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Your Real Solutions

Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Messages
8
Hi,

I was diagnosed with CD in 2008. After 18 months of misery, pain and uncertainty I am now symptom free! It feels so good to get my life back and start living my dreams. I have 14 month old twin boys who keep me on my toes and my own Counselling practice where I am working part-time.

I would really like to start connecting with others who are suffering at the moment to let them know that there is hope!
 
Hooray! I am so happy to hear you are symptom free. Like steelerfan, I am curious to know what has gotten you so well. But regardless of what your treatment plan is, I am happy you found something that works and allows you to keep up with your twin boys.

I hope you continue to feel so well!!
 
Amanda,

I do believe you have Crohn's Disease and I do believe you are doing well with it and I'm super happy for you. However, people here are VERY tired of others trying to sell them things. "X worked really well for me, you may want to look into it" goes over very well. "Y worked for me and I can provide it to you for $XX" does not.
 
I do fully understand the terms and conditions of this forum, but thanks for the reminder David.
I just wanted to clarify that I am coming from a place of service here. When I was first diagnosed with CD I spent nearly every day on this forum for over 12 months getting advice and help. I am here to give back.
Yes, I have the name of my counselling practice as my username as I have spent over 6 months preparing FREE information about what has helped me in my recovery. Just like the success stories here are meant to inspire others and give hope, I am providing others with information to help and inspire them.
When I received the latest newsletter from CrohnForum inviting users who were in remission to return it reminded me of how much this place helped me when I was flaring. It was exactly as it was said in the newsletter. I was going about my life and had forgotten about this forum. I really wanted to give back and help those who are suffering like I was helped by people here in the past.
So, I am really passionate about helping others with IBD now that I am in a place where I can. I am currently setting up a FREE support group through CCA in my local area and I have applied for accreditation to work at my local hospital helping people who are having treatment or surgery for IBD.
Anyway......I just wanted to clarify that I'm not here to sell, I just want to help.
 
If you're truly interested in helping and not selling, then I offer my sincere apologies and I shall strive to handle such situations more professionally in the future.

Maybe you can help us figure out how to deal with a very real problem we've had since you're on the other side. We had members join here that offered good advice and support on occasion. But linked in their signature or their homepage is a website that sells something related to Crohn's Disease. Now, maybe that product or service IS useful. Or maybe that product or service is actually harmful. The problem that arises is bias and conflict of interest. HOW DO WE KNOW if the person is being sincere or not? How do we know if the potential for profit has biased their views or research?

We've (crohnsforum.com) been approached by advertisers offering us decent sums of money for various means of advertising. The thing is, if we would have accepted, we would have had a potential conflict of interest so we did not. Members knowing they are getting the best possible, unbiased information is incredibly important.

On the other side of the coin, if someone develops something that is incredibly useful then I DO want it widely disseminated. And just as I'm ok with doctors earning a living, I would be fine with that person making some money from it as well.

In the end, the issue is, how do we know?
 
Your Real Solutions said:
When I was first diagnosed with CD I spent nearly every day on this forum for over 12 months getting advice and help. I am here to give back.
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to know your former persona?? I'm sure there are some here who would remember you and advice is always easier to be considered from a trusted friend.
 
I'm with Mark - if you used to be a regular, why create a new username? I'm not being snarky, I legitimately would like to know.
 
Your Real Solutions said:
Yes, I have the name of my counselling practice as my username as I have spent over 6 months preparing FREE information about what has helped me in my recovery. Just like the success stories here are meant to inspire others and give hope, I am providing others with information to help and inspire them.
Click to expand...

Hi Dexky and Cat-A-Tonic,

My previous username was AmandaC. I guess I see my previous 'persona' as me when I was flaring. I am the same person just coming from a different place.

Thanks for your comments.

Amanda
 
Hi David,

Thanks for your apology.

I appreciate the immense and challenging task you have and want to reassure you that my interests are genuine. As a member of the forum, I also appreciate the way you value our interests and are working really hard to provide us with unbiased information. I am in no way affiliated with any other product, service or website and all information/advice I give comes from my personal experience.

I guess you can only do your best in providing a forum where people can get the best possible, unbiased information. Apart from that, it comes back to the members having to make an informed choice for themselves about the advice they are going to follow. I admire the responsibility you hold in this area. I understand what a challenge it must be.

Thanks for providing the insight and I'm really happy to be back now I'm on the other side. I'm looking forward to giving back to the forum that got me through some of the toughest times during my recovery.

Amanda
 
Thanks for the earlier welcomes.

