Crohn’s Disease Flareup Update: One Month Later

Red meat, sunshine, and time with family are a very healing combination.

Just a month ago, this Crohn’s disease flare-up made simple daily tasks feel impossible. I was dealing with intense abdominal pain, internal bleeding, extreme fatigue and weakness, and rapid weight loss. In the past month, most of these symptoms have significantly improved. I still have hard days, but comparing a few weeks ago to now is truly a night and day difference.

A Change of Scenery

Earlier this month, I came back to California to stay with my parents and two youngest sisters. My husband is currently on deployment, and I wasn’t in a physical place to take care of myself — or a baby — on my own. I’ll be here for the rest of the summer, and it’s already been a very sweet and restful season of recovery with my family.

Biopsy Results

Because of ongoing internal bleeding, I had a second colonoscopy in early June to determine the cause of it. Thankfully, the biopsies confirmed that the bleeding was due to Crohn’s-related ulcers in my large intestine — not cancer or liver disease, just Crohn’s. I’ve never been more relieved to hear those words.

The biopsies also showed inflammation likely caused by an irritant.  – In my case, the ibuprofen I took about a week after my son was born. Knowing what likely triggered this flare-up has been a huge relief, especially since it’s something I can avoid in the future.

Considering Medication

After the colonoscopy, my GI prescribed a medication to manage Crohn’s. I was initially open to taking it short-term if needed – sometimes medication can be a helpful tool to help the body stabilize and begin healing. But after researching and talking it through with my functional medicine doctor, I decided against it.

As part of that research, I read the full manufacturer’s insert — a detailed document that outlines a drug’s uses, dosages, warnings, and potential side effects. If you’ve never read one before, Just the Inserts is a great resource to help you navigate and understand them. After reviewing the section on adverse reactions, along with warnings related to pregnancy and breastfeeding, I felt that, for me, the potential risks outweighed the possible benefits.

Another factor in my decision: there’s no guarantee the medication would work. My GI explained that it can be a trial-and-error process to find the right medication, since everyone responds differently. I’d need to be on it for at least six months before knowing whether it was effective. That felt like a long and uncertain path, especially considering the progress I had already made through diet alone — in just two weeks of eating carnivore, my symptoms had already started to improve significantly.

We still don’t fully understand the long-term effects of these medications. And since my body was already responding well to a natural approach, we felt confident continuing down that path — using food and functional tools to support my body’s healing, one step at a time.

Back on the Carnivore Diet

By the time of my colonoscopy, I had been eating only beef, salt, and water for just over two weeks, and my abdominal pain had already disappeared. I stayed on that strict carnivore approach for the rest of the month.

Five weeks in, I had an appointment with a nutritionist to begin reintroducing foods slowly and thoughtfully. Her suggestions:

• Start with wild-caught fish (still part of the carnivore diet and high in omega-3s).
  Pro tip from her: To preserve those omega-3s, fish should be cooked at or below 270°F.
• Add nutrients through broth by simmering it with carrots and onions. I’m not eating the veggies yet, just cooking with them for the added minerals.
• Drizzle high-quality olive oil over meals to support healthy fat intake.
• Try chicken or sardines (with the bones for calcium) if the above goes well.

So far, everything I’ve added has been well tolerated.

Bloodwork & A New Diagnosis

Earlier this week, I had a follow-up with my doctor to go over bloodwork. It confirmed what we suspected: my inflammation markers are very high, and I’m anemic from the bleeding. But we also discovered something new — early signs of Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid. My T3 and T4 levels are very low, so my doctor is starting me on targeted supplements to support my thyroid and reduce inflammation. We’ll be re-testing in a month to monitor my progress.

Encouraging Progress

I’ve been so encouraged by how my body has responded to food again. When I first got sick, it took over nine months to figure out what my body needed to heal. This time, I’ve seen noticeable progress in just a few weeks.

I still have a long way to go, but I’m on the right path. Healing takes time, but it’s happening.