So, I was down to 5mg of my prednisone (steroid)

And my symptoms slowly came back.. So I cut out all veggies and now Im just eating fruits....

Tommarow Im going to eat just Mainly coconut water.

I ended up raising my prednisone back up to 15mg for 6days, then 10mg and going to do this again...

Any one have any advicew? should I be expecting slight symptoms or inflammation to come back??

Im only eating fruits now.. papaya, bananas, mango, and cherimoya and as I said fresh coconut water..

Im really in need of help.. I googled Imuran the medication my GI doctor said I need to be taking, and the side effects are horrible! Basically Death, possible tumors, blood disoreders, liver failure, cancer etc. etc.

Not to mention the same pharmacy company who makes it makes those medications for HIV wich I was just reading about yesterday wich I read is the leading cause to liver failure and death in people positive with hiv... So uhg Im all depressed now friends, and Im quite scared of what to do next...

Any help?
Im gonna get some rest now, Ill speak with you in the morning. Much love and rest easy. <3

With the medications in the mix it's tough to say for me.
Maybe try smaller numerous meals or stick to the easiest to handle fruit "only" for a few days or take more time between meals. If anything, maybe just simple patience till it passes and you get back on track and don't attempt to many changes to complicate things.

herbal,

Please take it easy--stressing is the worst thing of all! Remember that what you have is a serious immune response problem. If you look at the health gains you've acquired so far and consider where you will be in a year; provided you continue to take good care of yourself, you will look back on this year and see the vector of progress won't have been a neat straight line going up, up, up. Your body was very sick--you were hospitalized for exhaustion only a few months ago, for heaven's sake!--and your body will experience a few hiccups before it's healed for good.

Judging by how you post here, your knowledge of your body and of this lifestyle have grown by leaps and bounds in a short time. I really admire how hard you have worked, how you have persevered, and how you have refrained from letting fear drive your decision making. The doctor means well, but please remember: he does not know how to heal you. You do. That is your responsibility.

Your instincts about easing your digestive load are good: soft fruits with healing enzymes and lots of water, plus coconut water, is the right thing for you to be doing, imo. Quell that inflammation! You know what you must do for yourself, kiddo. Don't lose heart or doubt yourself. Slowly, slowly, by modifying your diet and activity levels day by day as symptoms arise and abate, you will achieve your goal of healing. This will take time; there are layers of disorder to correct. But slowly, slowly, you are doing it. Trust yourself : )

Hi herbal,
I seem to recall an electrolyte imbalance after your 10 day water fast and subsequent hospitalization.... oh yea, and a 'refeeding' process; then you posted success! thanks!.. are your electrolytes squared away now?

How is the biking (i'm doing more of that myself)?

Aw thank you guys for the encouragement..

Its nice to wake up to this! Yea, I know.. Im thinking now about this, the progress etc. etc..

Well It doesnt make sense to give up.. hah I bought 10 fresh fresh fresh coconuts yesterday from the grocery store. drinking one now. =]

Juist gonna take it easy...

Actually, my blood work came back with my last cat scan, all the inflammation was healed up, but also all the bloodwork came back better then ever.. The anemia and low low iron levels I had before are gone, and the electrolytes as well. I told my GI doctor what Im doing. Predominantly a Raw food lifestyle, basically just fruit at first, then started adding greens.

Soo, as I said I raised my medication very slightly, to 15mg of prednisone and going back to baby steps with the fruits, papaya, bana, coconut water mango and cherimoya.. depending on how I feel ofcourse I will modify my eating plan. I think today gonna try to drink as much coconut as I can! =]

And, since I left out the kiwi yesterday, and started this plan I didnt wake up in the middle of the night with urgency, and I didnt notice any blood today...

guess I need to just clean up my digestion, I think I may have got ahead of myself with the chard andwraps and avocado and yummmy hardy raw cuisine.. ahah O:]


Look at the Imuran tho, wow its some nasty stuff.. side effects are BRUTAL.. I mean, I just am thinking about this.. tumor, cancer, blood disorders, etc. etc. not to mention more then half of ther reviews I read on google were negetive with side effects and liver problems.. I think if It came down to it, I would just have them take my colon on and put a colostomy bag in...

Thanks for your feed back and much love friends. Its encouraging and again if anyone comes up with anything else please let me know. =]

Im still speaking with paul nison who has been an incredible help thru all of this, his advice and encouragement are much befriending.
I also show dave klein a email yesterday... but again, I just get this vibe like hes just after money, and heres why..

