I cured / got rid of my ulcerative colitis

It's possible that many cases of UC are not really UC at all but an allergic reaction to a food or foods or even things that aren't foods. I think there probably are several different root causes of IBD but that they are all kind of lumped together into basically one category (or two). This could explain why some who go gluten free (or whatever) have success and others don't. Those claiming success often think with this one train of thought, usually ignoring all of the people who followed these diets religiously with no benefit, and all of those who came down with UC even after living these lifestyles in the first place. For some maybe it is an allergic condition while in others it is truly autoimmune. Cure is a bad word to use because if you were truly cured then you could eat whatever you wanted without having to worry about your UC coming back. Right now you stay in remission as long as you get treatment for the disease, even if that treatment is only a diet change.

Chrissy, I don't think it's negativity per se, but rather realistically speaking. I don't doubt everyone is happy this person has found relief, but we all know there is no cure. This person has found something that works for now. Could a person who has been in remission for 10 years on a drug say they are cured by the drug? No, they are in remission due to finding something that works for them. Don't we all wish there was a cure...

Yeah, I don't see a lot of negativity, just reality of what the situation might be. Awesome that you ran across something that helps you. Luckily the market for that type of diet has grown over the years. I see more and more out there for options nowadays.

Garylouville said...
It's possible that many cases of UC are not really UC at all but an allergic reaction to a food or foods or even things that aren't foods.

With all due respect I don't think you know what you are talking about. During my two major flares my symptoms were as bad, or worse than almost anybody else on this forum. I had two colonoscopies from two different GIs, two years apart. Biopsies were taken each time indicating without a doubt that I have IBD.

As an outsider you don't have the right to say that I don't have IBD. The high priests of the medical profession have declared that I DO have IBD, although there is some question whether it is Crohn's Colitis or Ulcerative Colitis.

I am also among the lucky subset of people officially diagnosed with colitis who get relief and remain in remission thru diet modification and avoiding gluten among other foods. This doesn't at all negate my official diagnosis of IBD.

It is people like you who seriously damage the value of our forum by implying that food has nothing to do with UC. It discourages others who might otherwise be helped by experimenting with their diets.

Chrissysoul said...
Lol I am amazed at all the negative responses to this thread. I Think it's really cool/ lucky that jardine found this to help reach remission. I would think there would be happiness to know that someone may have beaten their UC. We all know what a ***** it is. sometimes this forum isn't the best place to be when people who should be understanding are not the nicest :/

I don't think it's negativity. It's the use of the word CURE that gets people riled up. I went through an awful lot to get where I am right now having surgery and all and being minus a colon. So when I hear someone say "oh stop eating wheat and you'll be cured" it makes me a bit nutty. No hard feelings to the OP. I'm glad it worked for him or her. But leave cure out of it.

Byebyeuc- yeah I can see where that could be upsetting. I just don't even have it in my head that it's possible to cure it. I can see where some would be upset by that tho.

Gary- yes. I can see what is upsetting about this thread. I just think it's crazy how riled up we can get over this stuff. Cuz it doesn't help us you know. But yeah. I guess for me I have posted before and gotten kinda negative stuff back but maybe I was being annoying or I'm just really sensitive who knows. Anyway I think that's where my last comment was coming from truly.

Jardine -

thank you for sharing your story - from my point of you - i'm just happy to hear that someone found something that works for them - hope it continues to work and you feel good for a long long time...

please continue to post your progress - its very helpful, at least as far as i'm concerned!

good luck

Wheat. That is a funny one.

Yesterday I picked up my favorite treat. Cinnamin Babka. Unbleached wheat flour with pure cane sugar and cinnamin loaf. I ate the entire thing like I always do. Doing great. What I cannot seem to handle is 'fake' sugars of any kind maybe even excess stevia should be on the list and dairy. Wheat and sugar are no problem for me. I have cut wheat out so many times with no benefit. Still I eat a gluten free bread with sandwiches.

Congrats on finding something that works for you. I am always happy to hear that someone has gone into a really good remission.

