Still in Remission from Spinach/Sunflower Seeds 3 Years Later

Soystud - By sloppy I mean that I wasn't paying enough attention to the amounts I was eating and not making much of an effort to eat them regulary.  I was only occasionally having spinach as an ingredient in some dishes and hardly eating Sunbutter at all. 

Soystud & Andrina - I'm not "laying off" the maintenance drugs, because I haven't taken any in three years.  I'm not saying I won't take any medication at all - I plan to take it to help me get back into remission.  For some reason, the diet on its own doesn't seem to get me all the way into remission.  Once I'm in remission, the diet keeps the symptoms away.

I do not believe that meds are necessary for maintenance, but I think if you're going to maintain remission with diet you have to be diligent about getting the foods you need. 

Post Edited (Kiss520) : 4/10/2013 8:03:20 AM (GMT-6)

"I believe modern medicine has it's place; however, if a person is able to treat her condition with diet, I can't imagine why she would choose anything else. I was in a terrible flare for about 10 months after being diagnosed, and it cost me $4,000. Since I achieved remission, I have spent absolutely nothing other than the usual cost of food. I have not had to deal with the side effects of drugs or the fear of potential side effects after prolonged use of drugs.

If I can get back into remission with Lialda and diet, I plan to taper off the Lialda and strictly follow the diet. I truly believe that my bleeding is due to the fact that I got sloppy with the diet. It worked for three years and was the only thing that got me into remission - drugs alone did not help AT ALL. Of course, if the diet does not keep me in remission, I will need to rethink my approach. But this is where I'm at right now.

The reason I don't like drugs is because I truly believe that food can heal you. There have been numerous studies of people treating chronic illnesses like MS and a variety of others with food. I don't want to rely on drugs developed by questionable pharmaceutical companies who don't always know or accurately report potential side effects."

StealthGuardian - For the last three years I have felt the same way you have when I looked at this forum and saw so many people struggling with medications that didn't work.  Here I have a natural treatment that people would not try - it was frustrating.  If this is a small blip that I've caused for myself and I can get back into remission with a little help from meds but mostly diet, you can bet that's what I'm going to do. 

when i say i'm fighting through a flare w/o meds, it's like "how can you do that ?"

and i want to say "um, i'm not special, i just don't want to rely on something i don't need"

"and you could probably do it too"

it's like drug after drug after drug ..................sheesh -

but i do understand circumstances often times dictate using drugs - but not forever !

As for what keeps you in remission, diet or RX. I am very open minded and do not make any judgements what so ever.

If meds keep one in remission, and he/she is happy with status quo. by all means.

If diet keeps one in remission, by all means.

Better to take meds than to feel like crap day in and day out...or whaever you need to do to find your normal.

I understand where you're coming from, and you can bet I'll try anything to be well if it comes to that.  The thing is, I've tried nearly all the medications, and they didn't help.  If the diet doesn't work, and I have to use the big guns like Humira and Remicade, I certainly will try them.  Like you, I would do anything to avoid surgery.  But the diet has been working, and if I can get away with treating my condition with whole natural foods rather than potentially dangerous drugs, that's what I'd prefer. 

If the diet did not get me into remission and keep me there, I would have tried using drugs with it.  But if I don't have to, why would I?  Do you see where I'm coming from?  I would rather save the drugs until I actually need them and can't control the symptoms on my own.  That way they might be more effective.

Somedude - Thanks for helping to explain, even if the diet didn't really help you.  Also, not sure if you're referring to me when you say "he" but I'm female. ;-) 

By the way, I don't know if you were just giving an example, but do you regularly take Advil?  It's been discussed on these boards that people with UC aren't supposed to anti-inflammatories (which I realize sounds counterintuitive), because they can cause something called toxic megacolon which is very dangerous.  I don't know much about it, but it's something to look into if that's something you regularly take.

Somedude - Sorry, but married with child. ;-)  I'm not really missing those anti-inflammatories.  I used to take Naprosen for terrible cramps and had to stop after my UC diagnosis... now I get hydrocodone!  It's wonderful but I do have to be careful since it's a highly addictive narcotic.

I wish I could tell you why it's not working.  Are you still taking meds and being very careful with other aspects of your diet?  Any progress that the spinach/sunflower seeds gives you can be undone by making the wrong choices with other foods.  For example, when I was healing, I didn't drink any coffee or alcohol EVER.  I also never ate raw foods (fruits and veggies), fried or greasy foods like mayo, or even whole grains which are so hard on a sensitive stomach.

I ate soft, cooked veggies, white rice and pasta and bread, grilled or very lightly sauteed chicken and fish... and of course cooked spinach and Sunbutter (never raw spinach or sunflower seeds - too rough on an inflammed colon).

How does that compare with what you've been doing?

Does that help?