Good News

Ah, maybe I will get lucky as today I had the best news and I got a working Apple Mac Pro back :D and I also got a new Ipad for Christmas as my husband felt bad for me the the really old laptop I was using.

It could be a sign that things are turning a corner for me. I'm into signs...always looking for them..good or bad :D

Christmas Day night saw a very bad case of UC..it was so awful I had forgotten the pain and the toilet running. I as up for hours. But thanks to my stash of preds, everything is again staying put and we'll see what the first real 'movement' is like maybe by tomorrow :D.

Can't say what kicked it off but it could be prawns, a tiny bit of champagne, a mince pie or some chocolate ice-cream. I had so many different things that I don't normally have now, that's it hard to tell for definite.

So I have discovered a couple of new things...I blame myself for everything that goes wrong, even if I don't cause it directly myself. So I'm going to try and work on that one. I realised today that I've been punishing myself since Oct over the broken Mac, maybe if I hadn't have done that, but I did, so there you go.

So what next for me for 2011..... well, try to be more positive and get this UC under control and get back to Oz and get a job :D

Merry Christmas

Tis the season to be jolly, / Fa la la la la, la la la la.

I don't feel very jolly though ... I'm scared … actually I'm petrified. I can’t get this horrible feeling to lift. I used to be the sort of person that loved life, now I feel like a shadow of that person. I’m scared to have the UC operation done and be left with a bag. I’m scared what I’ll look like. I’m scared about having accidents. My whole life seems to be one big scare that revolves around UC. I seem to have lost the will to live. Don’t worry I’m not suicidal just yet, though reading this will appear that I am. I promise I’m not going to do anything to myself … not with 2 little kids in tow. I’m making everyone’s life a misery though and I know it. How can I stop myself though feeling such self pity. I seem to have lost all of my confidence and life.

This all came about again when recently someone who I thought was my friends totally dropped me and another friend, and we have no idea what we. We’re at a lose, but it really pisses me off that people do that. I put a lot of effort into getting to know people and trying to fit in, but when stuff like this happens I feel like I’ve been kicked in the guts and the wind is totally blown out of me. Why are people like this? I really do find it hard to trust people and it takes me such a long time to recover from these situations. So how do I get over this and move on … forgive and forget … yikes not me … I can hold a grudge for years. I think my problem is that I feel let down. But doesn’t everyone feel like that? So why is it worse for me. My personality I guess and all the stuff I was born with. I really have to catch a grip and wise up.

Someone, please kick me up the arse and tell me to wise up. I should be feeling grateful. I’m going home in Feb for good … back to Australia and speaking English and hopefully someone listening to my theories and plies for help. I should be grateful for my 2 beautiful kids, but sometimes they do my head in with their ungratefulness. Maybe I’m just being ungrateful about the lot of life I was given. But heck, I’m still in a position to change anything I want.

So here’s what I’m going to say to me right now….”Wise up Paula, what the heck are you doing … live life and stop bloody well complaining. Your 43 and your body is not the bee all and end all. If you have to get a stoma, you have to get a stoma, at least you’ll be able to live a life. Make the most of what you have and stop all this self pity. “

Merry Christmas everyone … stay safe … have fun :D … enjoy the life you were given

Still hanging in there :D

Hi ya, yep, I'm still here and still in a flare up and still bitching and moaning about my UC and the fact that I can't get into remission. Seriously....why can't I get into remission?

I've tried everything I can think of and sometimes I think I'm on the right road only to get bumped right back to earth again. How frustrating is this disease?

So I have a stash of preds ready and by my reckoning I can start taking them again in just over a week. There's just enough then to get me back to Australia in February where I can get some more and also have a good old chat with my doctor. Nope I tried that over here with the French doctors and basically I got kicked out the door with a prescription for 5mg Pred a day when required. Get real, but I cashed in the prescription of 30 5mg tablets anyway and added it to my next stash! It buys me an extra 3 days @ 50mg per day if needed to get the blood stopped.

So what's new with me? Well I finally got to see a Naturopath and she's got me on a few new things so we'll see how they go. If anything does seem to be working for more than a few days, then I'll document it in my next blog...no point in giving false hope. I also had a bit of a scare with my 8 year old last month as he was getting heaps of stomach pains, so of course I conclude that he has what I have. To be honest I can see him as a candidate so I'm doing my best not to let him get what I have. I'm teaching him how to handle stress now...I'm teaching him how to deal with bullies and I'm really trying to teach him of how to deal with his insecurities as I really don't want him to be like me! Turns out the poor kid got hit with quite a few viruses along with getting stressed at school, but now I know what's going on in his head, I can try and help him.

Our time in France is nearly over and although a really do breath a really big high sigh of relief, I have enjoyed living here when I’ve been on the preds and symptom free, but I will be happy to go home and speak English all the time. Living in a foreign land is hard without being fluent in their language, but I have tried and can almost crack some jokes in French, though my form of humor may be different from many others :D

that will teach me to speak too soon :(

So I spoke too soon...and I'm all over the place again...no bowel control, though I have to say, it's not as bad as it was last year. So what the heck do I do now. The preds aren't working and I'm at a lose. I'm going ot taper the preds out over the next 4 weeks and to see exactly how bad this is ... if anyone has got any better ideas, please let me know.

