First, some background: I’ve been on the SCD since the middle of April of this year. I was also on a tapering schedule of prednisone when I started. Once I tapered off the prednisone I started having symptoms again (e.g. blood in stool, pain in lower left abdomen etc.) I believe that 1.) the prednisone, while reducing the inflammation, did not allow me to correctly judge the response my colon had on the various SCD foods I added and the schedule I added them and 2.) I believe I may have tapered off too quickly.
I’ve since been trying the rowasa enemas for about a month now and last week I tried adding the self-made vitamin E enemas that have been reported as being helpful. I’ve been using them for about 6 days now and really haven’t seen any improvement but I’m going to continue using them for a few more days just to see if they start to help.
Now, after the background, the original reason for my post… I’ve been eating strict SCD, and since the recurrence of my symptoms, I went back to the intro diet for a week and have been adding foods very slowly. I mainly eat ripe bananas, baked apple slices with honey and cinnamon, pureéd butternut squash for breakfast, and lunches and dinners consist of baked, grilled or sauteéd chicken, beef, pork and various fish along with ripe avocados, steamed baby carrots and other types of squash and gords (pumpkin, buttercup squash, etc.) Snacks are a tablespoon of almond butter and home-made jello made from Welch’s white grape juice.
The only thing that would really give my BM any bulk would be the beef I would think, and I only eat that once or twice a week. I have been avoiding roughage as I thought this would further irritate my colon since my main problem at the moment is bleeding (and I’m fairly certain it is in the lower colon, probably right inside the rectum and I don’t know what that part is called)
Anyway, I’ve been researching diet with UC a lot recently. I know the SCD is a very healthy diet and I don’t want to stray too far from it, as I’m pretty sure too many starches, sugars and I know gluten is bad for you (so I will keep potatoes, pasta, breads and sugary foods out), but I have also read that soluble fiber foods are good. They come in the forms of certain veggies and rice and some people say when they bind the foods together in your colon, it moves the foods away from the intestinal walls and allows the lesions to heal faster.
Since non-enriched rice does not contain gluten and seems like it would be pretty healthy, I was thinking of adding some long grain non-enriched brown rice to my diet and seeing if that adds bulk to my stools. I have been eating very soft veggies and fruits and they don’t bind together well to create a nicely-formed stool. What I was wondering is if anyone else has tried adding these things to the diet and if they saw improvement in their condition, or if anyone would suggest adding roughage like raw salads or steamed broccoli first.
I have a doctor’s appointment next week and would like to see some improvement before then. I do not want to go back on imuran or prednisone, but as a last resort, I was thinking of going back on prednisone and having a much longer tapering schedule, but if this can be avoided I’d love that. I have just been wondering if the SCD foods that I’ve been eating and not combining them with other foods like rice could be keeping me from getting better. I’m just so scared to eat a non-SCD food like brown rice because I don’t want to add diarrhea and gut pain to my bleeding problem.
If your symptoms showed any improvement after you went back to the intro diet, then the SCD is probably working for you. If it is working for you, that is, if you are showing improvements, then be patient. I think Elaine states in BVTC that it took 2 years for her daughter’s symptoms to subside completely.
I’ve been on the diet now for 16 months, and my stools are still not solid all the time. BUT…I’m down from 24 BM/Day to 1-2 BM/day. I say that to encourage you to be patient, and give the SCD time. The natural healing process can be slower than we would choose, but it’s natural.
You may also consider that one side effect of Rowasa (Mesalamine) is diarrhea. I’m not telling you to stop the meds, but just to factor them into the equation.
Don’t add the rice. It will feed the bad bacteria; the bacteria the SCD tries to get rid of. If you eat brown rice, you’re no longer on the SCD. It’s like saying you’re 80% vegan.
Journal your symptoms, your diet, and your meds. If the SCD provides improvement for you, then stick with it.
I have used the 24 hour yogurt, but I thought to give it a break a few weeks after the bleeding came back as someone on the SCD list said that the yogurt or dairy would give them bleeding within a few days. At the time I was making smoothies with it and drinking it as my breakfast every single day. So I thought to stop that and see if it helped. I may make a new batch this weekend and re-try it.
