Letters from the SCD support group:
Constipation

(I didn't get your name).

I had the same problem you do. I was usually constipated and sometimes felt as if I had a basketball in my gut, I was that bloated! Off and on this would reverse to D, which many times I welcomed as it gave me relief. Just before going on the SCD, Sept. 27, 1997, I also began bleeding. Another problem was extreme chest pain along with sharp pains around my heart, which fortunately ended up to be from my stomach, not my heart. My theory on that was that all the stuff sitting in my intestines, due to constipation, was causing gas to back up into my stomach.

The SCD has helped me become 'regular', which equates to one good bm in the morning. I leave the house for work feeling light and good. I very rarely experience the chest pain or sharp stomach pains now.

I still have to work at it though, because there are certain foods that are allowed on the SCD that give me an adverse reaction. If I have a bad day, I can usually track it back to a particular food, usually some type of fruit.

I have also cheated on occasion and I can declare without a doubt that grains will bring back the constipation immediately and can last for 4-5 days. So breads, pasta, anything with flour in it is harmful.

My doctor wanted me to also try a diet that would be right for my blood type. I have not completely implemented it because combined with the SCD, it restricts me even further. One thing that the blood type diet would allow is corn, which the SCD does not. So my doctor said to experiment, one food at a time if I want. Well, I tried corn (I love chips and salsa). I do not recall having an immediate gut reaction, i.e. constipation, but it did bring back my eczema, which some research has shown, the scaly condition of the skin is an outward sign of what is occurring in the intestines.

I can summarize all of this by saying, I have tried the SCD, and I have tested it with somewhat controlled experiments, and my conclusion is, it works! And it doesn't pay to cheat. When I started the SCD I hoped it would be a temporary thing, maybe 2 or 3 years. But I have adopted the attitude that the SCD is the way for me to eat. Since it has made such a difference in my life, I don't look at it as temporary anymore, and I also don't see it as restrictive.

I have read that when you continue to eat foods that you are allergic to you will gain weight. I had gained an unwanted 25 lbs. I would also notice, when I was experiencing bloating, I could gain 5 lbs in one day! I have lost that 25 lbs and am back to my ideal body weight. The daily weight fluctuations have diminished as well.

Sorry for making this so long. I hope you try the SCD, and I hope you get the same relief that I have. You will want to be fanatic about it, especially for the first 4 weeks, to see if it is going to help you.

Regards,
Linda

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