And I've found another thing to try...heck...why not...so now I'm on a daily dose of cabbage or cabbage juice ... yep, I was suprised at the one too. Google it's benefits if you don't believe. One week into it, so who knows...I'll give it a few months and see if there are any benefits and let you know.

Is it really working?

It's just about the end of summer and the kids will be going back to school soon...yeah says I!!! Its actually easier to go to work somedays than have to listen to kids fight and bicker some days....kids can be very frustrating some times.

Anyway, I'm down to 15mgs of Pred and its going well this time. I haven't been this low without loads of mucus and blood sightings in 2 years!!!

All I'm doing different this time is trying not to stress out along with taking magnesium, zinc, Vit B and a good probiotic. Is that my cure...who knows.

The SCD diet left me feeling really low, but in 10 weeks I've bounced back to a high that a haven't seen in years...and no it's not been caused by the pred.

I don't know if eating less refined sugar and fat is also helping as all the doctors say that food isn't the cause. My jury is still out on that as I really think it's a combination of what is happening in my mind and what I'm putting into my body.

Lets see what happens in the next few weeks .... please keep the blood and mucus away .... please let my body heal after a nightmare 18 months ......

Maybe it's working this time

So as I said last time, I'm back on the pred, but the difference is that this time it might actually be working as I'm able to drop 5mg each week and so far it's a hell of a lot better than last time where I still had blood and mucus to deal with every now and again.

What's different this time....easy, I'm not stressed at all. I'm enjoying summer and chilling out...I don't have to go anywhere I don't want to go and this year I have my first ever sun tan in 14 years!! I don't sunbathe in Australia as we just get burnt to pieces and last year I couldn't get my head around the fact that the UV index was only at 7....in Oz it can get to 15!!

So this summer I've read loads of books, went sight seeing and swimming, but all in all I'm much less stressed...maybe that is the key...who knows...time will tell. It's a bugger that there is only 4 weeks left before the kids go back to school....but heck this summer has been fun so far.

That doesn't stop the odd panic about loos, but no accidents so far...I even managed to hang on for over 1 hr...though it was really only a pee I needed but with our disease, well you just never knwo what is going to happen when you relax on a toilet. Why did I hang on 1 hr..well, we were at a finishing stage of the Tour de France, and when those guys fly past and only see them for 30secs would you have risked a bathroom stop? No way, I'd rather have an accident :D and was it worth it or what!!!

SCD Diet stopped

Let's just say that the SCD Diet didn't work for me, and instead I developed a further allergy....that's they way it goes...can't say I'll miss it...I did have a go and maybe I'll return to a variation at a later date...but for now I am yet again back on Pred...OMG...will it ever stop :(

SCD Diet - Days 29 - 3x

Day 29 - Mon
Well, today I started with an illegal muffin with 2 eggs on top....mmm...it was lovely. I'm struggling with continuing the SCD diet as I didn't see any positive change. Maybe I've just given up too soon. Maybe I need to put more into it, but the food is so bland and boring. I telephoned a local Naturopath but wasn't able to get an appointment with her this week as she's going to her practice in Geneva and then I'm away next week, so I'll call again when I get back to set up an initial appointment with her and see how it goes.

For dinner I was good and everything was legal, but unfortunately I couldn't resist lemon cake with strawberry icing :( ... and I believe that was my downfall this evening I think. :(


Meds - 3 x Salofalk (1g granules), pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), cod liver oil capsule (525mg)
Weight - 62.1 kgs(136.9lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - Not much passed except for the remains of the enema.
2. 11am - Normal with M & B mixed in and
3. 7pm - Urgency - D, lots of it
4. 8pm - Urgency D

Day 30 - Tue
I had another muffin today with poached eggs for breakfast. Apart from the muffin, that was it as far as illegals went. The rest of the day I was good.


Meds - 3 x Salofalk (1g granules),, pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), cod liver oil capsule (525mg)
Weight - 62.0 kgs(136.4lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - Small BM, a bit of D & M..too hard to tell if there was any B.
   
2. 8am - A larger movement with a bit of M
3. 2pm - A bit of M
   
4. 9pm - Small BM's with a bit of M
5. 10pm - Small BM's with a bit of M

Day 31 - Wed
Today was a felt a bit weird in the stomach / intestine area. Not crampy and definitely not like the painful ones last week....just weird if you know what I mean. I'm in a funny mood to, so the 2 could be connected. Today I also started a tablet probiotic, so we'll see how that goes.


