Iritis, water fasting, prednisone/steroids

[CrohnsKiller]

I started the Starch Solution in the beginning of August to try and get out of a Crohn's flare that involves inflammatory arthritis and bouts of iritis. After a month on the program, my sed rate had risen 10 points, obviously not the results I was looking for. I've begun an elimination diet, but a few days into my iritis flared. Since then I've decided to do a much stricter version of the elimination diet, down to 4 foods to see if I can get things under control and figure out what may be bothering me.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with iritis and if water fasting has helped? Also, I'm just wondering in general about water fasting and its affect on inflammatory disease. I've done a few water fasts, 4-days has been the longest. I did notice that it seemed to calm some of the inflammation but about 2 days after eating the inflammation came roaring back, feeling worse than before the fast. I wasn't eating the starch solution way back then though, so I'm wondering if it may be different breaking the fast with starch solution elimination diet.

Would I need to fast until all the inflammation is mostly gone? I don't know how much longer than 4 days I can go. I will also be extremely disappointed if I do another fast ad then the inflammation comes right back. I don't have the funds right now to go to the True North center, so this would be something I"d be doing on my own. Also I get pretty extreme anxiety when I fast, so that's been a pretty big deterrent for doing it again. Is there any way to help that?

I'm also contemplating doing a serious course of steroids, probably starting with IV steroids, to get out of this flare that I've been in for 7 months. In the past when I've been on steroids, I've gone low carb to keep my blood sugar in check. Obviously that's not an option with the starch solution. I've never been on steroids following a low fat, plant-based diet. Will my blood sugar be extremely out of whack on steroids if I follow that diet. What do other people do when they're on steroids, just deal with extremely high blood sugar?

I'm getting incredibly discouraged and am wondering if I'm fooling myself into thinking I can heal with food, but with the medicine not working either, I need to do something and feel like I'm doing something to try and help. I also wonder if anyone with chronic autoimmune disease has sought therapy. When I get in my long flares, I really take a hit mentally and am wondering if that helps at all.

Any advice or encouragement is appreciated.

[Idgie]

Personally, I think a month of McDougalling might not be enough to completely heal a chronic inflammatory condition, but I'm not a doctor. I think either strict McDougalling for a few months or an elimination diet would be the way I'd go, but really, if I had access to a McDougall-friendly and knowledgable doctor, I'd want to check in with them, as well.

[CrohnsKiller]

Personally, I think a month of McDougalling might not be enough to completely heal a chronic inflammatory condition, but I'm not a doctor. I think either strict McDougalling for a few months or an elimination diet would be the way I'd go, but really, if I had access to a McDougall-friendly and knowledgable doctor, I'd want to check in with them, as well.

Thank, Idgie. I'm sorry if I made it seem like I thought I'd be healed after a month. I just thought I would at least get better and not worse on the diet. From what I've heard from Dr. McDougall's interviews, he mentioned people usually feel some improvement within 4-7 days but it may take 4 months for full resolution. So I'm wondering does that mean if I'm not feeling better on a certain elimination diet within a week that I'm reacting to those foods? My concern is if my sed rate keeps rising. Do I assume then that my disease can't be healed by this diet then? I'm just wondering how long to give this a go to see if it will actually help. I'm willing to stick it out but if it continues to get worse and if I was more stable on the previous way of eating, I'll have a hard time wondering if this particular way of eating may not be the best for my disease.

[Idgie]

Dr. McDougall has been doing this 40+ years and he is very clear that it works, and quickly, for most people, but mainly, I think you may be putting too much weight on one lab number and I would just stay the course and do what's been proven for decades to decrease overall inflammation: eliminate animal products and added fat, period. Again, just my recommendation. Not a doctor, just someone who has healed inflammation by eating better.

(My condition has been diagnosed as Undifferentiated Inflammatory Disease, and I have gone from near-constant inflammatory joint pain, frequent heart palpitations, frequent migraines, and dangerous hypoglycemia to none of those things, in about three months, while losing over 40 pounds.)

[CrohnsKiller]

Thanks, Idgie. Sure, I probably am putting a little too much weight on the lab number. I'm sure there can always be lab errors. I think the return of the iritis is a pretty big sign that the inflammation has increased though. I have my gut in check with medication, it's the arthritis and iritis that are flaring. I'm actually enjoying the simplicity and low expense of this way of eating, and I really want it to work, I just am discouraged at this point. I've also read a few posts on a member of this site who also has Crohn's and iritis that hasn't been resolved by this way of eating, which makes me wonder if there are outliers.

That's amazing that you recovered from your issues in 3 months! Do you have a journal or any posts that documented your healing? I like to read those to get some encouragement.

[GeoffreyLevens]

If you do have interest in fasting, please contact True North in Santa Rosa, CA. They are probably the most knowledgeable about medically supervised fasting in the country and have been guiding people for many years. I would not recommend trying it on your own!

https://www.healthpromoting.com/

[Idgie]

CK, I think I came off a little judgmental in my last post. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to say your labs were wrong or mistaken; I meant that they're not the only thing that tells diagnosticians if you've got inflammation (which you already know, so sorry for being pedantic). And sorry if I made it seem like taking meds is never a good idea -- I don't feel that way at all. I was just saying that for me personally, I would want to see what happened after months, not weeks, of doing something as systemically significant as this diet.

(I have been logging all my food since I got here in June, and I have a journal here, as well, but I don't talk that much about my symptoms (largely because they're almost gone).

[AlwaysAgnes]

Hi.

Have you read Burgess Laughlin's story? https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... -laughlin/

Pam Popper says it's common for people to have more than one autoimmune disease. You might find some helpful information in the video she did about treating autoimmune disease: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueEuvDoxLyQ She addresses diet, and she also talks about drugs and fasting in this video.

[hoob]

Hi.

Have you read Burgess Laughlin's story? https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... -laughlin/

wow. Thanks for posting that.

[KaylynBartlett]

Hi, I am HLA B27 Positive and went strict WFPB when arthritis started to kick in in January of this past year. I wasn't perfect until it got really bad in March and I couldn't walk. I've had IBS and gastroparesis for years and I ate mostly plant based to keep that in check, but the arthritis caught me by surprise. Anyway I have a family history of crohn's and psoriasis. During my initial arthritis flare I also had iritis. Went to doc, sed rate elevated, I started eating starch solution but also reintroduced coffee one day after not having it for months and my sed rate shot up over 20 points in a month. From then I went high raw vegan for 3 months because everything else flared my joints, slowly I started incorporating sweet potatoes, whole grains, etc. It's not perfect yet, my digestion isn't perfect yet, but I used to go to the bathroom maybe 1-2 times a week from struggling and now I go effortlessly once a day. I still deal with bloating and looking like I'm pregnant, but at least things are moving in the right direction for me. Any sugar or oil flares me within 2 days so I am very careful. I don't slip anymore, it's not worth it.
For me a raw fruit based diet wasn't sustainable long term but helped me give my GI tract some rest while I continued to work (but man was it hard!!). Anyway I hope this helps. I did some periodic fasting here and there. Give your body time, it didn't develop this disease overnight, it sadly will take time, maybe even years to get back to where you want it to be. I can't believe I'm walking and running today when I was bedridden 6 months ago. I'm only 23 but I know when I'm 50 I won't be in a wheelchair or on immunosuppressants because I know how to control this disease.

[John_B]

It may be worth getting advice from someone with expertise in diagnosing and treating gut biome issues, preferably with natural remedies rather than antiobiotics. Much as I am a fan both of eating all sorts of cooked and raw plant food and of fasting, not everyone is helped by these treatments alone.

All the best with improving your health!