LBTC,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It's hard to hear that you've got a disease that you will always have to live with. But if you find the right medication, and identify the foods you can't eat, you will be just fine.

It definitely puts you in tune with your body, if you weren't already. And even without a food diary, you will gradually get to know which things will hurt you and which are okay to eat. When I first got diagnosed with colitis, I went for months without eating certain things that I suspected may be bad. This was during an active flare up, so it was pretty easy to not want to eat anything, but in the end it was a good experiment, because now I know what's okay for me and what is going to be problematic.

And it's different for everyone. My sister has crohns, and she can't have coffee, but beer is okay. I'm just the opposite, coffee is fine, but carbonation is terrible on my system.

Even when I'm in remission, there are certain foods that will give me a gut ache. Not cause a flare-up, but just great discomfort.

I hope you find what works for you soon! Definitely stay active, I'm sure that it helps.

Take care,
kate