My Story

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in November 2011.  I'm not the sort of person who goes to the doctor very often.  I look after myself, exercise most days and eat a very healthy diet.  I know I have to look after myself because if I don't I feel awful and have no energy.  I've had a sensitive tummy for a long time and thought I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  I'd never mentioned it on my rare visits to my local GP as I thought I had it under control.  Even though chocolate is my favourite food, I rarely ate sugar because it made me so tired.  I'm a busy working mum who needs all the energy I can get! It was the end of September 2011 when I knew my digestion was going downhill.  I was being very careful with my food  following the FODMAP diet for IBS) but was having more and more diarrhea.  We keep a good supply of GASTROSTOP at my house but they didn't help in this case.
My family and I went away for a couple of days and I forgot to take my probiotic capsules with me.  I've been taking them for many years and know I really need them.  I thought it would all be OK.  While we were away I had a chocolate feast with my family.  I thoroughly enjoyed lots of different types while watching a movie.  Yum!  Heaven!  But a very rare treat for me.
By the time we got home from our little trip my tummy was very unhappy with me.  It was constantly and painfully bloated.  I've never had anything like it before.  I thought I must have some sort of tummy bug but generally felt OK.  After five days of this I also had severe diarrhea and a high temperature.  I called my local doctor's clinic but couldn't get an appointment with my usual GP, so I booked an appointment with another doctor.  After an examination he said that I had Gastro.  He said there was nothing he could do and said it should go away soon. I spent my time sleeping, resting and only eating one egg, one piece of gluten free toast and one banana each day.  I was nauseous and going to the toilet more than 20 times per day.  A few days later I saw the same doctor again.  By this stage I had had these symptoms for 7 days and I was worried that something was seriously wrong with me.  I even had a cry in the doctor's office, I was so worried.  The doctor said again that it was Gastro and there was nothing he could do.  He did send me for blood and stool testing.  He said that if I didn't improve in a few days to come back for another appointment.  My symptoms didn't improve, so I went back and had to see a different doctor.  He prescribed some antibiotics and I was out the door very quickly.  The antibiotics really didn't agree with me and by the second day I realised that the stabbing pains I was experiencing in my stomach were from the tablets.  I stopped taking them and hoped they'd done their job.  I was still feeling horrible; sleeping lots and going to the toilet all the time.  The fever had broken and I thought I must be on the mend.  Several days later I was still feeling so horrible that I went back to the doctor and finally saw my usual GP.  She was horrified by all my symptoms and quickly referred me to the local GI.  She gave me different antibiotics and I hoped this was all coming to an end.  I had lost 6 kilograms during the two weeks.  In the next few days I developed very painful joints in my wrists, knees and ankles.  My ankles swelled up like I'd sprained them but I assumed it was because I was dehydrated.  I hobbled around like an old woman but didn't go back to my GP for several weeks.  It took 5 weeks to get an appointment with the GI.  He told me he thought I had either Crohn's or Celiac.  I didn't want to believe any of it.  I remembered around 6 years previously that I'd had a case of diarrhea that lasted for weeks.  I didn't go to the doctor and eventually it healed itself up.  After I Googled caeliac and crohn's I realised that my symptoms were classic crohn's disease.
The GI scheduled an Upper and Lower GI Endoscopy which found cobblestoning and ulcers all through my colon.  The diagnosis was moderate/severe Crohn's colitis and the treatment recommended was prednisolone to begin with, followed by Humira and Remicade.  I was horrified!  A lifetime of relying on drugs was not something I'd planned for my future.  I was too busy to take time out every 8 weeks to have drugs intravenously put into my body!  I asked the GI about natural alternatives; he told me there were none and that this was the only way to stop my body attacking itself.  This didn't sit right with me because I knew I'd had a flare a few years before and healed up.  He said that was impossible and that if I'd had a flare I'd have scarring (which I didn't).  I spent a lot of time praying for which direction I should go.  I asked the GI if I could try something natural first and use these drugs as a last resort.  He said if I did that it may be too late to have them be effective if I became scarred etc.

I was very upset after this appointment and started Googling natural remedies for Crohn's Disease.  I stumbled across the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and thought it sounded worth a try.  

(see my 'What is SCD?' tab for more info.)

I went to see my GP and told her I'd like her support to try SCD instead of the drugs.  She was very reluctant. She had been closely monitoring my blood tests (they were very concerning) and she said I could try SCD for 6 weeks and we would see after the next blood test.
So I followed SCD and my GP was amazed at my blood test results after the 6 weeks- almost perfect. :) :) :)  I was so happy and relieved.  At the next blood tests after another 6 weeks they were perfect. :)
I found that dairy doesn't agree with me, so I now follow a Paleo version of SCD. (No sugar, no grains, no dairy or legumes) and I feel better than I ever have.  I have loads of energy, rarely get sick and only have to watch my weight when I overdo the nuts and fruit.  
I'm so glad I've been on this health journey.  I've discovered so much about health and feel the best I ever have.  I pray that others will have the same success I've had in treating their IBDs.