I wrote him an email explaining the situation, that Ive been disabilitated becuase of my condition in wich i lost my job from being in the hospital, and if he could give me some advice based on my case etc..

I explained paul helps me and consults about my condition but again, I have no money and I know his consultations are thru the roof..

One think he says DAve klein replies: "if paul is your friend he should be able to lend you some money"
I understand the economy is low... but if its choosing between money and someone health, I would look past the money and help someone regain there health! And at wich point a humble person could trust that when that person is healed or in better state to make money he would openly send money there way no? or am I just being absent minded and inconsiderate?

Anyways.. Im off to my day, much love friends.

I consulted with Dave and I felt it was a waste of time. He kept trying to give me the pros of raw foods and I kept telling him I WAS a raw foodist and quit with trying to sell me on raw foods and let's address the problems. I never followed up with him. In addition, his e-mail procedures were very shaky at the time. Alot of no replies, confusing application procedures, etc. :O(

I bought Paul's book and was really let down with that. He came across like more of a pep talk for going raw overall I felt, rather than how to fix things.

Both seem to deal with things from their experiences and unaware that everyone is different I felt. Too bad since they are the most well known in this area in the RAW world I think.

herbalgerbals,

You don't need David Klein's help. And if Paul Nison advises you for free, OK. But no one who doesn't know you should be lending you money to pay someone else, and I know YOU know not to borrow money from people you don't know, so . . .

keep it in the sun and out of the shady, if you get what I'm sayin' . . . : )

I agree with you both..

I was introduced to paul threw mutual friends in san diego raw food community, who really do seem to care about my well being. I have received nothing but kindess from paul so I continue to speak with him. As I said, I have mixed feelings about david, maybe he will care to help me... who knows?

Today has been a bumpy day.. stomachs been kinda bugging me, but not to severe..
I forget, but you both have delt with and healed your IBD problems?

Also, do you have any opinions on the surgery for ulcerative colitis? Ive been starting to think about that.. maybe it would be work it? any opinions friends?
My guess is they cut out the colon, and the rectum, or parts of it. and then attacha colostomy bag? but arent there different kinds of the surgery?

Tamukha-"soft fruits with healing enzymes"

what's 'healing enzymes'?

Im think she means fruits with healing properties, easier to digest, soft and not as fiborous, or agressivly detoxing as lets say, orange, or kiwi, or pinapple,
kinder fruits, like papaya, banana, mango, cherimoya? =]

herbalgerbals Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Today has been a bumpy day.. stomachs been kinda
> bugging me, but not to severe..
> I forget, but you both have delt with and healed
> your IBD problems?
>
> Also, do you have any opinions on the surgery for
> ulcerative colitis? Ive been starting to think
> about that.. maybe it would be work it? any
> opinions friends?

By both, do you mean me??
I have delt with unbearable issues myself. IBD, IBS, etc I feel is never actually cured though. Those that say they are cured, I think never truly "really" suffered and just needed a diet makeover so to speak, even though they did have issues. I'm not discounting anyone, I just see alot of "I was cured" in 2 weeks with raw and this I do not believe in for true issues. Be prepared for years in some cases, if not longer at times. In addition, it will always be an issue and one can't eat or act irresponsibly ever again, unless you can afford the results. Even then, relapses do and can surface for no reason.

Far as surgery - I would completely exhaust all my other options first before that. I would have done it at my worst if it was a guarantee of fixing things though. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to ever be.I believe in the power of one's own ability to heal oneself. At the same token, I am not blind to points that are beyond repair that may require more serious measures. My experience with Doctors has left more than a bad taste in my mouth, they caused me nothing but misery and frustration.

Herbalgerbals,
Over the course of my desperate search for a cure to ulcerative colitis I had two "spontaneous" remissions occur. At the time I didn't really know what it was because I was trying so many different things. One time I was sick as a dog..maybe 10-20 bm's per day. I was invited to my friends cottage for the weekend, almost didn't go because I felt so bad, but luckily did go. At the time I was SAD eater. That weekend I went to vegan diet + fish + lots of sunlight. I had a reflexology session before I left. After one and a half days my symptoms completely stopped, bowels returned to normal. I was astonished and told my friend my symptoms were gone. I couldn't believe it because in the past I had been hospitalized for weeks with these same symptoms and on loads of prednisone and other junk.