Meds - 4 x Salazoprin
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), cod liver oil capsule (525mg), 2 probiotics(2x5 million)
Weight - 62.0 kgs(136.4lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - little to nothing & M with a few specks of B
   
2. 2pm - Slight urgency. M & B mixed in
3. 9pm - M and a bit of B only
4. 10pm - M only
   

Day 32 - Thur
The usual illegal of a muffin was eaten for breakfast along with a banana. Lunch was another muffin, some cheddar cheese and I shelled a few peanuts for a snack. I don't seem to have that weird feeling in my stomach today. Maybe the probiotic tablets did something although I was under the impression that it took at least 14 days for any benefit to be noticed. Maybe today is just a good day. Actually it was, I got my hair cut and coloured and really like it. Normally it takes until I wash it myself and the colour is a week old, before I like it ... I'm kind off fussy that way ☺


Meds - 3 x Salofalk (1g granules)
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), cod liver oil capsule (525mg)
Weight - 62.0 kgs(136.4lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - Little to nothing & M with a few specks of B
2. 2pm - Little to nothing & M
3. 9pm - M and a bit of B only
4. 10pm - M only

Unfortunately I went on holiday and the SCD Diet was forgotten to my down fall....I'm back to scratch now and have to start with Day 1 of the SCD diet....I WILL try again

SCD Diet - Days 26 - 28

Day 26 - Fri
I'm wondering if I should have peeled my apple before I ate it this morning as I had real pains this afternoon...not enough to make you cry, but enough to make you sit there and hold on until the cramp passed. This week with so many BM's, I'm beginning to doubt the SCD diet...but I know that it takes time and I'm not even at the end of week 4 yet.

I want, I need, I should, I fear......

I just want to get better though, but I need to see some real signs of improvement and not just fleeting moments where I get my hopes up, only to have them dashed the next day.
I need to have a birthday where I'm not bleeding. The last 3 have been horrible.
I should be grateful though as I'm leading a relatively normal life and can out and about, but the fear is returning that I'm going back to my 30 secs notice.
I fear getting worse.

Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, Pred Enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), Cod Liver Oil (525mg one tablet)
Weight - 61.7 kgs(135.7lb s)

BM's

1. 7am - Only the remains of the enema with a bit of M. Could not see any B.
2. 7.30am - Small movement, og normal consistency, a little bit of M, could see no B
3. 2.00pm - Not much passed, but a normal consistency, a far bit of M & B
4. 3.00pm - Only Ms with a little bit of B
   
5. 10.50pm - Normal consistency, not sure if there is any M or B
   

Day 27 - Sat
I totally blew off the SCD Diet today after a horrible Friday and the feeling that the almond flour was doing me more damage than good. The stomach pains subsided finally in the afternoon and I went made toast with bread for lunch followed by pretzel sticks as a snack and my dinner also comprised of avocado on toast with garlic chicken.


Meds - 3 x Salofalk (1g granules)
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 61.7 kgs(135.7lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - Not much passed except for the remains of the enema.
2. 10pm - Normal with a bit of M and possibly a bit of B.
   

Day 28 - Sun
Still not back on the SCD Diet. Instead I had cornflakes for breakfast, followed at lunch with a toasted cheese and ham sandwich, followed by a Tim Tam biscuit and then an ice-cream when we went out, but for dinner I returned to the SCD Diet. Now I have to decide if I should continue with this diet or not as it seems to be causing me gut pain and I'm not seeing any improvement at all. I would have assumed that after 4 weeks, the BM's would have at least drop slightly, but instead I'm going more. This again could be because I'm off prednisolne, but surely I should have seen some improvement since to begin with this was only a mild flare-up. I feel that I have gotten worse in the last few weeks. Tomorrow is a new day, so I'll see how I feel in the morning and I'll decide then if I should continue with the SCD Diet or not.


Meds - 3 x Salofalk (1g granules)
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 61.7 kgs(135.7lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - Not much passed except for the remains of the enema.
2. 6pm - Slight urgency, but otherwise small movement with a bit of M, could not detect B
   
3. 8pm - Urgency with little passed. A bit of M noted.
   
4. 10.30pm - Slight urgency, normal BM, then D. This was immediately after I had finished a cup of tea.
   

What exactly is a flare-up?

flare-up (flârp)

n.

1. A sudden outbreak of flame or light: a flare-up of the embers.

2. An outburst or eruption: a flare-up of anger.

3. A recurrence or an intensification: a flare-up of rheumatism.

I've been thinking about this for a while now about what exactly a flare-up is. I wonder if the powers that be will ever include a definition of flare-up for Ulcerative Colitis suffers...mmm probably not.

Generally my flare-ups begin gradually. First I notice a few drops of blood on the tissue roll, possible it might feel itchy, but then within a week or two I get the urgency to go. For the past 3 months or so I've been getting mild stomach cramps in the lower abdomen, and visible blood and mucus in the stool. I haven't been able to get totally out of this flare-up since I dropped to 30mgs of Predisolne the first...way way back at the beginning of March. Is this normal...does anyone else suffer the same way as me....never been able to get out of a flare-up without the aid of steroids?

