A comment on Facebook: Cheyenne wrote: "I started my son on the diet during the worst flare-up he ever had since diagnosed with Crohn's and he was symptom-free within 1 week. He has had absolutely NO symptoms of Crohn's since he's been on the diet (since February 1st) and you wouldn't even know he has it except for how thin he still is. However, that is changing too... he is slowly gaining 3-4 pounds per month. He is almost 14 and weighs 70 pounds, but much better than the 58 he was down to when the doctors didn't know what to do!"
_______________________________ "The SCD has been a complete lifesaver for me. I went from being in such poor health while battling UC and taking medication that did not work that I was seriously thinking of having surgery to remove my colon. The SCD was a long process of healing (over 2 years) yet has given me my life back. I have... now been on the diet for over six years and would have it no other way. Its just natural now. I have started a blog about my daily adventures with the SCD (http://twostepsscd.blogspot.com/) and have just published a book about it as well: Two steps forward, one step back. A journey through life, ulcerative colitis, and the specific carbohydrate diet. Available at Amazon.com Your site is awesome and it is great to see so many new ideas and inspiration with the changing dietary needs of our population. I check your site weekly for new SCD info and am always impressed! Tucker Sweeney http://twostepsscd.blogspot.com/" _______________________________ Hi, I just discovered your site. I am 36 years old and I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 25. I had surgery that same year, and one year after that I started the SCD. While my GI doctor said he was sure the Crohn's hadn't recurred I was having a lot of upset stomachs. Also I was allergic to the maintenance medication they gave me, and I wanted to do something to stay healthy. One month later -- no more stomach aches. I followed the diet strictly for 7 years. For the last 3 I have gone back and forth between the diet and eating almost whatever I want. But 10 years after starting the diet I am still symptom free. I plan to stick a little closer to the diet for the time being. I do not want a recurrence! This is a very good website! I'm glad I found it. _______________________________ Thank you so much for your site. I was going to start the diet regardless, but honestly was a little depressed about giving up good food. When I found your site, I was so shocked and surprised. The food looked better than the McDonalds and processed crap I had been eating. And what's worse --feeding my kids and husband! I was lying to myself thinking that what we were eating was 'better than most.' I just turned 30 a couple of years ago and wanted to be a better me. I had always dreamed of being the woman who cooked gourmet meals for her family. Now through being diagnosed with UC in April, I have become that woman. I've only been on the diet for a month now, but have seen such great results. My case was extremely mild Thank God and so I saw relief very quickly. My point in all of this is that I want to say thanks for not only lifting me from depression, but elevating me to a joy that I hadn't known even before the diagnosis. _______________________________ Thanks so much for the helpful hints and delicious recipes on your site! I've had UC for the past 4 years and started SCD about 9 months ago with great success. Since I'm constantly looking for new, tasty recipes to try, your website has been a jackpot! ______________________________ Just wanted to send you an update on my daughter.We started SCD on Dec 20, 2007. She was still on antibiotics at the time. We decided to stop the antibiotics on Dec 27. As of today, she has gained 8 lbs! This for her is a lot. She started at 62 lbs. She hadn't gained any weight for 3-1/2 years until now. We are going for bloodwork next week, so I hope to see significant improvements in that. Once I have that information, I hope we will be able to be a "success story" too, but time will tell I suppose. I am very optimistic, but know that others, including the doctors, will be looking for the long-term success. ______________________________ I wanted to say thank you for this website and sharing your experience with Crohn's! I emailed you about three months ago regarding my pregnancy and my Crohn's flare up. My little angel was born 5 weeks early but the doctors were amazed at how healthy she was even at that age. She didn't need to spend any time in the NICU and her weight was exceptional for a premie (5 lbs 3.3 oz). I owe it all to the diet. I'm still on the diet while I breast feed and have very little, if any problems. Your website has really helped me stay on the diet and continues to encourage me to thrive (my beautiful daughter helps too :) ). Thank you once again! _______________________________ I did the SCD for about 4 months last year and then regressed back to my old eating habits. Thankfully I got my act together and am back on diet permanently. It really is the only "cure" for Crohn's. Yesterday I found your site and I just love it. More info than I could possibly ask for. I've been hoping to find a site like yours for some time. Thank you for all the time/effort you have put into it. |
Hi Erin,
