Re: SCD: In the beginning, what should I expect

[Guest guest]

Karl,

In the beginning, I had all the symptoms you describe (except maybe the " lightning " rectum pains -- I've never had that). But I remember the first few weeks feeling like someone was dragging a metal comb through my stomach, and I had LOTS of mucus for the first 2 months. I definitely had the experience that Mara mentioned that once I started on the diet, if I strayed, my body was MUCH less resistant to the illegal foods than it had been before. Two weeks into the diet I very foolishly accepted food and a Pepsi at a church event I was at, and I was sicker than I'd ever been before for about 2 days afterward. I don't think this means that once you're healed you'll necessarily have a harder time eating those foods again (but remember for UC, healing usually takes 2 years, according to the BTVC book, so if SCD works for you, it's still going to be a long while before you introduce any of those foods again).

I will say though, that although I had the bad symptoms, overall, the improvement was SO obvious, there was never a question for me whether SCD was helping or not. I was not on meds though. I wonder if it is harder to tell whether SCD is making a difference when you are using meds. I don't know.

Good luck, and keep sending questions!

Ann

UC, SCD since 03/30/2008

Re: SCD: In the beginning, what should I expect (to impact Ulcerativ Posted by: " Karl Simon " ksimon00@... ksimon00 Date: Sat Oct 4, 2008 6:01 pm ((PDT))

Thanks for the reply, Mara!

I don't include any form or dairy yet, including yogurt. I won't addit back in until I have successfully reduced my inflammation.

However, I did just realize that a digestive enzyme (taken both as ahedge against rogue disacharrides that slip in, as well as to help mebreak down protein, etc. until my leaky gut has healed) actuallyintroduced 2 illegals that I had not had in my diet - Xylitol, and

Malitol. So, I'm now labeling these 2 introductions as the primarysuspects until proven otherwise. So, I'm not truly SCD-compliantafter all, and, I've swamped in some " lesser-experienced " illegals for

the common ones that my body had recently expected.

Still, I'd like to get a sense of what to expect to measure success,so, I'd love anecdotes that describe the road to recovery (and notjust the end state).

Regarding your statement of becoming more sensitive to polysaccharidesthat I eliminate - are you warning that once you've been on the SCDdiet, re-introducing some polysaccarides (at some point in the healed

future) may be more difficult? Thanks again for your help!

>> >

> > Hi,> >> > This question has everything to do with how to measure success or> > failure early on with SCD. I'm immediately experiencing some changes> > to my more recently developed pattern of Ulcerative Colitis (UC)

> > symptoms, and want to determine if it's expected, or a warning of> > something new. Numerous answers are welcomed!> >> > Background:> > I'm a big believer in the SCD diet, and therefore a recent convert.

> > I'm currently on day 4, but almost immediately on day 2, I began> > experiencing a few UC symptoms that had been previously eliminated> > with my anti-inflammatory medications (i.e. Asacol/mesalamine).

> > Symptoms include increased (but moderate) stomach pains, " lightning> > strike " pains to my rectum (lasting a couple of seconds per> > occurrence), and increased mucus being excreted.

>> what are you eating? in particular did you start the yogurt? and if> so, how much did you consume?>> Are there symptoms of improvement as well? Or other changes, good> or bad?

>>> >> >> > I realize that people's experiences will likely vary per timetable and> > actual results, but, I'm trying to determine a common expectation to> > help me measure success versus new harm. (Btw, the latter statement

> > is not to discount the merits of SCD (which I believe makes sense, and> > likely great for most if not all people), but don't want to ignore> > that possibility that everyone runs the risk of responding differently

> > (and therefore, effective treatment needs to be individualized).> >> > Thanks so much - personally, I'm hopeful that I'm experiencing some> > sort of bad bacteria die-off that feels awful, but is a temporary and

> > necessary path to recovery.>> It's possible - but depends on other factors concerning diet.>> Also, remember once you stop eating polysaccharides things that> you could consume before without trouble, you will grow sensitive to

> now. And this can be true for advanced foods as well.>> Mara>

[Guest guest]

I'm also suffering from UC, and have just recently started the intro diet.

After reading

_Breaking the Vicious Cycle_ and many peoples' success stories, it feels like

the right thing

and I'm hopeful of having a success story of my own if I can find the patience

and the

discipline to do it right!

I only started about 2 weeks ago, and did notice immediate improvements, but

also some

negative changes, like burning across my lower abdomen. I figured / hoped

die-off, as well,

but I'm also still weeding out illegals in supplements. Heartening to hear that

others have

similar challenges starting out - helps to keep the faith!

