Thanks everyone! And I feel better today too, now that those yucky meds are out of my system.
My timeline: Doing very poorly back in 2008 and had severe perirectal disease to boot (on Pentasa, Imuran, and Protonix). Started Humira that summer. Once it FINALLY kicked in, in August, I felt better. I started SCD on December 1st. Between 3-7 months on SCD, I was off Protonix (no more heartburn), no longer had horrid constipation (4 day transit became 2 day transit), my seasonal allergies became almost non-existent (all I have left is some throat drainage, the awful itching is gone), the fluid in me ears went away, my eczema was gone, and my anxiety and OCD were much improved (found this out when I went months without digesting my psych meds). Most importantly, all 3 of my fistulas closed up, my fissures healed, and I no longer have cramping and bleeding with BMs. These things were all SCD, not Humira or Pentasa.
I stopped Humira before my surgery last September. In January, I started LDN. I went off it for a few months in the spring, while I dealt with what turned out to be a lack of stomach acid (I take Betaine HCl with meals now). I restarted towards the end of June. I've noticed 2 things from LDN: I sleep better at night, and I feel less tired in the afternoons. I currently have untreated hypothyroidism (hopefully soon to be treated), so my energy levels tank when I don't take the LDN. Hopefully, my immune system is also stronger with LDN.
This is my long winded way of saying that I 100% believe SCD takes the most credit for my healing. Pentasa never helped me in the past (I stay on it because my GI wants me to), and I was fine during the months without Humira and LDN.
My GI says food is medicine. I'm so glad I finally found a GI with a similar philosophy to mine. She told me how her and her husband took their babies off of sugar filled formula, and now feed them an organic diet with homemade almond milk and lots of veggies. When the babies visit the grandparents, who against parental instructions feed them sugar, the babies come home with runny noses. What we eat impacts our immune systems.
njmom, my last CRP was normal (don't have the numbers), but I don't think I've had the SED rate done. The rest of my blood work is really good (except for my fluctuating liver enzymes, a problem since I took 6MP back in 1998). I actually have high levels of B12 and folate, so I don't have to get shots. My hemoglobin has been above 13 since starting SCD, but my ferritin could stand to be a bit better (it's at 22). That could be related to my thyroid thought (as could my low stomach acid).
Hang in there SCDers (and future SCDers)! The hard work pays off in the end
. I feel that once I get this thyroid thing fixed, I may actually feel like a normal person again.