So I figured if steroids (or surgery) is my only way out, then I at least have to try something..hence why I started the SCD Diet. I'm just over 3 weeks into it and it's bloody hard to stick to. I haven't noticed any benefit yet, but then again, it's not a quick fix. I do wonder though how long it will take for me to see a change for the positive and a decrease in the mucus and urgency to go.

I'm trying to be realistic though...I'm coming of Predisolne even though there is mucus and blood present still. I can't live on those bloody awful little tablets for ever ... god knows what damage they have done already to my bones. As soon as I get home next year, I'm going to have to ask for a bone density test. I honestly couldn't face doing one here..it's all too hard living with this disease in a non English speaking country and that would lead me to stress. Actually, I've possible got a handle on my stress recently...I'm trying not to let things build up on me to the point where I explode.

So, back to flares...I read today that flared trouser (pants) will be back in fashion again for the 2010 Fall...OMG...I didn't wear them as a child in the 70's and I'm definitely not going to be wearing them this Autumn :)

And in case you're interested they are also saying that Metallic Dresses, Velvet Dresses, Capes and Ponchos and the Head To Toe Black Look will also be in this Autumn. At least I'll be happy to do black :)

SCD Diet - Days 23 - 25

Day 23 - Tue
You hopefully will have the gist of what I've been eating, so from now on I'm only going to post if I knowing or suspect I may have eaten something illegal or if I make something different and I'll still say how I'm feeling. Today I'm relieved to see that things are nearly back to what I call normal for now. Yesterday really scared me..it was just like being back in the bad old days of last summer and not being able to do anything. I'm still not entirely sure what happened...was it the potatoes and the other illegals, or was it because I changed maintenance medicines, or was it because I'm nearly off prednisolne...who knows...anyway I felt like crap yesterday.

Tonight I made a new meal ...chicken cooked in garlic butter...lovely... lets see if there is any fall out from that :D

Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 5mg Prednisolne, pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), Cod Liver Oil (tablet with 525mg)
Weight - 62.1 kgs(136.6lb s)

BMs - sorry but this is really just for me to track on how I'm going and as a reference to look back on....

1. 7am - Possibly only the remains of the enema with a bit of M. Could not see any B.
2. 12.30pm - Normal consistency, a little bit of M, could see no B
   
3. 6.45pm - Normal consistency, a little bit of M, could see no B
4. 9.50pm - Normal consistency, very little (and dare I say if any) M

*Again sorry to gross anyone out, but I need to note this...All movements are still on the narrow side (width approx 1.5 cm) so assuming inflammation still inside. I've no idea what normal is for everyone, but for me I'll assume 2.5cm would be a good width...normal..and if I can get to that then I'll be as happy as a pig in mud.

Aches & Pains - Slight ache on the left side of my back..could be from sitting wrong at the computer or a something to do with the descending colon...not sure...yesterday's pain was in the front and lower down. If only I was a doctor I'd know :D

Day 24 - Wed
No fall out yet from the garlic chicken :) and I don't know if I dare type this as I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm seeing big improvements. Maybe last weekend was my test and although I failed, I didn't stuff too much stuff into me to cause real damage and was able to get right back on the SCD diet again. I reckon another week will tell, but the flare-up symptoms are definitely reducing and the mucus is going. I'm not using an enema tonight, so we'll see how it goes tomorrow. My guts felt really achy today after lunch. Pains and all sorts. At one stage I went to the bathroom for the just in case, but the pain eased back around 3 hrs after my lunch. Anyone have any ideas what may have caused this. I didn't have a huge lunch or eat anything that wasn't SCD illegal.

Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 5mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.1 kgs(136.6lb s)

BM's

1. 7am - Only the remains of the enema with a bit of M. Could not see any B.
2. 9.50pm - Normal consistency, a little bit of M, could see no B

Day 25 - Thur
Woke up this morning with a splitting headache. Either I'm dehydrated from yesterday as I really didn't drink enough water or something else is going on. I'm sick of eating bananas for breakfast..time to try apples I think unless anyone else has got any good SCD Diet ideas. Today marks my first steroid free day since April when I had to restart at 30mg after only being off them for 2 weeks. My gut still feels a bit achy and I've no idea what is causing this. There is a possibility that I need to eat more in the mornings before I take the magnesium tablet though. Tomorrow I'll try to eat more.

Today I did a big lunch for some of the girls I hang around with. Loads of families are leaving France and heading home as their time is up here. It's sad to see them go, but in the end we all leave. We've no more than 9 months left here now. I can't say I'll be sad to leave, but when I've been feeling OK, I've enjoyed my time here.

Has anyone ever hated doing the shopping and cooking when in a flare-up? Sometimes I find it so hard to do either. I can't stand the smell of food cooking and at the moment it's hard sitting at a table when people are eating. Maybe I'm just jealous :) ......


Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), Pred Enema
Weight - 61.7 kgs(135.7lb s)

BMs

1. 7am - Normal consistency with a bit of mucus this morning mixed in and possibly a bit of blood...can't be sure for definite
2. 7.30am - Normal consistency, a little bit of M, could see no B
3. 11.30am - Normal consistency, a little bit of M, could see no B
4. 9.45pm - Normal consistency, a little bit of M, possible a bit of B

SCD Diet - Days 17-22

Day 17 - Wed
Breakfast - 2 x SCD Raspberry Muffin
Lunch - Chicken, cucumber, cheese
Dinner - Pork Chops, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, grated cheese
Dessert - Fruit salad (Melon, strawberry, kiwi fruit, pears), Green Tea

Bowel Movements - 1 - More than normal M with a very very small bit of B mixed in.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin,10mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.2 kgs(136.8lb s)

Other - Today is my last day on 10mg Pred..yeah..I'm happy about that and happy that I'm finally going to drop another 5 mgs tomorrow. Today I realised that over the last week there has been a lot less rumblings and gurgles int he stomach / intestine areas...hopefully that's a good thing. OK, confusion time ... I cheated today with a 2cm x 2cm piece of biscuit...chocolate, toffee & biscuit bottom... I couldn't help myself, it was calling to me...anyway I ate it and liked it (not loved it mind you!) and washed a glass of water down with it. I will try not to do that again.

Day 18 - Thur
Breakfast - Banana
Lunch - SCD Muffin
Dinner - Chicken, Cucumber, Cheddar Cheese
Dessert - SCD Biscuit

Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M, but it does appear to be decreasing and more B than normally seen over the last week or so.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 5mg Prednisolne, pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.1 kgs(136.6lb s)

Other - Felt sick all day and I'm beginning to wonder is the almond powder is causing a problem. I'll persist for another few days and see if anything changes. Initially I thought it was because of the whole diet. The problem I have with almond flour is that we're not supposed to eat nuts as it can irritate the colon itself...it's hard to know...one group says one thing, another group says the opposite and mean while, I'm stuck in the middle trying to fix myself.

Day 19 - Fri
Breakfast - Banana
Lunch - SCD Biscuit
Dinner - Chicken, a piece of Pizza (illegal), Tim Tam Chocolate Biscuit (illegal)
Dessert - None

Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M and an increase in b noted especailly on the last movement.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 5mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.0 kgs(136.6lb s)

Other - Bored with this SCD Diet. A bit pissed off with life :(

Day 20 - Sat
Breakfast - Banana, SCD Discuit
Lunch - Chicken, Cheddar Cheese, 2 eggs
Dinner - Potatoes (illegal), Baked Bean (sauce only - but still illegal), mince
Dessert - none
Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M and again an increase in b noted especailly on the last movement.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 5mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 61.6 kgs(135.5lb s)

Other - At dinner time I was so hungry that I felt the need to eat potatoes. Totally fell off the SCD diet. Had an achy stomach all night...I'm not feeling very happy at this moment. I seem to have been in this flare-up for ever. I only got relief from the symptoms in Dec when I went back on the Preds. Since Feb though I've been back in a mild flare-up even though I was still at 30mgs Pred.

Day 21 - Sun
Breakfast - SCD Biscuit, 2 eggs
Lunch - Avocado, Tuna, Cheddar Cheese, SCD Biscuit
Dinner - Mince, Broccoli, Carrots
Dessert - Melon
Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M and a further increase in b noted especially on the last movement.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 5mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 61.7 kgs(135.7lb s)

Other - Woke up this morning and had to run to the bathroom. I'm guessing the potatoes, but who knows.
As the day went on though, I felt normal, but it is disheartening to see more and more blood.

Day 22 - Mon
Breakfast - Banana
Lunch - SCD Raison Muffin with cinmamin
Dinner - Pork Chops, Carrots
Dessert - none, just green tea later
Bowel Movements - 6 - A far b it of M each time with traces of B mixed in. 3 movements were mucus only.
Meds - 3 x Salofalk granules (1g), 5mg Prednisolne, pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.0 kgs(136.6lb s)

Other - Yikes, today was not a nice day. Every time I ate things just went through me and I had to rush to the bathroom. I can only assume that have illegals on the weekend, have caused this problem. It felt like the bad old days...little or no notice and one accident. Not happy with myself. Thankfully I was at home most of the day when the urges came. I could have handled an hours round trip to school to pick the kids up otherwise.

Thoughts / Problems on SCD diet

• Days 19 & 20 saw me totalling blowing the SCD Diet. I'm not sure what was going on in my mind, but I'd had enough of the diet and digressed. I'm assuming that loads of people feel the same thing, but I acted on my hunger and cravings this time.
• Day 21 - I'm changing back to Salofalk to see if I can see any changes.
• I seems to feel a lot more angrier these days. Is that the diet or is that just UC? I don't remember being so angry so much of the time before UC. Maybe it was the anger that gave me UC....yes, I've been reading "How to Heal yourself" again...oh, just to be happy with life eh? Now wouldn't that be nice or would I still me mad about something or rather
• I'm back on the SCD Diet again and I'm trying to be good.

