Recently diagnosed with UC. Who has had success with radical, sustained changes in diet?

I guess I had my first "flare up" earlier in the summer, which lasted a few months. Symptoms were the usual. Loose bloody stools; urgency to have a bowel movement immediately after eating or drinking; 4-6 bowel movements daily; minimal stomach cramping and bloating but no real stomach pains. My symptoms briefly improved one month ago after water fasting for two days and very minimally improving my diet.

I finally had a colonoscopy earlier in the week and was told I have mild, left sided UC. I was prescribed Mesalamine DR 1.2gm x4 per day. Here's the thing, I don't want to take the medications until I try the natural route first. My question is, who has had success with radical, sustained changes to their diets? I ask because when I was at my worst during the flare up, I tried water fasting for two days (drank only a gallon of water daily and took vit/min pills) and my bowel movements immediately improved. I went from several bloody diarrhea stools per day for six straight weeks to normal looking stools, which lasted for 2-3 days afterward, until I slid back to my poor eating and drinking patterns.

Some background on my dietary habits: I have been eating quite badly over the last ten years. Fast food several times a week, routine high alcohol percentage craft beers, ribeyes and pork steaks, cheeses, sweets, sodas, basically all processed foods with minimal water intake and very seldom any fresh or raw fruits and vegetables. I am not surprised my stomach integrity has finally weakened. I remember telling my coworkers how my stomach was made of steel because I could eat Taco Bell multiples times a day and not have any issues. Foolish me.

Now, I am starting to see a correlation between my eating habits and symptoms. Duh? The brief water fasting improvement caught my attention. Basically it told me there are things that I can do that either improve my symptoms or make them worse. And since Tuesday I have been eating really healthy. Lots of fruits and vegetables, rice, fish cooked in olive oil, yogurt with live cultures, etc. Only water, skim milk and orange juice to drink. No cheating what so ever. All of my meals have been prepared by me except for the yogurt. I have never ate like this before and my stools have been normal. No blood either, which is surprising because I've had routine bloody stools for over ten years due to slight internal hemorrhoids.

Could this be my fix? I'm not saying this is a cure. The medical community states this condition is incurable. Some people who claim to have conquered UC and haven't had flare ups in years say otherwise. My goal is to avoid all future flare ups (isn't that everyone's goal?) or at least be able to manage minimal flare ups without the aid of medications. Has this worked for anyone? I will note, if I drastically improve my dietary habits for a substantial period of time and the symptoms and flare ups still persist, I will take the pills. I am not anti medications, I just want to see what my body can do first. Am I crazy for thinking this?

Jon

Post Edited (moedank) : 11/30/2018 11:45:47 PM (GMT-7)

Unless cost is an issue, Mesalazine is a very good medication with very few side effects for the vast majority of people. It's better to make dietary changes while taking Mesalazine if it's causing you no harm.

(I'm saying this as one of the rare people that can't take Mesalazine)

Mesalazine has saved my life and has hardly any side effects. Take the meds and get on with your life.

Welcome to the forum.

What exactly is the location extent of your UC?

I'm not going to touch the food issue, except to say that you will probably keep raising the bar of your tolerance as to what is normal and not learn anything about having UC along the way.

I do, however, strongly suggest you get on mesalamine retention enemas.

q

Please take your mesalamine as prescribed by your doctor. You're foolish not to, and in denial of having a serious, lifelong disease caused by your immune system.

It's easy to cherry-pick success stories of a few who do not take meds. However the vast majority of us require medications. Mesalamine is very safe, topical medication well tolerated by most without side effects.

Moedank— I mean a varied diet that sustains you and provides a modicum of pleasure in its consumption. That’s pretty open-ended, by culture, but takes into consideration that food is not only sustenance, it’s a means of pleasure and an important social tool.

But the foundation of my point is that it’s easy to fall into a “wellness trap,” for want of a better term, that insists we can somehow micromanage our health purely via nutrition. That’s just not true. While you can use nutrition to fine tune some aspects of your overall health, you cannot use it to cure an auto-immune disease. You just can’t. And there’s no substantial evidence that diet plays a significant role in the management of UC. So the premise is flawed.

quincy said...
Based on your scope, doesnt sound UC.
Crohn's colitis, maybe.

q

I agree. That scope report doesn't sound like UC to me either.

Jon (moedank), get a copy of the pathology report once the biopsies are reviewed, and share it with us if you don't mind.

Is your GI an IBD specialist? If not, you might consider seeing one for a second opinion.

Try what you would like. Just realize a short trial with no meds may cause lasting damage.

My recommendation is to use diet as a supplement to your medical treatment. Get the flare fully under control then start thinking about natural treatment and weighing options. I think this is a reasonable approach for someone who doesn't want to take meds.

Look into Paleo AIP and IBD. There was a small study done not long ago. I'll link it if I find it.

This article also provides some good info. https://www.dietvsdisease.org/ulcerative-colitis-diet/

This one too
https://www.dietvsdisease.org/crohns-disease-diet-treatment/

Thanks again to everyone who has shared their advice and experiences. I am processing everything and carefully considering your input.

beave said...

Jon (moedank), get a copy of the pathology report once the biopsies are reviewed, and share it with us if you don't mind.

Is your GI an IBD specialist? If not, you might consider seeing one for a second opinion.

Pathology report:
Colon, random biopsies: fragments of normal colonic mucosa
Colon, left, biopsies: 1. chronic colitis with moderate activity 2. No dysplasia identified

I assumed he was an IBD specialist since he is a GI doctor, but I realize there are many conditions of the digestive tract. Don't know if colitis is one of his main focuses.

I've been on the IBD AID diet for about 6 months. I didn't notice much difference at first, but last month or so, I feel my symptoms are lower than they have ever been. IBD AID is basically cutting out all grains except steel cut oats, all added sugars except raw honey, and all dairy products except plain yogurt and aged cheese. To be helpful they expect 80% or better compliance.
I've been able to cut back on maintenance meds (mesalamine) with no increase in symptoms.
I can eat all the fruit and vegetables I want with a few exceptions, and most meats, so that part is good.
IMO, if dietary changes are going to help, don't expect it to be overnight. They are not a quick fix.
Anyway, just thought I would share my experience FWIW.

The reality is, we can warn the OP of the perils of not taking his meds and it won't make one bit of difference. People don't really learn from other people's experiences. They gotta make the same mistakes. Most of us at one point tried the natural way, and in turn damaged our bodies. That was our choice to make, as is the OPs. If the OP wants a future of horrible abdominal pain from scar tissue, then so be it. I can say, it's not very fun, not at all.

To expand on what I posted, don't try to use diet as a way to get out of a flare. Use meds to get out of a flare, and then use diet as a way to try to make your remission better and longer.

what your daily life is like makes a big difference in how you treat your UC - at least IMO -

I had the good fortune of having a lifestyle that allowed me to experiment with diet/no meds - for folks who have to go to work, takes care of kids, go to school, etc., it can be a challenge -

i totally agree with the last sentance of Oligodar's post -