Breaking the Vicious Cycle

While there is nothing wrong, and a lot right, in you pro-actively seeking ways to improve your condition through adjustments to your diet, it can be a much harder process than one might imagine.

As our condition goes through unpredictable cycles of irritation and quiescence, we can insert or remove foods at random and watch for changes to our condition..... but is that change actually related to the change in diet?

In order to test whether any change is a reaction to our dietary action, we must repeat the test multiple times. Only if it becomes predictable can we assume that our dietary action produced a certain positive (or negative) reaction.

So from a scientific standpoint, it can be an arduous process.

Luckily (or unluckily) we are not all scientists with the means to go through all that.

But that doesn't mean we can't proceed on our gut feelings on the matter. Cats don't have laboratory fluorescing chromatographs either, but many times they know what their body needs.

Your body and your gut feeling on the matter may well lead you to a dietary change that improves your condition and is worth the effort. But it is also likely that you'll feel frustrated in the process when things are not clear-cut.

So be patient and expect to go back to square one to confirm reactions, or to try new things.

I'd wager that most people who travel down the dietary change road get frustrated and throw up their hands. But with patience and realistic expectations, maybe they could well come across a thing which is either a soothing or irritating element in their diet, and which if removed or added, might improve their life considerably. Not to mention the positive effects of being proactive and DOING something besides being a passive pin cushion.

I tried many dietary regimes including restricting carbs and none panned out, but that doesn't mean it won't for you.

Good luck, and don't give up!

I followed the SCD quite carefully for a few months, a couple of years before my J-pouch surgery. It didn't do a darn thing for me. I suspect it wouldn't do anything for an abscess, either.

Many of us tried the diet when we had UC; but we ended up here. It didn't work for me pre-jpouch and I also don't think it would help with an abcess. There are a few people here using the FODMAP diet for chronic pouchitis though they haven't reported decreased symptoms by following it.

Sue

Low FODMAP has the best clinical data with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I have a suspicion that J-pouchers who do well with it may have concomitant Irritable Pouch Syndrome rather than (or in addition to) pouchitis.

I've read the SCD book and have been practicing some of what it preaches. I have cut waaay back on carbs/sugars, and make/eat the 24 hr. yogurt. I'm not a fanatic about it, but I try my best. I've also read "The Grain Brain" and have been working on cutting out glutens - not just for intestinal health, but brain health as well.

My jpouch is doing much better since I've cut back on the carbs/sugars. I gotta think that has something to do with it - it appears that there are others out here who have had the same experience (CT Barrister, for one...)

It is definitely worth experimenting with - you can take it as slow as you want - cut out breads, see how you feel; cut out sugars, see how you feel, etc.

I was having similar problems w chronic pouchitis and hospitalizations when I changed my diet as a last ditch effort. It was hard at first but I told myself for 30 days I would follow the diet to a T and if I was still sick id stop and make an appt w my GI doctor and do what he thought I should. Needless to say it's been almost a year and no pouchitis and I never did schedule that appointment bc I didn't need it!! I follow a modified Paleo. No dairy, no eggs,no sugar(except the natural sugar in fruit), no gluten or grains, and no processed food. Also I have to juice any vegetables bc I get obstructions if I eat them whole. I mainly eat meat, fish, fruit, and nuts. Yes it sounds awful but I feel amazing. If I knew diet would help this much if have done it so much sooner. I tried all kinda of diets before surgery but this is the first time 100 percent committed to one---I didn't have the discipline back then to stick to them very long. For me, the diet change has made all the difference.

Thank you for your comments! I too am at the point where I am ready to make an appt to see what needs to be done and also told myself I would give 30 days.