12-19-2006

Hi everyone!
PAMHO

My name is Bhakta Raj Prabhu das - please prabhus, just call
me "Raj" - and I first encountered devotees in (I think) the late
60's; as I recall, I'd seen some guys on 42nd Street in New York
City, and I thought, "Who in the Sam Hill :) ARE these dudes?  Are
they Buddhists?  Are they from . . . 'out there'?"

I mean . . . New York in the 60's . . . could've been anyone!
Anyway, I ended up encountering a very nice Mataji (Dava Shakti) in
the old Port Authority Building where I used to pass through on my
way to work, and I accepted her invitation to come to the (then)
Henry Street Temple in Brooklyn.  That was back in 1972, and I've
been a devotee of Lord Krishna ever since!  (I've got to say here
that I never got formally initiated, and back in the 70's I had to
overcome - and finally did! - a horrendous drug problem.  But I never
stopped practicing the philosophy of bhakti.)  Yes, I also had the
good fortune to attend a Bhagavad Gita class that Srila Prabhupada
was giving.

So that's a little thumbnail sketch, and I apologize if it was
verbose. Cutting to the chase about IBD, I started having some
problems with IBD several years ago.  Prior to that, in 1990, I had a
hemorrhoidectomy - and it's a good thing that I did:  I was losing
blood faster than it could "build up" again, and I might've died had
I waited much longer, per one of the doctors.  Anyway, once I got
through the month of convalescence that followed, I felt like a new
person, and I thought my problems were over.  A few years later, I
started presenting with symptoms of IBD - although at the time I just
thought that there was some minor irritation and perhaps I needed to
go easy on the ghee and the dairy. Thing is . . . the symptoms slowly
but surely got worse, and as of this writing they've become
intolerable.
Presently, I'm taking a medication called Creon-10 (sounds like
something out of Star Trek), and it's really not helping. Traditional
doctors are pretty much 'hemming and hawing' and telling me that I've
got to ". . live with it" - and I don't believe them.  I've started
to lower my ghee and dairy intake (no more banana and cream shakes),
cut down on my soda, and drink more bottled water.  I know that's not
hardly going to be enough, and that brings me to this wonderful chat
group:  I'll avail myself of the collective wisdom we have here,
prabhus, and as I find that some of the methods shared start
manifesting positive results, I'll share that with you guys as well.
There's a saying that I heard the jazz-singer, Gil Scott-Heron once
posit:
"Each one/teach one."  So let's do just that!  Thanx for putting up
with my rambling, prabhus, and I look forward to fellowshipping and
dialoguing with you.              yus, Raj

Haribol,

PAMHO AGTSP

Thank you Malati Manjari mataji, first of all, for setting up this group. I
had (HAD!) ulcerative colitis for 16 years, basically all my life and only
very recently am I meeting others who have the same/similar.

I was diagnosed with colitis when I was 9 years old, and it's pretty much
all I know: a life of searching for bathrooms, cleaning up accidents, and
avoiding situations where there's a ratio of 1 bathroom per 50 people (which
unfortunately can happen quite often at big devotee programs and festivals).
I moved into the Bhaktivedanta Manor brahmacarini ashrama 2.5 years ago and
things really went downhill fast. I was already pretty sick before then, but
it quickly came to the point of being afraid of taking a five minute walk to
the goshalla because they don't have a bathroom there that I know of. And
just the anxiety of things like that would cause problems for me.

Anyway, thankfully Krsna sent me a saviour in the form of Kundlata mataji
and her husband, Haladhara prabhu, who had had 'the operation' to cure his
colitis 15 years ago in central London, when it was still experimental.
Mataji told me not to be afraid, have this operation and she would take care
of me afterwards while I recover. I had been recommended to have the
operation to take out my entire large intestine and rectum 5 years earlier
because nothing was working on me anymore. I had just had an emergency blood
transfusion and was realizing that I couldn't continue on anymore, so I took
up mataji's offer and started the ball rolling.

