The Specific Carbohydrate Diet - testimonials [4]

Dear Lori,
Just to empathise with you: I tried the diet twice last year and, like you, was worse on it despite following it religiously. I too lost about 10 pounds and got so thin and weak I had to stop. It was a great disappointment, especially in view of the fact that the diet seems to work for so many. I think I must be allergic to one of the basic foods but I couldn't work out which.

I continue to take herbal medicine and have never been on strong drugs in four years of UC. I took Asacol for 1 month and then for two weeks a year later. The second time I proved allergic to it and had to stop. I am wondering about going onto sulfasalazine to get the D under control and reduce bathroom visits from present 12 times per day. Then, maybe I would put on some weight and could afford to retry the diet.

Hope you manage to find another way to get back onto the road to recovery, but with CD and in the absence of the diet I know its difficult. I sometimes think a dedicated SCD clinic would be a great idea as starting the diet is so difficult. Except the medical profession would probably rubbish it!

By the way, Rachel, although not on the SCD at present I still read this list for its general UC/CD advice and I really value your efforts. Well done and you should feel proud that you have helped so many back to health. I sometimes feel I would rather lose a limb than continue suffering UC!! IBD blights your life like nothing else, so to be able to help even one person is marvellous.

Karl Partridge
Northern Ireland.

Hi Paula, I have been on the diet almost 3 years now...(has it been that long?) wow! and I have UC. I've only been diagnosed for the past 3 1/2 years. I would say that the diet works for me. I started the diet when I was having no symptoms and coming down off of some prednisone. I did great for the first 16 months or so. I had a bit of a relapse then which was in August, which always seems to be a hard time of year for me for some reason. Unfortunately, at that time I didn't have the knowledge, belief and patience to stick with the basic diet and gradually wait for my body to heal. I eventually gave in and went running to the doctor after about 4 weeks. I was put back on prednisone. At this low point I questioned the whole diet. Something told me though to stick with it. Someone on this list told me that the road to success is sometimes marked with some setbacks but that the general trend is toward better health. After a bit of a rough late summer early fall episode again this past year things have been smooth sailing. I just stuck to meat, yogurt, nut muffins and well cooked veggies during that time...no lettuce or raw veggies and things eventually got better again. I currently take Pentasa only twice a day which is half of what I should take..I don't really think I even need that but I humor my doctor. I haven't yet tried introducing anything non-SCD because there's nothing that I want bad enough to risk what I have now. I am the mother of 2 boys who need their mom in good condition. They are my inspiration and the reason I stick with it.

My story is not a major success story, as I was not on the brink of having my colon removed, but I believe a success none the less.

I have been on this list or it's previous incarnations for 3 years. I mostly just read all your wonderful messages. Even though things are going well for me I get a lot of support from everyone. I miss it when I'm away from it for a few days. I'm grateful for this list and everyone here!

Don't give up!

Wishing everyone the best,
Cheryl Crabill (UC)

Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 00:59:08 EST
From: PanthaProd@aol.com
To: SCD-list@longisland.com
Subject: Colonoscopy and realization!

Well, I've been on the SCD with fanatical adherence for 1 year and 8 months. I've had 2 relapses in that time. In spite of having this last one which lasted about 1 1/2 months, the results of my colonoscopy were quite good. I went for it a few weeks ago when I was still in a relapse. As badly as I had been feeling the entire month leading up to my procedure, the doctor said my colon was 98% perfect with just a slight inflamation at the end 2 inches. Every time I've mentioned the diet in the past, he rolls his eyes with the usual response "diet has no effect on this condition". Well this time he said, it looks excellent! Just keep doing whatever you're doing. Well, needless to say I felt very excited. One thing I did discover during this most recent relapse, is that even when just the very tip is irritated, you can still feel really terrible. I began using just the rowasa suppositories just at the tip instead of the rowasa and cortezone enemas that seemed to increase my diarrhea and actually inflame the area more. But that little suppository, right at the very tip, did the trick. Just prior to the colonoscopy, I was getting very depressed, thinking that all my fanatical adherence had been in vain. So to all of you that may be in the throes of what seems to be a never ending relapse, have faith, for sometimes the symptoms can trick you into believing your condition is much worse than it actually is. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and maybe only a slight inflamation at the end of your colon!
Lois (UC)

Thank you so much for providing the SCD information on the internet. I have suffered from chronic diahrea since 1986. Last year my digestive system deteriorated to the point that nothing would slow down the diahrea. I was desperate and decided to search the internet for "diahrea". I found the SCD site. After reading the information, I decided to put it to the test. I ordered the book and begain a basic SCD diet. The diahrea stopped immediately. Here is my story.

