Overcoming Crohn’s: How I Dropped Sugar and Gained 30 Pounds

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Going straight to the point: Discovering I had Crohn’s disease after a few weeks in the hospital was the best thing that ever happened to me. I definitely would NOT have made that statement in the heat of the moment back three years ago, but I hit my 31st birthday and I’ve never had more vitality (for myself) and understanding of the human body (for sharing).

For years prior to my hospitalization I woke up every morning feeling poisoned. I had frequent mouth ulcers, the lymph nodes in my armpits where constantly swelling up and painful, I was always, always tired, I had bad acne on my back that didn’t seem to correlate to anything, foul flatulence, dandruff, joint pain, a smattering of skin allergies and I sunburned really, really easily (I’m a Northern Canadian who’s been living in Southern Spain for the last eight years, it is SUNNY here).

Despite this, I just couldn’t get help from doctors. I had visited a few over the years, but when they caught wind of my marathon running and regular rock climbing, it seemed like they would shut off, “this kid is obviously making it up,” I’m sure they thought. It didn’t seem to matter that my symptoms were chronic and that everyday for years, I was just an iota weaker and sicker than the previous. Nope. Doctors would tell me; you need to rest more, use antibacterial soap, eat more eggs, don’t worry, it’s not sinister, etc. Hahahaha. As a matter of fact, two days before being hospitalized a blood specialist told me to not worry, everything was going to be alright. Right.

So at some point along the way, I read about the vegan diet and got on board. I really wanted to be well and I didn’t want my health to come from a pill. So for a month I went from sick to sicker, I moved to loose vegetarianism from there until the hospital. Foregoing meat was a bad idea, but it got me into the kitchen and for the first time in my life, I started making every meal I ate, something indispensable for my future switch to paleo.

Recap:

– Spent years getting sick.
– Largely ignored by doctors.
– Found fleeting hope in veganism.
– Hospitalized with Crohn’s.

Hospitals suck. If you’re there right now, my condolences. If you’ve been there, you already know how pleasant 6 am blood drawings and nasty chemical IV’s really are. My arms looked like those of a crack addicts and felt like a dry well, the nurses were having a hard time getting blood out of me. I’m pretty sure I cried at least once while there and I praise God for the friends that came out to see me. For three weeks I had a visitor everyday. Visit your friend in the hospital, it’s time well spent.

I left the hospital here in Spain to go back home to Canada for Christmas. If I was going to be desperately ill, I might as well have my family around. Despite the fact that a hefty dose of corticoids were helping keep my bowel movement count in check, I still had never known so much pain. So I read.

I read The Maker’s Diet by Dr. Jordan Rubin, I read Wheat Belly by Dr. Williams Davis, I read the grand daddy of all nutritional books Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, I read some Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and I read Winnie the Pooh (in dark moments you need a little light). I was convinced that diet was going to save me yet!

I went back to Spain and a few weeks later I relapsed. I was getting better but then one weekend, BOOM! Back to square one: 20+ bowel movements a day and continued weight loss (I started this ordeal at 76 kg and at this time I was 57 kg). Through the reading I had completed I knew in my head what needed to be done, but in my heart I hadn’t been ready to dive in head first. The relapse only lasted a few horrible days, but it was at that point that I went through my cupboards and threw away anything with sugar, cereals, legumes, and preservatives. I also threw away fruit, dates, and nuts. I threw away coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolate (even the dark stuff). Everything. I wanted health and a good friend told me that big problems require big solutions.

This all helped, but I was still limping by. My intestines were continuously inflamed, my ileum constantly hurt (I didn’t even know what that was before this ordeal), and even eating free range chicken soup frequently resulted in long nights of vomiting, pain and diarrhea.

The pain wouldn’t stop and my waist kept shrinking. It’s scary to be in a weight loss free-fall. I threw up my hands up in desperation and decided I was done with eating for a while. It seemed so pointless to watch it flow right on out undigested.

Three days later I was noticeably better.

Ever since then, through regular weekly fasting, through stress management, and through high-nutrient/toxin-free eating, I have made steady progress. Not one of the previously mentioned symptoms are currently an issue, I weigh a very stable 70 kg, I am on zero drugs or supplements (but don’t tell my doctor, she’d freak out), and I am just an iota stronger every day. I can blow through a half-marathon without prepping. I do a lot of sport climbing, which I feel is one of the ultimate “paleo” exercises.

I love working out less for a body whose form and tone easily rivals that of the marathon running version of me, who basically gave up his social life to find enough time for running.

I came to Marks Daily Apple through a friend once I already found myself on the path of improving my life through diet and lifestyle, but in the years since I’ve read nearly every article posted and have thoroughly enjoyed impressing my medical doctor girlfriend with the amazing recipes. I’ve been so encouraged by every success story I’ve read. This site gets a high endorsement from me for it’s tempered view on health and for the gamut of topics covered. I recommend it to any friends looking to get started on a better life, it’s some of the best free information out there.

Every human body is endowed with an incredible capacity to heal itself and it desires in every moment to heal itself, it just needs the resources to do so.

Be strong!

James

Filed under: Fitness