I wanted to thank you once again for having this website. I started the SCD after my son was born and my Crohn's was out of control. It worked great and I went into a bit of a remission. Then I returned to work as a kindergarten teacher and went off the diet. I didn't think I could manage it while working and ended up in the hospital for four days. It was horrible, my poor son, fifteen months old, was home sick while I was in the hospital with a blockage. I am so grateful that I know about this diet and am now back on the diet. I can't believe that I ever went off the diet. I was an idiot! My husband works nights and I didn't think I had time to do all the cooking. Now I know better. I am so grateful to you and your website. I am on Predisone and my weight is in a free fall. It's finally starting to slow a bit, all due to this diet and the support you provide on this site. I learned a horrible lesson and am heartbroken. I now know that I need to do whatever I can for my health so I can be a good mother. I have been working more with my husband, asking for help more than I ever had before. He has been great, doing more dishes to help me. I also want him to learn how to make Jim's pancakes as we do love them! Anyway, thank you for the time you take to help so many others, like me, who have very few places to turn to for help. This diet is the only thing that I know of that helps me. Thank you so much for the support and encouragement. My last e-mail to you was telling you that I was in remission, I'm confident that I'll be able to e-mail you soon to let you know that I am feeling better. God bless you and your family!!! ______________________________ Hi Erin, I have good news. Yesterday, my doctor decided to decrease in half the dose of one of the medications I take for my disease. I am taking a medication that is a weak version of steroids. I am decreasing the dose in half. Hope I will be improving more and more in the future. (A couple of weeks later...) Hi Erin, I just wanted to drop you a note concerning the fact that I started eating almond flour without problems. I use it to prepare my meats and soups. And I made a banana cake with it. I do not overdose it, but a regular amount of it is very fine on my intestines. I still have not started doing dry fruits, but maybe this will be the next thing on the menu. I wish I can start eating everything now, but I think I am patient enough. I am getting into the fourth month of the diet and it seems easier to add foods now. I am so thankful I am very obstinate about the diet. Cannot believe it is already almost 4 months. So proud of myself! _______________________________ Hi there, I just wanted to send you a note to say thanks for such a great site. I've been on the SCD for nearly 8 years (symptom free for more than 7 years) and it is wonderful to see some new recipes! I cannot wait to try the Greek Beef and the Butternut Pecan Pie! Take care and thanks again. _______________________________ My son began the SCD diet mid-September and he has gained 24 pounds! This diet is such a miracle for him because prior to this he suffered for almost 2 years with weight loss, stomach pain, and had pancreatitis 4 different times. He is under the care of a specialist, but unfortunately his diagnosis is unclear-Crohn's and/or Celiac. My son's first doctor did not do a small bowel biopsy when my son first became sick and was still eating gluten, so we can't get an accurate diagnosis without my son eating gluten for about 6 months-which we will not do! I guess it doesn't really matter because with the SCD diet all of his symptoms are gone! My family loves your Butternut Pecan Pie recipe so much that I decided to experiment with adding fruit to the recipe. So far I've added a cup of fresh blueberries and then another time a cup of fresh cranberries. Both were delicious, but my family liked the blueberry edition the best. _______________________________ …My brother is a fantastic SCD diet success story. Our family watched with breaking hearts as he went from an olympic-like athletic body and lifestyle, to hollowed-out cheeks from loss of weight and entire days spent in bed. An advanced wave-jumping windsurfer, NASA engineer with beautiful wife and baby on the way; Crohn's brought him down with a crash. He is the youngest sibling, our "golden boy," but no one was more heart-sick and worried about him than our father. This story, however, has a very happy ending. Three weeks on the SCD, 8 of my brother's 10 symptoms disappeared and he was on the road to recovery. We gratefully watched him climb back up the weight scale as our worries began to fall away. We saw the color and spontaneous smile return to his face, and we began to smile again, too. Fast forward to the present, nine or so years, and he's robustly healthy and of course, medication-free. Because of the SCD he never had to receive surgery and he got the enjoyment of his whole life back. To contribute your story, please write it in the "Comments" section on our YOUR Story page. It doesn't have to be long or eloquent or amazing... it just needs to be YOUR story... telling your experience and success with being on the SCD. We would love to collet LOTS and LOTS more stories! They are such a help and encouragement to people who are thinking about going on the SCD. |
I met Elaine in 1989 and started the diet that year. I took a course that she taught at Fanshawe College in London and she even had me over for lunch at her home with home made ice cream to boot.