I’m not experiencing and D at the moment, but the stools are not very formed. I mainly have B and feel the need to go sometimes but don’t have to. Kind of like when you have a urinary track infection, only in the rectum. I believe this is because of the location of my UC. I have had the pain which feels like a pain in my tail bone for a few months now, but I am beginning to think it is not the bone, but rather the inside of my ulcerated rectum. I am also experiencing pain in my lower left quadrant right where my ovary is… when I bend my torso. I’ve been to the GYN to check this, and he says it’s not a cyst and that my ovary is fine. So this leads me to believe that it is also my colon.
I just read that sometimes the brown rice helps people with UC so I was thinking of adding it to the diet. I guess I’ll hold off on that a while too. I just want to get back to the way my body worked before. It’s so frustrating to try and do EVERYTHING right and still get no relief.
The intro seemed to help, but there was still B when I started to add other veggies other than pureéd carrots, and I stayed on the intro for a little over a week too. I just can’t stay on the intro much longer as I lose a lot of weight! I started back my eating ripe bananas, baked apples, avocados, and pureéd butternut squash… but I am still having B.
I’m just so frustrated! How long did it take for some of the others’ B to go away completely on the diet? The pain as well? Were you on meds as well? If so, what meds and when did you stop taking them? Did you still have B when you started to introduce over things other than the intro diet?
I need some examples and to hear some success stories with people that have the same sort of UC issues or I think I will start to feel like I’m hopeless and that drugs will be the only thing to get my colon back to the way it was before when I was on the mercaptopurine.
Hi Sunworshipper
You described by condition exactly – the the lower left quadrant pain. This is the only indication I have that things are not well yet – except for tiny spots of B. Unfortunately I suffer C, not D and don’t have the usual indicators that are used to monitor progress.
I started the diet in June – did the strict phase 1 – and find I am able to add other things on the diet without bad effects. I too have poorly formed stools and have been using Citrucel. It has made it better, But again I have C – not D.
I feel that my condition is not so severe that ‘good’ fibers like brown rice. sweet potato, quinoa might be a good thing for me, but am on the fence about what to eat that will make me better. I know this is counter to what the SCD is all about, but there are so many differing opinions.
How are you doing? Are you still on the scd? Did you add brown rice to your diet?
sunworshipper..hi i m thinkn of adoptn SCD but i just cant b away from rice im indian and from the northeast where we actually live on rice:-)ya d refined one might not b gud at all.but while i hv real bad flare up i was eating rice in d hospital d dietician suggest i eat evrythg in small portion diet yogurt,furits a well balance diet eggs fo breakfast n fish n chicken twice and cottage cheese,well i also tk all kinds of supplement like pmosteen,aloe nectar gel (not recommend in SCD)but d product is accepted by international aloe counsil so i guess no laxative, as it hvnt gv me any problem.wheat grass(fields of green),vitamin c,minerals,omega 3,i too gt m b once in a week i stop worryn as its not much n hv solid bowel movement like twice a day or thrice.in india we include yogurt,turmeric powder fo cooking are chicken,veggie,smtm i eat boil salmon wt jus garlic, onion,tomato.i dont stop rice we eat less strach rice.i also tk probiotic capsule.wait patiently try adding more yogurt,banana,avocado,pomogranate juice,turmeric,n i dont think pork beef vl do any good for r gut.i eat veg like zuchinni,bottle gourd,button mushroom,cabbage,cauliflower all ds in small portion.i snack on soak almond,walnut,protien shake gluten free,lactose free.light tea wt honey and i stil hv to find substitude white bread.
I was on the SCD strict food for 16 weeks,when I had another flare up. I had just come off prednisone same as you, so was unsure of the reason for the flare up. I dont feel I had the relief that I should have had from the diet. Also I don’t think it is a very good indication of healing when we are on such heavy meds. I am wanting to try the diet again, but not while I am on so much medication.
Shirley NZ
Hi, I agree with Matt, do not add in the brown rice! It will likely only make your symptoms worse. My son has UC and he is only 6. We have been doing the diet with him for 22 days now, and unfortunately, just like you, he started flaring again when trying to wean off the prednisone for the second time. He just got out the hospital due to very low potassium and dehydration from all the diarhea. his dose was brought back up to 4ml and when we tried to taper him, he was down to 1ml. I think prednisone is a good verses evil drug. I can’t wait for my son to be off of it! I don’t blame you for trying to avoid it. As for diet, my son is now eating very soft steamed broccoli several times a day for a week now. I’m lucky I have a six year old who loves it. I think it could be helping to add bulk to his stool as well as the prednisone(unfortunately). I guess the real test to know for sure is when he tries to taper off again for the 3rd and hopefully last time. Quick question, have you tried 24 hr. yogurt? we make it in a smoothie with fruit and honey everyday for my son and I truly feel it is making a difference. My son is actually lactose intolerant, but, the yogurt does not bother his stomach at all, it is healing it. I know everyone is different, but, thought I would add in these tips. good luck to you!
