Re: IBS

March 31, 2008

Hi sorry to here here you've been so sick. I to had your symtoms in the begining just light. I went to the doctors and was told I had nothing wrong with me I was just over weight and not getting enough exersize went on a diet and started exersizing more and that was when everything started to happen my teeth started to decay that was within months, went and had a rootcanal then had to go on another antibodic for another tooth within a month after.Went back to the doctors sent me to have a colonocopy but was to sick to go I thought I had the flu then the hospital canceled the next colnoscopy so I had to wait another month all this time I was sick and was told well wait and see what the tests say.So when the test came back I had crohns and was very sick. The doctor put me on flaglin and cir something and I thought I was going to blow up( litterly )so I went off it , the doctor basicly said your on you own, wouldn't presribe anything else and thats when I found SCD.I was also fired from work (I learned not to tell your boss the diagnosis) and yes they can't fire you for health but as my boss said this is NYState I don't need a reason to fire anyone.I also have the burden of proof. So had no other recourse but to heal myself and i think it was the luckist thing that could have happen to me.I found In this area at least the doctors now very little about IBS.I've spoke to a lot of people and anyone that has gotten help has had to go to albany or nyc.

So your lucky that you found a doc that knows something and didn't have to search.I'm not sure how differant ibs is than crohns but i do know that the diet takes time and you will go though many ups and downs but you do get better and it depends on how strict you follow the diet.We all have set back you just have to start again keep trying don't let the set backs get you down.Chin up

olive

cd 1yr scd 6mths

IBS

hi everyone. i'm new to this site and to the diet. i've been recentlydiagnosed with IBS. i've been having acute symptoms for 3 months whichnow have at least become manageable. at their worst, i hadEXTREMEbloatedness, violent spasms of the esophagus and stomach, which wouldeither push air up to my throat which caused this gulping noises. andmy insides would just hurt from all the activities. i also had reflux,my stomach did not empty at all at times (as seen on ct scan), whichcaused me to vomit multiple times almost daily for weeks. i alsoexperienced a lot of pain (of different kinds - sharp, dull, tender)in the whole abdominal areas, but particularly in the stomach. othersymptoms were intermittent diarrhea and constipation. when i did havea bowel movement, my stool was always shaped really thin or extremelysmall, like shredded or extremely runny. (which my doctor explained tome that it was due to my intestines in spasm.) i had a feeling ofurgency all the time which in particular made me a nervous wreck. veryvery excessive flatulence, which was another thing that made mypersonal and professional life hell. (the holding gas in was painfuland exhausting and nerve-wrecking, as i had sooo much air in me thatit was impossible to hold things in all the time.) i was very nauseousall the time, and just felt ill constantly. whenever my stomach didn't(and doesn't) empty, i'd feel either a rush of heat or cold fromwithin the body - i don't know if anybody knows what i mean by that.and that feeling would just sort of take hold of me and i'd kind ofpanic. at the worst times, i couldn't ride in a car at all, as theslightest vibration on my body would make me feel very very sick. (notmotion sickness) the very slight motion of a very steady car wouldfeel like tidal waves in my digestive system, and it's the worstfeeling...anyway, i was prescribed a few things which made me have morediarrhea. finally i was prescribed an anti-depressant, which i wasvery reluctant to get on. but in the end, as i was at my wit's end asmy symptoms became worse and worse, i started taking it. (a doctortold me that he believed it was a physical manifestation ofdepression, that it was caused by a chemical imbalance.) I immediatelygot better. so now i'm on 5 mg of lexapro everyday and my symptomshave become a lot milder. though they still "get in the way", i dofeel relatively normal and just feel thankful that i have some form ofa life back. then a friend told me about this diet. i have to say i've never been adisciplined person when it came to food. i tried to start this dietabout less than a week ago and have cheated a few times already. i'malso traveling a lot for work right now so it's particularly hard tostart a diet at this time. but i'd really like to give it a shot evenif it means accepting that i might fail and cheat. (knowing myself,i'm afraid to have too high of an expectation.) but even in less thana week, i'm already quite sick at the sight and smell and taste ofchicken soup-which i have been eating quite a bit of whenever i'mhome. and i seem to be hungry all the time. (and i am not underweightlike many of you. i'm not overweight either, but i do have excessivefat on my body, esp. in the belly. also i'm pretty much chronicallybloated...) the last few days have been really difficult as i startedravenously craving crunch that i'd normally get from crackers and thelikes. (that was when i started to cheat) i gave in the night beforewhen i was out with friends and had nachos and some other bar foods.then last night home alone-starving even though i'd been eating allday and couldn't stand the thought of more chicken - i ate a lot ofbanana chips. i had cramps afterward and for the first time in about 2weeks, my stool was beginning to shape "weird" again. so i'm trying to be good and ate chicken soup today but i am havingmore symptoms today and had to be on the road. i'm traveling withco-workers so i don't always have my say as to where to go to eat. andi'll be on the road for 3 more days with no food with me. *sigh* ihave to say i'm really struggling to keep up with this diet right now.i do find it very difficult. but i seemed to have felt better forabout 2 or 3 days after i cut out carbs before the serious craving cutin. though i wasn't a vegetarian, i do feel a bit disgusted at havingto eat the amount of meat to fill myself up now. i just needed to vent a bit and hopefully get some advice or supporthere. i've always had not completey minor digestive issues all mylife, but never something as serious and completely debilitating. mysymptoms were painful and tiring and isolating. i literally didn't seeanyone for months because of this and was really starting to develop adepression after a while. i had to miss a lot of work and got reallystressed out because of that. everything that i did sort of manage todo, i was only hanging on by a thread. i konw i can't go back to thatplace - but it's weird as soon as i get a little better i still don'thave the will power to maintain this diet, at least so far...i'm starting the book (haven't finished it) and do have a fewquestions but i think i'll wait til later to ask you guys. i do want to know if there's anyone who has had similar symptoms asmine? i keep reading about people who have crohn's or celiac orcolitis, but not too many cases of ibs. does this diet really work foribs as well?anyone with experience in scd, especially those with similar symptoms- please let me know if this diet has helped you or not!!any advice or suggestion is welcome. thank you for reading!