So again two months later, back to SAD, trip to Hawaii coming up. Symptoms were horrible the night before I left. I got up 12 times to go to the bathroom on the flight. Not to mention visiting the bathroom many times at each connection flight. I felt like a dog with diarrhea. It was embarassing to say the least. I thought I had no reason to go to Hawaii in this condition, but I went. On the flight I once again decided to do the vegan diet + fish while in Hawaii. So two days after arrived and lots of sunlight, symptoms completely disappear. Once again astonished! I also did a lot of reflexology on myself at the time, by that I mean 45-60 minutes daily just pressing on my feet.

And I once again returned to previous lifestyle and 5 months later had the worst (and last) flare up to point in my life that almost took my life. My general doctor tested my Vit D levels when I got out of the hospital and said it was the lowest he had ever seen. He also pointed me to an article from New England Journal of Medicine correlated Vit D deficiency with all kinds of disease.

So I pieced the puzzle togethor and realized the sun probably had a great deal to do with my recovery. I think it would have helped even if I weren't deficient. But I tell you I spent more time than ever in the sun last summer after my GI specialist kicked me out of his office for choosing raw foods over deadly meds (imuran, remicade). I knew lifestlyle was my medicine. The food good, but more the "universe" that healed me and living by Its laws.

Patience is key. It took me trying many different herbs, diets, massage techniques, many desperate trips to the health food store. But I found it. It took me about a year, but I was on a mission.

Oh..I just read your thread about surgery. I wouldn't do it. I always say I'm leaving with everything I came with. They wanted to take my colon 8 years ago after a bad flare up. When they suggested the surgery I didn't even have symptoms. So I scheduled it, but something told me not to do it, so I cancelled it just a week or so before. I was 21 at the time, that was a huge decision. And when I say I wouldn't do it, I literally mean that. You have to decide what is right for you. But researching the surgery you still go to the bathroom 7-8 times a day, sometimes urgently and you can get "pouchitis" where they create your new "colon". I love my colon and think it is the most important organ. It does so much.

I would avoid salads for a while after you're feeling better again because they can loosen "scabs" inside your colon. Maybe more smoothies if you need greens.

Hope this helps..

Simple Green

I agree, I sat in the sun as much as possible my first summer. No matter how bad I was, I at least sat there. I believe in the sun as one key component of many to keep in mind.

Simple Green mentioned salads. Lettuce in anyway shape or form even juiced caused me misery. Even though the raw world pushes greens at every turn, when I finally took it to my own I did away 100% without greens for a year and it was one of the best things I could have done :O) Yes, I am still alive mow and can actually eat them if desired although I must be careful still to not overdo it or overdo anything for that matter.

What got me to function and want to live again was foregoing Doctors, raw food gurus, opinions, alternative medicine and forge my own path. I asked myself what can I handle and I ate only and only that with no question. Did not worry about calories, vitamins/minerals. I did what I did avoiding all irritation or discomfort as much as possible. Then, and it took a good year at the time to get stable I leanred from myself and still learn till this day.

Don't give up, you can get your life back.

brian1cs,

You know, soft fruits with lots of enzymes, like the tropical fruits hg mentions, above. Their anti-inflammatory chemicals are used in many different ways by the body, not just for strict digestion, but possibly proteolytically. They help to maintain proper flora ratios, which in turn increase digestion of foods and help quell inflammation directly. Most importantly, they help to metabolize complex proteins, without which the intestine is thrown into turmoil. Leaky gut, anyone?

herbalgerbals,

I was never diagnosed with IBS, because I didn't give the doctors the chance : ) I'd had the symptoms beginning in mid-grade school, but in those days, there was no such disorder classified. The last few years were not as bad as Simple Green's history showed, but bad enough to send me to a gastroenterologist. Twice. There's a lot of shooting in the dark with diagnosing intestinal disorders: a few years ago, my internist suspected just hemorrhoids, then a bile problem, then the gastroenterologist suspected celiac sprue with sympathetic IBS[which is a made-up concept as you know]. Lastly, they were thinking I might have Chrohn's or be at high-risk precondition for colon cancer; the latter of which my late mother had. Whatever. I truly believe that for decades my digestion and elimination have been worsening, with periods of stasis, such as when I became a vegetarian 15 years ago and experienced generally good health. I have taken stock of when I have felt well and when things have regressed, and I have deduced that my periods of crisis corresponded to states of immune crisis and/or catastrophic stress. Scarlet fever at age two: bloating and costiveness for two years, on and off, compounded by my father's death; strep throat once annually through grade school: digestive problems for two weeks each bout; viral pneumonia at 10: digestive problems for about a year, on and off. Zakopane Virus(Epstein Barr variant I picked up on vacay in'94) at 21: digestive problems for four months, on and off every year with reccurrence, lessened when vegan; sinus infection at 32: intermittent digestive problems until now. I didn't use to be allergic to gluten, pulses, dairy, nightshades, tea, etc. But I am now, and when I'd eat them, before going raw, I'd have a bad flare-up, followed by anemia. IBS, or colitis, or what have you, isn't a digestive problem. That's just where it manifests. It's an immune problem, and frankly, at this point I am less worried about developing sepsis in my colon than I am worried that the next bad cold will finish off my spleen and my entire alimentary system will stop working as a consequence.

