Starting CCHerbal Today:

@plumsmom, I had an attack last Wed, was similar to my IBS, sittin on potty & throwing up in waste basket....but was only one session, Thankfully!! Haven't had one of those in months, so long can't remember when! Had just got up from a nap tho & had sinus drainage, when blew my nose looked like infection, so thought could have been sinus. Also was somewhat stressed abt loading the RV to get ready for trip and wind was blowing abt 60 mph, which was not good to be in, with my sinuses already aggravated! Felt better after my potty session, but did eat very lite that night, just gluten free crackers and my hot tea.

I continue to have the jury still out on CC. Ever since being on it my UC has been extremely erratic. I have many days that are much better than usual and then many times and days which seem much worse than normal. My UC used to be pretty stable. Even though I had good days and bad days it was all usually fairly predictable. Now I am sold on the CC one day and wonder what the heck happened the next. I feel so great on the good days but then don't think it is worth it on the bad days.

Can 5 yrs old girl use CCHerbal? My daughter's been struggling for last 10 months with on and off flare ups. She did great for first 1 1/2 years on apriso but it's not working any more. I am trying to figure out alternative medicine for her.

How do I get the CC herbal? Do I order it?

Okay 24 hours in. I've taken 2 capsules so far and I'm seeing some slight improvement (better formation + lower frequency). I'll keep every one updated. Seriously would be so happy if this worked.

I am trying to check with herbal doctor to see all 3 ingredients are ok for 5 yrs old little girl....Qing Dai, Huang Qin, Mu Xiang.
Unless I am sure, I can't try it for my little girl. Herbal can be very dangerous if it is not the right one. @lookforcure thank you so much for the info. I will keep that in mine...

@Scarecrow do you remember how many days/weeks it took for the good days > bad days. I'm seeing some improvement but a lot of back and forth.

Hey all, just wanted to check in here again on the CCherbal. Good to see the board alive and read of more success stories. I had a major setback I've posted about on another thread and am on prednisone with a GI appointment next week to set a new RX plan. My flare had my on the floor, in totally childbirth pain agony, no sleep, bathroom with extreme blood every 10-15 minutes, I needed relief quick as I was deteriorating at a rapid rate. Flare caused by extreme life stress which has thankfully passed and been resolved. Pred is working. I'm hoping after going down the traditional RX route for a while and really maintaining some remission that I feel confident in I can go back to the altnernate remedies eventually. I just think the last flare was just too much for anything herbal to get me out of alone. I still have a high regard for CCherbal and the other supplements and I'm definitely keeping my bottles for down the road, I had just ordered a 3 month supply. It's very good to read that others are able to shake this thing eventually with alternate remedies when possible, thank you for continuing to share stories and hope to us all.

@julie I'm still following your progress where I can find it, seems like you are a bit back and forth and lead a very fun life of travel, makes it hard to really control what you are eating. You are doing great and it's nice to hear of your tales, both good and bad.

I was doing good on CC Herbal for 3 wks, then had my 2nd flare of some sort, thought it was IBS, as I had in past, but it seem to be getting worse, black D, cramping & nausea, so I caved and started Prednisone Tues. My GI had prescribed in Aug. and I hadn't taken, wanted to try Alternative.
CC Herbal stopped my B in 5 days, which Lialda had'nt done in 6mos., except when ennie was used with it, but started up within 2 wks, when the ennies were finished. Would like to try the herbal route again, maybe later.....

@scarecrow Thanks for logging back in with us and sharing your experience. It's promising to read that you've been able to use just a few natural remedies to stay in remmission!

@julie It's interesting how you and I went through similar paths the last month, having a flare, using CCherbal, having it work, then having a big episode that brought us down prednisone road. How you doing now?

@franny Good to hear your son is experiencing some progress as well. I believe even just a bit of relief does wonders mentally, which does help physically to get you out of the funk of hating your body and what its doing to finding some hope that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. I continue to pray and wish for success for all of you as we walk down this road to healing together.

On my end, still on 40mg of pred a day, with a GI appointment Tues afternoon. I've been feeling physically and mentally awesome (with two side effects that aren't bothering me as much as they should which is strange). Experiencing insomnia quite a bit, hence the 230A post local time. My mind is just awake sometimes and I can't fall back asleep, so sometimes I'll just get up for a while and do some work and then eventually get a little sleepy and go back to bed for a few hours and just wait til morning. Some nights I make it to 4-5ish which is better than tonight. I'm hoping with a taper in sight of pred, this will go away. I haven't been sleepy at all during the day with these nights of 4-5 hours of sleep. I can't imagine it's a good thing for the body to be going through though. Also, having constipation for the first time in years, tomorrow will be day four with no BM. I have no cramping or discomfort but just know that somethings a-brewing when the time comes and hope it just is the normal stool that just wanted to simmer for days? Very strange, I've been eating very healthy with lots of veggies and fruits, staying hydrated, etc. We started moving this weekend so maybe since my body is a bit out of rhythm because we are doing all sorts of stuff, but still, I've had slow mornings at the house with a few hours before we do anything and NOTHING going on in the bathroom. Today has to be the day...I did extra twisting yoga poses and had even more spinach than I thought was possible yesterday, so I'm crossing my fingers.

@plumsmom,
I've also had some insomnia, will feel tired, but takes couple hrs to go to sleep, then wake early but can usually go back to sleep. Also have hot flashes and night sweats with Lialda.
I started 30 mg Pred today, so will see what that brings! Have headache now, but had eye exam today, Macular degeneration tests, dialation, etc, so think that's prob the cause of it.

I'm thinking I'll start CC Herbal again, when I'm tapered down to 10mg Pred, hoping it will help prevent my symptoms from returning!
I get email from SCD diet site and they believe the hormone Cortisol fights inflamation and most of us with IBD have low levels of Cortisol. Have y'all heard this before??

garylouisville said...
To be honest, that doesn't sound right to me. Cortisol is a steroid everyone's body makes, unless you are on prednisone, in which case (if you are on a high enough dose of about 10mgs per day or higher) your body's adrenal glands shut down and no longer produce it. I have never heard of cortisol levels being lower in those with IBD. Maybe they are trying to say that IBD patient's body's don't manufacture much cortisol due to the fact that many of us are on prednisone, not because the UC itself lowers our cortisone levels.

I subscribe to that theory. I think I wear out my adrenal glands, constantly creating inflammation lifting all the time working way too many hours in stressful situations - they burnout.

I believe that because I get better whenever I add some prednisone. I think this is the classic 'adrenal fatigue' and other people just get run down but with UC we are always producing more inflammation in the gut so a drop in production begins the slippery slope.