March 31, 2008

I have IBS as well, had digestive issues most of my life. I started

SCD just over 2 months ago. I haven't done the intro diet yet. I

started by getting used to SCD type meals. My first few days I had my

normal breakfast and lunch but would cook an SCD legal dinner. Once

you get used to a few dinners then move on to lunch and then

breakfast. Then play around with snacks. I highly recommend starting

the yogurt as well. With all the SCD legal foods you probably won't be

so bored with the 'just chicken soup' feeling of being limited. Once

you get comfortable, you can do the intro and slowly introduce foods

the proper way. But it does help to give yourself some time to get

into it and get used to cooking SCD style meals. Invest in some of the

great cookbooks.

I find with IBS it's a little hard to figure out what foods affect it

or when to go back to the intro diet. People with Crohn's or UC talk

about being in a flare. With IBS, I could have 2 great days in a row,

then awful awful days followed by great days again. It makes no sense

to me how quickly my symptoms can change. So I recommend staying

patient, and stick with the diet through those tough days. Once you

look back after a couple months you'll realize things are getting

better. It's good to keep a food journal, but don't try to analyze

every day what foods are helping/hurting. This is a long term solution.

I can say that I have tried SOO many things for IBS and nothing has

worked as well as this diet. Please give it a good try. Aim for being

on it 100% for a while. Not only has my IBS gotten so much better but

other areas of my health are improving. My skin, my energy and I

haven't had as many coughs/colds since I started.

Kat

IBS

SCD since 01/23/2008

http://scdkatfood.blogspot.com/

>

> hi everyone. i'm new to this site and to the diet. i've been recently

> diagnosed with IBS. i've been having acute symptoms for 3 months which

> now have at least become manageable. at their worst, i hadEXTREME

> bloatedness, violent spasms of the esophagus and stomach, which would

> either push air up to my throat which caused this gulping noises. and

> my insides would just hurt from all the activities. i also had reflux,

> my stomach did not empty at all at times (as seen on ct scan), which

> caused me to vomit multiple times almost daily for weeks. i also

> experienced a lot of pain (of different kinds - sharp, dull, tender)

> in the whole abdominal areas, but particularly in the stomach. other

> symptoms were intermittent diarrhea and constipation. when i did have

> a bowel movement, my stool was always shaped really thin or extremely

> small, like shredded or extremely runny. (which my doctor explained to

> me that it was due to my intestines in spasm.) i had a feeling of

> urgency all the time which in particular made me a nervous wreck. very

> very excessive flatulence, which was another thing that made my

> personal and professional life hell. (the holding gas in was painful

> and exhausting and nerve-wrecking, as i had sooo much air in me that

> it was impossible to hold things in all the time.) i was very nauseous

> all the time, and just felt ill constantly. whenever my stomach didn't

> (and doesn't) empty, i'd feel either a rush of heat or cold from

> within the body - i don't know if anybody knows what i mean by that.

