|
Hi Anna,
I heard the distress in your message. That's OK, you have every
right to be anxious. However, don't let it swallow you up. Fill
your mind with positive images. Our minds play a HUGE role in healing
our bodies. I was diagnosed with UC in May 1996, and I started the
diet in August, 1996. I haven't cheated yet.
At its worst, the UC produced severe ulcers throughout the colon.
I stayed up most nights with pain and diarrhea. I needed to go about
20 times every 24 hours. It was a living hell.
I think the UC began during a stressful marriage about 3 years ago.
At that time I experienced pain only in my lower abdomen and I thought
it was just a part of nearing 30. The horrible symptoms began after
I left my husband and moved back with my mom and dad. Soon afterwards,
my father had a heart attack. Stress! Stress! Stress!
Anyway, I digress. At the time of my UC diagnosis in May I was given
Asacol which was supposed to eliminate the diarrhea but only reduced
the pain. In June the doctor prescribed prednisone for 40 days.
It did wonders for my running but made no difference in the pain.
In August I started the SCD diet and by September I began to feel
a difference. It was not a dramatic change but a gradual improvement.
Everyone differs in his/her reaction to this diet. Since you asked
how to tell if the diet is working for you, I caution you not to
be discouraged if you don't improve immediately. Even though I didn't
experience dramatic changes, I am getting better and my body is
healing.
After four months on the diet, the pain has gone way down. Sometimes
I go 4 days in a row with no pain before it creeps back for a day.
But I don't haven the severe pain that I felt back in May.
As well as the diet I am using my own form of mental imagery. I
pick times that I feel good to engage in serious daydreaming. I
imagine the ulcers are surrounded by healthy tissue and slowly disappearing.
I hope my experience with the diet has helped you. Perhaps an ND
can help you figure out if this diet is working for you.
Nora (Texas) griffin1@flash.net
Thu,
13 Feb 1997 18:11:41 GMT
My story:
I'm now 48. Last November I was diagnosed with CD. I consider myself
lucky in that my symptoms were mild: six daily bm's, but no diarrhea.
The inflammation was mostly inside my anus--I had mild inflammation
and crusting in the perianal region for almost a year and a half
before my diagnosis. Three doctors, including my colon and rectal
doc, initially failed to correctly identify my illness as Crohn's
disease.
Eventually I was diagnosed with CD and prescribed sulfasalazine.
It stopped the bleeding and somewhat improved my worsening skin
condition. However, it did nothing for the mucus or the gas .
Thanks to the internet, I found out about the specific carbohydrate
diet. About three weeks ago I tried it and noticed a dramatic improvement
in my skin condition by the following morning!
Since Elaine stresses the importance of not taking vitamins that
contain starch fillers so I checked with the pharmacy and the drug
manufacturer and found out that my sulfasalazine pills had starch.
So I checked with my doctor (who had originally said that Crohn's
was not related to diet) and he recommended that I keep taking the
pills--there wouldn't be any dire consequences if I didn't.
Eight days later the doctor he said I was much improved inside and
out. He agreed that the diet might have something to do with it.
However, maybe to save face, he added that the improvement might
also be due to the medicine that was still in my system. He admitted
that if my condition continued to improve by the time I saw him
the next month, then the diet and not the drug would get the credit.
My appointment is coming up and I continue to improve.
Now I'm ahead in two ways: getting healed from the disease, and
not having to contend with the frequent bouts of fatigue that were
side effects of the drug. Like others who have posted here, I've
exposed my doctor to valuable information he never learned in medical
school.
Tom
May 1: (SCD
one year later)
Fri, 2 May 1997 18:18:06 GMT
Hello SCDers
May 1 is a milestone for me since it marks the date I began the
SCD in 1996. I'm compelled to celebrate it by relating some of my
experience. I hope that newcomers to the diet will find this encouraging.
