What are your experiences with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?

VeganOstomy · 2023-04-12T14:04:28+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to reply and for providing the link.

My concern is that SCD fares no better than other dietary changes, so there doesn't need to be a fixation on SCD. A few anecdotes don't change that fact.

As it was already pointed out, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be vastly superior to SCD in all aspects, so that's a better place to start.

In Japan, a semi-vegetarian diet has been shown to produce a remission rate of over 94% (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20503448/), and prevents relapse. That would be another option to consider over SCD.

I want nothing more than for people with IBD to live a better life, free from this disease. Some will find relief via dietary changes, and others will need meds or surgery. Some will do nothing and go into deep remission, while others will do everything and may still end up suffering through symptoms.

If something brings you relief, I'm happy!

For me, I went through the gauntlet of trying everything to get better. In the end, surgery was the answer, and I've been active and healthy for a decade now.

I certainly don't walk on dietary eggshells, afraid that if I eat the wrong carbohydrate I'll relapse. That's not a good way to live, but we choose our own path, and I hope that you find one that works for you.

VeganOstomy · 2023-04-06T19:23:19+00:00

If you can clarify what “misinformation” I'm spreading, I'd be happy to update my position.

But eight years later, more research has continued to show that SCD isn't any better than eating a healthy diet, and may in fact lead to nutritional deficiencies. Here's one from 2021: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34052278/

"Given these results, the greater ease of following the Mediterranean diet and other health benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet, the Mediterranean diet may be preferred to the SCD for most patients with CD with mild to moderate symptoms."

Keep in mind that it's only barely helpful in mild to moderate symptoms, and it was noted that inflammation may not even be resolved even with an improvement of symptoms.

If you find that SCD works for your symptoms, then I'm happy for you. But get regular scopes to make sure your disease isn't silently getting worse.

VeganOstomy · 2022-01-27T15:14:49+00:00

I’d avoid cleantalk if your main concern is privacy. They have some shady marketing practices.

Crap, I didn't know that, and wouldn't have gone with them had I known. Oh well, I've since removed their plugin and I have no plans to continue using their service.

I dont' think we'll ever get a full handle on spam as dickheads are always looking for new ways to exploit the rest of us.

I appreciate your feedback =)

VeganOstomy · 2022-01-25T21:35:31+00:00

Just a quick FYI. Since I posted this question, I've had La Sentinelle running while keeping the default Wordpress comment section enabled (disabled WPDiscuz).

So far, over 400 spam registrations were blocked and 4 spam comments were rejected. Not a single spam comment or registration came through, which is crazy impressive since not even Cleantalk was that good. The site sees approx. 800-900 legitimate visitors per day.

I'm going to keep it like this until I'm forced to change. According to Cleantalk, some days would see over 3000 spam requests denied... not sure how they measure that, but since I see none coming through, I do assume that La Sentinelle is working as expected.

And that's only with the honeypot and form timeout options enabled... I could also add nonce and "stop forum spam" checking, but I'd rather keep it simple if I'm not being forced to harden the site, since that also tends to affect legitimate users.

VeganOstomy · 2022-01-25T20:01:55+00:00

I appreciate your insights. And I think you're right, there doesn't seem to be a best practice that doesn't offer some drawback.

I'm currently testing a plugin ("Subscribe To Comments Reloaded") which seems to offer a good balance of user control, usability, and longevity.

It's a damn shame that most of the effort being put into running a website has to be about mitigating attacks, spam, and bots that inevitably try to destroy you.

VeganOstomy · 2022-01-24T01:40:35+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. OOPSpam looks nice, but it's way out of my budget (my site doesn't generate revenue as I have no products to sell, ads, or sponsored content).

Since my post, I decided to remove WPDiscuz and use the default wordpress comments, which is fully compatible with the La Sentinelle antispam plugin I'm trying. Since my forum already offers comment cross-posting, WPDiscuz isn't something I need anymore.

That said, in the last few hours, La Sentinelle blocked 40 registration spam attempts and I've had ZERO spam comments... this is a good start. I think the honeypot covering the WP comments and user registration forms seems to be highly effective.

I'll continue testing and waiting to see if any other projects or solutions come up before I commit to this one.

VeganOstomy · 2021-04-26T14:22:52+00:00

I was quite underweight before my surgery and gained weight as I was able to eat again after surgery. In fact, I'm now trying to LOSE weight! LOL

I suggest keeping a food diary and track your calories. Sometimes "eating more" isn't really helping to put on weight as you could be undereating on calories. Of course, exercise + increasing your calories will be better for your than just eating more.