> and that feeling would just sort of take hold of me and i'd kind of

> panic. at the worst times, i couldn't ride in a car at all, as the

> slightest vibration on my body would make me feel very very sick. (not

> motion sickness) the very slight motion of a very steady car would

> feel like tidal waves in my digestive system, and it's the worst

> feeling...

>

> anyway, i was prescribed a few things which made me have more

> diarrhea. finally i was prescribed an anti-depressant, which i was

> very reluctant to get on. but in the end, as i was at my wit's end as

> my symptoms became worse and worse, i started taking it. (a doctor

> told me that he believed it was a physical manifestation of

> depression, that it was caused by a chemical imbalance.) I immediately

> got better. so now i'm on 5 mg of lexapro everyday and my symptoms

> have become a lot milder. though they still " get in the way " , i do

> feel relatively normal and just feel thankful that i have some form of

> a life back.

>

> then a friend told me about this diet. i have to say i've never been a

> disciplined person when it came to food. i tried to start this diet

> about less than a week ago and have cheated a few times already. i'm

> also traveling a lot for work right now so it's particularly hard to

> start a diet at this time. but i'd really like to give it a shot even

> if it means accepting that i might fail and cheat. (knowing myself,

> i'm afraid to have too high of an expectation.) but even in less than

> a week, i'm already quite sick at the sight and smell and taste of

> chicken soup-which i have been eating quite a bit of whenever i'm

> home. and i seem to be hungry all the time. (and i am not underweight

> like many of you. i'm not overweight either, but i do have excessive

> fat on my body, esp. in the belly. also i'm pretty much chronically

> bloated...) the last few days have been really difficult as i started

> ravenously craving crunch that i'd normally get from crackers and the

> likes. (that was when i started to cheat) i gave in the night before

> when i was out with friends and had nachos and some other bar foods.

> then last night home alone-starving even though i'd been eating all

> day and couldn't stand the thought of more chicken - i ate a lot of

> banana chips. i had cramps afterward and for the first time in about 2

> weeks, my stool was beginning to shape " weird " again.

>

> so i'm trying to be good and ate chicken soup today but i am having

> more symptoms today and had to be on the road. i'm traveling with

> co-workers so i don't always have my say as to where to go to eat. and

> i'll be on the road for 3 more days with no food with me. *sigh* i

> have to say i'm really struggling to keep up with this diet right now.

> i do find it very difficult. but i seemed to have felt better for

> about 2 or 3 days after i cut out carbs before the serious craving cut

> in. though i wasn't a vegetarian, i do feel a bit disgusted at having

> to eat the amount of meat to fill myself up now.

>

> i just needed to vent a bit and hopefully get some advice or support

> here. i've always had not completey minor digestive issues all my

> life, but never something as serious and completely debilitating. my

> symptoms were painful and tiring and isolating. i literally didn't see

> anyone for months because of this and was really starting to develop a

> depression after a while. i had to miss a lot of work and got really

> stressed out because of that. everything that i did sort of manage to

> do, i was only hanging on by a thread. i konw i can't go back to that

> place - but it's weird as soon as i get a little better i still don't

> have the will power to maintain this diet, at least so far...

>

> i'm starting the book (haven't finished it) and do have a few

> questions but i think i'll wait til later to ask you guys.

>

> i do want to know if there's anyone who has had similar symptoms as

> mine? i keep reading about people who have crohn's or celiac or

> colitis, but not too many cases of ibs. does this diet really work for

> ibs as well?

>

> anyone with experience in scd, especially those with similar symptoms

> - please let me know if this diet has helped you or not!!

>

> any advice or suggestion is welcome. thank you for reading!

>

April 7, 2008

hi i wanted to thank everyone who responded to my post. it's really nice to get the support even a stranger could get here! i have failed miserably so far with this diet. i was eating well before attempting to start this diet - but once the sense of deprivation kicked in, i started eating all kinds of crap. i not only failed to maintain the diet, but ruined all the good eating habits established from being ill! the other reason was that i was beginning to feel better - that's the only reason i could even afford to eat bad foods.