Eight years ago I was diagnosed with CD the terminal ileum. A year
ago I began the SCD because my new GI doc wanted to wean me from
the prednisone that I had been taking for the previous 3-4 years
(10 - 15mg/day). I was scared since I had never had relief from
the CD symptoms and my condition was getting worse. In addition
to the prednisone, I also took 4g pentasa/day, and immodium as needed.
I heard about the diet on one of the internet IBD sources and figured
that I had nothing to lose.
Now, a year later, I feel that I'm on the road to recovery or remission
or normalcy (choose your description). I am SO THANKFUL to have
found the diet. I'm not 100 percent yet but the quality of life
is vastly improved. I am no longer taking ANY prescription meds
and I can't recall the last time I took an immodium. I travel regularly
for my job and I no longer need to plan my day or map my route according
to the location of rest rooms. I'm sure that there are people in
this group that understand what a relief that is.
I heartily eat salads, fresh fruits, and vegetables. I eat meat
almost daily and make use of Gottschall's directions in preparation.
I snack on monster cookies, cheese, and raw cashews with powdered
salt. I've been experimenting with a SCD-friendly recipe for beef
or venison jerky in preparation for a sea kayaking trip this summer.
I do not suffer from a boring diet thanks to the recipes collected
from this forum and a little creativity.
I view the SCD as an answer to prayer (I know that my family has
prayed on my behalf for years). I have gently encouraged others
to try the diet and will continue to do so.
In my experience, following the diet is hardest in the beginning
but it soon becomes habit once one gets in the routine of buying
the same groceries and doing the same preparation. To newcomers:
don't underestimate the importance of the SCD yogurt. To all of
you: thanks for the recipes, the encouragement, and the enthusiasm.
All the best Tim (looking forward to May 1 1998)
One month
and counting
Sat, 5 Jul 1997 23:35:14 GMT
Hi there,
After completing my first month on the SCD diet, I thought I'd send
a note to say hello, but especially to thank all of you for your
kindness in sharing info and experiences with the SCD diet. I am
28 years old, and live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Even though it's been only one month, the diet has been a huge help
to me.
I actually enjoy eating now. I have UC and was on prednisone for
approx 5 years before being switched to Imuran back in Jan. (I also
take Asacol, 12 tablets a day.) The good news is (under my doctor's
supervision) I tapered off the Imuran last Tuesday and am feeling
great. This is the first time I've successfully been off heavy meds
in MANY years. The diet has a lot to do with my success.
Want to know a secret? You have to promise not to tell my in-laws
yet. :)
My husband and I want to start a family! It is a very exciting time,
but also scary, in relation to having UC. My GI doc wanted me to
consider surgery first (j-pouch...removal of the entire colon),
but after speaking with a GI surgeon and a high-risk pregnancy OB,
they both felt, for my situation, I could try pregnancy first. I
showed Elaine's book to all three docs. Two out of the three seemed
optimistic in my trying it.
Has anyone out there had experience with being on the diet while
pregnant? Do any of you have any thoughts or knowledge about whether
the diet is healthy for a pregnant woman? (Also, I'd love to converse
with anyone who has UC and who has gone through pregnancy.)
In closing, if you're in the Raleigh, NC. area, here's some locations
of where I found items related to the SCD diet:
- farmer cheese - Hannaford Grocery store (on Capital blvd.), and
also WellSpring Grocery store. (Make sure to ask for farmer's cheese.
They had no idea what dry curd cottage cheese was.)
- Plain yogurt (with only the ingredients Elaine mentions) - WellSpring
Grocery store
- Yogourmet starter (if you can tolerate this as some people on
this list mentioned they can) - WellSpring Grocery store
- Multi-vitamin (with no additives) - WellSpring Grocery Store (brand
name is Solgar)
Finally, I use a Salton yogurt maker which I ordered via the internet.
It works great. I now eat homemade yogurt on a daily basis.
Wishing you all well!
Sincerely,
<renee>
Date:
Sun, 20 Jul 1997 12:17:42 -0700
Subject: HELLO
Hello SCD group, I'm new here in the group and have really been
enjoying reading all the entries.