I had ulcerative colitis and was loosing so much blood. I tried the sulfa enemas. The first time they worked but the second time I passed out with them as I had become allergic to the sulfa. The book was recommended to me and I stuck to it faithfully for 2 yrs. I even wrote a newsletter to help others with recipes and tips. My newsletter was pretty plain compared to yours. Now 20 yrs later I am eating all foods. I only have to be careful with lactose. But I still enjoy once in a while pulling out some of my old recipes and making them. I give God all the glory that he provided the means for me to be free from that disease. _______________________________ I have Crohn's Disease, have had it for 21 years. Was diagnosed in 2001 - the doctor said I was one of the worst cases he'd ever seen. Did the standard medical treatment for 3 years(steroids, 16 pills/day of Pentasa) which did not help. After 2 hospitalizations and near death after taking 5-MP, an immuno-suppressant, I found the SCD. The diet that saved my life! Have been on SCD 4 1/2 years now. _______________________________ My husband has been on SCD for 11 years! Yes, when he started he had been through 5 surgeries, steriods and everything the doctors could think of. This diet was his life saver. _______________________________ Ever since the SCD, a year ago now, I feel so much better. No more symptoms, hardly any medicine, just Asacol that I will also stop with in the near future, and all the lost weight is back again. Now when I'm tired I have to figure out if it's the Colitis or the 'getting older' symptoms! ______________________________ Hi, I love your menus. I have been using them now for 1.5 months. I pack my food each day faithfully. Yesterday I went to the blood lab to donate. I usually cannot donate, my iron levels are too low. But yesterday my blood iron was a 42, this is up from my normal of 32! Wow, something about eating the foods on your menus has made a big, positive difference in my iron levels. I was finally able to donate blood yesterday. Thanks Erin! ______________________________ BRAVO Erin. I love your website. I have been on the diet since August of 2006. In one year I was diagnosed with Crohn's Diease, had three major operations (including a resection) and two other drains put in my abdomen. YIKES! As soon as I got out of the hospital I started on the SCD and have not looked back. You are a true inspiration to me and I thank you for your absolutely beautiful website! _______________________________ Today I had my second colonoscopy since being diagnosed three years ago with indeterminate colitis. The gastroenterologist could find no sign of colitis, and therefore concluded that I "do not have colitis." Two years ago finding no success with the drugs I was prescribed, I discovered the SCD and I believe whole-heartedly that it was the single reason for my miraculous recovery. I no longer follow the diet strictly as I can eat 'normal' foods these days (in moderation) with no effect. I am still very careful about what I eat and I have a healthy diet, I exercise, I try to control my stress and I take vitamin supplements. I have found high strength fish oil very helpful. I was so thrilled to get my results today and I want to encourage everyone who is suffering, to really give this diet a go. REALLY...try it. I live near Sydney Australia, and I have not found a specialist who is supportive, or even interested in the issue of diet and colitis. Don't give up after hearing this (because you will), take your health into your own hands. _______________________________ About six weeks ago, I e-mailed you with a few questions as my 11 yr. old daughter, was just starting the diet. Well, I have some great news!! I took her to the doctor yesterday and she has gained 2 lbs. (she has not gained any weight in 7 months) and grown 1/2 in. I asked the doctor about her blood work and he said that it was perfect! The nurse even commented that her vitamin D was the best she had seen all day. In the doctors words,"I'm excited." He said to continue what we were doing and he would see her in 3 months. We are so happy with the results after being on the SCD diet for only 6 weeks. If Jessie had not improved, the doctor would have put her back on steroids. He was actually thinking of putting her on them at the previous visit, but I told him about the diet and he let me try it. I cannot thank you enough for the time you have spent on your website. After making the decision to go on the diet, I was thrilled to find your website as well as a few others that have helped us so much. With our faith and the encouragement of others, I know that we can continue on this journey. |