Introduction:
My name is Cindy. I am 56 years old and have been diagnosed with UC for a year and a half. Currently I am symptom free, have one bowel movement per day that is a Bristol 4 or 5. I have read this site from the beginning and have found the information here invaluable. As I read stories of people that are sick, discouraged, and hopeless, it breaks my heart because I know what that feels like…terrible. But there is hope! With proper drugs, nutrition and supplements healing is possible .
Some more about me:
I have always had an interest in nutrition. When diagnosed with this disease, I thought my diet was very good. I ate tons of green leafy veggies, had varied colors on my plate, used mostly legumes and nuts for protein, ate very little sugar, and drank lots of water and green tea. What happened? I don’t know. I am also a believer in exercise…so is Bev-who is a continual source of inspiration.
Symptoms:
I became symptom free in July. I began taking low dose Naltrexone in May, and my belief is that it along with other measures put me into remission.
There Is Hope – Currently I’m Symptom Free
My story begins with the ubiquitous blood in the stool. It was Intermittent leading me to think it was hemorrhoidal, but it persisted, leading me to my first colonoscopy. In my 2 minute diagnosis after the procedure my doctor assured me it was indeed hemorrhoid and to use OTC meds and not to worry.i then received my test results in the mail telling me to continue my Nexium. WELL I did not and would not take Nexium. That should have been my first clue. I did not read through my test results which would have told me I had proctitis Lesson learned: always read your own test results-even if you have to do so with dictionary on hand! A year later because of continued and accelerated bleeding my second colonoscopy revealed Ulcerative Colitis.
My doctor told me that I would be on medication for the rest of my life and it did not matter what I ate.What a load of bull!!! My family joined forces, got on the Internet and researched the heck out of this disease to find “Breaking the Vicious Cycle
” the book that became my guide.
I started SCD and took 2 Lialda daily. Although I improved it was not enough. Enter: Gaps. This regimen begins with invaluable bone broths and evolves your digestive system to the point that you can actually eat all of the foods on SCD. It was like getting a masters degree in UC- not an easy road but SO worth it. During stressful times I had to take 2 very short courses ( two week) of steroids. I would do 10mg first week and 5 second week. I do think it’s best to avoid steroids whenever possible. They are very tempting because they make you feel better for the moment but I believe what Andrew Wiel says about them. He says that use of steroids decreases the likelihood of long term remission.
Medications / Supplements
The only medication that I currently take is low dose Naltrexone. I really believe in it.
When I quit taking Lialda, I weaned myself off of it VERY slowly. Meaning eliminating one pill every four days for 4 weeks the every 3 days for 4 weeks ect. I’m not saying you should do this, just saying it’s what I did. I was symptom free for months before I did this.
I also take:
I also eat 24 hr fermented yogurt every day
written by Cindy U
submitted in the colitis venting area
My name is Cindy. I am 56 years old and have been diagnosed with UC for a year and a half. Currently I am symptom free, have one bowel movement per day that is a Bristol 4 or 5.