Your frustration is legit, and I wish I could tell you some great story, or give you encouragement that would make it go away. I was on meds when I started the diet, but I didn’t have the issues you did coming off pred. Your situation is not uncommon though, and you’re not the only one. Doctors call this prednisone dependance. You may have to (with your doctor’s help) play with the dose until you can wean off it.
I still feel that if you saw improvements with the intro diet, then you should see improvements with the rest of the diet, though it may be slow. Pecanbread.com and I think BTVC both recomend that you start the yogurt carefully–like 1 TBSP/day. This is because the probiotic bacteria can cause die off and more D.
To illustrate this, when I started probiotics (right after the intro diet), I started too quickly. I went to a full therapeutic dose (7-10 b CFU) in about a week. I got hives, uncontrollable shaking, fever, abdominal pain, massive D, and lots of B. I immediately quit the probiotics. The mini flare lasted for about 2-3 days. I tried probiotics again after about 2 weeks. This time tiny amounts at a time. It took my body almost six months to build up to a therapeutic dose. Now I can take them just fine. It can be the same with highly probiotic yogurt or fermented cabbage juice (another probiotic), which is an alternative to the yogurt.
That’s all I’ve got. I hope others who have more similar situations write in with helpful advice and encouragement.
Thanks Matt, I will try to be more patient. After 16 months on the diet, do you still have bleeding or pain?
I have been making tuna salad and mixing brown rice 35% into it and putting on white bread or toast. I tastes like regular tuna salad and has been good so far. I have fewer flareups and have more energy. Also protein shakes with plain yogurt and a little lactose free milk. This is what I have been living on for about a week and have already seen a huge difference.
I know it has been awhile since this string of posts, but I have also recently experienced a UC flare that was difficult to get under control. I was just diagnosed a year ago, so this was my first major flare so I didn’t know what to do to get it under control and how long to expect it to last. I started the SCD intro diet, and my GI doc put me on prednisone and had me using Rowasa at bedtime. I was also taking fish oil, vitamin D, probiotics and digestive enzymes, but after about a month I still couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. It slowed down but as soon as I started weaning off the pred, it increased again. During this time I was still on something between SCD Intro and Phase I and I was losing weight and getting concerned that I wasn’t getting enough variety in my diet to get the proper nutrition. I emailed Jordan and Steve from SCD Lifestyle and they told me about the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. That I should consider eliminating all dairy for a short time(even if it is lactose free, it contained casein, which is also hard for an irritated colon to digest). Then if that doesn’t resolve the problem to eliminate egg, nuts, and excessive fruit/honey. About this time my doc also increased my Asacol HD dose. I eliminated dairy for a few days and cut down on my fruit and honey intake and my symptoms finally resolved. I’m not sure what exactly helped, but I also found myself wondering if my symptoms were ever going to stop and if I was ever going to be able to live a normal life, so I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I think with a bad UC flare it takes time for the bleeding to stop. Now I’m happy to say that I am feeling much better, in fact sometimes I have more energy than I have in years. Looking back, I suspect that gut issues have probably been sapping my strength for years, and that with the SCD diet I am finally feeling the energy normal people feel! Hope this helps!
Hi there.
In combination with the scd please research the low oxalate diet. This lady SUSAN OWENS is combining the two diets and it is really worth checking it out.
I think it all depends on the person. You have to find what works for you and to do that you must experiment. I tried SCD and lost too much weight too fast (I am already pretty thin), felt so weak that I almost passed out and experienced more D and cramps than ever before. I do not take any medicine for my UC (have had it for 20 years, have only ever used azulfidine. It took me a week to recover from two weeks of doing the SCD. I eat gluten free and highly limit sugar intake, but have started adding rice back into my diet. I have energy again and I am not in the bathroom again and no more cramps. It just all depends on the person. My advice is to try it in small doses to see how it may affect you.