I've been following the diet for 4 years now. I had been battling
ulcerative colitis for over 15 years before I stumbled across the
diet on a Canadian TV show. I was at that time planning on having
my colon removed. I was steadily losing the little bit of bowel
control I had up to that point. The way I best describe my experience
with the diet is that having regained my health once again beats
having won a 100 million dollar lottery. I feel just that lucky,
or luckier!
Lucy Rosset
Date:
Thu, 07 Aug 97 20:05:04 PDT
From: "BILL"
Subject: hooray
After 3 months I can say that I am back to normal. It took a while,
but by the third month on the diet, I was getting better each week.
Now all the symptoms have gone and I am living my life again. To
anyone starting out just stisk to it . As far as what to swy to
people, I'v found that just explaining that I am
following a diet for medical reasons to get rid of an illness. When
asked for more info, sometimes just saying I've got Colitis is enough.
Sometimes they are interested and I'll explain without getting into
too much detail. I say that it is not a diet that restricts me to
certain foods, but one where I am just avoiding certain ones. I
am always amazed that people are
so interested in hearing more, and the real shocker is finding out
how many people have this damned disease. Seems like everyone has
a father, sister, brother-in-law or whatever who has it. I've yet
to meet anyone who is offended or put out by my not eating some
food or other. Ijust tell them that after living a completely screwed
up life, this diet is working and I'm sticking to it.
I find now that if I eat something and it gives me gas, although
it is annoying and sometimes discomforting, I can't tell you how
wonderful it is to just pass wind and not to have to run to the
can then change my pants!!!!
I have to say that the diet has worked for me very well with no
real proplems along the way. It did take a while , sure, but I just
kept to it and results followed. I will stay on it for a long time
to come. I wouldn't go back for the world! I think the important
thing as many have said is to just find out which foods seem to
affect you negatively and be aware. There are so many foods that
are "allowed". Good luck to all, and I'm happy to be part
of the list that has helped me get my life back.
Seeya........Bill
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 21:33:27 -0500
From: Rachel Turet
Subject: Re: hooray
Dear Bill,
Reading your letter gave me the chills. How in the world, when you
go through life beleiving that no-one can possibly know how you've
had to live from bathroon to bathroom, from soiled underwear to
soiled underwear, does someone come along and describe everything
exactly as you've lived it. Thankfully, including how wonderful
it is to alive and whole and living
every day to it's fullest. All this by simply avoiding certain foods.
How amazing is that?? Freinds who've known me for years and no that
I don't ever stick to a "diet" tell me constantly that
predicted I'd be doing this one, for maybe a week. How do I explain
to them, that this isn't a diet, it's my life.
Rachel
Date:
Thu, 9 Oct 1997 19:02:25 -0400
From: DeborahIdol
Hi Monica,
I have been on the diet for about 3 years, although I have
cheated a few times here and there, I must confess. Elaine Gottschall
has saved my life! If I hadn't tuned the car radio to Dr. Ronald
Hoffman's program one day when there wasn't any good music on, I'd
be dead now, or better off dead! He had Elaine Gottschall on his
program discussing her book, which I promptly bought. I had been
in the hospital for 11 days, with my doctors stopping by every day
for their usual visit, just to tell me that I had to face the fact
that I was a *very* sick cookie, and would be *very* sick for the
rest of my life. Of course they told me to eat starch and sugar,
which would have kept me sick, and going to them for the rest of
my life. I later heard my doctor was instrumental in banning any
mention of the SCD and Elaine Gottschall from the Crohn's and Colitis
Foundation.
It really isn't as difficult s you think to stay on the diet, although
of course you are right that it does take a certain amount of discipline.
Sure, breads and other starches taste great, but after finding out
what it feels like to be on the diet, one realizes that it just
isn't *worth* it to eat that stuff. And you *can* go to restaurants
and other people's homes for dinner (as long as they are not serving
pasta for the main course!). There really is a wide variety of food
to eat, all of it very good for you (although more expensive than
starch). You can eat meat, fish, seafood, most cheeses, almost all
vegetables and fruits, several nuts, peanut butter, coffee, tea....
