So my fellow Subetians, are there any of you who are suffering currently from IBS, Crohn's, UC, other auto-immune or general sicknesses? How long have you had it for? What medications are you taking? Did you Google Dr for your remedy? How are you dealing with it day by day? :neko:

To add to my post— the reason I ask is because I am on the boat with Ulcerative Colitis for almost 2 years now (August 2011) and I have been hospitalized like 4-5 times, 6 pints of blood transfusions and months of miserable flaring when I wasn't in remission :p. Not to entirely sure if it is right-sided or left but it's somewhere and a good percentage of my colon. I'm currently in the hospital (self-admitted) because I wasn't eating as I should have, vomiting, constant nausea, diarrhea and I had pain in my stomach area. (Which I figure it was from vomiting, the bile ulcerated my duodenum again.. not sure if that is the exact part since I'm thinking of the word ilenuem but I know it's spelled wrong and can't find it) With that, I had some weird twitching that didn't hurt and would last a couple of seconds.

I take Delzicol now since the patent was sold of the lower dosage of Asacol. Besides that, I'm taking prednisone and multivitamins at home. I'm supposed to be taking iron but the one I have is too strong even with food. So I'm going to look into a lower dose.

The way I deal with it... I take deep breaths through my nose and exhale slowly through my mouth. Something my fiance and meditation taught me. It's hard some days but other days aren't too bad. Last remission was in January so like 4 months happy? Not too bad in my book.

I have not been diagnosed with any of those, but have suspected all of them. ): I have Celiac disease and then sever Lyme disease that really hit my digestive system, so I have had to deal with a lot of similar symptoms. It's been hard to try and manage .... my relationship with food is pretty messed up now, no thanks to all this. Much love and strength to anyone else who has to live with any of this. <3

My mother has a severe case of Celiac's and Crohn's disease. She's been on humira, 6mp, and other steroids. None of it has done anything to really relieve her and just recently she was diagnosed with MS.. an almost near impossible side effect of Humira. Doctor wanted to put her on another blocker, but after I put all the pieces together and realized it was a blocker that gave her MS, that idea is out the window. Surgery may be a possibility, but she's going to be going to USF, the university near here that is currently doing an active Crohn's study.

Of all the things my mother has tried, honestly Marijuana has been the biggest help. It relieves her pain, gives her an appetite and allows her to be relaxed.

I don't have any of those but I have increasingly worsening Lactose Intolerance. I used to be able to drink a cup of milk and be okay but now I can't even handle a small juice glass. I try to only drink lactose free milk but no one in my family will buy it because, "they only drink milk with lactose". And sometimes I just want a glass of chocolate milk :(

Sending out my energy and love! I follow a support group were some people have UC AND celiac disease. I feel so bad for them. I don't know if I could live without gluten. :( How is the Lyme disease going? I hope they're giving you some antibiotics!

Wow! I'm so sorry to hear that! I heard that Humira and Remicade have a low percentage of the users getting cancer and I am avoiding it like the plage. Last year my mother died from lung cancer, my father HAD colon cancer but is in remission and my older brother died at 18 from sarcoma cancer. :/ I'm currently on Asacol— Delzicol. So far so good but I'm in the hospital for some upper stomach pain and bloody stools.

I have smoked marijuana (is this against the rules to talk about in the forums?) for pain and to increase appetite as well. Has she tried any natural healing? (i.e. juicing, fasting, vegan diet?)

Have you tried taking a lactose enzyme prior to drinking milk? It's suppose to help the stomach break down the lactose. I wish I could drink milk though! I still cheat every so often but suffer the consequences of bloating, gas. etc. :/

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Thinking about changing this topic to Auto-immune and other diseases or something along those lines!

