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crohns disease

Read and learn more about crohns disease. For more, visit the Crohn’s Disease website DrCrohns.org

Q: crohns disease?
I am in so much pain. I have had numerous precedures done to find out that i had crohns disease. the docters have me on an anti-inflamitory and steriods and ant-acids so they said they may put me on more meds. the pain has only gotten more regular. I just want the pain to go away. they told me to stay away from dairy prducts too. i am just so sad and it hurts so much i am sick of docters and medication. they have me on a total of 98 pills a week. i just need some helpful information that maybe i have over looked

A: I am 37 and diagnosed with crohns when I was 13. It can control your life if you let it but I don’t let it. Like the last person said keep away from seeded items they are the worst. I have recently started remicade and am amazed at the great results I am getting. It is an iv drug you receive once a month. I was in a horrible flare up the last 3 years and was just put on Remicade in January 07 and have no pain or problems for the last two months and have been putting back on the weight I had lost(over 25 pounds). Ask your doctor about it and if he doesn’t want to try it see someone else who will. They give people with rheumatoid arthritis Remicade and they swear by it also, as it is basically a anti-inflammatory. Keep your spirit up and if someone thinks your grumpy, tell them they should try to walk a mile in your shoes, I bet they wouldn’t get around the block. Good luck.

Q: Crohns Disease?
Can anyone tell me a bit about Crohns Disease? My boyfriend was diagnosed with it about 6 years ago and doesnt take any medication for it, just has a healthy diet and seems fine in himself. Also we are trying for a baby and was wondering if the disease could lessen his chances of me conceiving? Honest answers please, thanks x

A: Crohns disease is a malabsorption syndrome affecting the colon and can cause, in the worst cases, a great deal of suffering, and recurrent episodes of hospitalisation.
It has no relation to fertility and there’s no necessary relationship to diet either, contrary to popular belief. Nor is it hereditary in the sense that it is genetically determined. However there is some evidence for the view that some patients are more susceptible to Crohns than others, by virtue of personality characteristics that, arguably, are learned within the family. (The typical sufferer – in the worst case – is young, male and emotionally ‘buttoned up’. For complex psychological and somatic reasons, it is the gut that keeps the ‘emotional score’ in life).
Having a diagnosis 6 years ago may imply some future susceptibility. But its not written in stone, and it is not a life sentence or a permanent disability. (Thankfully, people move on. And, hey! – they get WELL again!).
Technically, anyone who has had symptoms of ‘irritable bowel syndrome’ for 6 months or more, merits a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. And on a bad day I think that might cover about 15-20% of the UK population. So it pays to take an optimistic view of things in this life and focus on the approach that says that your ‘cup is half full’……
Be happy together.

Q: Crohns disease?
Hi, im just wondering if there is anyone else one here who has Crohn’s disease or knows someone close to them who is suffering from it. I am 13 and was diagnosed with crohns about 6 months ago, a few days before my thirteenth birthday. they diagnosed me with a colonoscopy & i was kept in the hospital for a week.

Also, what foods have you found bother you the most? For me, it seems to be greasy foods like mcdonalds, hamburgers, cheesburgers, hot dogs, seeds, and foods with a lot of fiber in them.
Ohh yeah i was put on a very bland diet for a while too. I had an ng tube and got my food from that, and i couldnt eat for 5 months. Then the put me on the tube for only 3 nights a week and slowly introduced me to bland foods like plain, broiled & boneless chick, white rice, and saltine crackers. I was in remission for about 4 months and now im not anymore, so im back to square one which pretty much sucks. And yeah, i lost a lot of weight because of it & i was underweight for a little but now im back to a normal weight.

A: I was diagnosed with Crohn’s five years ago, just before my 23rd birthday, but had been sick for several years (since middle school) before my colon finally perforated and the docs figured out what was wrong with me. I’ve spent lots (months and months) of time in the hospital and had several operations since my diagnosis and also did the NG tube thing for awhile, too. My Crohn’s affects my entire digestive tract and even the NG tube got a veto from my intestines this time around, so I’ve been on TPN (i.v. nutrition) constantly since January 2007, but also off and on the past few years. I understand the bland diet and how frustrating it is to keep starting over when you thought you had figured out the perfect diet or when you were excited to be eating “normal” foods again.

