I havn't posted here for quite a while but I had some extra time
today to read through some posts and see what's new or up and coming,
as I do from time to time. Lately, I've noticed more TV commercials
about CD,UC, and IBD. Also advertisements for newer medications. It's
good to see more public awareness out there.
As for myself, I've been doing well. Still taking my vitamins
everyday. But I would like to share a more recent personal discovery
with everyone. Not that it applies to everyone, but it may help
someone.
About a year and a half ago I was talking to another member of the
union that I belong to who has UC. I hadn't seen him in about 6
months. In our chat, he told me that he was doing much much better
since he took all the HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP out of his diet. He
went on to say that his symptoms had all but disappeared. He told me
that food or drinks with sugar or artificial sweeteners didn't bother
him, just products with the HFCS in them.
So I tucked that thought into the back of my mind til last summer
when someone else told me they too had recently cut-out HFCS from
their diet, as recommended by his nutritionalist. It then occurred to
me that this might be a good thing to try for myself. So I decided to
give it a go.
[A little background here] In 1995 I had an ileocecal, and partial
sigmoidial resections. And in 1999 had another ileo-resection. All for
CD.
A major symptom/result of these resections was loose stools. I had
asked my docs about this after the first resections and was told that
because I was missing the ICvalve and parts of my ileum and sigmoid
that I would likely have diarrhea the rest of my life.
So I set out to to give this a try, which proved to be a little more
difficult than I had thought it would because they put that HFCS in
alot of products. Five days after I began avoiding HFCS, I actually
had formed stools. 12 years of daily diarrhea ended just like that!
In the light of this positive reaction to kickin' the corn, I went
online to find out more about HFCS. It turns out that shortly after
they started to widely use HFCS in food and beverages(early 1980's), I
began having abdominal symptoms. It may only be a coincidence.
I'm reasonably sure that HFCS is NOT the cause of my CD or IBD's in
general. But from my own personal experiences I would say that I seem
to be somewhat allergic to HFCS, seeing as how when I consume it I get
severe diarrhea. I also think that my continuous consumption may have
set up IBS in me which went undiagnoised, and over the years may have
paved the way for the Crohn's. I don't know, put there is a
possibility?
Other than becoming a grandfather last year, that's the only big news
in my life. I hope that everyone is doing good. I'll try to stop by
more often. Gotta go!
Feel well,
William
(Note: It's not my intention to encourage or discourage anyone from
from beginnig or stopping anything. I'm just sharing my own personal
experience.)
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