SCD Success

My name is Marisa, I live in NYC and have had UC for 8 years. I’ve tried Asacol, Colosol, Cort Enemas, Prednisone and am now on 75mg of 6MP per day. Usually have 1 flare a year that lasts 2-4 months.

Hi everyone! I was inspired to write because for the first time since being diagnosed with UC, I found something drug free that seems to be working. Believe me, this is incredibly exciting. For the past 5 years, I have had flares that start in the Spring, take 2-4 months to clear up, and usually land me in the hospital. I have come to just expect this every year, so about 2 weeks before Christmas when I could tell that a flare was coming on, I freaked out. I just wasn’t ready to deal with another flare and the miserable months ahead. I also wasn’t ready for Prednisone and all of the crappy side effects that come along with it. So, I came to Adam’s site desperate to find stories of anything that had worked for others. I had always been hesitant to try the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) diet because at a glance, it seems pretty limiting, and I REALLY love bread. But, like I said, I was desperate, and I had read so many stories of success with the diet that I quit my regular diet cold turkey, and jumped right into the SCD Intro that night. I found the guide to the intro on the SCD Lifestyle website that two guys named Steve & Jordan maintain. I would suggest you check it out because it made planning out the first several days of the diet simple to follow.The first couple days were a little tough, but nothing to complain about. And after a week on the diet I had the most satisfyingly solid crap in years. We’re all friends here, so I can say that, right?After a few days of feeling really well, I got a little overconfident and cheated on the diet. It was Christmas and there were so many amazing treats around my parent’s house! I did notice that I wasn’t feeling as great as I had been though, so now that I am back home in NY and can control what foods are in my house, I have been back on the diet and am being really strict about it. (p.s. a great way to make friends at work is to bring in all the junk food from your cupboards that you can’t eat anymore :) I’ve found a great recipe for banana bread, I’ve enjoyed some delicious jalapeno cheddar burgers, I’ve made some of Adam’s delicious Coco Colitis smoothies and I don’t at all feel deprived. Best of all, my stomach has been feeling great.

I’m still a slightly skeptical at this point because it’s so early on and I’ve never reversed a flare before. However, based on how I have felt so far, I can’t see any reason to stop doing SCD; it’s an incredibly healthy lifestyle. Hopefully the good stories, and craps, will continue!

I tried Asacol and Colosol with no success. Prednisone got me out of my first flare that had been going for over a year within days, but it has taken much higher doses and a lot longer to take effect every flare since. I started 6MP about 2 years ago and it seems to keep me healthy for most of the year until Spring rolls around and a flare starts up again.

written by Marisa

submitted in the Colitis Venting Area