(Yes, it’s another lengthy personal post. If you’re not into the juicy details, feel free to skip to a post about cookies).
The end of the year is a standard time for inner reflection, plus it’s been awhile since I’ve shared how I’m feeling, so I thought it was time to update you on the (unexpectedly) lengthy process of healing myself from Crohn’s disease.
The good stuff
I began tapering off my medication in September 2011, and completely eliminated it by November 2011. That means it has been almost 14 months since I’ve swallowed a drug, and it’s incredible how quickly I was able to drop the habit of taking pills every morning.
After an initial dip in ferritin levels (ferritin is the storage form of iron, and is considered the true measure of iron-deficiency anemia), in the last eight months my iron levels have risen every single time they’ve been tested. Yay!
I took iron supplements for 13 years, and was consistently anemic – I’ve even had to go for several rounds of iron infusions at the hospital because my levels were so low. Now that I’ve been off them for a year, my body is finally repleting itself. Hmm. Interesting coincidence, wouldn’t you say?
Last autumn, as my immune system adjusted to working on its own, I developed terrible sinus and respiratory problems. I had the grossest cough for 10 months, which I just couldn’t shake. But it’s gone now, and I don’t know who is more relieved – me, the husband, or the strangers who gave me dirty looks as I hacked up a lung on public transit.
In the last several months, I’ve had a blast experimenting with five-ingredient dishes. Not only has this simplified my life and maximized my efficiency in the kitchen, but it’s also been an accessible way for many of you to venture into easy and delicious healthy living (I love hearing feedback from you, so keep it coming, please and thank you).
Some of my five-ingredient faves? How ’bout avocado fries, baked falafel, herbed quinoa flatbread, vegetable nori wraps and avocado creamsicles. And chocolate sauce, of course.
Getting my ‘om’ on
Those of you who have known me in real life for a long time may be surprised to hear that I’ve been exploring meditation and meditative yoga.
I know. A year ago, I would have scoffed at myself for even writing that, much less actually doing it.
I purchased an online membership to YogaGlo, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in the last year. I can do yoga at any time in the privacy of my own home, plus I can specialise my practice based on how I’m feeling or which area of my body I’d like to focus on (by the by, YogaGlo is not sponsoring me, I just really love the service).
I ventured into yoga eight years ago through power yoga. My practise was all about sweating it out, feeling sore and making sure I could hold the pose as long as everyone else in the class, regardless of what my body was telling me.
Now, I focus on yoga that is gentle and nourishing, and I actually pay attention to my breath. I’ve also been trying guided meditations, where I just sit and breathe. This has been a huge challenge for me, since my mind constantly wanders off course. But since I incorporated meditation, I’ve been sleeping better, felt less stressed and it even helps when I have stomachaches.
You knew it was coming: the challenges
When I dropped my medication, many deep-seated imbalances began to emerge. My bone density fell below normal again. My hormones revealed themselves to be completely out of whack. I struggled to gain weight.
It sounds naive, but I genuinely thought it would be easy. That I’d stop taking pills, drink green smoothies and eat vegetables and instantly be healed. Whoops.
Obviously, you can’t erase 13 years of damage in only a year. It may take two. It may take ten. And given my lack of patience, this has been a difficult thing for me to accept.
To tell you the truth, much of the time I feel caught between a medical system that tells me I’m crazy for eliminating meds and that naturopaths are quacks, and the holistic approach that thinks doctors are heinous money-grubbers and if we all just ate kelp we’d be dandy.
It’s not that simplistic. Medication isn’t the cure-all and food doesn’t mend the entire picture.
It’s common for me to get lost in the what-ifs and the shoulds and the self-doubt. To lift myself out of this, I continually put things in perspective (which is very different from looking on the bright side).
I remind myself that I feel much, much better since I changed my diet and lifestyle. And any condition I’ve developed because of my Crohn’s (osteoporosis, anemia, etc.) began during the time I was on medication, not since I stopped it. Almost everything I contend with today I battled three, five, eight years ago – minus the incessant bloating, gas, raging diarrhea and lack of appetite. Anyone out there who has ever had a digestive issue knows that reducing those last four symptoms is an enormous win. Right, peeps?
I am just beginning to learn how incredibly complex my body is, and how grateful I am to it for being there for me.
As I wrote earlier in the year in the guest post Finding Blessings in Disease and Illness, the point here is not to dwell on the crappy aspects of illness, or pine for days when I might feel better, but to notice all the wonderful moments in between.
And that’s my only resolution for the year to come.
What about you?
I am a foodie and I have Crohn’s. It is no fun. I had surgery last year due to problems I was having. I just look to the day I will be in remission. It is happening slowly. I have nothing but iron infusions because I cannot take iron supplements. All you can do is try to eat healthy and take care of yourself.
I know how you feel, this is not a fun disease (though I can’t think of any disease that would be a blast to have). Of course I’m biased, but in some ways Crohn’s is one of the crappiest, because there is a stigma attached to it and sometimes the disease can appear invisible if someone looks okay on the outside. Take care of yourself, Cassandra.