It sounds like you have taken time to really get to know about your disease and you seem to have a good handle on foods you can eat or not eat, but here’s some things that have worked for me in the past. Remember, everybody’s disease is different and you have to figure out what works for you:

When you’re sticking to liquids, I recommend Slim Fast – that sounds strange, but Slim Fast has about the same amount of fat and calories as Ensure or Boost and tastes much better. Some of the kids’ nutritional supplement drinks don’t taste too bad, either. And, if you can tolerate Boost or Ensure (yuck from me!!), go for it!! Gerber (yes, as in the baby food company) has a powdered electrolyte supplement you can add to your water bottle which tastes better than Pedialyte; it’s called LiquiLytes instant mix – I’m a fan of the apple and mixed fruit flavors. Other things to try to keep your nutritional status up are breakfast shakes (I buy the Walmart generic version, but think Nestle breakfast shakes type of product), milkshakes (if you can tolerate dairy products at all – great source of calories), and lots of beef/chicken broths. When I can handle something in my chicken broth, I find that the Campbell’s Chicken & Stars doesn’t cause as much cramping for me as the regular Chicken Noodle soup – probably because the noodles and meat chunks are much smaller. As I gradually add more bulky foods to my diet, I eat things like baby foods – the boxed powdered rice or mixed grain cereals are a great place to start and then I work up to some of the bottled custards and baby food dessert items. Remember that baby foods with meat and vegetables are still meat and vegetables and your intestines will not be fooled by the consistency! Once my diarrhea gets better or more under control, I try adding in things like oatmeal (think runny consistency), scrambled eggs (very bland), and similar items. Applesauce and jello (and saltines if you’re up for any solids at all) are always faithful standbys through any flare, but I personally can’t stand the sight of jello after awhile – luckily, there’s lots of flavor choices to keep some excitement in your bland diet life!

Crohn’s is rough, but we’re lucky (maybe not the best word?) to have it at a time when there’s lots of information and support available on the internet. There’s also lots of books with great information and I second (or third or fourth) the recommendation to connect with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. They have lots of great information and are a good link to support groups and other info. There was a very good link for teens (at least there was last spring when I last looked) on the CCFA website.

I’m a high school teacher, but I’ve taught middle school the past 4 years, and several students in my schools have been diagnosed with Crohn’s and the teachers have been wonderful. It’s been my experience that they (the teachers) may not know a lot about the disease, but most of the teachers immediately came to me to get as much information as they could and wanted to know everything I thought they could do to assist the students with Crohn’s. Even though it’s a yucky disease to discuss, don’t be afraid to answer questions your teachers ask, especially about how they can help (take those offers to use the bathroom whenever you need without asking and know that, even if you don’t right now, you’ll need them at some point). You don’t have to share all the gory details, but don’t be afraid to answer questions about Crohn’s, and specifically, about your Crohn’s (because it’s different for every single person).

I hope your Crohn’s decides to give you a break for awhile, but if it doesn’t (or even if it does), feel free to email me with any questions or to ask about anything you’d like to know. Hang in there! (I know, I hate it when people say that to me, too!)

Q: Crohns Disease is the Anal Gas Infestious Like a cough to People ?
A new friend , has Crohns Disease and has gas that’s really terrible ,is that gas? have a communicable infectious Disease that can spread to innocent bystanders ?
The smell hurt my nose and now i have a sore throat.

A: nope just unpleasant – my dog just farted and is now wafting it around with his tail

Q: What are the chances of getting the crohns disease?
Okay so my dads mom has the crohns disease and my mom has the crohns disease…what are the chances of me getting the crohns disease?

A: Funny thing about these inflammatory bowel diseases is that having a family history does increase your risks of getting the disease, but it’s not a very clear cut history. You do have an increased risk of getting it, but ironically enough, you also have an increased risk of developing ulcerative colitis, despite being a different condition.

Q: What are the symptoms of Crohns disease?
I was diagnosed 6 months ago with Crohns Disease. By the time of my diagnosis, my colon had already abscessed and perforated and I had to have surgery to remove 3 feet of my colon. What symptoms should I keep an eye out for in order to prevent this from going so far again?

A: Go to webmed.com there is all the info you need .Great site .

Q: What is the best Crohns disease medication?
My Cousin has crohns and just found out he is 30 years old and they are having trouble finding a good medication to treat it nothing seems to be working. we are all very worried about him. Please help and if you have crohns or know about it any advise on dealing with crohns disease would be greatly appreciated.Thank you for your time.

A: Depending on where their crohn’s is most active there are a few drugs to try.

sulfasalazine is a good choice if it is mostly the colon that is affected since it would localize the treatment effects to the colon… however, this is seldom all-inclusive w/ crohn’s.

infliximab is a good choice because it doesn’t have the bone marrow suppression side effects of methotrexate or azathioprine; however, it is REALLY expensive ($20,000/year).

