Clinical Remission as of 10/5/17. IBD regimen of mesalamine, diet, vitamins, and exercise. Occasional mild flare, generally attributed to high-stress or diet, treated with mesalamine enemas and/or cortifoam.
From August of 2017 through February of 2022, I combined the LEAP program with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Any older recipes on this site that include oats are part of an alternative diet based on SCD called IBD-AID developed by the University of Massachusetts. I had originally tried this diet before fully transitioning to strict SCD.
Often I’ve been asked if I miss things like ordering a pizza, a soft pretzel, or dairy-based ice cream. My answer is that I can find a way to replicate those items for myself using foods my body tolerates. Additionally, it is hard for me to miss something that is killing me from the inside. Why would I invite something into my life that destroys me? The way I see it, those foods are my enemy and I have no room for them as they exist. If I want pizza, I will adapt to a pizza that is made with food that I can tolerate.
I found the LEAP diet due to my childhood experiences with food sensitivities. I was born with a dairy allergy. At 10 years old, my body changed and I could have dairy, but I now was breaking out in hives all over whenever I ate a lot of the things I had been eating prior – soy, mainly. After bloodwork (something like IgG, IgA, or IgE), it showed that my allergies had flipped. I had a list of things like yellow number 5 that I couldn’t ingest. All I know is that my mom read everything I ate and I was always on a ton of allergy medicine – from nasal sprays to pills.
At around 18 years old all of my food sensitivities appeared to have gone away, but I was diagnosed with asthma. In my early twenties, I kept getting strep throat. I even had it turn into scarlett fever once. Prior to having my tonsils removed, I saw a rheumatologist to rule out other issues. I didn’t think it was wise to chop out a huge part of my immune system.
The rheumatologist told me that, based on my bloodwork, I had a “lupus-like” syndrome and prescribed me plaquenil. I didn’t take it. I proceeded with the tonsilectomy and I got sick a whole lot less. At this time, I was still smoking, but I was self-treating what I thought was IBS. I took a probiotic called L. plantarum and switched to almond milk. Everything was fine for a while. I went pescetarian and then vegetarian for years, quit smoking, and was in great shape.
I mention all of the above history because it made it a lot easier for me to adjust to the IBD diagnosis and provided me with enough resources to figure out a path for myself that I may never have found. However, I am tired of being on medication and I am ready to get to the next level of health. Or, at least try.
Downloadable Extras:
MY UC AND ME 
