Hi Polly,
I have a question for you: I was reading in one of your responses to Cristi from this past summer about you kept going with your diet for nine months before you saw any change. What diet did you stay on? And how did you know that you were following the right diet since you were still having D? And did you have cramping after you ate? Just trying to figure out how to determine what I can eat since everything seems to be bothering me. In fact, the D is getting worse, not better.
Thanks,
Beth
Question for Polly
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Hi Beth,
I was basically on a GF, dairy-free diet. I think the only reason I stayed on it for so long was because Dr. Fine kept assuring me that I would eventually heal and also because of all of the wonderful support here. In retrospect, I think if I had discovered my other intolerances sooner, my course would have been shortened. More recently, multiply-intolerant members here, like Karen, who jumped almost immediately to the paleo diet, seemed to heal much faster.
I remember the feeling that my gut was tied up in knots.....or like it was being squeezed - and this persisted almost the entire time I had D. The best thing the diet did was to reduce the amount of explosiveness/urgency. Even though I was still having D 6-8 times a day, I had a few extra minutes to get to the toilet. This made a major difference in my quality of life.
If your D is worsening, I would guess that you are still being exposed to a trigger. Sheesh, I wish you would turn the corner.....SOON!
Love,
Polly
I was basically on a GF, dairy-free diet. I think the only reason I stayed on it for so long was because Dr. Fine kept assuring me that I would eventually heal and also because of all of the wonderful support here. In retrospect, I think if I had discovered my other intolerances sooner, my course would have been shortened. More recently, multiply-intolerant members here, like Karen, who jumped almost immediately to the paleo diet, seemed to heal much faster.
I remember the feeling that my gut was tied up in knots.....or like it was being squeezed - and this persisted almost the entire time I had D. The best thing the diet did was to reduce the amount of explosiveness/urgency. Even though I was still having D 6-8 times a day, I had a few extra minutes to get to the toilet. This made a major difference in my quality of life.
If your D is worsening, I would guess that you are still being exposed to a trigger. Sheesh, I wish you would turn the corner.....SOON!
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Polly,
Thanks so much for your response. I have eliminated all grains, but I'm still eating potatoes. I've started peeling them, so I'm hoping that might help. I think what got me yesterday was the deli meat. Are potatoes okay to eat on the paleo diet? Or at least yams? It will be very hard for me to go without that kind of starch, simply for the fullness factor. Also, I'm wondering if you think that I really should do the tests with Dr. Fine. They're SO expensive, but if they help then you can't really put a price tag on feeling better, can you?
Any other responses you have, I'd really appreciate.
Best,
Beth
Thanks so much for your response. I have eliminated all grains, but I'm still eating potatoes. I've started peeling them, so I'm hoping that might help. I think what got me yesterday was the deli meat. Are potatoes okay to eat on the paleo diet? Or at least yams? It will be very hard for me to go without that kind of starch, simply for the fullness factor. Also, I'm wondering if you think that I really should do the tests with Dr. Fine. They're SO expensive, but if they help then you can't really put a price tag on feeling better, can you?
Any other responses you have, I'd really appreciate.
Best,
Beth
Beth
I had much the same experience that Polly did in that it was a good nine months before I saw a solid BM . With twenty twenty hindsight I realize that even with low level gluten intolerance it takes a while for the body to adjust.
I used Dr Fines list of possible food problems and the Specific Carbohydrate diet as primers. Both GF. Was it the best way? At the time it was the only way I could find and I made a lot of discoveries. Like that all the nuts in the SCD along with the recomended white beans were not the best thing. I am not sure their is a best way. I do know that the science in the SCD and the intention of Dr. Fines recomendations when they finally sunk in were vital steps. I had lots of ups and downs but the two lists eventually evened things out enough that I could recognize more and more what was working and what was not.
A few months before I found this group I gave up on finding GF foods and started a grain free diet with lots of cooked fresh vegetables fresh fruit and natural meats. Not having to look for GF trigger free food freed up a lot of time and made eating so much more relaxing. Not to many worries that a carrot , apple or zucchini has some additive that is detrimental or the manufacturer has changed the formula. I still avoid processed foods of any kind. Well, maybe a Lara bar on the rare occasion and spices .
Like many others I muddled my way through. Paying attention. Pondering the problems and reveling in the good times. I wish I could give you a formula.
At a certain point I could not just give up. I always felt that success was just around the corner.
You know what.
It was.
Love
Matthew
I had much the same experience that Polly did in that it was a good nine months before I saw a solid BM . With twenty twenty hindsight I realize that even with low level gluten intolerance it takes a while for the body to adjust.
I used Dr Fines list of possible food problems and the Specific Carbohydrate diet as primers. Both GF. Was it the best way? At the time it was the only way I could find and I made a lot of discoveries. Like that all the nuts in the SCD along with the recomended white beans were not the best thing. I am not sure their is a best way. I do know that the science in the SCD and the intention of Dr. Fines recomendations when they finally sunk in were vital steps. I had lots of ups and downs but the two lists eventually evened things out enough that I could recognize more and more what was working and what was not.
A few months before I found this group I gave up on finding GF foods and started a grain free diet with lots of cooked fresh vegetables fresh fruit and natural meats. Not having to look for GF trigger free food freed up a lot of time and made eating so much more relaxing. Not to many worries that a carrot , apple or zucchini has some additive that is detrimental or the manufacturer has changed the formula. I still avoid processed foods of any kind. Well, maybe a Lara bar on the rare occasion and spices .
Like many others I muddled my way through. Paying attention. Pondering the problems and reveling in the good times. I wish I could give you a formula.
At a certain point I could not just give up. I always felt that success was just around the corner.
You know what.
It was.
Love
Matthew
Beth
Winter squash like Butternut or Acorn are a staple of my diet. The fiber in them seems to work great for me. You can season them in many different ways. You can cook up a lot at one time and have them on hand since they freeze well after cooking and are as good if not better than before when you defrost them. . They do work really well for me as a carb. I can eat potatoes but prefer them only on the rare ocassion in that they are just white where the squash has so much flavor.
Nothing like that fulness factor to feel satisfied at the end of a meal.
Hope they work as well for you as they do for me.
Love
Matthew
Winter squash like Butternut or Acorn are a staple of my diet. The fiber in them seems to work great for me. You can season them in many different ways. You can cook up a lot at one time and have them on hand since they freeze well after cooking and are as good if not better than before when you defrost them. . They do work really well for me as a carb. I can eat potatoes but prefer them only on the rare ocassion in that they are just white where the squash has so much flavor.
Nothing like that fulness factor to feel satisfied at the end of a meal.
Hope they work as well for you as they do for me.
Love
Matthew
Matthew - thank you so much for the tips. Yes, I'm realizing that a diet free from all processed foods is one of the first places to start. I'll definitely try the squash - that's a really good idea. I'm having to cook a lot more now that I'm finding so little I can eat that's quick and easy. Maybe it's good - it makes me slow down and pay attention to what my body needs instead of just grabbing the nearest/easiest thing. Not that I ever did junk food before, but I know I was pushing the limit with my gluten intake just because it was easy. Yeah, I'm not giving up, either. There's too much in life to be enjoyed to waste time intentionally eating the wrong things and then paying for it later.
Best,
Beth
Best,
Beth