New To SCD – Feeling Worse

Ok so here is my lovely UC story – I am a 23 year old female and I’ve had Ulcerative Colitis for about a year.

I was diagnosed in February 2011 after a colonoscopy following 2 months of trying to figure out what virus or bacterial infection was plaguing my colon. I had blood and constant diarrhea that both showed up slowly (of course back then when I thought it was bad I now realize was nothing compared to what it would become) and for someone who had never really had a health issue the fact that there was blood in the toilet was traumatic enough that I tried to ignore it.
Anyhow, once I was diagnosed I was started on Colazol – which did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

 

Follow up appointment I was stepped up to Rowasa enemas which at the time were a God-send. They cleared up the blood and pain basically overnight, and they were able to keep me in check for a couple of months. Still had loose stools but other than that I felt relatively normal.
Unfortunately, my “time of the month” sent me into a mini-flare each month and after a few months, one of those mini-flares turned into a true flare which sent me back to the doctor. I was stepped up to a stronger oral medication (Apriso) which I still do not think made any sense considering that drug (I now know) is for the maintenance of UC that is in remission which I clearly was not. Logically, this drug did nothing to help me, and I went back to the doctor again. This time he put me on prednisone 40mg starting dose and tapered after my symptoms went away. As advertised, the pred worked great since it was the first time I’d ever had it. I felt better within a couple of days and instantly started my taper by 5mg a day as the doctor had told me.

Next speed bump…2 weeks after coming off the prednisone I went into the worst flare I’d had – pain ALL day every day, urgency, blood, cramping…once again this was induced by my lady cycle (grrrr!).

That was in July and I have been in a flare ever since then. I went back on prednisone which did nothing – so the doctor added Cortisone enemas, the combined side effects of which made me more miserable than the UC itself. I took my situation into my own hands and dropped both medications after only 2 weeks…I was too miserable from the swelling, insomnia, combined with the flare that I was getting NO relief from.
Since then, I’ve been dealing with the UC as best I can, sticking my head in a hole to not have to deal with potential of Remicade and surgery.
Recently I decided to attempt the SCD diet, desperately hoping for some relief. The first time around (2 weeks ago) I made the mistake of starting and eating ALL the allowable foods which only left me feeling MUCH worse after a week from such a massive diet change so I quit and decided to try again the correct way. Well I’m now 2 days into the intro diet and have gone from VERY watery diarrhea (which has been my “normal” for several months) to straight liquid. Most of the stabbing pain and cramping has gone away but I’m definitely not seeing the potential for anything hard or close to formed. And obviously I still have no energy because I’m starving myself essentially – I despise eating only meat which is essentially what the intro diet consists of – and the soup makes me sick just thinking about it. Basically, I feel much more discouraged 2 days into the diet that I did when I was at least eating well but feeling poorly…
I read Adam’s story and so many others that have seen results so quickly even when flaring that I feel like giving up already.

Anybody have success with SCD after initially feeling worse?

Thanks to anyone who made it through that novel – here’s hoping we all see relief soon!

written by “Red”

submitted in the Colitis Venting Area