I will sometimes. I usually save them for when I'm out with friends and decide to treat myself to ice cream or a milk shake.

i'm a type 1 diabetic, and have been for.... four and a bit years now. i take insulin injections roughly four times a day to manage my blood sugar but i can't say i'm the best with it.

when i was first diagnosed i'd been google doctoring and i told my mum that i thought it was maybe diabetes, which she brushed off because it's generally a genetic thing and no one else in the family has it, plus i was 15 and what did i know, but we took me to the doctors anyway. they sent me straight to the hospital because i was so dehydrated and underweight and they needed to put fluids in me and keep my bloodsugar at the right levels and things. it's the only time i've ever been in on an overnight and i was there for three/four days.

honestly i take pretty bad care of it because most things only have long-term effects and unless it's low, where i shake and just eat something to fix or particularly high when i just need to go to the loo a lot and i take insulin to lower it and i just find it so hard to care when things aren't immediate. i'm well known with my doctors for neglecting appointments and things (which i'm trying to make a real effort with now, but they're not making it easy because i guess i have a reputation or something). i have pretty bad feet because of the circulation problems that come with it, which i need to get checked out, and i worry at them a lot when i have dry skin which just makes them ten times worse. as for daily things, it's mostly avoiding things with high sugar content to make it easier. i have a real thing against drinks with sugar in over food with sugar in for some reason, and i can't remember the last time i had something like juice or regular cola or whatever. sugarfree and diet everything if i can. i tend to try not to eat too much candy or chocolate or whatever but i have such a sweet tooth and it's not like i have a specific diet i'm meant to follow or anything.

My four year old daughter was diagnosed with Graves' Disease in March. She takes methimazole three times a day. I had no idea she had thyroid problems, her pediatrician was the one who caught it. Apparently the best we can hope for is remission. There's no cure.

I'm not sure if it is or isn't, but it's a very valid treatment choice in legalized states. I hope to see it legalized everywhere eventually, that herb has a lot of healing properties we dismiss.

Juicing is NOT healthy, at all. There is a lot of data that says that juicing is one of the most unsafe things you can do with Crohn's. I can understand that it might be easier to digest, but you lose a lot of the nutrients when you juice. I'm very anti-juice after reading about it thoroughly.

Remicade, that's the one. Yeah I honestly would stay away from the auto-immune/blocker drugs. They've done nothing but cause my mother problems. She is taking a steroid now, I can't remember the name of it but she has an appetite now and feels better on it. The only real con is that it can cause Osteoporosis, but with a good calcium supplement she should really be fine.

We both have our fingers crossed for her appointment at the University on the 30th. Maybe there is a study they can cycle her in to. I know some new really innovative drugs are being tested for those with severe Crohn's.

I'll tell you what though, it's a joy to see SO many companies creating gluten-free dishes, menus, etc. It makes eating out easier for us and less stressful and bland for her. There is an Italian place here called Maggianos that has the best gluten-free pasta and sausage dish. Disney does gluten free cookies, cakes and tarts and we have a place here that does some killer gluten-free pizza. I just wish it was classified as a true disability, so that if she needed to use the rest room in a place that doesn't provide restrooms for the public, they would be required. Change is coming though!

So sorry to hear about your family though. :( My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer and with the MS scare with my mom it wasn't a fun time. Although it's gone in to remission because she's not on humira or remicade. Let's hope it stays that way.

Thank you. <3 I took antibiotics for a while after I FINALLY got a diagnosis, but it got to be too strong to handle orally and I couldn't get them by IV so I had to stop. Now after a lot of personal research (my mom is literally a lifesaver here) I'm trying to seriously hit it with natural/herbal remedies. I hate you've had to deal with vomiting and nausea ... I go through phases where I'm pretty much throwing up everything that goes in. And then your body's so damaged you wonder how many nutrients you're even able to get from what does stay down, and eating seems pointless, especially when nothing tastes good. :/

For the rest of the gluten-free crowd, I am happy to see the huge increase in awareness and availability of GF products! Before Lyme it was a huge comfort to have a few things like cookies and pizza crust that I could get at the grocery store and feel a little more "normal". And there is so much more now. I mostly eat whole fruits and vegetables, a mostly vegan diet (we have backyard hens so I have eggs) because that works best with all my issues. But the existence of GF menus and convenience foods is a comfort. My whole family eats less gluten now and will buy that stuff for themselves even though they don't HAVE to avoid gluten, because they like it, and we all definitely know more about healthy eating and nutrition now. So I guess as hard as it is, there have been positive things to come out of illness.

