Earlier this week, I had my umpteenth colonoscopy. Even though I’ve been fortunate enough to be flare-free for over ten years and counting, I still qualify as having a greater chance of colon cancer due to my history of severe Ulcerative Colitis, so every two years I get this important procedure done. It’s never a fun experience, but it's a necessary one.
I’ll just cut right to the chase...this was THE BEST colonoscopy report I’ve received since prior to my major flare in 2010!
Ever since my monster, year-long flare in 2010/2011, my colonoscopy reports have not, shall we say, been awesome. Even though I’ve miraculously remained flare-free, my colon got really beat up during the flare of all flares and as a result there was lots of scarring and abnormal vascularity present, among other not so fun consequences. I’m so grateful that the more I’ve learned and applied regarding a healing diet and lifestyle, the better my reports get, and while my last report in 2019 was good, my report from this week was GREAT!
There continues to be no sign of disease or any inflammation, anywhere - this didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was that in three key categories (Polyps, Pseudopolyps, and Scarring) there were beautiful improvements, even just since 2019! This is AWESOME.
To demonstrate, below is a comparison showing 2019’s report snippets vs. 2021’s (the same doctor performed the colonoscopy both years):
Polyps (clumps of cells that grow and can potentially become cancerous over time)
2019 - One polyp (that was removed during colonoscopy)
2021 - Zero polyps
Pseudopolyps (pre-polyps that can become real polyps over time)
2019 - “Pseudopolyps were noted in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon”
2021 - “Pseudopolyps were noted in the ascending and transverse colon” (not in the descending this time)
Scaring (there is scarring in my colon due to past major Ulcerative Colitis flares - scarring can cause issues including nutrient deficiencies and potentially increased cancer risk):
2019 - “Diffuse scarring in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon”
2021 - “Patchy scarring” in just the ascending and transverse colon
2019 - “Patchy scarring was noted in the descending colon”
2021 - “Normal mucosa was noted in the descending colon”
Wait….what?! Even my scars have improved?!?! WOW.
I am so thrilled with these results and beyond grateful to have learned how to live a healing lifestyle. Still, I can never say that I’ve “arrived''; I’m still always learning and growing, but this gives me a whole lot of confidence that I must be doing something right, and that I am continuing to move in the right direction.
Eating REAL food (whole fruits/vegetables/grains/legumes/nuts/seeds), eating more plants and less meat, only eating processed foods that are of a higher quality (organic, non-gmo) and keeping them to a minimum, avoiding gluten entirely and limiting dairy consumption, just saying no to junk food, incorporating herbs and spices daily, drinking lots of water, using supplements when necessary, living simply, exercising mostly through yoga and walking, sleeping enough, paying close attention to my mental/emotional/spiritual health and stress management - all of this had made such a difference. As they say, the proof is in the pudding (but...not actually pudding, LOL).
I truly believe that with autoimmune disease, no matter how bad it’s been, we do not have to hopelessly remain sick and tired and we do not have to live a life dependent on toxic medications. I am living proof of this!
10 years ago I could only dream of a colonoscopy report like the one I received this week. If this is you today, know that there is hope. Doing the work to educate yourself and then apply what you learn takes time, but if you stick with it, it produces real results. I hope my story can help you believe that the work will be so worth it. If you are looking to take control of your health and not let your health control you any longer, see here, here, and here!
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