And today I am 6.5 weeks post-operation and doing quite well! I can eat a
lot of things I couldn't before, and for once don't feel the usual cramps,
bleeding and diarreah of colitis. I am even staying in the ashrama again,
however doing very minimal service and resting a lot still. I will have the
second part of the operation hopefully in January or February, where they
will take away 'the bag' which I have temporarily and reconnect everything
inside so I'll be closer to normal.

I think it's really great that you are finding ways to deal with IBD in a
natural way. I had also tried homeopathy, Chinese herbs and Ayurveda, but
even these doctors said they wouldn't be able to do much for me because my
whole colon was severely affected.

your servant,
Rina.

Hare Krishna,
I guess I'll also introduce myself. My name is Candidasa dasa. I'm a
disciple of Devamrita Swami. I'm in Manchester, UK, studying towards a
PhD in Computer Science.

I've had major three Crohns/Colitis flare-ups in the past. Two
required steroids (prednisone) to stop. The steroids had all kinds of
awful side-effects, but also forced my body to heal itself. I could
digest food within about 2 weeks of starting the medicine. However,
the steroids didn't cure the problem, they just postponed the effect
of the disease (and saved my life in the case of the first flair-up).
Once the effect of these intense drugs wears off (after about 6
months), another flair-up is likely.

The third flare-up was treated by a natural doctor here in the UK. He
put me on a diet of a special liver cleaning juice mix, detox tea and
aloe vera juice, with enemas twice a day. Doing that for 5 days healed
my digestion enough that I could eat well cooked vegetables. My
digestion gradually recovered while my body and mind was being treated
by this doctor (by acupuncture, chinese herbs, homeopathy, ayurvedic
diet and vega testing). I've avoid all wheat and dairy products during
the last 2 years.

Now my body is (finally) starting to gain some weight back and my
digestion is working perfectly. I'm still taking a small amount of
Asacol. Eating wheat still destroys my digestion, but it can usually
recover within a few days.

Good luck with your treatment Malati Manjari!

Your servant,
Candidasa dasa

Hare Krishna,
I guess I'll also introduce myself. My name is Candidasa dasa. I'm a
disciple of Devamrita Swami. I'm in Manchester, UK, studying towards a
PhD in Computer Science.

I've had major three Crohns/Colitis flare-ups in the past. Two
required steroids (prednisone) to stop. The steroids had all kinds of
awful side-effects, but also forced my body to heal itself. I could
digest food within about 2 weeks of starting the medicine. However,
the steroids didn't cure the problem, they just postponed the effect
of the disease (and saved my life in the case of the first flair-up).
Once the effect of these intense drugs wears off (after about 6
months), another flair-up is likely.

The third flare-up was treated by a natural doctor here in the UK. He
put me on a diet of a special liver cleaning juice mix, detox tea and
aloe vera juice, with enemas twice a day. Doing that for 5 days healed
my digestion enough that I could eat well cooked vegetables. My
digestion gradually recovered while my body and mind was being treated
by this doctor (by acupuncture, chinese herbs, homeopathy, ayurvedic
diet and vega testing). I've avoid all wheat and dairy products during
the last 2 years.

Now my body is (finally) starting to gain some weight back and my
digestion is working perfectly.  I'm still taking a small amount of
Asacol. Eating wheat still destroys my digestion, but it can usually
recover within a few days.

Good luck with your treatment Malati Manjari!

Your servant,
Candidasa dasa

Hare Krsna!

I want to thank all of you for joining!

I am a student at Bhativedanta College, in Belgium and thought of
starting this group because I am currently in the midst of an awful
Crohn's flare-up. I am 4,000 miles from home and far away from all I
know.

I've lost 20 lbs. (55 kilos) and am incredibly weak. This is wearing
on my sädhana, but I have faith that I will get the use of my body
back sometime soon. I have a Doctor's appointment in a week; I pray
they have some positive news to tell me.

Ok, I think that is all the energy I have for writing today. But,
please I encourage you to write and tell us something about
yourselves. Krsna Bless You!

Yas and moderator,
Malati Manjari