That's awesome! Glad they work! I have yet to try them but yes, I do love milkshakes and good malts! ❤️

I couldn't imagine taking injections .. especially being the one to administer them. :/ That's another reason I won't try Remi or Humira because it can be a 2 hour process in the doctor's office. Have you tried managing your diet? Maybe incorporating more greens?

Some possible ways to tell if you have diabetes is if your breath smells sweet to someone else, as well as if you are overweight and your neck has a dark chafing going on. But those aren't always accurate since my dad has it but has neither of those. I believe he has type 1 as well.

Diabetes can come from down the generations.. I believe so even if you parents or grandparents don't have it doesn't necessarily mean you won't have it. You know? For me, the only person I can think of that has something close to UC is my aunt from my mother's side. But the way she described it, made it seem like Crohn's. (She's from Poland so it's kind of hard to explain disease from that language to English)

I'm also glad you got better since dehydration sucks. I go through it every time I flare because I have water coming out of both ends, lol. :( Unfortunately. The way I see it, no one knows your body better than you and in some cases when it's serious enough, you need a doctor's help. But they are really there to advise you and prescribe medications. When my dad's sugar drops, he just grabs a peppermint candy or like a small bag of sugar.. the kind for drinks.. For the poor circulation, have you looked into massages? Personally you should avoid sugar free, diet and sodas. Many of the artificial sweetener contains.. crap from E. Coli (Can't explain it any better than that!) and most dark sodas (pepsi was it?) contains aborted embryos. (Obama made a speak saying the one soda company won't use it anymore, but I don't believe it!) It's so gross, I know and even with this knowledge, I have a hard time quitting soda. I also heard pure dark chocolate is good in moderation but it's very bitter; maybe dark chocolate strawberries? :3

I agree 110%! As many people say, there have not been any reported deaths from using it unlike smoking cigarettes. The only way to get cancer and what not from M is when you inhale the carbon but if you vaporize it, it's pure THC.

That is definitely true too! But when you're flaring it's good and if you're not, you can always blend rather than juice. But it's a bit gross since it's mush, haha. The steroid she might be taking is Prednisone since I know that cause Osteoporosis as well. If you take high doses for a long time, you have to get frequent bone scan to make sure everything is OK.

Thank you and I'm so sorry about the lose of your father! Cancer flipping sucks! I'll keep your mother in my thoughts and hope for the best! Also, I believe many places HAVE to let your mother use the bathroom, especially if she is showing signs of an emergency. Because, let's say she were to have an accident, wouldn't she be able to sue for emotional distress? It's not like a "oh hey, can I use your restroom?", you know?

Keep you're head up! There is always a cure in mother nature's garden. It's just that the "cure" isn't the same for everyone .. so technically there isn't one. ;) How old is she and how is she handling it/doing? By the way, as I've been saying to everyone, I'm terribly sorry to hear that. All sickness suck!

Damn, that really sucks! At least you were able to get a diagnosis. I've heard a story from my uncle, where his co-worker had Lyme disease and they didn't diagnose him right. So he passed away and it wasn't easy for him at all. :( I can't wish that to happen to anyone. What herbal remedies are you trying? I'm actually trying this Chinese herbal powder as a retention enema to stop internal bleeding from ulcer and hemorrhoids. It works pretty well but I had to stop since I'm at the hospital. :P

I don't think the vomiting is too bad because at least it comes out but what I hate the most are the abdominal cramping and nausea. :/ I stopped eating to the point I would just vomit bile and to help the process along/make it less acidic I would guzzle water down. I wish it was easier to access IV fluids rather than doctor's offices/clinics/hospitals.

Also, I thought vegans don't eat animal by-products? I'm going vegetarian but it's a slow process. So far, I'm pescetarian with a little meat here and there since I'm in the hospital. Honestly though, I agree with you. Our sicknesses may be blessings in disguise. With this disease, I stopped eating all fast food except local joints (i.e Chinese, pizza, local fried chicken) and I have upped my intake of fresh vegetables and fruits. I actually hoping to start making smoothies soon! ^_^

Thank you :) She's 4.5. GD is very rare in kids her age, and she's not nearly as sick as most kids with it. She's a bit on the large size for her age, and she has a fast heartbeat, but that's pretty much the only physical side effects of the disease. It feels weird even saying she has a disease, because she's just a normal kid to me. The doctor thought it was weird that she's never had symptoms. So who knows how long she's had it? It kind of makes me mad that her previous pediatricians didn't notice at all. It's not something that just pops up out of nowhere.

