Ulcerative Colitis Information

A Testimony by Mrs A.J.

In May 2004, my husband and I flew to Florida and I started bleeding rectally. The bleeding continued for the two weeks we were there. I rang a colonic specialist when we got back and he said it might be the flying that caused it. It didn't clear up, so I got in touch with my GP practice and they treated my case as an emergency.

The Medical Merry-Go-Round

The emergency doctor said they first had to eliminate cancer (great start that!). He referred me to the sigmoidoscopy clinic where I had a sigmoidoscopy (a test which looks inside the lower part of the large bowel). This showed that I had colitis and very sore piles.

Because I was so inflamed they suggested I went in for a colonoscopy (this test looks at the whole of the inside of the large bowel). While I was waiting for the colonoscopy, the bleeding continued. Some days it was horrendous and other times it wasn't so bad. I couldn't eat anything without being in a lot of pain. I was passing a lot mucous and had a very windy tummy. All in all, pretty awful!

After the colonoscopy, they confirmed I did have colitis and told me to take some drugs called Asacol to reduce the bleeding. By the end of 2004, the bleeding, mucous and pain hadn't got any better. If anything, it was worse.

Early in 2005, I started getting severe pain under my ribs on the right hand side. My GP said I was constipated and she gave me some laxatives. I suggested it might be my gall bladder, but she didn't agree. I continued to struggle on... One morning I'd been having severe pain under my ribs on the right side but went to work anyway.

It was about 9am when I wandered into my boss's office to say I felt dreadful and would be going home. As I was talking to her, the pain started again. She helped me to stand up, thinking it might alleviate the pain. I passed out. I don't remember much after that. When I came round, we decided to call the company doctor as I wasn't having any joy with my GP.

The company doctor was 99% sure it was my gall bladder. I was told to go and see a surgeon at the London Bridge Hospital. They did a scan and told me they couldn't see any gallstones. They suggested it was my bowels causing the problem. I was then asked to come back in for a second colonoscopy, so they could take a look at was going on. They were concerned that my bowel was 'kinked' in some way.

After the second colonoscopy, I went back to see the surgeon who promptly told me that I didn't have cancer, but that I did have ulcerative colitis. He then showed me the coloured pictures he had taken of my bowel while doing the colonoscopy. My bowel looked like it had 'chicken pox'.

I actually had hundreds upon hundreds of ulcers with big ulcers in between. This was really shocking for me to see, although I was relieved of course that I didn't have cancer. He gave me the highest dose of Asacol that you could give someone and sent me off packing. He said "don't come back unless you have any pain". I wish... !!

The Asacol didn't seem to have any effect. The pain came back again. The surgeon referred me to another colon specialist. He wanted to do yet another (third) colonoscopy to have a look himself. He thought I might have Crohn's disease - what next! The surgeon insisted I have the third colonoscopy on a local anaesthetic. I was in terrible pain half way through the procedure, so he 'topped' me up so I got sedated again.

I came round feeling sleepy. He told me they couldn't get to examine the colon fully because I had such a long bowel. I'd have to go back in and have another (fourth) one done. Looking back I don't know why I didn't kick up a fuss!

When I went for the repeat procedure I had the full anaesthetic! Thank the Lord! Didn't want to go back through that again! After the procedure, the surgeon confirmed... "You don't have Crohn's disease, but you definitely have ulcerative colitis". Steroids were offered as the only remedy, to try to calm down my poor inflammed, ulcerated colon. These I took for a couple of weeks and then I went back to the whacky doses of Asacol.

Did I improve? - No. Did the bleeding calm down? - No. Did the mucous stop? - No. The pain under my ribs came back a couple of times too. The docs didn't know what to do with me. The medical doctor at work sent me back to see the surgeon. He did a further scan of my gall bladder, but nothing showed up. What a complete waste of time!

A Lucky Discovery

Meanwhile, my husband discovered a book by David Klein whilst surfing the net called Self Healing Colitis and Crohn's (image right).

In the book, David says you can email him about your problems. Then you can arrange a phone consultation if you like. Finally I started to talk to someone who understood what I was going through. He was amazed that I was even functioning at any level.

He recommended I see Dr. Gina Shaw in Devon, England and said I didn't need to go to California. He gave me her email address and that was the beginning of a life changing process.

I'd organised time off from work for 3 months to make sure I had enough time to do this properly. I was sure in my heart of hearts that this would work because it made so much sense. Gina and David are both 'Natural Hygienists' I was led to understand, and they believe in natural healing by means of fasting, juice diets and other methods. Other than that I really didn't have a clue as to what was involved, but I had more of an idea once I had read David's book a few times.

Natural Healing

Gina assessed me with an 'iridology' [1] examination and within weeks I underwent a distance supervised fast. I spoke with Gina twice a day from home and I took my own blood pressure, pulse and temperature. I told Gina about any symptoms and sensations as they arose and told her how my day had been -- physically and emotionally and so on.

I'd been warned that when you start this process, you don't just go through a physical healing, you go through an emotional healing process too. So you really don't know how you're going to be from one day to the next. Each day you have different symptoms as your body starts to heal itself, but I was guided in times of need by Gina.

I stayed on a juice diet for a few weeks and I was amazed when the blood and mucus started disappearing from my bowel movements for the first time in years and, at last, I became pain-free again!

A New Woman!

It took a little while to get my strength back after the fast, but since then, I feel great. I can't remember the last time I felt so well - it's been amazing. I have had not bleeding at all. I'm off all drugs. I look so healthy that everyone keeps commenting on how good I look. People are even saying I look so much younger. My skin is clear, my eyes are clear. I can eat and have no pain, no bleeding. Amazing!!

I can now go out in the evening with my husband and enjoy having dinner out. I've started playing sport again after years of not being able to. My energy levels are so different -- I have bags of it. Even my husband can't keep up with me. Life has just taken on new meaning.

From the medical merry-go-round to natural healing, it's been quite a journey. Thankfully for me, it has a happy ending but I feel for the poor souls who are suffering unnecessarily when a simple solution is available. I hope my story will inspire folks with ulcerative colitis to go the natural route to healing and onwards to health. ~ Mrs. A. J.

[1] Iridology - The iris of the eye is inspected as an aid in determining a person's state of health or in diagnosing a health problem.