New Season of Life

With the spring season having arrived, even though the weather hasn't gotten the message here in this part of Virginia, I think of changes during the seasons of life.  Much of my time in the past year has been devoted to caring for my dear mother who recently entered through the gates of heaven.  Like the changing of the seasons, I am entering a new season of life myself.  Today, I continue to feel blessed that our daughter Sarah remains well without any symptoms of Crohn's Disease.

I recently went down memory lane to recall what life was like eight years ago this month when we were searching to find out why Sarah was anemic.  I pulled out my journal from 2003.  For the previous months, there had been numerous trips to the lab, hoping that the iron levels would come up since she was taking iron supplements.  Much to our continued disappointment, the levels remained abnormal.  Sarah's fatigue was ever present.  The stress of the unknown for her was exhausting to me, and I'm sure all parents of sick children can relate to that.

Trips to the different doctors brought us closer to a diagnosis.  I had hoped it would be something less serious like food allergies or maybe some other less complicated disease than Crohn's.  With Sarah having only minimal GI symptoms, I wanted to choose to ignore that possibility.

Time inched by that spring as we constantly awaited lab results to reveal the clear pictures.  Concern began to increase as we heard words from the doctor that we didn't want to hear, "We need to do an Upper GI x-ray to rule out Crohn's disease."

Spring stretched into summer and in July, a colonscopy indicated that Sarah did indeed have Crohn's disease. I was so upset.  I feared for her future, knowing the side effects of the powerful drugs. However, I felt a driving force within me to seek other answers.

In August, all the pieces of the puzzle began to fall in place for Sarah's return to good health when we met Dr. Poley.  I later realized that we were learning a lesson about God's perfect timing through this. It had taken almost a year of searching for the cause of Sarah's anemia by going to the pedicatrician, a hematologist, and two other GI doctors before we saw Dr. Poley.  It was terribly frustrating during that year that it was taking so long to find answers.  But if we had seen Dr. Poley any sooner than we did he would not have been to the GI conference in Europe, where just prior to our visit with him he had learned about the research done with Culturelle.  If he had evaluated Sarah earlier in the summer, he most likely would not have suggested the treatment that he did.

Many times I get impatient, wanting to know answers immediately.  I began to realize that sometimes even if I don't know the reason for the delays when we are enduring the trials of waiting, it's important to hold onto the hope that things are working for our good, although we may not see it for awhile.

I'm wondering what this new season of life will bring...most likely new lessons to learn.  I hope that you too will find new answers to life's challenges at the perfect time.

Blessings of good health to you,  Martha

Thankfulness

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I think of the things we are thankful for...Our daughter Sarah recently saw Dr. Poley for her yearly visit with him. Since the fall of 2003, she has had normal lab work due to following a sucrose restricted diet and taking the probiotic Culturelle. Her lab work was strongly normal again this year! When I think about the folks out there who are struggling with this disease, I want desperately to let them know there is possible healing right around the corner.

I recently read the Sept 21 CCFA newsletter and learned that a Dr. Mazmanian, who is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology, is receiving a grant to do research. According to the newsletter, he will be "looking into the relationship between intestinal bacteria and the human gastrointestinal tract."

We have learned first hand from the knowledge and direction of Dr. J. Rainer Poley that by following a restricted sucrose diet and taking the probiotic Culturelle, the bacteria overgrowth is changed. This treatment has yielded positive results for our daughter and others.

We personally feel thankful that we did not have to wait for further research to be done for Sarah to reach remission. While writing the book, Reaching for Answers to Crohn's Disease, I learned that some preliminary research about the effects of sugars and probiotics on intestinal tract in those who suffer with Crohn's disease has been done.

We were glad to hear that funding is going for research towards looking at beneficial microbes in the intestinal tract. Hopefully the results of Dr. Mazmanian's research will reveal more clues to the complex activity of intestinal bacteria. In the meantime, simply changing diet, eating yogurt and taking probiotics has worked for our daughter.... and we are very grateful and hope that it will help others.

May God bless you!


If you are interested in cutting back on sucrose for your Thanksgiving meal, you might want to try this recipe for pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie
1/2 cup rice syrup (can be found at Natural foods stores)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 can of Pumpkin
1 1/2 cups of whole milk ( can use lactose free milk if lactose intolerant)
1 9 inch deep-dish pie shell

Beat eggs in a large bowl and add rice syrup. Mix well. Add pumpkin, salt and spices and stir together well. Stir in milk gradually. Pour into pie shell.
Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes and then reduce temp to 350 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes or until done.

Continued Remission of Crohn's Disease

The summer was much busier than I had planned, thus the delay in posting on this blog. But now that the summer has passed, I hope for calmer days and more time to write.

This fall marks 6 years since my daughter Sarah went into remission of Crohn's Disease. She recently graduated from college with a double major and with honors. Even with the stresses and activities of college along with eating cafeteria food, she has remained well without taking any medication. I personally think that message speaks volumes about the success that this regimen may possibly offer to others.

Our story of Sarah's good health confirms that the research that her gastroenterologist Dr. J. Rainer Poley did with sugars and intestinal disease was not in vain. To read more about why the diet and probiotics have worked for Sarah and others, please see the website www.crohnsdiseasesuccess.com

Sometimes Sarah is asked by friends if she will have to follow a restricted sugar diet for the rest of her life. Because it is a healthy way to eat and she continues to feel well, her response is why would she want to change?

I hope the information I share on this blog with be of benefit to others who are dealing with this disease.

I'll close with one of my favorite Scriptures from Psalm 103:2-6….. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits--who forgives all yous sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

May you be blessed with renewed health!

Crohn's Disease Success

Welcome to our blog! You may also visit our website, www.crohnsdiseasesuccess.com by clicking on the picture of the book at the top of the page.