And *wine* is allowed!
Yes, I'm sometimes a pill in a restaurant, quizzing poor waiters/waitresses
about whether the fish has any starch coating (and having to send
it back if they made it with flour in spite of instructions), or
whether they use real butter (not a problem in better restaurants,
of course)... But it really is worth it. And the only things you
have to make from scratch are the breads, muffins and cakes, and
yogurt and cheesecake. You really don't have to spend your life
cooking. So I encourage you to give it a try; it really is worth
it.
Hugs and best of luck,
Deborah
Date:
Wed, 24 Dec 1997 09:12:13 -0600
From: "Jim Prousalis"
Subject: One Year!
Today is one year to the day that I started the SCD Diet. Lets see:
a year ago I weighed 125lb, my waist was -27, my blood count was
5, I couldn't stop going to the bathroom (average 10 times a day),
I had no appetite, my fistula was inflamed and bleeding, and my
stomach was killing me. I was on medication; Prednisone, Ciprofloxacin,
Previcid, Flagyl, and Asacol.
Today one year later! My weight today is 176lb, my waist is now
33+, my blood count is 12, I am going to the bathroom once maybe
twice a day, my appetite I just can't stop eating, my fistula it's
like as if it's not even there, and my stomach NO PAIN! I am also
not taking any medication only a couple of vitamins.
THANK GOD!
This diet was one of the best things that happened to me. I have
had Crohns for 71/2 years and not one day went by that I didn't
have pain in my gut.
GOD BLESS EVERYONE! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and
a healthy and happy New Year!
PS Thanks for each and everyone's support on this group and the
previous 2 groups.
Jim
|
|
Thu,
9 Jan 1997 11:03:35 GMT
Hi! My name is Jim and I recently started the Specific Carbohydrate
Diet. I am also taking medication. I believe the diet is helping
me a great deal. I gain weight every day. However, my gastroenterologist
doesn't believe in the diet, he believes in medication and surgery.
My current doctor [Dr. Hoffman] wrote the forward to the Elaine
Gottschall book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle." He said
I was one of the top worst patients he saw in 1996.
During the six months before the diet I experienced a lot of stress
and ate poorly. Since I started the diet (the day before Christmas
Eve) I have gained one pound a day! I am 5'11 and weighed 158 pounds
but after the flare up my weight dropped to 125. My doctor said
he cannot believe how quickly I am recovering. I am also very surprised
considering my health at the time.
He said he soon expects to see me drug free. He treats me holistically
while my gastroenterologist just gives me medication. I can't wait
to get off the medication, because I now believe you are what you
eat. I am very grateful to Elaine and my doctor (Dr. Hoffman). They
are heaven sent. So far 1997 is great!
Thanks,
Jim Prousalis j-pro@mindspring.com
Update
Thu, 3 Jul 1997 23:10:54 GMT
Hi! I am very happy that the SCD group is up and running. This group
is the best thing going. I was in terrible shape 7 months ago. I
can't believe how great I feel from this diet. I thank GOD everyday
for Elaine and her book and Dr. Hoffman for introducing me to the
book. I have NO pain in the gut and I no longer need to run to the
bathroom 10 times a day. The bleeding stopped about 3 weeks into
the diet. My breath doesn't stink anymore and I also gained back
a lot of weight--34 pounds in total. Well it's time to go, I wish
the best to all. Keep the faith.
Good Luck!
Jim
Re: Congratulations!
Sat, 1 Feb 1997 13:38:40 GMT
>I don't mean to pry, but I'm curious as to how long you had
colitis and how severe it was when you started the diet. How long
have you been free of symptoms?
Dear Steven, Pry away, Thanks to this great modern computer technology,
I can just cut & paste my "story" & send. I'm
more than happy to help. Passing on information about bowel disease
is my way of "paying back" my incredible good fortune.
