Hello fellow Crohnies/UCs:
As a new member and reading many of the posts here, my heart just aches. So much suffering. I was diagnosed at age 21 with UC when I had the sudden onset of severe bleeding. By the time that flare was over, I looked like Jordan Rubin on the cover of his book Patient Heal Thyself - without the beard, of course. In those days, which some of you might relate to, I was told it was "psychological." There was no internet or support groups to help me. None of my friends or family could relate to it. I was totally alone in this adventure/nightmare. After being diagnosed and going to a gastro, I was given only Azulfidine and changed my diet some, but was always having flares every three months.
After losing a few jobs and suffering for six or seven years like that, I developed an abscess which sent me to the hospital with removal of about 4' of colon and terminal ileum. I am surprised I don't set off the metal detectors with the 100 staples still inside, piecing me together. Since surgery and its annoying residuals, I have had one long flare in 28 years (I did not go back to the doctor).
Life went along well after surgery. Became self employed from home (what a life saver), got married, had two kids, got divorced and still work from home.
In January this year my daughter (now age 23) became very ill and was quickly diagnosed with Crohn's. Her disease was extremely extensive, with ulcers beginning from the esophagus all through the colon and gastritis with the small bowel spared. Thank God she wasn't bleeding like me, though. The doc wanted to put her immediately on Humira after being freshly diagnosed and off work one week. She and I were still in shock and wanted to "think about it."
Well, to make a long story short, we took the "natural" route. Started with a naturopath with some vits/acupuncture, then got referred to a very cool internist that gave prescriptions for supplements instead of meds (meds only when last resort). We went right to work with a diet that worked for her through trial and error, and I did hundreds of hours of research on the internet. She did finally agree to Prednisone, which she took off and on for three months at a lower dose, although we don't really know if it did much. She was sensitive to nearly all meds. From the first colonoscopy on February 1 to the second in May, all ulcers were gone, all gastritis was gone, and the only remaining issue was inflammation of the descending colon.
Although the process from start to finish was about six months, she is back to work, doing well, gained 15 pounds and feels great.
Thanks for listening.
As a new member and reading many of the posts here, my heart just aches. So much suffering. I was diagnosed at age 21 with UC when I had the sudden onset of severe bleeding. By the time that flare was over, I looked like Jordan Rubin on the cover of his book Patient Heal Thyself - without the beard, of course. In those days, which some of you might relate to, I was told it was "psychological." There was no internet or support groups to help me. None of my friends or family could relate to it. I was totally alone in this adventure/nightmare. After being diagnosed and going to a gastro, I was given only Azulfidine and changed my diet some, but was always having flares every three months.
After losing a few jobs and suffering for six or seven years like that, I developed an abscess which sent me to the hospital with removal of about 4' of colon and terminal ileum. I am surprised I don't set off the metal detectors with the 100 staples still inside, piecing me together. Since surgery and its annoying residuals, I have had one long flare in 28 years (I did not go back to the doctor).
Life went along well after surgery. Became self employed from home (what a life saver), got married, had two kids, got divorced and still work from home.
In January this year my daughter (now age 23) became very ill and was quickly diagnosed with Crohn's. Her disease was extremely extensive, with ulcers beginning from the esophagus all through the colon and gastritis with the small bowel spared. Thank God she wasn't bleeding like me, though. The doc wanted to put her immediately on Humira after being freshly diagnosed and off work one week. She and I were still in shock and wanted to "think about it."
Well, to make a long story short, we took the "natural" route. Started with a naturopath with some vits/acupuncture, then got referred to a very cool internist that gave prescriptions for supplements instead of meds (meds only when last resort). We went right to work with a diet that worked for her through trial and error, and I did hundreds of hours of research on the internet. She did finally agree to Prednisone, which she took off and on for three months at a lower dose, although we don't really know if it did much. She was sensitive to nearly all meds. From the first colonoscopy on February 1 to the second in May, all ulcers were gone, all gastritis was gone, and the only remaining issue was inflammation of the descending colon.
Although the process from start to finish was about six months, she is back to work, doing well, gained 15 pounds and feels great.
Thanks for listening.
