Defining "Remission." What does it literally mean to you?

So in responding to my AMP thread, I started browsing the threads a bit to see what other content is occurring here, when in journey2health said this in his/her currently most recent post:

"After all, can you really say you're in remission if rectal inflammation is just one night away without an enema?"

Now, I've made my AMP post and I don't know that I should simply go in every thread and encourage that everyone use it (although I do think you ought to use it). But that question I thought was quite valid, and made me realize that maybe not everyone defines remission the same. And maybe when I make my case for AMP, it's not exactly clear what is meant, or at least what I mean, by the term.

Who here has been in remission, and what does that mean in terms of the symptoms you feel, how likely or soon they are to return, what your diet is like, and how your stools are?

I'm probably undercutting my own case by not clarifying how well I've been with it. For me, in remission, with the exception of having to take the AMP nightly, I live as though I've never had colitis. My BMs are regular (once every day or two), they're well formed and without blood, and I get to eat whatever I want (and I do). Not only that, it takes me at least a few weeks without treatment to start diving into symptom territory again. This has been the only remission I've known and experienced. And it seems to me as symptom-free as I can imagine, so I just thought that this was the truest expression of "remission," not thinking that other people might classify it differently based on other experiences.

When you say you hit remission, what is your condition like? Or am I under a misapprehension and everyone basically agrees?

I agree with you. If you are without symptoms and able to eat what you want (with the caveat that you don't revert a dietary change that brought to you remission!) then that is remission.

I've come to believe that remission is a myth and it is like looking for leprechauns and unicorns haha. As I've had pesky inflammation since diagnosis, and nothing so far has completely gotten rid of it... no dietary change no medication nothing.

I haven't seen remission in 21 years. Remission to me is ZERO symptoms, no blood, no D, and NO URGENCY. Sounds like heaven.

Hmm, I must admit I'm a little surprised that, at least so far, no one else has volunteered that they've hit remission. But I guess these boards deal more with those actively recovering rather than those who are well; there's less of a reason for them to peruse.

Regarding AMP, I posted at length about it here:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2710084

And even more extensively here (which is in my profile as well):
forucuseamp.blogspot.com/

In short, AMP is Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharide, a derivative form of Aloe Vera. It is one select component out of everything that makes up aloe, and so is quite a bit distinct from it, and quite a bit more effective. But because it's a natural product, it's not a drug, not covered by insurance, and consequently not recommended by doctors.

I used to take Molocure, before the founders split into Digestinol and Floracel. Now I take Floracel, and so while the others may be as good if not better, I can certainly attest to the positive results I've had with Floracel. There's also Serovera that I've never tried, but seems to be the same idea.

Here's a brief run-down on the process:
You follow a diet that restricts food that aggravate your symptoms. This allows the AMP more time in your system so that it can absorb as fully as your digestive tract will allow before BM time. To that end, they strongly urge an anti-diarrheal like lomotile or loperamide HCl, in the early stages while BMs are still frequent. As you get better, you can stop the lomotile. You take AMP on an empty stomach, about a half hour before you eat (I envision it traveling down the clear tract easier to better make it to its destination). After you hit remission, you reduce the dosage from the active 9/day (3 before each meal, or 4 morning/5 night), down to 3 at night. So one bottle then goes from lasting 1 month to lasting 3. And it's enough to keep you in check. And then you don't have to worry about a thing. Maybe a colonoscopy to confirm, or to get a colon cancer screening. But symptom-wise, you should be in the clear for as long as you regularly follow the maintenance routine.

There's no side effects I've ever experienced, and no complications or contraindications with other medicines (though the only ones I've personally tested are Colazal and Canasa). Short of a true cure, I can't imagine anything else I'd prefer to take instead. And knowing how well it's worked for me, I can't imagine keeping it to myself.

Post Edited (_Bryan_) : 4/23/2013 3:08:16 PM (GMT-6)

I guess I don't agree Bryan. I was very close to remission, if not already in remission, when I adopted a gluten free diet. That was the final piece of the puzzle for me. A bit more than a year later I had a scope that found no evidence of inflammation anywhere. (In my signature you can see that I call myself in remission).

Last week I had the first symptom of any kind of inflammation in two years. It was a swelling on my hand. For many years my primary complaint about my IBD was joint pain, so this wasn't a huge surprise. So far I have not seen any meaningful changes in my bowel, and a blood test taken a few days before the hand swelling showed a normal CRP. So I'll call it a freak event and move on. But no way am I going back to eating gluten.

I think drugs and/ or diet changes are more often than not like sandbags in a flood. The sandbags can keep the land from flooding, but the raging flood water (UC) is still there on the other side, looking for any weakness through which it can return. The sandbags might be solid and effective, or water might trickle through a small crevice and take a while for you to notice it, or it might find an easier path and come raging through.

Drugs/ diet change can keep the symptoms at bay, but the underlying problem remains and can return as soon as you become too complacent about the drugs or diet. Remission means the sandbags are holding, for now, as far as you can tell, such that you don't have blood or urgency or other related symptoms.

No crapping my pants in public! Lol, that's remission for me

it means NO symptoms and on maintenance meds.


and yes..I eat anything I want to eat...but that doesn't fit into the category of anything. I make decisions based on comfort, taste and ingredients, but not all at the same time.

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