I experienced several years of diarrhea before being diagnosed with
UC. Eventually my bowel movements became more and more laced with
blood until it seemed there was no stool, only mucus and blood (sorry
for being so graphic). The worst part was having to go to the bathroom
eight, ten, sometimes 20 times a day. A year before being diagnosed,
I went to see a gastroenterologist who couldn't find anything wrong
and said I should try to reduce the stress in my life. My diagnosis
of UC happened in a roundabout way. I'd been studying martial arts
for 13 years, and about 9 years ago, I broke my foot in 2 places.
The healing became prolonged and difficult.
Finally, I went to see the orthopedist who gave me an anti-inflammatory.
The medication was mild because I told him I had stomach problems.
However, the next day my stool was black. I knew this indicated
internal bleeding (high in the GI tract), so I immediately stopped
taking the anti-inflammatory. When I went back to the doctor on
the following month, my foot was a little better. When he asked
if the meds helped, I told him what had happened. He said there
was probably no reason for concern. However, just to be safe, he
sent me to the emergency room for get a blood count. The blood count
was below 7, the normal being over 12. From there, I was placed
in the Intensive Care Unit. For ten days they conducted tests from
every orifice to find out where all the blood was being lost. I
didn't feel that sick but the doctors worried about my not making
it through the night. Finally they diagnosed me with ulcerative
colitis.
I was told that dietary changes would not help my condition and
medication could assist only sporadically. The only cure was removal
of the colon. They also told me that most people with this disease
lose their colon to cancer within 7 years of being diagnosed. For
the next five years, I suffered constant diarrhea sometimes mixed
with blood.
About 2 years ago a patient where I work (I manage a dental office)
told me about hearing Elaine explain her diet on a talk show. I
listened politely but I KNEW that diets don't work for UC. However
this patient kept bugging me every time she came in. She always
wanted to know if I'd tried the diet yet. Finally I went out and
bought the book, but after reading it I thought the diet would kill
me. I hadn't attempted to digest fruits or vegetables for years
and yet this diet included many of them.
My cousin called as I was finishing the book. I told her about it
and she mentioned a friend of hers with Crohn's who had major success
with what sounded like the same diet. I called this woman and was
floored by both the extent of her illness and her success with the
diet. After that conversation I decided to give the diet a shot.
It has worked miracles for me. I have a yearly colonoscopy and last
year my doctor couldn't believe my colon. He said it looked like
that of a healthy 18 year old. (I turned 50 this month.) Of course
you know about my test this week. So that's my story. Hope you have
a happy & healthy New Year. If you have questions about the
diet itself, please let me know. Lots of luck!!
Sincerely, Rachel
Fax to: Elaine
Gottschall
From: Jim Prousalis
Thu, 31 Jul 1997 16:39:49 GMT
My name is Jim Prousalis and I am 30 years old. I would like to
thank you from the bottom of my heart. I just visited my doctor
and he is amazed on how well I am doing. His name is Dr. Ronald
Hoffman, he wrote the forward to your book, he is a great doctor.
I will give you a brief history of my battle with Crohn's. I was
diagnosed about six years ago with this awful disease. I had stomach
pains everyday no matter what type of medication that I was taking.
I was 192 pounds
prior to the Crohn's disease. I lost around 45-50 pounds in about
a months time L. All the doctors that I was seeing told me that
I would have to be on medication for the rest of my life and down
the line I will have to do surgery. I was bouncing from doctor to
doctor and they all said basically the same thing. September of
1996 I took a turn for the worst, I lost even more weight (went
down to 125 pounds) and I was bleeding profusely. I was so weak
I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom without getting out
of breath. Then my wife was looking for a doctor on the Internet
and she found Dr. Ronald Hoffman.
My first visit
with Dr. Ronald Hoffman was on 12/24/96. He gave me your book on
the first visit, I started the diet immediately. I noticed three
days after starting the diet that the pain in my gut stopped. Then
I noticed that I wasn't going to the bathroom 10 times a day. Then
about two weeks later I noticed that my stools were starting to
form. I now go to the bathroom maybe once a day and with formed
stools J. I am to this day following the diet faithfully. I thank
GOD for you Elaine Gottschall and also Dr. Ronald Hoffman for giving
me my life back.
I just want
you to know that I am 163 pounds as of yesterday. I am still gaining
weight, I just hope I will stop before I go the other way (just
kidding). I also have a friend who has Crohn's and he started the
diet eight days ago, he told me that he doesn't feel any pain in
his gut. He still has loose stools and goes to the bathroom four
time a day. I told him that the first sign for me was the pain went
away, so stick with it.
Thank you Elaine Gottschall.
Jim Prousalis
PS I am going to be on television in August for one
of Dr. Ronald Hoffman's miracle patients. I also said on the interview
that I thank GOD for Elaine Gottschall and Dr. Ronald Hoffman. If
you would like a copy or would like to know when it would be aired
I would be more than happy to give you the information, it's the
least I can do.
Ripe/unripe
fruit?
Wed, 6 Aug 1997 13:01:17 GMT
Hello everybody.
I have been a passive listener to the list for about a month now
and tried the diet for two weeks. I've finally managed to come up
with a question (I guess there will be more of them in the future),
but, for those of you who are interested, I thought I could tell
you something about myself and my disease. For those of you who
aren't interested, the
question is at the end.
I'm 34 and was diagnosed with CD 13 years ago and been on prednisone
since that (I take other medications as well, but the long-term
use of prednisone is what bothers my doctor. She tries to convince
me of the benefits of surgery, but I can't say that I'm very interested).
Whenever I try to get below 10 mg, I get a relapse and must increase
the dosage again. For the last couple of years the increase has
grown, so, nowadays, I have to take 50 mg to get it under control
again. What I've experienced during this second week on the diet
sure as hell beats a 50 mg increase of prednisone. I can't say that
my stools are quite normal yet, but not far from it (it's been over
ten years since that happened the last time). The only pain I have
now is sometimes when it's time to visit the bathroom, but it's
FAR from the old chrons-pain, so I guess It's because my stomach
isn't used to this new sensation. Even my friends tell me that I
look much healthier now than I did two weeks ago. Another funny
thing is that I've been drinking a lot of Coca-cola (1.5 liters/day)
and been a heavy candy consumer, and I DON'T MISS THAT AT ALL! so
I guess I won't have any problems sticking to the diet.
And here's my question: Do all unripe fruits contain starch, or
is it just the bananas? Elaine only mentions bananas in the book.
I'm asking this because I'm having some trouble determining if apples
are ripe or not. They taste OK, but I sometimes find them a bit
hard. It doesn't seem to bother my stomach, but I'm a bit worried
that it might slow down (or even stop) the progress I've seen so
far.
Bernt Johansson
Re: Ripe/unripe
fruit?
Wed, 6 Aug 1997 16:01:28 GMT
Hi Bernt,
> Bernt Johansson wrote...<snip>...
I'm 34 and was diagnosed with CD 13 years ago and been on prednisone..
I am in the same situation as you with only five years of prednisone
use (never more than 80mg). You should get a bone density x-ray
done now to determine how much bone loss you have. I was told when
I was 31 that I now have the bones of an 80-year-old (no joke).
So thanks to prednisone
and "medical doctors", I now have severe osteoporosis
:(
> The only pain I have now is sometimes
when it's time to visit the bathroom, but it's FAR from the old
chrons-pain,
The most severe pain I had was in my second year of diagnosis, the
kind that doubles you over and feels like a knife twisting in your
gut. I had surgery in the third year because of an ulcer perforation.
Since then the only pain (if any) is due to bloating or going to
the bathroom in the morning while things are trying to pass by the
inflammation areas. Afterwards, it is a relief.
> Another funny thing is that I've been
drinking a lot of Coca-cola (1.5 > liters/day) and been a heavy
candy consumer, and I DON'T MISS THAT AT ALL! so I guess I won't
have any problems sticking to the diet.
Well like most of us on this list (probably), there was some kind
of over-indulgence in some use of sugar. My downfall was growing
up with a jug of Kool-Aid each day (with 1 cup of sugar).
