Return of Chrone's/After 14 yr remission

I am a 35 yr old female with a hx of Chrone's disease.  I was diagnosed at age 9 and at that time also had polyps removed.  I had uncontrolled Chrone's for 10 years.  At the age of 21 I went into full remission after a cocktail of prednisone, azulfidine, flagyl, prilosec, and two other drugs that I can't recall.  I was on prednisone for over a year.  Routine colonoscopies every year.  This year in June it showed mildly active colitis.  At which time dr put me on azulfidine.  Apparently, I developed an allergy to azulfidine.  Since then, I have also had severe eye swelling to the point I had to do prednisone eye drops or I couldn't open my eyes.  Two weeks ago I went for a routine checkup at the OB (hysterectomy 3 years ago).  There was a "mass" found on internal pelvic exam.  This mass, after CT with oral, iv, and rectal contrast, along with ultrasound revealed that the "mass" was actually my colon swelling into my pelvic cavity.  Now after 14 years, it is fully active.  I am looking for some holistic approaches to treatment, to go inline with Western medicine.  I am currently taking flagyl, cipro, prednisone, and prilosec.  I have done some research on freeze dried black raspberries.  Does anyone know of using the black raspberries?  What other herbs and/or meds really work?  I do not have insurance, so things like Remicade are out of the question.  Any help and guidance would be great!  THank you

[chloepants]

Hi, kygal1975 ,
I will tell briefly you my story somewhat briefly so you can see what I have experienced, what works for me, and what could help you. If anything is confusing, I apologize; I have a cold at the moment.

I am a just-turned 23 year old female and was diagnosed with UC in 2009. I took a cocktail of several drugs (tried mesalamine in two forms (pill and suppository), to which I was allergic; then prednisone, sulfasalazine, and azathioprine pills (with a folic acid supplement) before it was under control. One year ago, on December 18, 2009, I started drinking ionized water (I use an Enagic SD501 machine to ionize my water) and immediately (literally, within 10 minutes) began to feel better. I was completely medicine- and symptom-free for nearly 12 months before I started having symptoms again. When beginning to drink ionized water, a person will experience detoxifying symptoms as the water pulls toxins from the body's cells and flushes them from the body (it will pull inflammation from the body, so if your colon is inflamed, you may experience more detoxifying in the colon than those who have a healthy colon). Occasionally, for those really ill (one of which I was), a person can immediately feel better but, as the water detoxifies layers of illness in the body, can experience a bout of discomfort again. I have been experiencing some symptoms of UC again from November until the present (rectal bleeding, mucousy and loose stools, diarrhea, sensitivity to certain foods); they are, however, much, much less extreme than they were even when I was on medicine for UC (which I am not now). The "lighter" symptoms of UC, such as a squeaky stomach and sensitivity to certain foods, have been nearly absent or occur very infrequently.
My insurance is not currently active, so I have not spoken with my doctor about this recurrence of symptoms (which I know would be a good thing to do; I just can't afford the medicines or doctor's visit). He does know, however, about the ionized water, and, before my recurrence of symptoms in November, told me to stop my once-a-month appointments for once-a-year. I do not eat wheat/gluten at all because it affects my blood sugar (I am not diabetic, but my maternal grandmother was) and causes an upset stomach if I consume large quantities. I do not often consume foods high in sugar (such as sodas or candies) or with added yeast (I have a loaf of bread about once a month, over about a week and a half).

My first recommendation to you would be this: try ionized water. The way the company Enagic works is direct distributor selling: they don't have retail stores. Distributors set up an office from which to give out water (they usually ask for donation to cover the cost of the water itself and for the filters for the machine, but it is very low) and many hold workshops on what ionized water is and how it can help you (ionized water is, in essence, water that is full of antioxidants and more easily absorbed into the body). Ionized water may not cure you completely, but it will very likely help you. Even if you still need some supplements or medicines, you will likely feel a remediation of symptoms and other positive effects.
My second recommendation would be to try marshmallow root tincture (I found it at a local health-food store; it wasn't available at Whole Foods). Instead of drinking it as is recommended on the bottle, use the dropper to place drops directly under the tongue and let it absorb (5-6 drops 5-6 times a day for the first few days (or weeks), then 3-4 drops 3-4 times a day thereafter). This will help produce a mucous coating in the colon, so you will see a change in the amount of mucous in the bowel.
My third recommendation would be to try dietary changes, such as eliminating gluten (found in all products with wheat, barley and rye, and products with oats which are not certified gluten-free. An excellent book on this is The Gluten Connection by Dr. Shari Lieberman), large amounts of added sugars (sodas, candies, desserts, etc.), and frequent yeast intake (anything you eat every day is probably good to cut out).
If you would like more information on anything here, please send a message to me. I have a phone number for an Enagic distributor in the Portland, OR area who may be able to help you find a distributor in your area if you would like to try ionized water.
I hope that this isn't too tedious to read and that you will be helped by it. I hope you feel better soon!
~Chloepants