Meya - India: Crohn’s Disease (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.
This morning we're joined by Meya from India, who takes LDN for Crohn's disease. Thank you for joining us.
Meya: Thank you for having me.
Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us your Crohn's story, please?
Meya: Sure. I took a trip to India and during the trip, I was very, very sick. I had severe diarrhoea and vomiting. I saw a doctor in India, and he gave me antibiotics plus a couple of other medicines, which worked brilliantly within 24 hours. I kind of recovered, however, a week later the same symptoms came back, and it continued for a period of six weeks or so. I was very sick. I was going to the toilet about 30, 40 times a day. I lost a tremendous amount of weight, about a stone and a half. I could hardly keep anything down. I had a high temperature and severe stomach cramps.
I went to see a specialist, who did a number of cameras - endoscopy, colonoscopy, and so forth. And eventually, I was diagnosed about two months later as having Crohn's disease. Needless to say, it was all very stressful at the time, because when you're told of chronic illness in you, it's difficult to embrace it immediately, especially when you've got a busy life.
Nonetheless, I was put on Asacol immediately and it helped up to a point, but it didn’t quite resolve all the problems. And from there onward for what I believe is now five and a half years later, I went downhill in a sense. I've been on two different immunosuppressants, steroid injections regularly as in every six weeks to two months, to control the inflammation, and also the severe arthritic pain I was feeling all the time.
I could barely walk. It impacted me quite a bit, both emotionally as well as physically. This continued for the best part of three years. The steroids and immunosuppressants did help. My life did become better in the sense that I had control. I wasn't rushing to the loo. I was managing, but managing poorly, and the pain wouldn't go away. The pain was controlled only so much. If I'm to say between a hundred per cent, it would be like 60 to 70%, maybe 50 to 60%, actually, not even 70%.
Then I started doing a lot of research, because every time I took my medicine, I felt really burdened. I thought, God, this is destroying my body. I need to do something about this. And that's what led me to do a lot of research over a period of time. And I discovered three different things. First and foremost, spices. What a fantastic thing they are in terms of helping your body from all kinds of elements, particularly fresh turmeric, ginger, fennel, and all sorts. Secondly, I came across a website that led me to do research for LDN, and eventually, it led me to Dr. McCall and Dickson Chemist. And finally, the benefits of regular exercise, hard as it is when you're ill. It became mind over matter. I think these three put together.
I really worked very hard as well in my research in terms of being determined to apply that and to move away from my medicine. So I started weaning off immunosuppressants slowly, without the permission of my consultant, just to see how I react. And fortunately, it worked very well. Finally, I was on one medicine at the time. My consultant stopped giving me steroid injections because over the last three and a half years, while having steroids, my bones became soft and I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. So it was a blessing. They just said they couldn't give me that anymore. So I had to mentally manage my pain.
I also started following Dr. Mercola's website a lot. It also teaches you a lot about physical pain and emotional pain and the methods to control the aspect of pain. So a combination of all of these over the last two years has led me to my current situation where I'm taking a reasonable amount of daily supplements, like probiotics, krill oil, zinc tablets, vitamin C, turmeric tablets, as well as fresh turmeric. I make my own kefir with my own kefir grains, which I discovered with a wonderful lady in London. She helped me tremendously and passed me the information in India. I also tend to walk about three miles on a daily basis, whether I like it or not; and some gentle exercise, as much as I can manage. And I started taking LDN back in February of this year. That's helped me significantly managing my pain. On a scale of none to 10, I would say - it took about three months for it to be effective fully - I'd say probably seven, seven to eight.
However, very very recently I started eating wheat. Now it's one of the things I gave up actually because I kept reading on the website that it's a trigger and I've noticed some of the pain has come back. So I'm going to give up wheat again and see if my scale of pain is better or not.
Linda Elsegood: When you say your pain, are you saying ten is the worst and you're at a seven and eight?
Meya: I'm saying no, it's the worst. Before taking LDN I was about seven to eight, I would say; but since I started eating wheat, probably about six. And the wheat - I've only taken in the last six weeks because I read somewhere that if you completely give up wheat you're then building intolerance. I've definitely noticed a change in pain, so I'm going to give up wheat again and see if that's any better.
Linda Elsegood: Could you explain to us - before you started LDN and all your other treatments before you took your disease into your own hands should we say, what was the typical day like with going to the toilet and what that was like if you wouldn't mind explaining?
Meya: Well, I was at the time on regular steroid injection, which was controlling my arthritis, acute inflammation. And I was also on an immunosuppressant. So I would say despite all of that, a typical day probably would be about four times. But four times, five times, three times it varied. It was controlled up to that point, but I needed all of those drugs to be able to be at that state; and I'd have good days and bad days, where control was a difficult thing. However, with these two drugs and the painkiller, it did become better. I was able to go out without the real fear of needing the loo, but it was always at the back of your mind, I need to be near a loo.
Linda Elsegood: You were saying previously you were going 30 to 40 times a day.
Meya: Right. Before it was diagnosed, before I was on any kind of medication, I was physically crawling every day. I just couldn't bear the day. In fact, I dreaded waking up, because it was even at nighttime. You'd be asleep for a short while and then you'd have to rush to the loo. It was a terrible time of my life actually.
Linda Elsegood: And, and you were telling me that you decided not to eat as much because of it.
Meya: That's right. Because the fear of going to the loo is so enormous all the time that I just took a decision I'm not going to eat. And I started having juice, just regular juice, not fresh ones, fruit or vegetable ones, but just normal commercial stuff. And then the neighbour sent me fresh juice from her machine and it tasted really nice. I decided to make my own juice, but however, it still didn't control things for me now. I was still rushing to the bathroom. It wasn't until I went on the dreadful steroid and immunosuppressant that I had some form of control, and the whole process just went on for three and a half years. I don't look back with joy. I must admit when I think about those days, yes, I count my blessing, where I am now.
Linda Elsegood: You've been on LDN six months now, and we know how it was for you before you took all the immune suppressants and steroids. What drugs are you taking alongside LDN?
Meya: Now I'm taking nothing other than supplements and LDN.
Linda Elsegood: Well, now isn't that amazing, that you had to take all those drugs to control your Crohn’s and you still weren't a hundred per cent. And now you're not taking any of those drugs, and you're not going to the toilet 30 to 40 times a day, and you're only taking LDN and supplements.
Meya: So absolutely. I would definitely recommend that to people out there. If they're in the same situation or similar situation, at least give it a try. The only downside was it gave me insomnia at the beginning, so I started taking them during the daytime. But now I take it an hour before bedtime, and it has no impact on me whatsoever in terms of insomnia. So that effect we saw over a period of time. I do take a maximum of 4.5 milligrams, but I'm very comfortable with it. And the service from Dickson Chemist and Dr. McCall's services are excellent. It's a very straightforward system. It works. And I would definitely recommend it to people, and support the LDN Research Trust for the wonderful job they do.
Linda Elsegood: Thank you. So we can see it's helping you with your Crohn’s. It's helping you with pain, and obviously, your fatigue must be a lot better if you're able to walk three miles a day; and I should think your quality of life and your mood have also improved your self-worth.
Meya: Totally. I feel I'm more myself, as I was before I was diagnosed with Crohn's. You're never the same person because obviously, you're still trying to cope with a chronic illness. However, I would say I am 90% myself.
Linda Elsegood: Well, that's amazing.
Any questions or comments you may have, please contact us. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciated your company. Until next time, stay safe and keep well.