I was diagnosed with UC in Jun-07, and was on the typical drugs to manage the

flares, but in

May-08 I started high-dose Prednisone - wish I knew about SCD beforehand, and I

would

have never taken it. Now I'm trying to avoid Remicade, which is the next thing

they want me

to try.. I'm still on the Prednisone, anyway, though have finally started to

taper. Does

anybody have experience starting the diet while on Prednisone?

I'm also curious about meats... Do people feel it necessary to go organic, free

range, pasture

raised, grass fed, etc. for chicken, beef, etc.?

-Sal

[Guest guest]

At 04:26 PM 10/5/2008, you wrote:

I'm also curious about meats...

Do people feel it necessary to go organic, free range, pasture raised,

grass fed, etc. for chicken, beef, etc.?

Sal,

I did not use organic, free-range, pastured, etc. meats and eggs when I

first began SCD.

There are many people who simply cannot afford them -- and many people

who have gotten well using just the foods they can purchase in an

ordinary grocery store.

Elaine certainly never required it.

There are some people, though, who are super-sensitive, who need these

kinds of " SCD Plus " foods. Another consideration is that as

agro-business becomes ever more intent on the Profit Line, our food

supply becomes steadily more contaminated.

For instance, Butterball has removed from their website the fact that

their turkeys are injected with water, modified food starch, high

fructose corn syrup, and butter flavoring.

Given what you know about SCD already, can you imagine what consuming a

Butterball bird would do to us SCDers?

I am moving in the direction of pastured meats -- I'm not QUITE as

concerned about organic, but prefer it. I use some organic and pastured

cheeses, but I haven't found an affordable source for my beloved cheddar

and provolone, which are the cheeses I use the most of. I also haven't

found a pastured source for dry curd cottage cheese. (I had enough

trouble finding a source for the regular stuff! I'd been SCD for four

years before I did!)

Many people find, as their health improves on SCD, that they want to go

the extra step of higher quality foods for the amount of time they spend

in the kitchen. Others have sensitivities which make it necessary.

Welcome to the list... we're glad you found us, sorry you needed

to!

—

Marilyn

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

Sal,

My son started the diet while on methylprednisilone (a variation of

prednisone.) He has UC as well. The diet was the thing that finally

got him off the steroids. He had been on the steroids for a year & a

half. I believe it was about 3 months on the diet when he was finally

able to taper off of the steroids completely. That was in Spring 07.

He recently had a flare that landed him in the hospital, so we are back

tapering him off the steroids again. He didn't have to go on near as

high a dose of the steroids this time, because he has had so much

healing due to the diet. We're being very careful about his foods as

he tapers once a week, especially the day we drop him down by 4mg, plus

the day before & after. Down to 20mg now. He's doing mostly stage 1 &

2 foods. (We had started over and worked up to stage 3 before this

latest flare.) As he gets down to 16 mg it's been recommended that I

stay at stage 1 for the day of/day before/day after each drop in

steroids, because that seems to be the most difficult time in getting

back off the steroids. If he shows any signs of problems during that

time, we'll maybe go down to intro again for a couple days and then

stage 1 other times of the week. We'll see what's needed. Hope this

helps.

14 yo son w. UC, diagnosed 2005

SCD 2007

> I'm also suffering from UC, and have just recently started the intro

> diet. After reading

> _Breaking the Vicious Cycle_ and many peoples' success stories, it

> feels like the right thing

> and I'm hopeful of having a success story of my own if I can find the

> patience and the

> discipline to do it right!

>

> I only started about 2 weeks ago, and did notice immediate

> improvements, but also some

> negative changes, like burning across my lower abdomen. I figured /

> hoped die-off, as well,

> but I'm also still weeding out illegals in supplements. Heartening to

> hear that others have

> similar challenges starting out - helps to keep the faith!

>

> I was diagnosed with UC in Jun-07, and was on the typical drugs to

> manage the flares, but in

> May-08 I started high-dose Prednisone - wish I knew about SCD

> beforehand, and I would

> have never taken it. Now I'm trying to avoid Remicade, which is the

> next thing they want me

> to try.. I'm still on the Prednisone, anyway, though have finally

> started to taper. Does

> anybody have experience starting the diet while on Prednisone?

>

> I'm also curious about meats... Do people feel it necessary to go

> organic, free range, pasture

> raised, grass fed, etc. for chicken, beef, etc.?

>

> -Sal

>

>