I am in REMISSION!

I was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis -pancolitis- in 2008. Needless to say I was very sick. I lost all my hair, had many blood transfusions, was put on steroids, immuran and a two other meds to help me eat....

about a year ago I met a lady who had similar symptoms who had just gone into remission also...She said it was this stuff called Kefir that helped her and offered me some... I checked with my surgeon and got the okay to take it..It is a natural probiotic that you grow yourself. It tastes like buttermilk or plain yogurt. If you plan on trying it, try and get someone to give you some of their cultures, do not buy it if possible. The natural stuff is much more potent and should be free.

Anyway, after about 3 days on the kefir -drinking about a cup a day- it was like night and day. I felt "normal" and the pain in my gut had finally stopped!!! The diarrhea quit, and I finally had an appetite!

Fast forward a year on and on Tuesday I had my annual colonoscopy...I am in remission!!!! I realize I will always have to watch what I eat, sugar kills me, but this is fantastic news! They never thought I would come this far and I wanted to share my information on the off chance it could help any of you.

I stopped taking the steroids and the pentasa in 2009. I am now on immuran. I have slowly been decreasing the dosage on that by 1/2 pill a month. My next appt is May 31st and I hope I will be given the okay to stop them completely.

I really watched what I ate. Sugars made me ill, too many carbs made me ill. Mushrooms, cauliflower and brocolli were barely tolerated. I stick to eggs, and salads and meats and vegs and I started with a 1/2 cup of kefir in the mornings and increased it to a cup in the morning and again at night. My diet has been like this since 2009 and I started the kefir in the fall of 2011.

I still drink 2 cups a day. I mix it with vanilla yogurt (a few spoonsfuls) or a mixture of cinammon or natural black cherry juice.

Over Christmas I moved houses and stopped drinking the kefir because it was too hectic with the holidays and moving etc... the symptoms came back immediately. Pain, diarrhea, constant nausea, the only thing that didn't was the blood, but I figured that was just a matter of time... So I went back on the kefir and it took about 2 weeks for things to stabilize again.

At first it increases movements, which is scary, but I think it is getting rid of toxins and has to do that. I don't pretend to understand it , I just know that for me it worked amazingly and I will never stop taking it again.

I have my children on it, but they don't like the taste so I make smoothies for them with it and they don't even know they are drinking it.

Where did you get your kefir from?

@ Kefirgirl: congrats im so happy for you!!
Can you give me step by step instructions on how to make the kefir? I want to make myself but there many ways to make it but i wanna learn your way since it worked for you.
I would be grateful if you could share.

kefirgirl It is a natural probiotic that you grow yourself. It tastes like buttermilk or plain yogurt. If you plan on trying it, try and get someone to give you some of their cultures, do not buy it if possible. The natural stuff is much more potent and should be free.

Isn't there a group of people on the internet that trade cultures?  Glad to hear kefir has worked for you. 

I would be happy to share any info I have and any extra kefir grains. We have a horrible disease and the more people who get rid of it the happier I will be.

I put the grains of kefir in a glass bowl with a loose plastic lid. I started out with a teaspoon of them, now there is probably a cup of them. I have about half a cup in each bowl. I add milk- 2% or full homo milk and I leave it sitting on my kitchen counter. Usually once or twice I will wiggle the bowl throughout the day. The kefir rises to the top and I can see the separation of the curds and whey in the glass. They sit at least 24 hours...sometimes 48, no more than that...

At night I separate the kefir. I use a small metal meshed strainer and a wooden spoon. I push on the kefir with the wooden spoon to get all the product off of them, and then plop the kefir on the lid of the bowl while I finish the rest. The product gets put into a large glass milk container with a loose fitting cork lid and put in the fridge for later consumption. The kefir's sitting on the lid get put back in the bowl and I add more milk. Probably a cup to a cup and a half. The lid gets placed back on top. Mainly to keep the cats and the dust out.

I don't wash the bowl more than once a week.. I don't transfer the kefir grains back and forth between the fridge and counter. I did that at first and they stopped growing.

These are the same grains that put the lady with UC in another town in remission and now I am so I know they are good grains.

I would be happy to share them, I live in Alberta Canada if anyone is close enough I will mail them or give you some.
I have sent them as far away as Saskatchewan and they made it by post so I think they are pretty hardy.

I was told curds and whey was what little miss muffet drank...makes you think doesn't it?

As for probiotics, no I just use kefir. I take vitamin C vitamin D3 and vitamin E... that's it...

And immuran, which I am hoping to get off of soon..

Post Edited (kefirgirl) : 5/1/2012 8:01:59 AM (GMT-6)

thanks evalou, I will start a mason jar with my extra grains to hopefully help others and pay it forward.:)

Peter, do you make it from raw milk?

so specifically, what organisms are in this?

Kefirgirl, I'm not new to this blog, I read it often since being diagnosed with severe pancolitis two years ago. However, today I finally created my own account because I read your post and I want to try your grains! It sounds so promising! I live in Newfoundland, and I'd be willing to pay you for xpresspost shipping, to make sure they arrive alive.. My email address is [email protected] if you can email me I'd really love to make arrangements. It makes me so happy to hear people are curing themselves of this illness, because I know the doctors sure aren't much help.

hi, Can anyone give me step by step instructions on how to make the kefir? I want to make myself but there many ways to make it but i wanna learn your way since it worked for you.