SCD Diet - Days 15-16

Day 15 - Mon
Breakfast - SCD banana bread
Lunch - Banana, cheddar cheese
Dinner - Mince Meat Bolognese, Maize Pasta* (I've since found out that Maize is corn and is illegal. I didn't particularly like it anyway, so I'd rather go without)

Dessert - strawberries, melon

Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M and a bit of B.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 10mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), Pred Enema
Weight - 62.5 kgs(137.8lb s)
Other - After all the gas yesterday, everything seems to have calmed down a bit now in that department.
I'm not going to try carbonated water for at least another week now and then we'll see if the same thing happens. I am going to use a pred enema for the next week or so as I think the mucus is building now that the pred tablets are dropping. It's hard to really tell, but I'm not taking the risk and ending up in the same state as last summer.

Day 16 - Tue
Breakfast - SCD Banana Bread
Lunch - Chicken, Cheddar Cheese
Dinner - Omelette (3 peppers Green, Red & yellow, tuna and cheddar cheese)
Dessert - Melon, Strawberries, kiwi Fruit, Pears, 1/2 SCD Raspberry Muffin

Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M, but it does appear to be decreasing and no B visible today as far as I could see.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 10mg Prednisolne, pred enema
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet), Pred Enema
Weight - 62.1 kgs(136.6lb s)
Other - Feeling normal-ish today. Still a little bit out of sorts, but definitely not as bad as over the weekend.

Thoughts / Problems on SCD diet

• Day 15 - Seriously over this diet, I can see why people quit. I'm going to try and hang on in there though. I really don't want to give up yet. I'd hate to look back and realise this was my last hope and I failed myself.
• A fellow SCDer send me a link today and from it I found out that when you start this diet there could be some Temporary Initial Symptoms. Last week I developed a rash, which I originally put down as pollen or heat related. But, as the days have went by, I now realise it might have something to do with the SCD diet. Hopefully it will be gone within the next week or two.
  
• Decreasing the preds to 5 mg on Wed for 5 more days. One thing I can say, is that I didn't get this far last time without a heap more blood and mucus, but this time I'm also using an enema when things look like going the wrong way. Time will tell.
• For anyone thinking about doing this diet, I'd really recommend clearing out all the 'illegal' stuff from your fridge and cupboards. I can't do this at the moment as I'm the only one on the diet in this house and I'd prefer to allow the kids threats still even if I can't eat them anymore.
  
• Day 16 - I seem to swing back and forwards on this diet...today was manageable. That doesn't mean to say I didn't have a bit of a wobble....but I wobbled myself away from the wheat and sugar temptations.

SCD Diet - Days 12-14

Day 12 - Fri
Breakfast - banana, cheddar cheese
Lunch - tuna, chicken
Dinner - fish (sauce made with milk*, butter and honey dijon mustard*)
Dessert - strawberries, melon

Bowel Movements - 1 - Not really not sure is there was much B or not. I didn't check properly. It did feel a bit flubbery though...sorry to gross anyone out.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 10mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.5 kgs(137.8lb s)
Other - No idea what is going on with the bowel movements. There is no rhyme or reason for why one day I have 4 and then the next day 1. Something that I haven't mentioned though is that I am yet again in a menstrual cycle. Not a heavy one, just a very light one that basically started a few days after I started this diet and it shouldn't have been due for another 2 weeks. No idea if it is to do with wheat, glucose or sugar withdrawal or all of the above.

Day 13 - Sat
Breakfast - Banana, 2 eggs
Lunch - Chicken, Cheddar Cheese, Coleslaw
Dinner - Mince Burgers, Broccoli, carrots, 2 eggs, cucumber, glass of dry white wine
Dessert - Melon, Strawberries

Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M & B visible today.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 10mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.4 kgs(137.6lb s)
Other - Felt a bit sick today

Day 14 - Sun
Breakfast - SCD Banana bread
Lunch - Currents
Dinner - Pork chops, boiled carrots, fried shredded carrots
Dessert - No Dessert

Bowel Movements - 5 - A fair bit of M & a bit of B visible today. Lots of gassy toilet stops today, with little substance...just mucus.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 10mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.4 kgs(137.6lb s)
Other - Felt a bit sick today

Thoughts / Problems on SCD diet

• Day 12 - I have to admit that I broke the SCD diet today with piece of cake that an acquaintance brought over. I honestly can say that I didn't want to eat it, but I felt obliged. Do you know what I mean? It would have been rude not to. The 'illegal' was flour and possibly the cottage cheese. I cut myself the smallest slice possible and ate 3/4 of it, but felt really guilty while doing that, but said how nice it was. So the problem is, how do I not get myself into these situations again while I'm on this diet? In 6 months time, I'm off the opinion that if does work, that I'm going to give myself a break from the diet if we are at peoples houses, but I think it is way too soon to be doing that now. I should have been honest and said that I couldn't eat it. I'd made SCD Banana cake and it was bloody good too, but I felt the need to try her cake as she had went to that effort. I think I'm a people pleaser sometimes and I don't like to be rude. Maybe I need to just say in future. Tomorrow night I'm going out, but I plan to take all my own food with me anyhow. These are my friends though and they know the score. I'm already missing a 'farewell' night out with them at a restaurant in a couple of weeks as it's way to early to risk a full illegal meal. There are so many leaving France in the next couple of weeks to head back to their home countries that it's quite sad to say good bye anyway :(
  