right now my symptoms are (sometimes extreme) bloatedness, heartburn, occasional reflux which makes me vomit a little bit of food, and spasms of the digestive tract. one thing i've noticed is that ever since this acute illness, i'd burp up this really foul smell from my stomach. even now when i feel less well and when i feel there's some reflux, i'd get the same thing. at times it'd make my breath stink with that odor too. does anyone else have similar experience? in any case, now i don't have symptoms as debilitating as what i used to have, but uncomfortable nevertheless. every once in a while, i'd get worse with the spasms and i'd freak out and be up all night thinking that i'd be back in that state of chronic, serious illness, but it usually would go away after a day or two. (the serious bout) so now in general i'm feeling a LOT better even tho' i eat crap all the time (and have been putting on weight because of htat too!)

i did start making my yogurt at home, but it's really tart. otherwise it tastes great. i am not sure what it's doing to me yet, as i still have some symptoms everyday. so it's hard to gauge what is doing what. i find eating pineapples seems to help...

i know that a lot of you said that i'd need to stick to this diet 100%. but right now i'm just feeling really weak on that front. i wanted to know if anyone has seen any benefits from just cutting out complex carbs as in potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, etc... but still eat a small amount of sugar like with a cup of coffee, etc...????

i'm still contemplating starting the diet at some point. but until i feel ready to dive in, i figure giving myself the pressure to do it now will only make it more daunting. so i'll do more research and perhaps get more answers for my questions with the help of you guys - and hopefully i'll be ready soon.

thanks again, everyone.

Hi Ane Kua. I have had IBS for years, but not reflux.

I take anti-spasmodic medications before each meal, so that I don't get the

painful intestinal spasms I would get otherwise. But I hope I won't need

these much longer. My current anti-spasmodic meds are Modulon (Rx) and

Nature's Way Pepogest (health food store - enteric coated peppermint oil).

Nearly 12 years ago, I had an extensive set of allergy tests done, and

discovered that I was allergic to many of the foods I ate the most, such as

tomatoes and bananas. I had to revise my diet, but in doing so, I found that

my IBS became less severe. But even with a non-allergenic diet, I would

still get the spasms. However, eating foods to which I was allergic would

make the pains worse, give me gas, or even cause me to throw up.

I am disabled by a several chronic illnesses, so I am unable to work, and I

don't have to worry about eating foods away from home the way you do.

I started on SCD March 17th. The first week on SCD was difficult, as I

decided to follow the rules very strictly. I stayed on the introductory diet

for 3 days, then started to add more foods, as I wasn't suffering from D. In

fact, I was getting constipated. The introductory diet isn't totally free of

vegetables. It just limits those vegetables to a few that are very easy to

digest, such as cooked carrots. So you don't have to eat only meat on the

introductory phase.

I like my home-made chicken soup, so I didn't mind eating a lot of it. And I

am still cooking the soup at least once/week and making several meals out of

it.

I am still cooking all the vegetables and fruits I eat, but at least I am

eating more of these with time.

I needed fibre to cure the constipation, so I added nut butters to my diet

after about a week. These have really helped. No D, no C. Yesterday, I did

my first baking with ground almonds, making berry muffins following the

recipe for Muffin Mix in " Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet " by J. Bager and J.

Lass. Yummy!

I would suggest you analyse all the situations that caused you to cheat, and

then formulate a plan to enable you to avoid cheating. For instance, if you

need something crunchy, I would recommend raw carrot sticks or crackers made

with SCD-legal foods, rather than tacos or other crunchy grain foods.

Is there any way that you can stay in your home location long enough to make

a lot of SCD-legal foods you like, then freeze them and package the

appropriate amounts for your next trip out of town? If not, then can you at

least choose restaurants where you can get plainly cooked meats and plain

vegetables as the side dishes?

My favourite SCD food so far is the cheesecake recipe in Breaking the

Vicious Cycle. I can gladly eat one or more servings every day. Having been

lactose-intolerant for more than 20 years, it has been a pleasant surprise

to discover that it is possible to have cheese cake without lactose effects.

I am finding it helpful to eat a lot of home-made yogurt too, both on its

own, mixed with dry-curd-cottage-cheese to make pseudo cottage cheese, or

dripped of the liquid to make yogurt cream cheese. I did start out eating

very small portions, but have graduated to at least 1 cup per day.

I don't eat banana chips, since I am allergic to bananas. But I have read

cautions against eating the chips on SCD, as they tend to have non-SCD items

included. Raw, frozen, or cooked bananas are allowed, and maybe you will

find a recipe for making SCD-legal banana chips.

Hope this helps.

Ellen in Toronto

IBS, MCS, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, allergies

SCD March 17, 2008

" ane_kua " wrote: