I told you I was sick – why doctors aren’t just wrong; they’re dangerous

I have spent 10 years getting my GP to admit what a friend of mine, who’s a nutritionist told me ten years ago. Doctors fucked me up. To boot, they probably fucked up my son.

Yesterday, after months of to-ing and fro-ing to my local surgery, the results of a feacal calproscopy test showed I have markers for Crohns –  proteins in my poo that show my gut is attacking itself.

Doctors can’t seem to tell me why. But a quick wiki search suggests genetic links- that much is clear, and it can be triggered by food allergies, which I’ve never seemed to suffer from; or drugs, which I believe might have tipped the balance for me. So if they did some investigation, they’d probably have to admit that it might be their fault.

It’s okay. I already know why I have Crohns because my nutritionist friend told me years ago.When I first became concerned my son was on the autism spectrum, she told me that years of antibiotics that I’d taken for acne had destroyed my gut bacteria.

By killing colonies of protective gut bacteria, parasites had replaced them in my gut, notably candida albicans, creating gut permeability that left me feeling foggy and knackered every time I ate sugar or starch – the yeast in my gut would feed and ferment with the sugar, releasing toxins, notably alcohol.

I was taking antibiotics to the day I discovered I was pregnant with my son. When he was born, his placenta was ragged. When he eats sugar, or starchy things, he goes loopy. His autistic behaviours increase – it’s really marked.

It’s not always easy to keep him to the straight and narrow, diet wise. But I try really hard.

My health reached crisis point sometime after my daughter was born. I was suffering skin rashes, my hair was falling out, I fell asleep after meals, my joints were aching. My nutritionist friend put me on an anti-candida diet to try and manage what she knew to be gut problems- back when doctors were stumped.  The diet was tough – basically no carbs, no sugar, no fruit, no booze, but I lost ten pounds, my skin cleared up and I cut my hair short, and started staying up late again.

Doctors couldn’t seem to explain this miracle recovery.You’ll be hard pressed to get them to admit diet has anything to do with Crohns, or ASD for that matter. In my experience, it may not be the whole solution, but it certainly alleviates some of the problems. But in the meantime, I’ve wasted a lot of time, and suffered a lot of pain believing what doctor’s have told me. That’s why I’m determined to do three things – treat it through diet, avoid further drugs and warn other people about the dangers.

The diet’s not easy to stick to, and over the years I have battled my willpower – and my symptoms. But now my GP agrees that my Crohns could be linked to the drugs I was prescribed – it’s linked to antibiotics, isotretinon – Retin-A and contraceptive use, all things I have been prescribed for acne –

Yesterday, a dermatologist yet again refused to believe the skin rashes I am suffering from have nothing to do with my diet, despite firing up everytime I eat wheat, sugar and dairy – and prescribed me isotretinoin for acne, refusing to listen to anything I’ve been told by nutritionists. I was so frustrated I could have screamed.

I know the symptoms I’m suffering from isn’t entirely straightforward to treat. I do think there are genetic markers for the problems I face. My grandad, who was a whizz at maths, socially awkward – and had ankylosing spondylitis and swallowing problems, features firstly of ASD and Crohns – show there is definitely something in the family. My cousin’s son on his side has full blown autism.

Although my son has only ever taken antibiotics once for an ear infection, I am taking him to have a test to see if he too suffers from the same markers that show his gut is also being attacked, as he has also started suffering from skin rashes around his mouth, although he is rarely sick, and doesn’t have the gut problems that I know my cousin’s son has suffered from. But there is evidence to show the mother’s bacteria passes to the child. And my GP is also now willing to listen to my concerns that the drugs I was prescribed before he was born may have impacted him. But I don’t believe there is much they can about it now.

The problem with doctors, largely, is they don’t treat the person, only the symptoms. They won’t take a full history – they haven’t got time. And, many end up prescribing treatments whose effects aren’t fully known, often causing greater harm in the long run, especially with long term chronic conditions medicine doesn’t fully understand- and often seems to contribute to: the incidence of Crohns (and autism for that matter) have been increasing in the developed world since the 70s, along with contraceptive use, antibiotic over prescription, and the complicated and convoluted food chain of modern diets.

It seems to me, the names we have for all these separate diseases complicate what are broadly symptomatic of similar things – namely modern life and the combination of stresses it places on all of us, that have had effects for which modern medicine simply can’t calibrate. And of course, there is no money for drug companies if a more back-to-basics diet is the answer for many of our problems.

The fact is, everyone has genes for health problems on some scale, and most medicines can’t do all that much about them. The best things anyone can ever to do help themselves is live as well as possible, and consider what might be the root of the problem, however far it might go back.

I do believe that good diet, breastfeeding, probiotics and all the other things I am doing to help my son – and myself – are making a real difference to both our health outcomes.

If you are suffering from IBS and want to try and diet based approach, find out more from experts here. I have approached them to find out more about my condition, and am waiting to see if I can be referred privately. Will update if have positive results.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I can only speak from my own experiences, taking expert advice where possible.