Since I went 100% raw about two months ago, my symptoms have abated, almost suddenly in the case of some. When I resumed eating cooked foods last week as an experiment[I wrote about this on another thread], horrendous reccurrence of digestive problems, surprise surprise. On high fruit and filtered green smoothies(I sieve out most of the insoluble fiber), I experience noticeable improvement very quickly. For someone who's been dealing with a more serious disorder for a long time, it will take more time to see results. But it's impossible that you won't. I wholeheartedly subscribe to the hypothesis of Natural Hygiene--the root cause of all disorders is toxemia. I have absolute faith that the Raw regimen will bring my body back to health. All signs point to that.

As for surgery: I agree with tanawana and Simple Green--last resort. Your body isn't having problems because you have an extra 15 inches of intestine or an extra rectum. Your large intestine isn't destroying itself; it's the victim here. Removing parts of it isn't the answer as this still leaves tissues for your body to attack. The key is to return you body's systems to correct functioning. It may take time, but it will work. You can never reverse a collectomy, dear.

Tamukha, I subscribe to the theory that enzymes/fruits/food don't heal. I believe my body can heal itself without food. I've experienced this first hand.
What you believe is up to you, of course.

brian1cs,

It's not a matter of belief: it's a matter of organic chemistry! Fine, let me rephrase by saying that, using enzymes in food for metabolic functions on a cellular level, the body heals itself.

where's the proof?

..wheres the proof that the body heals and food doesnt heal? ya know? it can really go both ways my friends..

Lets not get side tracked, were all friends here. =]

Wow, theres really so much to respond to here.. Ill thank you all for responding and giving me so much motivation and ideas to continue my journey.. I mean, Iseriously become Exhausted and drained. And honestly, quite depressed that Im not healing... I am loosing blood again, more then before, and experience discomfort in my rectum again. =[ So far my upper colon doesnt seem to bothered, but lets hope it stays like this and just gets better...

So as I said, Im just so confused on how to continue.. last night I had some kamut soaked in my millet with steamed carrots and some cucumber.. Im not sure if its causing any of my discomfor ttoday..

Im also thinking about requesting to go back up on the prednisone and Really taking it easy with what I eat. sigh.

So fish has been beneficial with your colitis simple green?
Also simple green, my GI wants me to pick between imuran, and remicade..
and hes suprised my colon (last I went to the GI doc) that all my inflammation was gone and he said my colon looks better then ever, then he says "the prednisone worked this time" and i said, yea.. sure it did.. I know what really did it.. it was my diet, the fruits and the raw food.. and I told him thats the only difference this time around, but it didnt bother him. I notice with my GI doc, that when he talks about putting me on remicade or imuran, he never makes eye contact with me.. he tells me the imuran has been used for 50+ years and that they know its side effects, so he would like me to pick imuran.. and remicade is contraversal, I think he just feels guilty.. becuase I googled imuran and cancer, tumors, blood disorders, liver failure, and as I said made by the same company that is repsondible for many of many hiv liver failure deaths due to medicines...

I have been noticing tho.. in the morning Im usually fine, but I take my medicine for my UC, and then about 15minutes I have to use to the bathroom, and get bad stomach pain..

I dont know if I should completey stop my medicines, or if I should ask for high dose prednisone and not include the salads this time like I did before.. if only this was easier!

herbal, the proof is- people heal when they water fast.
Anyway, so as not to hijack the thread I won't be saying anything more.

I dont think that is true, from my personal experience...

