6 Feet, 8 Inches at 177 pounds....

What to do When the Disease Seems to be Winning?

When I married the man of my dreams I knew he was sick. I had looked up the disease and had listened to him talk about it. What I didn't comprehend is how stressful it could be as I watched him waste away as I got heavier and heavier.

Ulcerative Colitis is a debilitating disease that strips you of your health and dignity. My husband has it, and I am so proud of the way he handles himself and strives to live as normal of a lifestyle as he can. If any of you know him, you may not know that he is taking a lot of medication or that he's even sick.

When we got married back in 2010 he had no body fat, but lots of nice muscles and so I wasn't concerned about the fact that he was very light in the pounds department for his height. I also didn't put the two together, that if he was doing well then he was closer to 182 lbs and if he was having a relapse that he was hovering at the 177 lbs mark.

Once things got stressful for us (as new marriages often can) he began dropping (stress is a huge trigger for a relapse) and I began gaining. The more he dropped the more anxious I became. When you are 6'8, one hundred and seventy-seven pounds isn't enough weight to keep you going. He was telling me that he was getting tired at work, his legs were giving out - there wasn't any energy left.

When he came home one day and told me about his work-friend's son being on the "Specific Carbohydrate Diet" and that he thought it might work for him I cleared out our old food and went grocery shopping.

A little while ago he had a surgery that enabled the specialist to take pictures of his intestines and take samples as well. The pictures showed intestines, free of inflammation (except one tiny spot that the doctor wasn't worried about) and we are still waiting for the results of the samples.

I'm writing to say that my husband has been following this diet without cheating once for 15 weeks now and he is currently 186 pounds. And that's with him currently not feeling well and thinking he is having a relapse. The book said at about the 3 month mark a relapse is common and that you shouldn't give up.

So here we are at the 3 month mark, my husband is sick but miraculously has also gained weight.

I'm so grateful for this small sign of hope and health!

Don't give up no matter your journey. I'm continuing to lose weight, with God's help my husband will be healed and continue to gain. Whatever you are going through you aren't alone and someone understands!

God Bless,
Laura