Crohn's in China

Does anyone else live and work over here? What is your strategy for maintaining your health? I am particularly interested in those who use diet as a large part of maintaining health.

My History if you are interested:

Christmas 2005 -
Emergency TI resection for a blockage. After some terrible confusion, diagnosed with Crohns. Put on Asacol for maintenance. (Although should have been pentasa since the inflammation was not focused in the large intestine) Went into a temporary post surgery remission.

April 2007 -
First serious recurrence of disease. Comes as an acute bleed from ulceration in the neo-TI and probably past where the scopes can see. Required hospitalization and a blood transfusion. Anemia and low hematocrit levels have been leading up to this. Afterwards, I am put on prednisone and entocort as I taper off of prednisone. Also, iron supplements. Doctors tell me that I must go onto 6mp or immuran after i get off the steriods.

Summer 2007 -
The steroids have been making me feel worse and much sicker than ever before. My bowels are not improving either. I was still losing weight. Steroid acne all over my body. I couldnt go on with it anymore. So I quit everything (i rapidly tapered over a week and a half) not totally abrupt.

After doing a lot of reading and thinking about my crohns, I decided that destroying my immune system and body with drugs and all the side effects was not the answer. I started out with a 4 day fast drinking only water. Then I added some vegetable juices and salad. Then rice and small amounts of meat (mostly fish).

Since then I have been controlling my Crohns through diet and natural medications. Basically what a lot of other posters here have been doing. Crazyharry is a similar example. I do go to the doctor for blood checks to make sure things arent going crazy in there, but ever since I went cold turkey on the heavy duty drugs, I have felt healthier and healthier, better and better. I think the short fast I did was also beneficial in inducing my remission. I am going to try a longer one later this year.

what is defined as extended or short. i am planning to go 7 days (if i can make it).

i certainly still have inflammation (although c-reactive test has consistently said none detected). My absorption is definitely not normal yet. that is one of the main results i would be looking to get from the fast. improved absorption as well as detoxifying the remnants of last summers steroids from my system and whatever else has built up over the years.

Post Edited (teezy369) : 8/28/2008 2:08:19 PM (GMT-6)

^ i found for myself that the headaches were gone by the end of day 2. i have heard that the headache is a natural part of the detoxification process. did you try fasting?

any other China chronies out there?

Hi

I think you have something there but be careful. Before when I was misdiagnosed I found myself taking up to 21 pills a day. I ended up with
acute panchreatitis. It was like I could tell my system was giving up. I stopped taking all medication except Crohns medication. It really helped.

Recently I have been on Remicade and I built up such and intolerance that I felt the same way I did when I was taking 21 pills a day.

I said thats enough - I pulled myself off of everything and thought what is missing?

Now I am taking Fish Oil Pills, vitamin supplements and making sure I am on a good diet of fresh food and making sure the quantities
are small sized, Lots of water no pop. I feel 100 times better.

I don't know if I could take the fasting because I dehydrate but I am making great progress with what I am doing.

The saying goes if you sit atrophe sets in. I am also working on movement, toning and excercise.

Sorry not in China but I am very interested in what you are doing. I do think that the body needs to learn to work on its own as
much as possible.

I don't think that 7 days is enough to cause problems. TPN diets can be administered for that long (I am assuming that the doctors know about the problems - not always a good assumption). Still, you should take some liquid source of electrolytes - fruit juice or vegetable juice would be better than water. You might also see if you can find any acupuncturists there who are familiar with food allergy treatment. There is a system that has been developed in the US that involves invoking muscle weakness by having the patient hold an allergenic food in the hand and then diagnosing the meridian involved and needling the appropriate points until the imbalance has been corrected. It's called BioSET. I have not tried it because there are no registered acupuncturists with that training anywhere near here. There is one listed in Singapore, but that is hardly next door.

If that does not work, there are a couple of possible things to try: avoiding gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats) helps some people. One member strongly recommends bee propolis capsules. Another possibility is turmeric capsules. I don't know if these would work with the TCM remedies that you are using currently.

spam above

During my last hospital stay, I was told that I could not go longer then 5 days on a clear liquid diet. If they didn't introduce full liquids by day 5, we'd discuss TPN. I got released to full liquids the NIGHT before day 5!

I was hooked up to electrolytes with extra potassium....2 1/2 bags a day...