I was on a water fast, and I didnt heal.
I actually stuck with it for about 2weeks or more, complete rest, sleeping all day. In the transition lost my apartment becuase I couldnt work, only to end up in the hospital becuase of very very low sodium levels, and my electrolytes were completely messed up, very dehydrated becuase I was loosing blood and had constant diareah. Although I was drinking a lot of water.

So, I have proof that your not completely right. It depends completely on the circumstances, the condition the person is in at the time has a Lot to do with it brian..

herbalgerbals,

I think you know what to do with your GI doc. Discussing nutrition with doctors is usually futile; if he doesn't support your decisions that are helping you to heal, if I were you, I'd refrain from discussing diet with him. If you stand your ground and continue to do what is clearly working for you, you will win the battle of ideas. Don't ever let a clinician railroad you into something that gives you misgivings. In my opinion, that's malpractice.

I am wondering if grain is a good idea. If you're tolerating it OK, then fine, but . . .

Lastly, if you're consistently worse after your meds, maybe your body is trying to tell you something : )

herbalgerbals,
It seems you are looking for a fix by your responses. I think this is a common mistake made by many, as I did the same in the beginning. There is no fix here unfortunately. I suffered a great deal till I got this through my thick head. It takes time and let that sink in, it takes time. You mentioned a 2 week fast and you didn't heal. Well ofcourse not. In serious cases it can take years to get stable. The mindset needs to be established for the healing to begin properly. I suggest again, find what causes the least discomfort, stick with it, be patient and let the body do it's work and educate yourself best you can as you go along.

In addition, Doctors are the worst for digestive help unless you need drugs to assist in the discomfort, Forums generally give you a bunch of random try this or try that ideas, Raw gurus just know what they teach or sell. If things are bad as you say, you should consider just educating yourself by knowing yourself and get things down to simple and being consistent and look at the long run I suggest.

Well yesterday I tried brown rice.. and it did sit well, and I didnt have any urgency, and I also had some millet..

and this 'bible bread', made from Only kamut, millet, amaranth and water, and this morning things were not out of the ordinary compared to this past week.. for dinner tonight I had some sweat potatoe, quinoa/amaranth and little bit of that 'bible bread'. sunday Im going to do bed rest and a full day coconut water fast, since tommarow I need to do some chores, Im just gonna stick to simple fruits as usual..

mmm I love coconut water.. =]

Grains are really hard to digest? Im so confused about kamut.. I know Ive heard that grains arent good for people.. but I always read and hear about brown rice being soothing, same with millet.. but cant find anything about kamut..

Yea.. I guess thats pretty true tawana.. I mean, I was doing so well.. I know and my mother does to, I totally rushed it, and started eating those heavy bulky salads.. AND BAM! now its back.. :[

As Ive stated, I do best with papaya, banana, cherimoya, and coconut water.

Im not COMPLETELY sure about magos.... but, Im quite certain they are fine..

I think i just get realllly bored of the same damn routine everyday, I start rushing into the salads, becuase for the first time in my life, I REALLY LOVED salads.. ahah. oh man, and avocado.. since I was 14, my food of choice were burritos.
beans, rice, guacamole,
when I wasnt vegan, carni asada, sour cream, french fries, beans, rice, maybe some guacomole,
sometimes Ide mix it up! eggs, beans, rice guacamole, french fries..

I LOVED mc donalds growing up.. I mean, chicken nuggets were my addiction, and big macs..

I LOVED pizza. the big fatty crusts from pizza hut, oh man.
Im talking about this becuase I was just revisitng those years with my parents..

I use to eat so much candy from the sweet factory, bags and BAGS full a day.. she had no idea.
steak, oh man.. I never ate veggies or salads,
hah, then my "body building" stages came.. I was in love with protein shakes, and protein bars, I would eat like 5 or 6 fatty protein bars a day! of all different kinds, plus the shakes etc. etc. and big fatty burritos.....

meh. I was a pretty beefy looking vegan training to fight in tournaments in california... now Ive been blessed with this condition, and yea.. its been a REAL hastle, and Im soooo eager to find a fix.. just like youve said..

