can tolerate it. I also eat gobs of Nancy’s Yogurt that a mix with a natural applesauce and blackberry mix that I find in the health food section of Freddies. Good luck on getting back on track, Melissa.
Hi Maggie, I’ve heard of Redbarn. I’ll have to try it sometime. It can be so frustrating to think you can have a little of something only to fine out you were completely wrong! Oh well. I guess we live and learn.
Melissa
Hi Melissa. Yup, it’s hard to do without wine. I live in France and have a cellar full that I can’t currently touch, LOL. Maybe when you are feeling better, you will find you can tolerate a very little – say 50cl – with a meal. Keep it red, for the polyphenols. Currently, I am drinking a little Tropicana cloudy apple juice with meals – feels not too bad, not too much like a substitute. Re diet, I would recommend SCD but it’s hard without meat ANd dairy because you so need protein. Do you eat fish? If so, the SCD might still work even without dairy but you’d need to take the SCD-compatible acidophilus from Lucy’s Kitchen to go with it, if you couldn’t make the yoghurt. If not eating meat is a decision of conscience, perhaps you need to reconsider that while you are ill, and find some other way to help animals in the meantime, such as campaigning for compassion in world farming, etc, then go back to being a non-meat eater when you’re out of your flare. Good luck – if diet has worked for you in the past, I hope that being strict again will help you a second time. :) Trish
Trish, wow, I don’t know how you resist a cellar full of wine! I’d probably have to get rid of it! LOL I’m hoping that I can have a little here and there at some point. I’ve read a lot about the SCD diet. I might give it more thought since dealing w/ this current flair. I do still eat fish here and there. I don’t think my stomach would tolerate meat anymore. A year or so ago I had a small amount of grass fed, hormone/antibiotic free beef from a local ranch. I was sick as a dog, and I only had a bit. I might be able to get in enough protein though w/ the SCD as a veggie. Thanks for the reply.
Melissa
Hi Melissa. I have bad reflux at the moment, so no alcohol, no fat, no caffeine, no chocolate. Believe me, I find the no chocolate harder than the no booze. :) Re the meat, if you don’t eat certain foods, your body stops producing the enzymes to digest them, so when you have that food again, it makes you ill. But if you persist, little by little, your body will produce those enzymes again, so if you do want to try introducing meat, that is the way to do it. I can’t tell you how ill aubergines made me the first time I ate them, LOL (not that it was AT ALL funny at the time…), but now I eat them every week. I don’t think you could come to harm if you ate vegetables, fruit, plus a little fish and meat (you don’t need much protein in your diet), and if you cat tolerate eggs, then you’re quids-in, as we say in England – they’re a great source of protein. Feel beter soon. :) T
Hello all,
I can tell you one safe experiment and research on UC, even I am doing.
We all know Homeopathy is the safest medication and UC is one of the disease whose allopathic medication has a lot of side effects.
So It will be better to switch to Homeopathy.
I suggest two medicines.
Lycopodium 200 —-> 3 times a day (2-3 drops==1 dose)
Carbo Veg 200 —–> 3 times a day (2-3 drops==1 dose)
Sulphur 1M ——> 2 times a week (2-3 drops==1 dose)
and continue your allopathic medicine, take above medicine for 2 months continuously you will see some good effects and ofcourse take care of your diet.
Friends it is just starting medication plz.. do experiement.Plz.. do post if somebody found some good results than only I will post next medication.
Really there is lot of hidden facts not aware to common people about Homeopathy.Its is economical,safe,cure form root.
You can buy above medicines only from Dr. Reckwerg as I think is good but keep on experimenting as Homeopathy is safe.