> And here's my question: Do all unripe
fruits contain starch, or is it > just the bananas? Elaine only
mentions bananas in the book. I'm asking this because I'm having
some trouble determining if apples are ripe or not. They taste OK,
but I sometimes find them a bit hard.
It seems to me quite clear in the book that Elaine states *anyone*
just starting the diet should only eat COOKED/BAKED fruit. Only
try one fruit or veggy at a time for a few days and notice any reaction.
Same goes for eggs, cheese, nut flour, etc.
Hope my experiences
help you, or anyone else on the list.
Thanks... Dan.
Date:
Thu, 2 Oct 1997 00:03:33 -0600
From: "William Laing"
Subject: healthy colon
It is great to see as many postings that have been showing up on
the SCD list the last few months. While I have not been active in
postings for some time, certainly the subjects appearing on the
list continue to hold my interest. However I must plead guilty of
receiving more benefits from this list than
having returned in the way of postings of encouragement to the new
comers who are desperately in need of help to expel their fears,
as well to offer assistance with this diet. If my memory serves
me correctly there are others like myself, after becoming stable
on the SCD diet find all too convenient to quietly slip away. So
then for those on the list, who have
nothing but fears and questions, may I relate this success story
for you of how the SCD turned my life around and made live worthwhile
again.
Fifteen years ago I found myself bleeding from the rectum, so severely
I was forced to empty the colon approx. every twenty minutes. I
was of the opinion I suffered from bleeding internal hemorrhoids
in the lower colon. Our family doctor advised me to make an appointment
with a Doctor who specialized in problems of the bowel. After the
examination I was shocked
when the Doctor stated "Good news - you do not have Cancer.
But you do have Ulcerative Colitis, and that may or may not contribute
to cancer of the bowel." Frightening words for a man who would
all but faint when a nurse drew blood from his arm. "How shall
I cure this disease Doctor?" "There is no known cure."
I will venture
everyone on this list has a similar story. After finding this list
in its early days it was comforting to learn there was a place where
the problems of IBD could be discussed openly.
I started the diet in mar. 1993, failed it after three weeks, then
tried the second time. By the end of the same year the colon was
well on its way to full recovery. I was symptom free with no flares
for well more than two years. I used medications for only the first
month during that period. I made the yogurt, stuck to the book,
although I never did do any baking, and
still dont. Chopped, fresh or frozen mixed veggies and fruit. I
can eat apples, oranges, bananas by the bushel. I started with small
amounts of fish, chicken, scrambled eggs, beef and very crisp bacon
later on in the diet I drank very weak coffee black. My colon appeared
to have recovered completely. I felt so improved, health wise after
two and some half years with no flares, that I decided I could now
go back to eating some starch on a limited basis. That was a serious
mistake. Within six to eight months I was bleeding from the colon,
with severe pains in both sides, to the extent I could not lie on
either side in bed at night. I lost all the weight I had gained
in the previous two years.
In July of 1996 I was able to view my colon on closed circuit TV
while having a sigmoidoscopy. The inflammation was limited to approx.
half way around a cross section and 12 inches (30cm) long. This
damage resulted in approx. 6 to eight months from allowing limited
starch in my diet. I went back on Medication for two weeks until
the bleeding stopped, also started back full time on the diet. I
had one small flare for just a few days, then progressed steadily.
I had a colonoscopy one year later (one month ago) the results showed
no sign of any bowel disease, healthy and wide open. I was advised
to come back in two or three years, unless I have a flare. (He wasn't
the least interested in my starch free diet.) The last few months
I have gained my regular energy
back, and I don't know how or why. I can't think of any large changes
I may have made in my diet. I cut back or(I dont need) as much honey
now as used earlier. I will stay on the diet for the rest of my
days. The diet is now my life style. I wont return to the foods
that make me ill. There is no secret to this diet. It is after all
nothing but simply healthy food.
So why in the world would I to leave it? I hope this post will bring
some encouragement to those who struggle to free themselves from
the ravages of bowel disease.
Good luck in your search for good health.
William
|
1997 