I just need to slow down, not rush it.. I really do think taking the prednisone again and doing that fruit regimen would really prevail.. but at the same time Ive been on prednisone basically since august of 2008, so Im quite concerned about long term side effects starting to kick it...

ehh, Life huh? life is nuts.. :-\

Im really glad I met you all, always wake up and come straight here to see what you guys have to say to put me in a good mood. Thanks a lot friends, really love you guys! hahaha...

so when is there gonna be a raw food support REUINION? =]

Herbalgerbals,

I don't think it was the fish that helped me, but excluding meat and dairy that I normally ate. It was part of my transition diet to raw. Every time my symptoms got so bad and I became desperate I either did this "vegan+fish diet" or vegan diet. But I wasn't educated enough at the time to do it long term.

Funny what you say about feeling sick after taking the medicine. I believe that medicine is to blame for the ulcerative colitis to land me in the hospital and near death. (I was hospitalized long term 3 times over 8 year period). It was especially obvious to me the last flare up in Nov 07. I was searching for about a year for a cure, but finally had to give in to go to the GI guy because I was so weak. Within one and a half days after seeing him and starting a new medication I was so weak I couldn't even bring a glass to my mouth to get a drink. Luckily my mom stayed with me that night. I was afraid to go to sleep because I didn't think I would wake up. That was the night I was taken to the hospital by ambulance after passing out in the middle of night after having an episode in the bathroom. I had not had symptoms like these in the year I was taking care of it myself. I was working, doing yoga, not healthy, but making it. Now all of a sudden after seeing the specialist I was so sick I couldn't even bring a glass to my mouth and unconscious on the bathroom floor. Of course in the hospital he refuted this idea of mine.."oh its your disease making you sick"..blahblahblah.

Backtrack to the second time I was hospitalized, the symptoms resolved within five days and I was discharged and sent home with instructions to restart asacol. The symptoms returned within two days. I couldn't believe it. My mom said it was the asacol and to stop taking it. I reluctantly stopped it and the symptoms again disappeared. So I believe these "medicines" definately aggravated the disease. Read the side effects closely to medications, they say "may aggravate ulcerative colitis", the GI didn't believe this information from the pharmacy.

I also had to pick between imuran and remicade. I chose remicade because I already knew that side effects of imuran and had been on it in the past. I decided not to research it and just do what he said til I could get away to study raw foods three months later. The GI I saw said there were no side effects from imuran or remicade. He was in major denial. There was even an article in my local paper about people dying from remicade. Thats a side effect! That is when I secretly went away to CHI in Michigan to learn about raw foods. I came back informed enough to tell him I will not take any more medicine and thats when I got kicked out of his office. He sounds just like your guy, he just typed in his computer during our visit and would let out a loud sigh before entering the room to see me. Very minimal eye contact or real concern. Just tell your doctor you choose neither medication if that sounds good to you.

It seems like you know what is right for your body. Seems like you found a good diet. I think it was probably around 8 months of being medication free and symptom free that I was able to eat lots of salad and other roughage.

I hope this helps, I have so much I could say its hard to figure out what to write. It all wants to come out at once.

Also regarding the title of this thread..don't claim ownership of ulcerative colitis. That is something I try to be very careful about. Never say "my". It may seem silly but it might be another piece of the puzzle in helping you heal on another level. I try to not claim ownership of disease titles, symptoms, doctors, medications..That was a major part of my healing and letting it go. But also I did have to pitty myself for months and really owned all those things during that time. I guess its like the "mind" component of total mind, body, spirit healing.

Lots to say, Simple Green

Please dont hesitate to write and write to me about this issue.. I dont know anyone in real life who is doing raw and has ulcerative colitis, so Its so very hard to get Real opinions.

Alot of these healing gurus seem so interested in making money from there story.. like david klein,

Please if you have more on your experience, what you did at first, how long you kept doing it, etc. etc. slip ups, ideas I would read and read and listen to everything..

As I said, my choice is imuran and remicade, after ating bulky salads my symptoms started comming back.. so this past weekend, I kind of gave up I guess, I really fell into depression and said fine Ill just take the imuran, so I googled it and was scared and disgusted, now my anxiety is crazier then ever! becuase now I reallly dont know what to do.. except the fruits and coconut water, wich is what seems to have worked in the past, I am going to start from new today.. Im gonna eat as Little and as much water and coconut water as I can, cus my dpression lead me to eating baked potatoe chips over the weekend, and rice cakes.. heh *sigh*

So you have been symptom free now since starting your journey with raw? I know everyones different here.. and has different ailments. Its the encouragment and motivation to continue and succeed, that is what I grasp from hearing from health and recovery stories from raw foodists with ulcerative colitis.

all the support and motivation I can get really helps..