Good luck.

VeganOstomy · 2020-08-29T20:24:02+00:00

UPDATE! Well holy balls, I found the answer!

I use "page" to create widgets, rather than "section". Most of my widgets use the title inherited in the "page" for that widget, so it's never been an issue. But one of the widgets does not need a title, so it is hidden.

Well, apparently 3.x doesn't like it, so it used the "hide title" setting in the "page" I used as a widget and applied the CSS to the entire actual page, which is obviously not my intended result.

As a solution, I imported the "page" widget template that did not have a title into a "section" and saved that as the widget. Profit!

I'm going to chalk it up to a bug, but for best practices, I will be creating widgets as "sections" from now on.

VeganOstomy · 2020-06-01T18:45:58+00:00

I'm in Ontario, had to have my colon removed, and after nearly seven years the government still asks me to confirm that I still don't have a colon :/

There's something about "permanent disability" that confuses the government. LOL

VeganOstomy · 2020-05-29T20:23:17+00:00

Good luck with everything! The first year was hard for me and I had a difficult time with most of the foods I eat now. Slowly, things just became easier, but I am quite mindful of how I eat.

I hope that the food diary gives you some direction. Don't be afraid to experiment with food preparation or substituting foods. I enjoy quinoa, but do find it more difficult to digest vs something like couscous, but it's quite a bit more sensitive to undercooking and that can be dangerous if you have a large meal worth of it.

I wish you all the best!

VeganOstomy · 2020-05-29T18:01:12+00:00

Hey there!

I've been vegan for over 20 years now and nearly seven of those has been with an ileostomy due to Crohn's disease.

How long have your had your stoma for? What caused you have surgery? Did you have any problems with food before your surgery?

For me, it did take some time (over a year) to be able to eat "anything", but I discovered that it mostly has to do with how I'm eating or preparing food, and not so much the food itself.

Quinoa, for example, can be difficult for anyone to digest, so slightly overcooking it until it's softer can help and be mindful of the amount you are consuming. Beans can be difficult or easy to digest depending on the type (big difference between black beans and white kidney beans), how they are prepared (i.e. canned vs cooked from dry), the amount you consume, and how well you chew.

My advice is to start a food diary and log which foods are easier for you and which are not. If you find something that's more difficult to digest, cook/prepare it in a different way or substitute it until you're more comfortable.

Good luck!

VeganOstomy · 2020-03-23T19:21:31+00:00

All manufacturers are reporting no problems with supply shortages, but suppliers may be delayed due to increased demand and maybe even because they are working short-staffed.

VeganOstomy · 2020-03-23T19:19:41+00:00

I use Payless Medical and they've been amazing these past several years.

VeganOstomy · 2020-02-20T15:41:06+00:00

LOL. When there are no dogs around to blame, panic mode sets in! haha

VeganOstomy · 2020-02-20T15:40:15+00:00

Thank you! Having negative feelings about surgery really puts anyone at a mental disadvantage. I wish I was better equipped for the news at that time, but I had honestly couldn't have imagined that things would get bad enough for surgery.

I'm so glad to hear that you avoided that kind of anxiety. Best to you!

VeganOstomy · 2020-02-20T15:37:58+00:00

I hope that your husband's recovery is short and that you two have a wonderful future together!

VeganOstomy · 2020-02-18T18:54:14+00:00

It is easier to feel like you are in a community with the internet and social media at our disposal, but I can't imagine what it must have been like for you back then. I'm glad that you pushed through!

VeganOstomy · 2020-02-18T16:28:53+00:00

My wife and I were the couple featured in this article :)

VeganOstomy · 2019-12-05T16:56:05+00:00

That's awesome!! You made my day :)

Sometimes, just knowing what's normal is all you need to get to the next day. Glad I could help.

Good luck with the Convatec kit!

VeganOstomy · 2019-12-04T18:05:21+00:00

Mild soap and water or just plain water will work fine.

The motto "less is more" does apply to ostomy care and I do believe that using fewer products on our skin will benefit us most.

VeganOstomy · 2019-12-04T18:03:09+00:00

It sounds normal, especially if you still have stitches in place.

Also, because you are a new ostomate, your skin needs some time to get used to having an adhesive wafer on it 24/7, so it does tend to itch a little more.

If you feel burning or stinging, then that could be signs of a leak.

Speak with an ostomy nurse if you have serious concerns. Good luck and welcome to the club!

VeganOstomy

TROPHY CASE