I am someone for whom diet does not affect (help or hurt) my colitis. Drugs help. And then they stop and I need a different drug. And that is also why it hurts to hear about someone who can control their colitis with diet. I have tried, faithfully a lot of different diets (going on 10+ years here) with no difference noted. Actually, when my colon is angry even water is enough to do me in.

I get diet suggestions (and supplement and prayer and magical thinking suggestions) from just about everyone. For me, I end up feeling guilty (that I can't fix this) and ashamed (that there is something really wrong with me). I feel like I should try harder, but then I just have to acknowledge I'm tired. I want to live a relatively normal life.

It has taken a lot to get over my feelings of guilt and shame. I am finally at a place where I can just accept, be grateful really, that drugs work and I am ok.

So congratulations! But just know that diet doesn't work for everyone. And it hurts when it is the constant suggestion. It hurts because I want it so badly to work.

Just my feelings. Also, I've often wondered if there are different types (strains really) of colitis as some people really do seem to be helped by certain diets, medications, or supplements while other people aren't. Maybe one day we'll know more IBD and have a more effective way of discovering which treatment will be most effective for certain people. That will be a great day!

Judy2 said...
Diet has absolutely no effect on my UC. I always just skipped the diet threads because they don't apply to me. I tolerated people who had the condition for six months sagely telling me that if I'd just do what they did I'd be well.

It's no longer possible to avoid those threads because this has become an alternative medicine forum, so I just don't come here much. I hope you find a place to get support.

I feel you very much on this one, Judy.

Absolutely tired of people who've had the disease for a few months acting like they've found "the" answer. If I was to apply my own situation, then I was practically in remission six months after my diagnosis, at least symptomatically (underneath I suspect it was quite another story). I could've swanned into a Crohn's forum as well, saying how well I was doing.

Six months is nothing. Come to me after 20 years of remission and I'll be impressed. 10 years minimum. Otherwise it doesn't count. Some lady posted on the Crohn's forum today about her husband. He originally had UC, it was changed to Crohn's. He kept it under control for a few years with a strict diet, but - surprise surprise - it's no longer sufficient and Humira is being considered.

I should add IBD isn't always duty-bound to get worse. It's a disease with a massively variable course, which can take many twists and turns over decades. Some people will be relatively lucky and be in remission most of the time or not have acutely severe flare-ups, but imo the descriptor "mild" doesn't mean a lot. My disease was as mild as it could get in the beginning; look at me 14 years later, total wreck.

(Sorry, I know I went on. Depressed.)

I think it's human nature to try blaming ourselves for our disease. We must have done something wrong, ate something wrong. It's got to be our fault. If we didn't do this or we hadn't done that then we wouldn't have this wretched disease. There have been plenty of people worldwide that led perfectly healthy lifestyles and still came down with this disease. I'm really happy for those that are able to control their disease or even go into remission with diet modification. While there are many of them, overall it is still just a small percentage. There's a reason why most all GI's will tell you that diet has nothing to do with getting UC or putting it into remission - because in most cases it doesn't. And, for those who want to attack me for this post, I did not say that diet has no effect on UC because most IBD patients have trigger foods that if they avoided them then their condition wouldn't be as bad but that's a far cry from saying that diet is the cause or the cure of the disease.

What upsets people the most is when you imply that your cure will work on others. I never implied that my allergy shots will cure anyone of my past autoimmune disease. It worked for me and that's great.

Many of the diet people here are hardcore believers that diet gave us the disease and imply that diet can cure the disease. If it worked for them and you that's great but most people here have been there, done that, and it didn't work so it gets a little annoying when someone posts on here (particularly with their first post) wanting to share their cure with the world.

I still really don't understand how it is you can go through all the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, the pains and the agonies of this disease, and not find this site or post asking questions about treatments, etc. and then all of a sudden they get "cured" and they find us and want to share their cure with the world with their first post. If they never found us during their worst times and then got cured, how did they even ever find us at all?

Nicecup made a good point that there have been many here who were "cured" by diet for a few months or a year and then all of sudden they come posting here in a panic because they are having a horrible flare that diet doesn't help anymore and they are clammoring for info on meds.

I do find it flattering that with all the so called negative posts in this thread that you choose me to single out. You actually make me feel special, probably the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.