• I made pizza for the kids tonight and can honestly say I had no interest in it. Now saying that though, when they had ice-cream for dessert, I had to walk away. Now that was a killer. I went and got strawberries and melon instead. Not quite the same without ice cream though.
• I seem to put myself through hell everyday when I look in our fridge. There's chocolate and proper jam and sweets that the kids have bought. OMG, it's killing me, but I need to see if this bloody diet will work...so "Step away from the fridge"
• While the kids were at school today I did Wii Fit for 1 hr on Day 12. I really haven't done anything much in the last 2 years. I wonder how long the fitness 'thing' will last. The last time I was really really fit and toned was just before I got UC. I used to train 4 nights a week for 80 mins. I was obsessed with it. It used to play on my mind that I stressed my body so much that I got UC...but who knows..I was probably going to get it one way or the other anyway. No point in saying, if only....if is such a small word that can cause all sorts of guilt.
• On Day 13 I went to the party and felt slight out of sorts as I couldn't eat most of the food they put on the table. I'd taken my own little container of things and a fruit salad dessert to share. To be honest, since I've been on this diet I've felt out of sorts some days, but then again, ever since I got UC I've had plenty of "out of sorts" days. Will life ever get back to normal?
  
• On Day 14 I noticed that carbonated water was giving me gas. I drunk a fair bit of it last night, but it was only this evening, that I clicked onto the fact that it was making me go to the bathroom.
  

SCD Diet - Days 10-11

Day 10 - Wed
Breakfast - SCD raisin muffin
Lunch - salad, chicken, SCD muffin, cheddar cheese, coleslaw, cucumber
Dinner - scramble eggs (made illegally with 30ml skimmed milk), SCD muffin, Cheddar Cheese, glass of dry white wine
Dessert - No dessert

Bowel Movements - 4 - Bit of M and possibly a bit of B. Urgency of the last one after a bit of gas. Not sure why.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 15mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.6 kgs(138.0lb s)
Other - Woke up this morning with a few minor stomach pains. The pain was relieved after the 1st Bowel movement. As I had beef and mince last night, it might be that is causing my damaged intestines pain in the pushing process thorugh. I'll keep an eye on this next time I have beef or a 'heavy' meet dish.

Day 11- Thur
Breakfast - Banana, 1x Danone Actimel*
Lunch - Chicken, Cheddar Cheese, Coleslaw
Dinner - Wheat and Gluten free spagetti (probably illegal), mince in bologne sauce, Raisin muffin
Dessert - Melon, Strawberries

Bowel Movements - 3 - A bit of M visible today, but still no sign of B. Not sure what is causing me to go to the bathroom today after meals. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Something is not agreeing with me. But is could also be a virus as my boy is off sick today...
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 10mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.4 kgs(137.6lb s)
Other - Woke up this morning feeling a bit out of sorts

Thoughts / Problems on SCD diet

• On Day 10 I felt really gassy, but I'm not sure what has caused this except for maybe the small portion of coleslaw
  
• The stomach / intestine gurgles seem to be very much lessening. Looking back over the last 6 months, they seemed to be at their height at Christmas when I seriously stuffed myself with sweets (lollies) and cake.
  
• Summer has arrived in the South of France and I was slight pink at the end of the day. You'd think at my age (and the fact that I live in Australia normally) that I'd know better!
• On Day 11, I really wanted to give up on the diet and go and stuff myself with bread and sweets. This isn't like giving up smoking, where the craving only last for 30 secs. But I'm still hanging in there. Someone once told me that it takes 3 weeks for the brain to change to a new way of thinking :( .... oh well, half way there.
  

SCD Diet - Days 8-9

Day 8 - Mon
Breakfast - Banana, boiled egg, SCD raisin muffin
Lunch - Cheddar Cheese, SCD raisin muffin, avocado dip, mince meat burgers (SCD legal), boiled egg
Dinner - Roast Beef, Carrots, Broccoli
Dessert - No dessert..I forgot tonight

Bowel Movements - 2 - 1st M, 2nd M & a bit of B.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 15mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.3 kgs(137.3lb s)
Other - Woke up this morning with ..wait for it....NO pains!!!!

Day 9 - Tue
Breakfast - SCD Muffin
Lunch - 2 x Boiled Egg, Chicken, left overs (beef and baby burgers), Cheddar Cheese, Avocado with lemon juice & pepper, tomato, Slice of SCD Cheese bread
Dinner - Lamb kebabs with onion & green Peppers, SCD Muffin
Dessert - Raisins

Bowel Movements - 1 - less M and no B today (that I was able to spot anyway)
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 15mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.5 kgs(137.8lb s)
Other - Woke up this morning with very few stomach pains.