You are very welcome! Wow, she is so young to be growing through this. As I ask everyone (^^) have you tried different approaches to it? (i.e. herbal remedies) I mean, as long as it doesn't affect her daily life too severely, then maybe it's OK? She probably will have to manage it when she's older though which really isn't all that grand. That is why I do not like doctor's. Many of them make guesstimates and until the parent speaks up, they won't even suggest certain tests. That's what happened to me and my colitis. I had severe constipation when I was a kid and a little bleeding but no one assumed anything besides a blockage. --

Yes! Someone who understands the power of a vaporizer. I bought her a small little one for her to use, she loves it! Vaporizers make it last longer too. :)

I'll recommend blending to her. Do you use any type of fruit in particular that helps with the flare ups? I know she's blended other food in the past (like her turkey burgers) because of the pain in her intestines so this could be a good alternative for her.

That's it! I knew as soon as I heard the name, I would recognize it. She would rather be on that than anything else she's tried. She's lost a lot of weight in the last couple of years so it's a little alarming. Believe it or not, I've had places turn her away. I was disgusted about that, because she had to painfully and frantically find a place that would let her. Luckily, the owner next door let her with no questions asked.

He was a heavy, heavy smoker so it was unfortunate. We weren't close, so it affected me to the point of how young he was. I'll keep you in my thoughts and I would very much so appreciate it if you kept me in the loop with your progress.

Lol, of course. I have been doing it for ..3 years now? 2 bongs, 1 vaporizer and a long list of blunts. I even have a cheap hookah. :p

With blending, she would have to avoid foods high in fiber, if Crohn's work similar to UC. So maybe try steaming the vegetables/cutting apple skins? It's all really trial and error unfortunately with diseases like this.

Prednisone is good and bad. The side effects aren't all to great and the pill tastes so bitter before it goes down! Wow, reading things like that make me dislike humanity. It's not like your mother is a teenager.. she won't graffiti the place or leave it a mess. Plus it's already embarrassing for us if we're flaring and leave the bathroom a little smelly. Now places even have those signs up, so so rude.

Ah, definitely. My mother was as well. She smoked for like 40 years and passed away at 59. If she had made it to October, she would be 60. I was closer to my mom than my dad and it's so strange, she was diagnosed with it like 2-3 months prior to death. She didn't have any symptoms besides a weight on her chest. No coughing, blood, etc. shrugs At least our parents aren't suffering anymore.

And I definitely will! It's always nice to know strangers are thinking of you. ^_^

Sometimes they work and sometimes I still end up with some digestive problems. But even if I do have the issues, it isn't as bad. I'll be uncomfortable for a little while but at least it isn't pain.

Celiac here. 5 years gluten-free last February! Things have gotten a lot better in recent years in terms of gluten-free options, thankfully!

I've got gastroparesis, it's a pain in the butt but so much easier to live with now that I know how to deal with it! I take a variety of pills, though the one I rely on most is omeprazole. It helps sooo much with the acid intake and heartburn and just EVERYTHING.

That is definitely true!

Wow, congratulations! I follow some gluten-free tumblr recipe pages, which I completely forgot to mention.

Speaking of gastroparesis, I have similar symptoms. Only problem is that many of them are also similar to UC. How were you diagnosed? Did they do an upper endoscopy? I have a lot of acid to the point if I don't eat, I'll get nauseated and vomit bile. It stopped now since I am on Pepcid.

I had A LOT of tests done. It took them a while to even pinpoint what it was, and by a while I mean several months and several doctors later. I had about 4 upper endoscopies, and 3 colonoscopies, swallowed a camera, and got a few scans. There was also having my gal bladder removed. I ended up going to a pediatric doctor actually in order to FINALLY be diagnosed, and they had me come in for an endoscopy pretty much right after I vomited blood, and that's when they were finally able to diagnose it as the gastroparesis.

My diagnoses were anywhere from gal bladder malfunctions, to celiac, to chron's, and for a while stomach cancer (thank god that's not what it was), and yeah. It was a pretty nutty process. x__x