Well, I am just so very pleased to report that it is now 6 months since my son's colonoscopy confirmed that he has Crohn's Disease.

Although the GI specialist insisted that only the conventional medications would bring relief and prevent further inflammation,ulceration, fistulas etc, we decided against the medications because of the potential side effects, and for a supplement/diet program that I had put together from a number of sources and taken to a holistic practitioner for guidance and approval

My son's latest blood test results confirm what he has been experiencing.....remission of symptoms!


I realise that he will need to continue to be vigilent in what he eats and drinks, as well as in taking his supplements, in order to keep the inflammation and ulceration under control, but the fact that this could be accomplished with a natural protocol, despite the dire warnings from the specialist, is something that I am so thankful for. My son has a history of severe reactions to prescription meds, and, because he has Tourette Syndrome(also controlled by a natural treatment program), we had to be extra cautious about meds that could set that off. So this is why it was so very important to first try to help him without the risks of med reactions.

I am sooooooooooooooooooooo pleased and relieved.

YIPPEEE!
*happy dance*

Attachment 593

Chemar~

This is absolutely wonderful! You know that I am a true believer in dietary intervention and supplements, as this is how I 'fixed' my family as well. I only wished more of our doctors were promoting natural treatments like these as first line treatment, but I do believe I see an increasing trend! Of course, maybe that is just wishful thinking.

I was just talking to some extended family over Christmas whose daughter was suffering daily stomach aches. The recommendation from the pediatrician? A referreal to a pyschiatrist. No kidding . They would rather explore food sensitivities, etc., first~ smart family.

I am so pleased for you and your son!

Cara

Chemar, that is wonderful news. I'm so happy for you, and for your son!

Wow, I wasn't expecting to read that after just 6 months of diagnosis, your son has been in remission. After suffering greatly for over 18 months, it took us eight more months just to get to a diagnosis. He was first told it was hemorrhoids by his PCP; then by a urologist: can't see anything on ultrasound, so go home & take antibiotics; then a 2nd opinion by another urologist: CT scan shows enlarged lymph nodes; and finally a gastroenterologist who diagnosed Crohn's. He was in such pain, and had lumps in his groin -- the doctors kept telling me "he's not in any pain, so..."

He's currently on low dose steroids, asacol (for crohn's), and clonidine, risperdol, & lexapro for his TS/OCD. He has to take about 16 pills a day, plus I have him taking the probiotic protocol supplements. I have wondered before, though, if something like the risperdol especially might be helping to cause some of his ulcerations.

Does your son suffer with tactile difficulties surrounding his food? That's been a major factor in mine's general health and diet. He told me the other day there's no way he could give up breads/pastas, as that's half of his intake already. He cannot tolerate vegetables (except starches) or fruits. I couldn't believe it when I read, though, that Occupational therapy can help with this form of tactile defensiveness. I took him for OT when he was 8, and they never told me that.

It's another thing I will have to put on the list to check into and get him more help with. Let me know if you have any info for me on the above. Any info is greatly appreciated!

Hi Taffi

yes, my son does also have Sensory Integration Dysfunction dx and this was greatly helped by a year of specialised Occupational Therapy made an enormous difference!

I would caution you to look into the side effects of those meds to be sure that they arent aggravating the various conditions

For example, steroids are known to increase TS tics....one of the reasons we did not go for the asocol or prednisone the doc wanted for our son (I have a thread on the TS forum re and article on the chemistry of TS that documents this)

I mentioned in another thread here how much value we got from The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin

He was dying from severe Crohn's and his own health turnaround is what inspired the book

we dont follow it to the letter, but apply the principles and use many of the recipes etc
It has been a lot easier to make the dietary modification than I would have thought and my son has become really good with knowing what foods are good for him or not. He doesnt have any food allergies per se, but he has noticed that he goes thru sensitivity phases when certain things are best avoided for a while
The one thing that is totally eliminated from his diet is ALL artificial food additives (coloring, artificial sweeteners including nutrasweet/aspartame and splenda/sucralose, MSG, high fructose corn syrup etc)

Thank you, Chamar... your words give me hope; and I could certainly use them now.

My son took a temp job with my husband's employer last Friday; it was supposed to last up to six weeks, but yesterday the gastro- had him come in to take a camera pill in order to take a look at his small intestine. He ended up having the camera lodged in his esophogus because he's so inflamed, and they didn't know what to do to get it out. I wanted to scream. They ended up sending us to the hospital, and doing a scope on him to push it down. A huge copayment and lots of misery later, he got so sick he couldn't go back to work, and is now so afraid he's too inflamed to be able to eat.

I 've had him on all the meds and supplements, as you know. I've started cutting down his Risperdol in order to wean him off, but he's already become very surly and impatient because of the change, and it breaks my heart to see him like this.

I ordered some almond flour, though, and will start in on trying to find the correct Occupational Therapist for his tactile problems. Anything special I need to ask for there? Thank you for sharing on here. It sooooo helps!

Taffi

be sure to tell the OT that he has SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNcTION rather than just "tactile problems"

so sorry he had to go thru that trauma

do you have him on boswellin/curcumin (aka boswellia/turmeric) and slippery elm to help the inflammation? They are the cornerstones of my son's recovery, along with the DGL-liquorice extract for healing the areas ulcerated from the inflammation (MUST be DGL form, not regular)

I get them online at www.iherb.com as it is much cheaper than health stores, and I recommend the NOW brand

OK. I will try these. My sister also suggested MSM; she suffers with inflammation from an unknown source. Since she's been taking it, she's had remarkable abatement of the inflammation. Do you have any word on it?

Oh, and I have noticed C has a little more of his tics evident; a few facial grimaces and eye movements. That must be the asacol. They first put him on another one, but he developed rashes from it.

Of course any time we're dealing with one doctor for one thing, they don't comprehend anything about the other; it's frustrating to say the least. The neurologst said "sorry to hear that" when we told him about the Crohn's, "so keep giving him the risperdol, clonidine and Lexapro..." Then the gastro-doctor, "sure, he can keep taking whatever medicines he's always been on..." when I asked him about whether some may have helped bring on the Crohn's.

You may not realize this, but you're my hero.

Thank you again!