Thoughts / Problems on SCD diet

• Having a roast with no gravy or potatoes was a bit hard
• If I buy shelled peanuts, cover with a bit of olive oil and salt and shove then in the oven to roast is it SCD legal...and will they taste good?
• Had a really bad craving for sweets / lollies....substituted with raisin...not the same :(
• Was surprised that my weight increased by 200g on Day 9
  

UC linked to stress and food

I had to share .... this is an excerpt of something that I have found to be very interesting and confirm what I'm thinking

http://flog.cookingforceliacscolitiscrohnsandibs.com/diet-questions/specific-carbohydrate-diet-scd-and-beyond/
"The SCD diet is an essential part of the process for controlling and reaching remission for almost all inflammatory conditions within the body.

For people with inflammatory bowel conditions there is almost always a history of excessive carbohydrate intake and a period of intense or sustained emotional stress. The combination of these two factors causes the large bowel to become too acidic and this also lowers the pH of the lower small intestine (jejunum and ileum). The acidity in the small intestine reduces the effectiveness of the digestive enzymes from the pancreas and creates an environment where undigested carbohydrates and other food ferments and parasites thrive. The region that is often most effected is the iliocecal valve which is the junction point between the small and large intestine in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. This area is always tender to pressure when this region is too acidic and often corresponds with tenderness of the right sacroiliac joint in the pelvis. People with chronic low back pain that does not respond or is aggravated by manual adjusting will often have an inflamed iliocecal valve.

It is important to note that lactic acid producing bacteria including streptococcus, lactobacillus and bifidus all may contribute to the acidity if the diet contains excess carbohydrate. For each molecule of glucose these bacteria produce two molecules of lactic acid which then lowers the pH of the bowel. Symptomatically you will often experience a burning sensation when passing a bowel motion when this situation is present. Therefore taking any probiotics exacerbates the situation unless the SCD program is in place."

Well, who knows if the SCD Diet will work or not...but as far as I'm concerned this is just another re-enforcement on what I'm thinking now is the cause of my UC. I had asthma (common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways inflammation of lungs) as a kid which didn't run in my family and also I've always had lower back pain...not chronic, just niggly. The good news is my asthma went away when I was about 30 and I hadn't had a full om asthma attached since I was 18, so maybe the SCD diet will do for me as it did for others an get rid of my UC....here's hoping.

SCD Diet - Days 6-7

Day 6 - Sat
Breakfast - Banana, boiled egg, SCD raisin muffin
Lunch - Prawns, chicken, Cheddar Cheese, 2 SCD muffins
Dinner - Salmon, Carrots, Cauliflower, Broccoli
Dessert - Fruit Salad - Pear, Melon, Kiwi fruit, Mango, Strawberries

Bowel Movements - 3 - 1st M, 2nd M & a bit of B and an urgency to go on the second one. I might have eaten something the day before that disagreed...I'm not sure, 3rd A bit of B
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 15mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.4 kgs(137.6lb s)
Other - Woke up this morning with just the usual few stomach pains.

Day 7 - Sun
Breakfast - Banana
Lunch - Mince Meat & Onion Burgers, Cheddar Cheese, Salad Leaves, Slice of SCD Cheese bread
Dinner - 2 Raisin muffins with butter
Dessert - Fruit Salad - Pear, Kiwi fruit, Pineapple, Strawberries

Bowel Movements - 4 - More M visible today, but no sign of B. Not sure what is causing me to go to the bathroom today after meals. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
Meds - 4 x Salazopyrin, 15mg Prednisolne
Vitamins - Magnesium with Folic acid and Vit D (combo 1 tablet)
Weight - 62.4 kgs(137.6lb s)
Other - Woke up this morning with very few stomach pains. I ate salmon yesterday and although it tasted OK, I have had problems with that in the past.

Thoughts / Problems on SCD diet

• I'm thinking today that I probably shouldn't be eating salad leaves just yet, but as I'm only have a few, I think I might be OK
  
• It's actually pretty easy to make the SCD bread and muffins. I'm wondering if I should invest in a yogurt marker...might have to leave that until the end of the 30 day trial.
• I tried to make Cauliflower "potatoes" as per the SCD receipt...let's just say it turned out like mush as I stuck it in the blender..it did taste OK though
• I was slightly pissed off and alarmed on Saturday at having such an urgency to run to the loo, but it could also be part of the 'cleaning' out. The rest of the day went fine though. I really didn't think about the toilet today when we were out and about up at the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. We'd never been there before and that is one cool place.
  
• It was my husband birthday today and I made a proper chocolate cake for them. I can't deny that I was dying for a bit, but as having only been 7 days on this diet, it's way to early to cheat, even with a little bit.
• Still too early to say whether this diet is having any affect.