How I Conquered IBD - An Introduction

I've had Ulcerative Colitis for a long time. My symptoms started when I was 13, 26 years ago. It would be another 6 years until I was diagnosed. Even then, it didn't take long for me to realize that no one understands Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Of the six gastroenterologists I was treated by over a 25-year period, most of them caring people whom I enjoyed interacting with, all of them had almost identical plans of action.

Meds. Tests. More meds. More tests. LOTS of appointments.

I went along with this for much longer than I felt I should. My intuition began to assure me every time I went to see them I was wasting my time. Because every medicine they insisted I needed to function in society did nothing for my colitis. Many times, it made it worse. All times, it made ME worse, by side effects and an undeniable emotional toll.

The last specialist I saw, four years ago, was not a nice and caring person like the others. He was abrasive, inattentive and arrogant. I already knew all the medicines he wanted to try would not work. I explained I could not tolerate medicines and asked him what I could change about my lifestyle and diet to control the symptoms and hopefully cause a remission. I had noticed that my UC went away during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it had given me the idea that if I changed my body chemistry in some way, I might be able to control the disease naturally.

He told me, flat out, that it was impossible. I could do my own research, but I would be wasting my time. I left his office very discouraged. After three months, I received a letter saying that he was refusing to treat me because I had not made another appointment and so I was being considered an irresponsible patient.

My discouragement turned to indignation. What had he offered me that I should be excited about going back to his office? It seemed like his goal was to make sure he had enough patients walking through the door to make money, not making sure those patients were able to conquer their disease and live a normal life. 

And so I became my own advocate. I researched, scouring the internet for information about treating ulcerative colitis naturally. It was hard to come by. UC and Crohn's are notoriously hard to manage. But finally, I came across an obscure little article, written by a natural doctor in medical language that was admittedly very hard to read. It was an article on how to treat UC with supplements and diet. I didn't understand all of it, but I wrote down every supplement and how much I was supposed to take, jotted down each piece of advice concerning diet and exercise, and from that moment on made it my new lifestyle.

I have been in remission for almost all of the past four years, starting TWO WEEKS after I found that article. The only flare-up of UC I have had was related to the additive "carageenan" in my almond milk. As soon as I stopped drinking that brand, I was back in remission. I have learned more since then, and added other measures to my way of life that keep me from sinking back to where I once was, and I have been able to address other autoimmune issues and metabolism issues in my body, and as a result I have come to a place where I am almost at peace with my body, feeling good more days than I don't, having energy to do the things I want to do and need to do as a busy homeschooling mom and a writer.

It's time for me to share my story. Others are probably out there, being told time after time that it is impossible for them to manage their own disease. Suffering on meds, having tests that drain the life out of them and come at risk. I don't want anyone to have to live that way. So I'm telling you exactly what I did to conquer IBD. I'll be as brief as possible. I'll use language anyone can understand, even scared 13 year olds who have just started having symptoms or have been newly diagnosed.

You can conquer this disease, and the emotional toil that goes along with it in many cases. You can feel better on a long-term basis. It will involve some trial and error and a few different supplements, but in this day and age, they are easy to obtain.

Chances are, I will eventually publish a short book on this subject, going into a little more detail. It's a passion of mine to help others know they can take charge of their own health in cases where our medical system comes up short. For those of us living with autoimmune diseases, often our best course of action is a complete lifestyle change, and an adjustment in our thinking. It won't be easy.

But it's possible. More to come.

Living at Peace with Autoimmune Disease - the GET IN SYNC Detox Plan

Living with autoimmune problems requires vigilance.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this. Having had one autoimmune malfunction after another my entire life, I’ve come to peace with it at the age of 38. I’m just going to have to be vigilant in caring for this body, or it won’t work well enough to accomplish all the things I need to do, and all the things I want to do.

I went on vacation a couple weeks ago to spend time in upper Michigan with dear friends. I do great at eating right without angst at home, but when out of my comfort space and not in control of the food surrounding me, it gets harder to eat the way I know I have to in order to feel okay. It took a few days of this to start affecting me, but by the time I got home, I was miserable.

