Ellen's Story: Ulcerative Colitis
I am 28 years old and a Mom of two kids both under 5. As a therapist I enjoy working with the pediatric population which is a very fast paced job!
I enjoy spending my free time playing with my kids, cooking, dancing and being creative. I enjoy living a busy lifestyle.
During the Covid pandemic I stopped working and quarantined with my kids. My husband who works in the health care industry, was working 24 hour shifts with little sleep. This was not easy on any of us. In September of 2020 I started feeling sick. I had fever, sores in my mouth, diarrhea, bleeding in my stool, horrible cramps which lead up to a constant urge to use the restroom. I was in bed for one week and was put on a couple types of antibiotics by my doctor. Nothing was working.
My Primary Care Doctor was at loss. He told me to go to the hospital so I did. Once I got there they did a CT scan and said I had an inflamed colon. (I'm embarrassed to say I had no idea what a colon was!) I was given a colonoscopy. As I woke up the doctor broke the horrible news to me that I have a condition called "Ulcerative Colitis" based on the inflammation and ulcers in my intestines. They put me on medication kept me in the hospital for 3 more days then discharged me with a HUGE list of additional medications.
I wasn’t feeling completely better once I got home and the bleeding continued. I went back to the hospital and was admitted for another week to see if the bleeding would get better. I was put on more medication. The bleeding slowed down. Once I got home I continued on mesalamine and budesonide. I had horrible side effects including swelling of my feet.
Over the next 10 months I followed the medical protocols I was given. During this time I kept asking my doctor what I should eat. I begged for a salad. He said “no don’t eat too many veggies.” So for months I was at a loss as to what to eat. I would eat peanut butter by the spoonful, pretzels, crackers, bread, pasta with a lot of protein. Even though I had always been a healthy eater I now was AFRAID to eat veggies and to eat other healthy foods as I was told it’s going to make me worse. Furthermore, I had no sense about how to heal this disease. How do I prevent another flare up? Will I ever eat anything but crackers and bread? But eating these foods didn't make me feel good. I was definitely missing something. And I was gaining weight.
While I was taking medications I was still having symptoms. My stools were not normal! I would spend most of my morning in the bathroom while my kids would bang on the door begging me to feed and dress them.
Once I started talking to Russell my life completely changed! He had found the missing puzzle pieces to healing Ulcerative Colitis. He taught me a new lifestyle that gave me the best version of myself. I am having 1-2 normal bms a day. Weaning off my medications. Feeling control of my life and body. Not only are all my negative symptoms gone my body has completely changed. My body feels stronger and I don’t get dizzy anymore through the day. I finally know what to eat and I can be creative with my cooking once again. I eat mostly Phase 1 foods and I’m slowly expanding my diet. By continuing this healthy lifestyle I will continue improving my health including my hormone imbalance as well as my menstrual cycle. My periods are more regular now.
Throughout the program I asked Russell questions each time I had any concerns about my health and he was always available to talk or respond to my questions. He gave me home remedies when I became COVID positive and helped me to heal a yeast infection without medication!
About 9 months into the program I went to visit my GI doctor who gave me a stool sample test and blood work to check the inflammation level in my intestines. I got the magical news that the inflammation in my colon has significantly lowered! When I explained to my GI doctor that I believed my improvement was the result of Russell's program, he dismissed that idea and blamed my symptoms on having an undiagnosed bacteria in my stool and then he said that he now believes that I never had Ulcerative Colitis. Can you believe that?
Throughout the program. Russell was there for me EVERY step of the way. He is a call, text or email away from responding to whatever questions you have, including questions about different foods and remedies and of course the importance of knowing the difference between complementary and insulting habits. I am so glad I worked with Russell!
Side note: This program teaches you how to do Self-Care at its finest without feeling guilty. Some of this includes eating the right foods at the right time and learning to listen to your body. Sometimes meditation is the answer and sometimes it is just going for a gentle walk and learning how to relax and trust my body's ability to heal itself!
Thank you Russell and Megan!
Ellen in Los Angeles (age 28)
May 2022