Crohns Disease

Condition Treated:

Crohn’s Disease

Symptoms:

Crohn’s Disease

Initials:

W.H.

Age:

Story:

Alternatives by W. H. I have had Crohn's Disease since 1961, the year I turned 21. During the 29 intervening years, I have been hospitalized 14 times. I took antibiotics, steroids, asulfidine, 5 ASA, steroid enemas and every test imaginable. The first doctor to really help me live a quasi-normal life was Dr. J. K., a gastroenterologist at (________) Hospital in Chicago. He coordinated my treatment in a new and balanced way. I was able to earn a living most of the time. The most remarkable improvement in my recovery came in 1989 when I met a Dr. Tipu Sultan of (Florissant, Missouri), an ecological allergist who tested me for food and chemical sensitivities. In the past, I would eat an Italian meal of mostaccioli and bread, etc. and be sick for four days. I thought it was the spices. Under Dr. Sultan's testing, I was allergic to excess yeasts in my body which had grown abundantly, feeding on the steroids and antibiotics I had taken over the last 29 years. I was not allergic to the spices, but the yeast in the bread I was eating with the meal. I can now eat the same Italian meal without the bread and I am not sick one minute. I am continuing to work with Dr. Sultan on an underactive thyroid and mal-absorption of magnesium. I continue to make progress building up my weakened immune system. I know working with another type of doctor may cause some to be apprehensive. Yes, I know -- more tests! These tests are a lot easier to tolerate. In my case, the small inconvenience resulted in a changed life. You should still continue to work with the gastroenterologist. Both doctors, hopefully, will work together. The book, People, Not Patients, covers the subject of food testing based on an elimination diet during which one food at a time is tested. I urge sufferers with IBD to investigate the possibility of food allergy reactions as a source of their symptoms. Dr. K., in a recent conversation, was interested in my progress toward optimal health, using allergy testing as a tool. If he is interested in the possibility, I think you might benefit as well. Far more important, though, is to help search for a cure yourself -- by observing your reactions to foods, chemicals, medicine, lack of sleep, your body signaling its needs, etc. You can help your doctors help you by being an observer of what helps and what hurts. Keep a diary of what you eat, how you feel, and your reactions to pets, chemicals, etc. Research for a cure has produced new medicines, but no cause. We must keep our minds open to help us adapt to an ever-changing environment. We all need to participate in the cure by being informed and able to assist and challenge the service we receive from whatever source. Make the doctor(s) listen to your ability to relay what affects you. Best wishes.