Hey all! I hope this note finds you doing well, or as well as you can be living with UC. I wanted to stop in and say hi...it's been way to long...and to give you an update and some encouraging news to those that seem to have lost all hope of living a "normal" life without UC.
I have been in remission for over a year now, and almost 1 year without taking any medications (I think my GI doc will freak when I tell him). I've never been able to go more than a week without my meds without brining on a flare up, but in March, I quit taking them cold turkey. I was taking 6 Asacol a day (the big ones...the maxium daily dosage) and Nexium. Seemed when I stopped taking the Nexium too, it would cause a flare up. It was weird.
Anyway, it all started back in January 2013 when I decided to quit smoking. My brother had been diagnosed with Liver Cancer a few months prior with little chance of survival (he died 9 months after his diagnosis), and I wanted to make the best of my life and increase my longevity. I wanted to see my daughter grow up, get married and see my grandchildren. Quitting smoking was my first step towards a healthier lifestyle. So I quit on Jan. 4th. Trust me, I had quit many times before but always started back up. This time I wanted to quit for good. about 3 weeks after I quit, I wanted to make sure I quit for good so I decided to detox hoping if I rid myself of the toxins in my body, it would make quitting that much easier. I decided to try juicing again. For those that weren't around the first time I tried juicing (back in 2006), I threw myself into a flare up that ended with me going to the hospital and taking predinose for 8 weeks. Not one of my finer moments.
I had posted on my FB page what I was going to do. Knowing I could possibly be setting myself up for a major flare up, I only committed to doing a juice fast for 5 days (or until I started to feel a flare up coming on). Yes, I wasn't hopeful I could do it. Then a friend of mine told me to watch that movie, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" That night I turned it on through Netflix and watched it. 5 Minutes into the movie, I noticed my husband and daughter were watching it with me. 90 minutes or so later when the movie ended, the Mister turns to me and said, "Lets do it." I told him I would only commit to 5 days because I was sure I would end up with a flare. He said okay, but that he wants to do it for 60 days. We set the date, researched recipes, scorred the FSND website and got prepared. I pulled out my juicer from 2006, dusted it off and began juicing on Feb. 4.
5 days into it and my gut was surviving the juice. I went on to day 6. There was some intestinal distress, but the DH was experiencing it as well. We did some research and found out it can be normal. Explosive BM's, intestinal gurgling, etc. I paid close attention and listened to my body. Every little gurgle had me worried, and every BM was scrutinized to the T. Nope, no blood!! Before I knew it, I was at 30 days of my juice fast and going strong. I felt better than I had ever felt in my 45 years. No flare up, but mind you, I was still taking my pills religiously. My skin was radiant, I had more energy than I ever had before, my hair was healthier and I was finally losing weight (yeah, I was not one of those people that lost weight with UC), my BP went back to normal, my joints didn't hurt anymore, my back and neck weren't stiff, my cholesterol was even better than before I started juicing (had a work up done the day I started and then again 60 days later), my sleep improved 10 fold, no more fatique, no more edema, no more pain when I touched my legs. 30 days in and I decided to keep going with my DH for a total of 60 days.
At some point in March, I decided to skip taking my pills....one day led to another day and I was past my 4 day limit with no ill affects. I continued to juice and when our 60 days was up, I went mostly to a raw diet eating lots of fruits and vegetables with an occassional cooked meal. I was nervous eating all that fiber and raw veggies, but nothing happened so I continued.
It's been almost a year since I started juicing and quit my meds. I still juice, still eat lots of fruits and veggies and try to eat a raw vegan diet for the majority. Don't get me wrong, I slip up and eat the bad stuff from time to time (meat is very bad for me - huge trigger for many ailments, chips, candy, etc), but for the most part, those days are far and few between.
So, I am here to tell you no matter how horrible it seems, there is HOPE!! I never thought I'd be able to go off meds or eat all this raw food again (I love my fruits and veggies), but I am living proof that it can happen. I beleive I needed to heal my body, which I believe juicing played a HUGE role. I have always wondered if having a clean and healthy oral hygeine plays a critical role in our digestive health. I beleive once I started taking better care of my mouth, teeth and gums, my health improved a lot when it came to my UC. Looking back, my UC was at its worst when I didn't go to the dentist. Always had good teeth, only 3 cavitites my whole life, so I never went to the dentist. When I finally did go, my gums were in bad shape, but over the years I was able to reverse it and I know have a very healthy mouth - teeth, gums and all. I think that was the beginning and helped ease my UC flare ups even before I started jucing. I believe juicing just took me to the next level - healing my digestive tract and allowing me to go off all meds.
I don't know if my story will help anyone or what, but I wanted to share my story with this group as you all have been so supportive over the years.
I wish nothing but health and happiness for each of you in the upcoming New Year.
Many blessings,
Vicki