I Urge Anyone Suffering with UC to Try This Diet

I was diagnosed with UC (pancolitis) last year after 2 years of being symptomatic and progressivly getting worse. I was very unaware about what this disease was and how it could affect your whole life. I am a 25 year old very socially active woman and this disease almost put me in a dehabilited state. I was scared to go out with friends (especially out to eat), to drive short and long distances or even go to work because of the discomfort and unpredictability of my bm’s.

The doctor had me on Salofalk which helped for a couple of months. I did not feel perfect but I could handle it and live my life close to normal. Progressivly over a couple of months my symptoms were back in full force. The doctor did a scope and told me that the inflammation was severe and that he wanted to get me on prednisone right away. Knowing the side effects of the steroids I started crying in his office and told him that I refused to take them.

I started doing alot of research on alternative methods to helping UC. I came across the SCD diet online and that day I went to the library and picked up a copy of Breaking the Vicious Cycle. I read it that night and was convinced that I had to start the diet right away. I started the next day. The first week was hard, my body was missing the sugar and the carbs that I was used to eating. My symptoms got worse before they got better and I was up to 15+ bm’s a day, all D.

I want to see my gastro again and he gave me another medicinal option that being Imuran. I told the doctor about the SCD diet but he had never heard of it. I told him that I was going to try it and he said that was ok because it wouldn’t harm me. I had also read the side effects of imuran and I was scared but feeling like this was my only hope of getting better, I started on 50 mgs a day. I had a blood test after the first week and it seemed that my body was reacting ok to the imuran so the doctor upped my dosage to 175 mg/day. This is when the problems started. During this time I was nauseaus 24/7. I was weak and my body seemed to be falling apart, I couldn’t go out, my symptoms were at their worst. After 2 nights of not sleeping because I was throwing up all night I finally had enough and went to the emergency room. I was unsure whether the effects were from the newly started imuran, the SCD diet (die off symptoms) or from UC itself.

The hospital doctor told me to stop taking the imuran immediatly, it had given me a mild case of pancreatitis and was making me sick.
I felt hopeless because I knew that my gastro would wanna try to make me try prednisone. After I stopped taking the Imuran I felt much better. It was in the third week of the diet that I started to feel and look better. To my surprise one day I woke up and I no longer had D, my stools were formed. This was a big shock to me because for the past 3 years D is all I have known. It has been 7 days now without any symptoms of UC. I feel good, have a ton of energy, and am having about 2-3 bm’s per day which is considered NORMAL!

I urge anyone suffering with UC to try this diet. I am sure it doesn’t work for everyone but so far for me it has changed my life dramatically in a short time. It is not easy to follow, there is a lot of prep work and everyone results are different but it did help me and I hope it continues to, so I can live a normal life without the dreadful symptoms of UC. This past week I have not thought about where the washroom is, when I was gonna need to go etc etc. Those thoughts consumed my mind prior to the SCD diet.

My gastro has now prescribed me remicade. I am in the process of getting approval from my insurance company. BUT since I have felt so much better without any UC symptoms for now, the next time I see my gastro I will be telling him and most likely I am gonna stay away from the remicade as long as I can.

For those of you who are struggling with UC symptoms, and medications I urge you to just TRY the SCD diet. It could help you and change you life like it has changed mine! :)

I know the battle isn’t over but I am hoping with the continued use of this diet that my UC will no longer control my life.

Wish me luck!

(Thanks SOOOO Much for sharing your colitis story Jessica!!!!! and most definitely we’re wishing you luck!)