The purpose in sharing my story is to help as many people as I can and to plant the seed of hope and faith, that this can be controlled without drugs and ultimately CURED.
Prior to being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at 50 years of age, I was 190 lbs (5’-10”), very healthy and strong. I worked as a mason for over 30 years ate anything and everything drank moderately and at times heavily, I worked out off & on and had no health issues to speak of. Then, in March of 2010, I occasionally noticed blood in my stool for 6 weeks. I’m the type to try and tough it out and heal myself, and stay away from medication of all types, if at all possible. Then at the beginning of May, there was blood in every bowel movement. I lost 30 lbs. in less than 1 week, couldn’t keep any food in me and ran to the bathroom 15 or more times a day! I was tested for parasites and had a colonoscopy on May 25 - Ulcerative Colitis. 15 days later, I had a second opinion and another colonoscopy and the same diagnosis. I was told that it was incurable and I would be on medication for the rest of my life! And ironically, I could continue eating as I had all those years prior (MacDonald’s, ice cream, lots of bread….).
Unacceptable, to say the least. I started researching, on the internet, for causes, cures and read stories from other crohns & colitis sufferers. I kept a journal of what I ate at each meal, my ph readings, how often I used the bathroom, how I felt and how many mg. of Lialda and prednisone, ect. (Lialda Warnings & Precautions- symptoms include cramping, acute abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea…..) This is what the medication was supposed to help, not add to. Instead, I became worse. Prednisone did the trick and gave me back some normality in my life.
After a half year, I met with my specialist and gave her an Excel spreadsheet of my journal that had all the above data for the past 6 months. She looked at it for about
a minute then, told me “I only subscribe to western medicine”. I made up my mind at that point, to contact her only when I needed a refill of Prednisone. I knew of the side effects however, as time went on, I became content and satisfied. All the while knowing that someday soon, the drug would cause many more problems.
I began eating organic foods, started juicing, took supplements, probiotics, aloe vera, I tried cannabis, food combining, stopped eating meat, bread, starches and the list goes on and on. At times, I would get down to 5 mg. Then get a flare up, back to 40 then tapper to 10. 10 mg. worked well for about
a year. I was fearful of getting glaucoma, liver disease and who knows what else. I was getting skin malformations, sensitive teeth, massive bruising at one time and, worst of all, my muscles were starting to break down. I would work out in the gym, increase strength and muscle mass, only to lose it weeks later. I knew I had to get off of the Prednisone and try harder to control and better yet, cure this disease. I continued researching, eating well and started taking DIGESTIVE ENZYMES.
Finally, after 2 ½ years, on Dec. 2, 2012, I stopped taking Prednisone and no other medication! I occasionally felt some discomfort on my left side (descending colon) but that is less and less as the months go by. I believe it took 6 months to rid the Prednisone from my body from when I stopped taking it. The anxiety from this disease is almost non-existent now however, I still find myself either looking at the toilet paper after wiping or in the toilet itself.
LIVING WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS FORCES US TO CHANGE OUR WAY OF LIFE FOR THE BETTER!
I’ve learned many things about
nutrition, my mind and body over the past 40 months.
These are my beliefs from research and experience. First and foremost, we are all unique and what works for one, may not work for another because our bodies have different reserves and deficiencies.
This is my foundation and core values for living a healthy life, free from ulcerative colitis, and most diseases. We must have natural, unsynthesized nutrients to promote communication at a cellular level, to repair and maintain our body and brain.
1) Reduce stress
2) Exercise regularly
3) Eat organic (including meat)
4) Eat vegetables & fruit (cooked & raw)
5) Eat and drink in moderation (don’t over indulge)
6) Eat a variety of foods, nuts and drink lots of pure water
7) Don’t eat processed foods, consume added sugars, trans fats and synthesized ingredients
In addition to the above and of all the many things that I’ve tried on most of the colitis websites, these nutrients (twice daily mixed in water with a small, battery operated hand mixer) are what helped me to get off of the Prednisone and live a normal life:
3 drops of Fulvic Ionic Minerals
1 teaspoon of “Vitamineral Green”
1 teaspoon of “Tumeric” (organic)
1 teaspoon of “Nutritional Yeast” flakes from KAL
1 to 2 capsules of “VeganZyme” digestive enzymes
¼ teaspoon of “Ginger Root” powder (organic)
¼ teaspoon of “Triphala” (organic)
2 daily “Every Man II” dietary supplements by NEW CHAPTER
Vitamin D from the SUN!
MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE and BELIEVE in nutrition over drugs.
It is my belief that our bodies are designed to function properly on a variety of good nutrition consisting of organic fruit, vegetables, meat and lots of water to maintain a proper balance and stay healthy. And how we think is equally important. I look at this experience as an equivalent benefit and blessing. Without it, I may not have changed my life for the better.
Post Edited (Giving Back) : 8/10/2013 9:48:31 AM (GMT-6)