What treatment brought me to 'symptom free'?

I've done alot of reflecting over the past 6 months and I believe it has been a combination of many things. It took me a good two years to get where I am today and it's something I work on all the time. Here are just a few things that have helped:

1. The medical approach - after 18 months of trialling a number of different medications and having surgery which didn't work, I have finally found the combination of medication that keeps my symptoms at bay. I am currently on Humira and 400mg of Flagyl per day. I know medications work differently for everyone but this is my combination. I tried to drop the Flagyl down to 200mg but I flared so it has to be 400mg!

2. Wholistic therapies - as well as the medical approach I used a number of natural therapies such as chiro, massage, acupuncture, naturopathy, kinesiology and meditation. This supported my body in a natural way while I found the right combination of medication for me. I still see alot of these practitioners now for maintenance.

3. Lifestyle and mindset changes - I believe my lifestyle was a major factor in my diagnosis. I spent 7 years before getting CD running my body into the ground by working way too much and always running on adrenaline. After 'burning the candle at both ends' for so long my body just broke down and I got CD. There were genetic factors but this is how the stress over a number of years affected my body. I now make health my number one priority and I have learned to respect my body, not run it into the ground. The medication made a big difference to my symptoms but lifestyle changes are also helping to keep my symptoms at bay.

4. Diet - I tried a number of different diets when I was flaring and nothing made any difference so I just ate a balanced diet. At the beginning of this year my husband went on a quest to lose weight and started the Alkaline diet so I went on it as well to support him. It's been the only diet I've tried that has actually improved my symptoms.

5. Pregnancy - sorry guys, this isn't going to help you but I saw a marked improvement in my symptoms after the birth of my twin boys.

It's something I have to be mindful of everyday, but it's working so far. I just do everything that is in my power to keep well.

Sorry for the long post but I hope this helps!

Amanda
 
HI amanda, i have had crohn's for 21 years and was in remission for 15 years but i got another flare up now and currently on preds and othe medications to calm down the inflammation . your right it is all about the right meds and the right diet everbody is different and that's what CD does it makes our body different. it hard at first trying different meds and dieting plans. some plans work well with others and some don't. it's all trial and error. some get diagnoised early and some got to wait for months or even years to get a diagnosis. but it is good that your doing well and in remission and your trying to help others it really means alot to the forum i am sure any help is better then none at all. also i like to add is for any newbies it is good to keep journal or diary of the foods that do agree with you and the foods that don't agree with you this is very helpful in your course of treatment. and in your diary keep track of any pain issues and bm issues so you can consult your doctor.best wishes

scott
 
Hi Scott,

Sorry to hear that you had a flare after so many years in remission. That's the nature of this disease I guess. I hope you are doing ok and that the medication is doing the trick.

Keeping a food diary is such a good idea. Thanks for the tip!

Take care,
Amanda
 
Well, welcome back Amanda!! Your "solutions" are much easier to swallow than many who come on here with their one-size-fits-all "cures". Thanks and I'm glad you're back!! I hope you continue to go well for ages and ages:)
 
Thanks Dexky.

It's great to be back and in much better health than where I was a few years ago. I can still remember how scared I was when I first found out I had CD and how much it helped to have people to confide in who knew exactly what I was going through. I've now come out the other side, so to speak, and looking forward to helping others who are in the same position I was a few years back, feeling scared, confused and totally overwhelmed with the diagnosis.

Thanks again!
 
If your intention isn't to sell, why abandon your old username?

I'm new to the forum, but I'm not new to Crohn's, I've been diagnosed for almost 3 decades. I'm also a moderator and/or administrator for 4 online communities and have moderated/administered over a dozen throughout my life, where dealing with advertising spammers like you is old hat.

You're posting with the handle "Your Real Solutions". What was wrong with your old handle? You're trying to do SEO for your blog where you're soliciting sales leads. That doesn't come across as altruistic to me, it comes across as trying to capitalize on the hopes and frustrations of a lot of sick people.

Apologies to the staff and other members if I'm out of line, but in my long experience as a forum moderator (not here, but elsewhere), this stinks like last week's fish. On any forum I was in charge of, this thread would be long gone.

Kudos to the admins here for giving you such a powerful benefit of the doubt.
 
I don't really see the harm here.
She's not pushing a product. Although her site does offer health coaching and counseling, she is not really trying to sell it.
 
HI agree with crohny, if she's not trying to sell anything and just trying to help others. then my hat is off to her. it is for our benefit here at the forum if she is just dedicating her time here for to help others there is no harm in that!
 

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