In May of 2023, I woke up to a very strange day. I felt fine. I just had a strange symptom...blood in my stool. The online nurse told me to go straight to the ER. I was COVID positive... no symptoms, fully vaccinated. Because I have an autoimmune disease and my medication for it suppresses my immune system, the ER admitted me. I was REALLY feeling fine.
Still in the hospital the next day. When I woke up, there was significant blood when I went to the bathroom. I remember thinking, "I'm getting worse. Please, no. Not again." The medication I was on really wreaked havoc on my body before. A few years before, in Barcelona, I got a yeast infection and almost died! The medication suppressed my immune system so much that my body couldn't fight a simple yeast infection. By the time I got home, I was septic. Bacteria, fungus and viral infections were running rampant through my body. I went from the airport to the hospital where I stayed for several days. I suffered horrible pain and scarring from the yeast infection for 8 weeks... the time it took for the Auto-immune drugs to leave my system.
Back in the hospital again and scared out of my mind, I tried to get my head around fighting a Covid infection. I was frightened knowing that it would take 8 weeks before the auto-immune drugs would leave my system. Those drugs that controlled my psoriatic arthritis, IBS and psoriasis would keep me from fighting the Covid infection. I could not imagine how Covid was going to attack my body.
After several tests, a gastroenterologist told me that my colonoscopy showed that I had bleeding ulcers and an infected colon and intestinal wall. It is how Covid works in people with my condition. I would be fine with antibiotics and anti-viral treatment. After a week in the hospital I went home with instructions for healing my intestines.
Healing my intestines? Would they ever heal? That's how my mother died at the age of 69. Infection in her intestines. My grandmother too. Aunts also suffered from gastroenteritis. Both my parents had diverticulitis. Is that how my life would end, I wondered. I was determined to follow the instructions exactly, every day.
Mostly, the doctor told me to take pre- and pro- biotics, increase my protein intake to over 100g per day. In fact, he said to try to get 150g. He also suggested limiting sugar, flour, and bulky fiber. He said to stick to clean, protein rich food and fats. Finally, he said to avoid the auto-immune injections. I could keep my psoriasis under control temporarily with topical treatments if I had an outbreak. The inflammation was not a problem that I was experiencing, strangely.
After a month of eating basically lean meat and protein shakes, I lost 24 pounds. I was able to get in for a repeat colonoscopy after 3 months, and the lesions were still present but no longer bleeding. "Keep up the protein diet. It's working great." The doctor suggested that I continue to avoid taking the auto-immune medications if I didn't feel like my symptoms were an issue. I didn't want to struggle with another infection that the medication kept me from fighting. So I continued to eat a high protein, low carb diet. I was essentially in a forced state of ketosis.
I kept losing weight. To help with my joint pain, I was treading water everyday in our swimming pool. When it got cold, I joined a gym with a pool and treaded water each day to help keep the pain in my joints from coming back. No inflammation, no psoriasis, and weight loss. I was feeling very hopeful that my health was coming back, because I was feeling great.
Seven months after my Covid infection, I had another colonoscopy to verify that my intestines had healed completely. I felt great. I was 50 pounds lighter, 100% stronger, and still scared that my intestines were compromised. When the doctor finished the test, he said, "there's no evidence of disease. You can go back to a normal life again. You can go back on your auto immune medication, and you can eat whatever you'd like to eat."
I remember thanking God immediately and then saying to the doctor, "What if I get Covid again? Won't those medications make it hard for me to fight the infection?" And I told him I didn't have any inflammation symptoms any more. He told me that there are recent studies happening that suggest that some ketones will change your metabolism, reverse disease, and counter your body's autoimmune degenerative responses.
Now, almost 18 months later, I'm sugar-free, preservative free, flour-free. In fact, I avoid sugar, flour, beans, rice, potato, corn and all fruit. I'm not on a Keto diet, per se. I don't watch my fat grams as the diet prescribes. But I'm living a low carb, high protein life style. So far, I haven't needed to take medication for my psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or IBS. I continue to tread water for 45 minutes 5 or 6 days a week. I walk about 3-4 miles a day and have started incorporating 20 flights of stairs 5 days per week.
I feel great. I feel young. As I close out this decade of my life, and look to the next, I feel hopeful that I will live a busy, active and fun life past the age of 69. So many hopes to make come true.
UPDATE: It's now 2 1/2 years later. I still maintain a high protein, low carb lifestyle. I still tread water 5-6 days per week. I still walk whenever and where ever I feel challenged to walk. I weigh 88 lbs less than I did a month before I got sick. I've really learned to get over people's questions. No flour, sugar, corn, beans, rice, potato or non-berry fruit. It works for me. It still works great.
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