REMISSION HERE I COME!!

Wow, what wonderful news. I am so happy this helped for you. I wish I could get an antifungal, I always worry that systemic candida is related to my bowel issues. I would love to try LDN but I haven't had luck getting anyone to prescribe it. I am feeling good right now - I am thankful for that.

Good questions Mackstar:

The diet modifications e believe will not be for very long.  I have already introduced a little gluten back into my diet, just a bit and so far so good.  I did this on day 14 after starting LDN and had at least 2 normal stools with no blood, mucus.  I had 2 wheat rolls with some chicken, cuccumbers and lettuce with a veg/olive oil spread.  This seemed to sit pretty well.  Also had some frozen yogurt and again this sat well on my colon.

I'm suspecting that the diet is to help your colon heal while the LDN takes effect, and when the colon is a bit better, than slowly introduce stuff to see how it sits.  If it doesn't sit good, then back off for a week or two and try to introduce again. 

 

However, if you have food allergies, probably best to avoid them.  I'm sensitive to eggs, wheat and dairy, however I will introduce after a bit to see how I react.

I totally agree this is hard work, but I really was not getting anywhere with the traditional immune suppresants.

 

Also, I think the antifungal had alot to do with this, and this was the hard part, but I only did the antifungal for about 6 weeks to get the yeast balanced out in my colon.  In addition, I quite all meds because they just were not working, so I had nothing to fall back on.  Anyway, I'm soooo excited that this is working and I wanted to share with people.  I also got my pharmacist really interested in LDN, because her husband suffers with UC as well.

 

 

Hopeful and hellokitty, have either of you ever had ringworm or athlete's foot? I think I may have some candida issues as well and wondered if you had any other fungus problems. I was on birth control at the time in addition to the Imuran which I guess makes it easier to get, but I'm just curious.

Yeah it made me start flaring, so I quit taking it. But nobody warned me, lol.

Regarding the candida diet.  I think this is part of it, but the diet really limited me sooo much that I was losing weight again and nothing was really forming my stools.  However the nystatin helped me to get it under control and the diet for about 6-8 weeks.  My tongue is now pink and I did the spit test and it appears to be much, much better, but probably not all gone.

so, that is why I decided to go with LDN.  I have now had normal stools for about two days.  I had some pasta with a little butter and it sits ok, I still am very careful about sugar however, because I think sugar really bothers me. 

So, I'm basically listening to my gut on what to eat, I do stay away from banana's, and melons at this point.

Thanks so much everyone for your comments, and really, really if you are frustrated as I am with the medication that they are giving out, please try LDN, however also consider the anti-fungal treatment as well.

I believe it will take several things to get the gut flora back in balance.

Blessings to all!

I'm a bit confused. According to your story above, hopeful, you achieved a lot of improvement with antifungal treatments, and had 1 normal stool, and then started LDN. If you were doing so well before the LDN, how do you know the LDN is what's working? Did you get much worse after stopping the antifungal?

Good to hear that you're achieving remission with LDN!

Just wanted to correct something here if you didn't mind. It's just for people who are interested in the facts about LDN.

LDN doesn't really stimulate the immune system, but rather it regulates the immune system.

LDN affects the cell division rates. It suppresses the T and B (lymphocytes, white blood cells) cell division and its growth. So it suppresses the overactive immune system like in UCers and CDers and brings it closer to its normal/stable state.

To make it concise, it suppresses the immune system from its overreactive state to stabilize it.

I'm just rephrasing Dr. Ian Zagon's published research regarding LDN and it's misunderstood facts.

So immunosuppressants and LDN can be combined. And yes, I'm on both.

Spoke with Dr. Skip the other day and the conversation did not go so well initially. I find him... somewhat eccentric.
He kept on saying that don't assume the things that people said online about what he'd told them to be true. The convo went smoothly after this lol.

Anyways, Dr. Skip stated that LDN should be one of the first line of defense meds for UC/Crohn's patients, which I find absolutely compelling and agreeable and he has a few patients who have been on LDN for 13-14 years with no problems(but not for IBD).

Nobody knows the true interactions between immunosuppressants and LDN in the body and that further studies needed to be established, according to Dr. Skip.

Also commented that, since no pharmas will benefit from LDN, it's hard to get the words over to the docs b/c everything they are taught to prescribe are in the hands of the pharmaceutical companies.

Srry for making this so long. Just wanted to add some unintriguing info.

Hopeful, I hope both of us can experience perpetual remission. :)

badslinke-
The antifungal medication worked for a bit with diet, however it was sooo difficult for me to stay so strict with the diet.  I was getting so thin that I would just eat a strawberry (little natural sugar) and it would send me into a flare.  The nystatin was giving me a buzzing in my ears, so needed to get off.  Again I think this was a piece to the puzzle for me and not the full problem.  To be honest I'm just trying alternative things to help identify the real problem(s).

CollegeStudent-
The above makes total sense to what you are saying, I believe it was stated in lay terms to "assist or enhance the immune system to bring back balance to the immune system".  Thus, suppressing the over reacting immune system in attacking itself.  At any rate, without getting into the science of the drug and how it works, I just know it is working for me.  I too agree that this drug should be the first line of medication perscribed by physicians in treating UC/Crohns.  When I am in total remission, I will bring this forth to the MN GI group.  I have suffered so needlessly long from this disease that I want other UC/Crohn sufferers to try this.

colgone1-
I am not totally sure if I have the candida yeast problem, I only suspect it.  My tongue has been white for a long time, my blood test did not show candida yeast (but I think this is inconclusive), yet I wanted to give this a try.  The no sugar is key, so I stay on a low sugar diet, I will slip and have a birthday cake, (but no icing) during those special occasions, but then I get right back on the low sugar diet.  I have been eating vegetables and find that it really boosts my energy, and include lots of protein.  This is such a journey, and I'm trying to just achieve remission. 
Oh, I have been posting on the LDN posts from InSoFla, but just want to bring more light on the LDN drug.  I wish I knew about LDN 4 years ago, because a day in remission is almost priceless to me.

Thanks for the encouraging words, I'm just taking this a day at a time and enjoying my days going into remission. 

BitterSweet 31;

Yes I was definetly in a flare, not the 10-20 times a day, but mine was always like 7-10 times a day with the blood, mucus and D.    I never have been in remission, until currently on my way with the LDN. 

I started with taking VSL3 about 4 tablets a day, and no other meds.  Triad Lialda but this made me feel thirsty and constipated for about 24 hours and then all of the sudden I would have to run to the bathroom.  So I stopped the Liadla and threw it out.  Then I just started eliminating the sugar, complex carbs and so on.  I did drop about 10 pounds or so during the diet, made me nervous, but my tummy was a bit quieter.  However this was not enough to get me into remission, I would still experience the urgency with a couple accidents at work , thank God my desk is close to a bathroom when these accidents occured and luckily at the end of the day.

The only thing working is the LDN, however I need to really watch the sugar intake currently, because my colon lets me know that it's a no-no.  My colon is still healing, and I believe it will take some time.  I have severe pancolitis, I believe Remi/Humira gave me a jump start of healing my colon, but never really in remission.  I would still bleed, have D, and so on.

I hope this information helps.

 

Another question, how can i keep my weight up on such a strict yeast diet ?? I'm skin and bones and want to start this diet but don't want to lose anymore weight :(