I completely understand your "desperation". Like I've said I spent a year looking and looking for a cure in the health food stores until this raw foods thing popped into my life. I would get sooo depressed I can't even convey how deep in that hole I was. I knew I would make my way out of the hole. I knew raw foods was my answer, but in the meantime I was very sick. At that point my only option and the only thing I had energy for was to just be agreeable with the docs and know that it was only temporary. Like I said before I decided not to read up on the side effects of the remicade because I knew it would make me a mad woman. So basically I spent about 6 months on prednisone and another couple months on remicade. Last April I went to CHI and stopped all treatment at that time.

Yes I have been symptom free since raw, over one year. With a few one day house cleanings (10-12bm's) after eating too many nuts or salad. But I was in remission with the medications prior to going raw. Immediately after being released from the hospital I happened to be reading Eat Pray Love and decided that I would also do as the character did and eat without guilt, which was basically SAD. As I started to feel healthy I transitioned to vegetarian without consciously making that decision. I juiced twice a day, usually carrot, celery, had a fruit smoothie in the morning, a veggie sandwich on sprouted bread for lunch, and couscous with steamed veggies for dinner.

After going raw, I stayed 100% for about 8 months. I felt so good, but also was "afraid" of what other food would do to me. I don't want to eat a certain way out of fear. Thats a whole other set of issues for me. I'm sure you can relate. But now I'm about 80 or 90%. I'm really trying not to even focus on a percentage or label myself as a "raw foodist" because for me I was replacing fear of a flare up with fear of toxicity, mucus, constipation, etc..I happen to eat mostly raw foods, but I do not think the world or I will end if I eat brown rice or hummus! I know I am healthy now. I loved pizza and cheeseburgers before and I think excluding those alone will save me.

You'll go back into remission in time. That salad just got you out of whack for a minute. Do what you need to do right now. Know that this is temporary and you'll be healthy again and be off medications. All these little experiences are helping you get to know your body. I learned so much about myself during this journey. What I'm really just starting to get is how different everyone really is.

The sun and reflexology/massage were/are major in my healing process. Do you spend much time in the sun? I'm telling you two separate times I was having massive flare ups, bloody bm's, all the good stuff and it spontaneously disappeared after being in the sun and doing mostly vegan within a day or two. I'm still amazed when I think about those times.

Be patient..You will be well again soon.

What more do you need?? Seems like the answers are pretty clear and you have to follow it all now for yourself. I keep repeating there is no quick fix or correct path that will guarantee your success or relief. Yet I detect you are still looking for this easy way out. Face it, like the rest of us, you're screwed. there is no easy way out, you need to fight back. You have the answers actually. You seem unwilling for some reason yet to commit though. I have been at death's door, suicidal it was so bad, but I came back. You can too. I tell people if you suffer enough, you will do anything, no exceptions, no excuses, no nothing - if you don't , you're not hurting enough :O)

In case you are not clear and if it helps ya I'll repeat things a bit:
For "me", I'll repeat, for "me" what worked, regardless of what anyone told me, was to find the foods that worked for me and eat that and stick to it. No exceptions at all. I quit looking for the relief cure, there was none. In time things built back up and I'm alive and willing to live and function daily. My initial choices were 100% fruit choices eating 4-6 small meals throughout the day. Melons for one was excluded since I couldn't handle it. Banana/Blueberry blend really worked for me so that ended up a staple. I chose fruits that worked with me and ate mono, combining only 2 combos at once if I blended it. No juicing cause that was very bad for me. Took a good straight 6 months afterward till I did try some colonics then, which was very, very hard on me. They did the trick though which helped at that point and even though it was a step back it helped. If I did them at the beginning it probably would have put me in the hospital and I'll probably not do them again, but it was appropriate I feel.

this is some basic, basic info but your path may be different - you need to find it and believe in yourself :O) :O) :O)

well put tanawana..isn't it hard to say that to someone when you know how desperate they are?..i can relate so much to herbalgerbals, but once you get through it you see that you really did have to figure it out for yourself..i would get mad at people because they didn't have the magic answer for me..good to know that there are other people like me..you get lower than you think is possible to be low..but its all good..its good to be low because now i appreciate where i am..sickness to appreciate health, depression to appreciate happiness..its all good!!..i wouldn't trade the experience for anything, because it brought me to grand things in life..

So, so true Simple Green - Thanks for even saying it. Really helps to know there are others out there like yourself :O)