This was exactly what I needed to read today!!! I do not have Crohn’s, though I have my own issues. We are considered healthy by most people, and our family is looked at as a bit obsessive about food and health. So the guilt really creeps up on me when one of us gets sick, especially me, as if I have to represent all organic/natural living people.
You have stated perfectly the ups and downs. It’s a process, and as long as the process is moving in a positive direction, that’s progress–and healing. I just need to remember to step back and assess if we are moving toward healing or away from it. Sounds like you are definitely on a healing path! Congrats! And thank you for my perspective shift.
Thank you for your encouraging comment! It can definitely be tough to be seen as those ‘crazy health nuts’, and feel as if everything you do is under scrutiny. You’re right that health is a process, and it helps when you feel like you’re moving in a positive direction.
This is an inspirational post, Sondi. Thank you for writing it, AND for taking the time to share your recipes!
Thank you for reading, Kirsten!
Sondi thank you for reminding me to put in perspective and for bringing up the reality of making personal decisions between two very different views on health.
I really got to give YogaGlo a try! One of my wishes for this new year is to bring yoga back into my life.
Wishing for you many more wonderful moments in between
I love YogaGlo – it’s made it far easier for me to incorporate regular practise into my life. There are so many classes to choose from, and with the exception of the meditations, I’ve never done the same class twice!
Your story is refreshingly positive. I wish you continued success. I completely support all that you have done to improve your health. So much comes from the simple, natural, healthy, mindful approach to healing ourselves. I have also gleaned the importance of clean healthy foods from Dr Terry Wahls. She suffers with MS. She has discovered through self experimentation the importance of pure foods in healing auto immune diseases. Her lessons are in principal much like yours and I am adopting a similar lifestyle of which you both speak of in order to get off of medications and return my body to a peaceful condition. Thank you for your words. They are very inspirational.
Thank you for your supportive comments, and good luck to you in your own healing!
Sondi, I have colitis which isn’t quite Crohn’s but it might as well be. I have a difficult time eating vegetables and fruits. I get terrible gas and diarrhea. How are you able to eat those foods? Did you go gluten free or what? I’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Thank you.
If you have colitis, then you likely understand what Crohn’s is all about. I don’t eat a ton of raw fruits and veggies, and when I do they are usually blended, plus I eat a lot of soups and stews to make it easy on digestions. Eliminating gluten and dairy made a huge difference to me, too.
Thank you for your comment Sondi. I am going to make a better effort to go gluten and dairy free. It’s difficult, that’s for sure. I’m glad I came upon your article.
Thanks for sharing this update Sondi! I really appreciate your perspective about and your point about `medication isn’t the cure-all and food doesn’t mend the entire picture`. It`s about balance in stress, sleep, food etc – all those things. My husband (who has Crohn`s/Colitis – that’s right, somehow both) also suffered from a lung infection this fall and I was like “Really?!?! Yet another thing I have to figure out how to fix???” It feels like there is no room for error with this autoimmune disease – even when he remains symptom free from the stomach issues. We were lucky to get a medical specialist who actually suggested he not take any medication since the symptoms were getting better. But my husband still has a hard time accepting his disease, trusting his body can heal (with a whole lot of green juice, mind you
and balancing the traditional Western medical world with the holistic one. Thanks for this post Sondi and Happy New Year!
Thanks for sharing your story, Suzanne. I understand why your husband has a hard time with acceptance and trust in his body – I do too! It’s often challenging to keep faith in a body that seems to be working against you. It really is a delicate balance of a whole host of lifestyle areas, it’s never just one thing that contributes to wellness. Happy new year, and thanks for reading.
Hey Sondi
I too have Crohn’s disease and for last year I’ve been experimenting with raw foods as a long term cure. I dropped my medications (remicade) around the same time last year and went full on with the raw foods. I followed the plan presented in the book Self Healing Colitis and Crohn’s by David Klein.
At first it was all working for me, most of my symptoms were gone for a few weeks and I was feeling good.
But when you’re healthy and feeling fine it’s easy to wander off course and I slowly started to eat like I did before.
Needless to say my symptoms followed and by August last year I had to go to the hospital to get remicade again since my health was going down the drain, fast.
Since then I’ve been eating mostly whatever I want (I’m a vegetarian though) but now I feel like I have to give the raw food another try, and that’s when I stumbled upon your website.
I just wanted to check how things are going for you now? Do you have any of the classic Crohn’s symptoms like gas and diarrhea? Even fistulas?
Hi Arnar, I’m no longer doing the raw food diet. I felt great while I was doing it, but my life has changed a lot since then! I mostly eat warming foods now, lots of soups and stews, steamed and roasted veg, etc. More along the lines of a TCM diet, and I feel pretty good. I have the ‘classic’ symptoms sometimes, but for the most part, I’ve drastically reduced the stuff like gas and diarrhea (thank goodness). I wish you the best in your health journey.