I have done okay for the past two weeks, but not great. If I listed all the things I’d done that were “bad,” most people would probably scoff, because it wouldn’t sound that bad. But for me, the difference between my disciplined eating plan and not-so-much is the difference between energetic, motivated and feeling good, or swollen, tired and anxious. Maybe you can relate.

So, this week I’m getting back on track, and to keep myself accountable and maybe help someone else in the process, I’m sharing my GET BACK IN SYNC plan for autoimmune dysfunction.

If you aren’t sure whether you fit the profile or not, consider this: Do you have aches and complaints that have not been solved by doctor visits and prescriptions? (And have you ever felt like medical professionals suspect you are making up your symptoms?) Have you been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases, such as IBD, Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriasis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, (just to name a few of the more common)? Do you have sensitivity or allergies to medicines, foods, or environmental factors? If the answer is yes, you can give this plan a try and see if you end up feeling a little better than you did after a couple weeks. 

It’s not as hard as it sounds. The end of the first week is the hardest time to stay on track. After that, it becomes much easier. I’m sure that even people who do not have autoimmune problems would benefit from a week or two of clean eating.

Basic guidelines for eating:

·         No Gluten This doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone. Many people have no issues with gluten, and I’m not saying it should be avoided because it is “bad.” I have ulcerative colitis and it has made all the difference in the world for me, because of my oversensitive digestive system. If gluten is a problem for you, you will notice within a week or two that you feel better and you will probably have lost a few pounds that you associate with feeling less "puffy".

·         No Dairy Again, this is going to apply to the most sensitive digestive systems.

·         No Sugar This one makes a HUGE difference. During the times when I avoid sugar, I have considerably fewer hormonal swings and swelling, and I enjoy more energy and motivation. Sugar takes a good week of detoxing before you stop craving it, but it is easily and safely replaced by moderate amounts of maple syrup, honey or stevia. Check packaging – sugar is in so many things. NOTE: After you stop eating sugar and after the initial detox, you will find that you do not like your food as sweet, and that sugar leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Hang in there!

·         No processed food. Unfortunately, this means no convenience food for the most part, but you won’t miss it when you realize how it made you feel. Check all ingredients. If you can’t pronounce something and you know it’s not a vitamin or mineral that’s beneficial, usually you’d do better without it.

·         Coconut oil or olive oil. These are the oils that are on your side. I use only these two oils, along with butter or avocado for other good fats. (Fats are not your enemy! Just make them the right kind of fats.)

·         Leafy Greens. Spinach is my favorite. You can’t eat enough of them. Have them with every meal.

·         Probiotic. Whether in yogurt or kefir or by taking a probiotic supplement, we all need good bacteria to conquer any number of diseases and symptoms.

·         Moderate exercise. I used to kill myself exercising and only succeed in making myself exhausted and in pain. Now I walk a couple miles most days, and it feels great.

·         Supplements. Because our medical system does not generally make use of herbs and supplements, finding the right ones can be tricky. For me, it was a trial and error process that took years before I pinpointed specific supplements that helped me with my particular set of issues. Just because something worked for me doesn’t mean it will work for you. This takes research, recording results, and patience.

NOTE: With diet, certain supplements and moderate exercise, I was able to put my ulcerative colitis into a remission that has lasted about 3 years. This was after over 20 years of suffering as I was treated with prescriptions, tests and hospitalizations. Hopefully this is not true for all colitis patients, but it saddens me that of six gastroenterologists I saw, even when I asked for lifestyle change advice and explained that prescriptions made me more ill, no one ever told me it was possible to control my colitis on my own. I assume they didn’t know. So I say with resolution that it is ABSOLUTELY possible!

I’ve written an inexpensive little book for Kindle called “You Can Feel Well” that goes into a little more detail on this subject if you want to know more. If you don’t have a Kindle, the “Kindle for PC” app works great to read on a laptop or personal computer.

What do you think? Have you had success in conquering and controlling autoimmune diseases? Leave a comment and share your knowledge to help others dealing with the same issues.