I first began sufferering bowel problems in 1986. After six months of tests by a Gastro Intestinal specialist, I finally figured out that eating bread was making me sick. I stopped eating bread and wheat products and was able to survive. My digestive system wasn't normal, but I could get by if I didn't eat wheat products. The GI doctor told me I might have celiac disease.

Over the years, my digestive system was very sensitive and I would have occasional bouts of diahrea. Periods of stress would make things much worse. I was also suffering from other allergic problems during this time.

Last year, 1998, things got much worse. I started having chronic diahrea, that I couldn't stop, even with immodium. I narrowed my diet down to a few basics like vegetables, meat, rice and potatoes, but it didn't help. I didn't know what to do. Out of desparation, I decided to search the internet for anything related to diahrea. I found the SCD site and began reading the information. I decided that it was worth a try.

I ordered the book and started on a basic SCD. Things improved immediately. Instead of having to go to the toilet every fifteen minutes, I now only went once a day. The stools weren't normal, but at least I was getting some nutrition.

In addition to the chronic diahrea problems I had last year, I had other health problems. I lost a lot of weight and began having heart palpitations. Then I started having pains in my arms and shoulders. I went to a cardiologist, but after doing a stress test, he determined that the problem wasn't coronary blockage. He just called it stress. I have always been very active, hiking, racquetball, basketball, tennis, etc. I passed the treadmill test with flying colors. (At that time I was still in pretty good shape. Since then I have had to cut back my activity, but still do some walking and light hiking.)

I begain the SCD diet in October of 1998. It is now March, 1999. Because of the other health problems I have been fighting, I decided to work with an MD who goes beyond the standard "cookie cutter" medicine practices. This doctor had me do a stool analysis for bacteria and yeast by the Great Smokey Mountain laboratory in Tennesee. The test identified a bacteria called Citro Bacter Frieundi that has been associated with diahrea and cross immune problems. The test also identified an anti-biotic that could be used to kill the bad bacteria. I took Septra DS for two weeks to kill the bad bacteria. (I just recently completed the anti-biotic 3 weeks ago.) After taking the anti-biotic and then taking pro-biotics, in order to restore good bacteria, I have seen a significant improvement in my digestive system. The stools now appear normal. Before that, even though the SCD diet had stopped the diahrea, the stools were not formed or normal.

I am still on the SCD diet. I plan to try introducing some brown rice and maybe potatoes in about a month. For now I'm just excited that my bowels have improved so much.

I am still dealing with some strange burning pains that I get in my arms. I have insomnia, and when I don't sleep, I am miserable the next day, with these weird pains. Has anyone else with intestinal problems had weird pains. One of the other things I have done, to improve my health, is have my silver dental fillings removed. I believe that this provided some improvements. The burning pains are much less than they were before, and I don't have near the throat drainage I used to have.

Anyway, I feel that I'm now on the right path, the SCD diet saved my life, and I'm eating healthy with hopes of continued improvement.

Thanks,

Jim Johnson

I have been on the diet for two and a half years and now my UC is 99% in remission. This past New Years I was able to finally drop the small dose (5mg) of prednisone that I had gradually tapered to.

Other people have said this, but I want to echo that these diseases hit all of us slightly differently. I don't believe the diet cures UC, rather it helps put/keep us in remission. The only cheating I engage in is to drink coffee, and once a week I may have a sauce that has a little corn starch for thickening or a marinade that has a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I consume no pototoes, pasta, rice, wheat, sugar, chocoloate, beer, etc.

To beginners, I would say that you will get used to this restricted diet. A lot of our group have posted some very interesting recipes but I have found that most of these dishes are too time consuming and so I stick to a limited diet of meat, vegetables, fruit, honey, cheese, raisins, nuts, cookies, and the Laing and banana breads. For dessert I have either the ice cream, the carrot cake, or cookies. Perhaps the extent to which you seek variety in the SCD is related to how much you live to eat or eat to live. I guess I have reluctantly but easily settled for the latter. :)

I agree with others who say they will never go back to the diet we used to eat pre-SCD. So far I have found that I can cheat lightly maybe once a week, but not in any big way such as by eating ice cream or regular Italian food.

Bart

I just thought some of you might want to know that all SCD legal foods agree with my husband, who has Crohn's Disease. When he cheats (much to my chagrin) he suffers for it, but no problems when he is on the diet strictly. It is like night and day. I am so thankful for SCD; without it who knows where we would be today.

Michelle

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