There are lots of drug choices out there, but all are likely going to come with some pretty significant side effects. Drugs that slow cell proliferation (chiefly immune cells) and thus stop the inflammatory effects of the disease will suppress the immune response. Antibodies like infliximab will also block some immune function and leave the patient open to some infections.

I hope this helps. In the end, I hope you find a combination of drugs that works for them.

Q: Can walking pneumonia make somebody with Crohns disease die?
My grandmother who is 63 has had Crohns disease for about 30 years but is in relatively good health otherwise. She just caught walking pneumonia and I am terrified this will cause her Crohns to get worse and kill her. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

A: No she shouldn’t die from it. I’ve had crohn’s for 21 years & i’ve had bronchitis before & it never affected my crohn’s. Walking pneumonia is a very mild form of pneumonia so your grandma should be fine.

Q: I have Crohns Disease and would like to diet. Does anyone have any diet plans specifically for this?
I have Crohns Disease and seem to have put on about 4 stone due to having to take steriods on and off. I would like to diet but find that alot of diet plans focus mainly on fibre related products which I can’t eat. Can anyone help, please?

A: Cant help, but my advice would be to see your doctor and ask for a referral to a dietician.

The treatment for Crohns causes other health issues (like wiight), and these should also be addressed as part of the treatment.

Q: Why is alchohol bad for people with Crohns disease?
I have Crohns disease and always wondered why alchohol is bad for me. Whenever I drink, I get sick but I want to know why I get sick.

A: hi, as a fellow crohnie since the age of 12 I can tell you this: some of the medications used to treat this disease affects the liver. Mix alchohol with these medications & you are asking for trouble. Alchohol is known to irritate the gut thus, that is why it’s making you sick.

Ask your GI if you should be drinking & what meds don’t mix w/it. Also, check out the crohns & colitis foundation site. They have loads of information esp. on diet, meds, exercise, dating, women’s issues, surgery, plus you can even locate a local support chapter where you are so you can meet others like yourself.

Seriously, is it really worth all that pain and misery just to fit in or ease the pain?? Life is too short & dealing with this disease is a pain in the butt. (no pun intended)

Q: Is it safe to have a baby with somebody who has Crohns disease?
My boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years and were thinking about trying for a baby. Does it matter that he has Crohns Disease? Can my baby get that?

A: Well genetics only explains part of the problem. People with Crohn’s are 10-20% likely to have a parent, brother, sister, or child who has it as well. There is a gene that has been linked to the disease, and it affects how the body reacts to certain microbes. There are also environmental and immune system influences, and nobody really knows the extent those play. Given the variability in how it affects people, and the 80-90% chance the child will not inherit a defective gene- if your boyfriend carries it – I would say the odds are highly in favor of a healthy baby. But if it really worries you, then you might consider genetic testing and counselling first, and then try to decide.

Q: can i get my crohns disease waived for the marines?
I have had crohns disease for about 5 years now I’m almost 17 and i haven’t had a flare up in 5 years or any type of pain i never take my meds. Can i get a wavier for the marines?

A: I doubt it, but you could ask at any recruiting site.

I don’t think they would look fondly on a Marine who suddenly had a flair up (after years without one) in the midst of his first real battle.

Q: If you have Crohns disease do you have to pay for prescriptions?
I have been told that there is a strong chance I have got Crohn’s disease and going for cam up for the third time in a couple of days. If it is confirmed I was wondering if I have to pay the prescription charges. My friend has Crohns and has lots of medication and will do for the rest of her life. I know she gets them free but not sure if all crohns disease sufferers do? Many thanks
sorry forgot to add im in uk

A: Chrohn’s disease is not included in the list of conditions that are granted exemption from prescription charges.

( These are :P ermanent fistulas (caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy etc), Diabetes, Hypoparathyroidism, Myasthenia gravis, Myxoedema, Epilepsy, requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy, Physical disabilities hampering mobility)

The best option is a yearly prepayment certificate.

Q: is crohns disease a disease of the urinary system?
I know that crohns affects the digestive system but is it a disease of the urinary system.

A: no crohns disease does not effect the urinary system. i know because i had crohns disease and serious food alergies. i over came it with hard core meditation and prayer to god.

why do you ask?

and listen to francy, she explains it

Q: How do i tell my girlfriend I have crohns disease?
my girlfriend and I have been completely honest with each other but i just found out i have crohns disease and i dont know how shes going to take it

A: can you die from that disease or something.?
or will it affect your sexual relationship.?
it is just best to be honest with her.
since you have been doing that all along, it shouldn’t be that hard.
i mean, after all, it’s not something you can decide if you want it or not.

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