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Q: What is the link between Appendicitis and Crohn’s Disease?
Hi. I hear there is a link between Appendicitis and Crohn’s Disease? How true is this? I suffered an appendicitis a week ago, and still recovering and am beginning to wonder if it could be Crohn’s disease. My doc said the appendicitis cause inflammation of my cecum too. Any medical advice out there?

A: Your appendix is part of the lymphatic system and crohn’s disease is primarily due to parasites in the intestines due to dysbiosis. The human pathogens found in pasteurized milk from grain fed cows you buy in the store has about 2 – 3% of these human pathogens that survive the heat process. The altered calcium and damaged proteins from pasteurization along with the highly inflammatory milk as a result of feeding the cows grains is a big factor as well. 92% of all crohn’s disease patients have this bacteria in their intestines.

If you look at the pathetic products manufacturers are making for crohn’s patients, it is no wonder this is a chronic illness that requires a life time of drug use to treat the symptoms. Cleaning up the intestines, removing the parasites, getting on a good nutritional diet, and making the digestive system work like it should is the answer, not drugs or surgery.

An inflamed appendix is just that, it is an inflamed body part. Most likely it is inflamed for the same reasons crohn’s disease is there, but is not the cause of crohn’s. The lymphatic system, that the appendix is part of, can be clogged and bogged down with dead cancer cells, debris that the body is trying to eliminate. The lymphatic system has NO pump like the circulatory system does (the heart), so it relies on exercise and movement to help the lymph flow along. You can also take herbs like devil’s claw or cat’s claw to help lymphatic movement.

The medical advice for crohn’s is not good and that should be obvious because they can never seem to help anyone get rid of the disease, just treat the symptoms.

good luck to you

Q: When comparing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which of the following is TRUE?
A. the cause of Crohn’s disease is known, whereas the cause of ulcerative coitis isnt known.
B. Ulcreative colitis is remitting, whereas Crohns disease is constant.
C.Patints with both conditions benefit equally well from surgery.
D. Crohns disease can be found anywhere in the digestive tract whereas ulcraive colitis is generally found in the colon and rectum.

A: D.

Q: What is the typical length of a hospital stay when being tested for Crohn’s disease?
My boyfriend was put in the hospital on Thursday, and he says the doctors want to test him for Crohn’s disease. The thing is though, it doesnt seem like their really doing anything. He says they want him to stay there till the gastroenterologist sees him and does tests, but he hasnt seen the gastroeinterolist yet, and basically he’s just sitting there in the hospital WAITING. He also doesnt even feel sick at all anymore, hasnt since yesterday. How long does it typically take to be tested for Crohn’s disease, and how long should he be in the hospital for?

A: It depends on the doctor. The hospital cannot do anything without the doctor. The tests themselves
are often done on an out patient basis. They maybe trying to regulate his diet in the hospital.

Q: What are the benefits and drawbacks of homeopathic medicine for Crohn’s disease?
My daughter was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s. She is experiencing some pain in her gut, gets tired and sometimes has joint pain.

A: My son was diagnosis with Crohn’s disease over 2 years ago. the doctor wanted to put him on Humira (after experimenting with several other drugs) which is anexpensive drug with life threating serious side affects. We did some research and wanted to take a new approach to combat His problem. This is what we found out. The liver is producing too much bile that is toxic to the digestive tract. The types of foods you need to eat are those that DO NOT create excessive acid or bile that help in digestion (simply put). The bile is normal unless it is in large quanity or toxic, the acid attacks the food as well as intestinal linings of your stomach
Your body is high in toxins that you need to remove and stop feeding into the problem by the foods you consume and an overactive liver.

1.) “Foods to eat” : water purified, fish, eggs, potatoes,rice, white bread,meat ground up fine or chewed well, skinless chicken cut fine, tortillas, broth, noodles plain with a little butter, plain yogurt with no extra ingredients, Goats milk or rice milk(rice dreams-Walmart) cherrios rice crispies or chex, plain oatmeal and ‘most important’ 5x/day at each meal and as a snack, legume’s black beans, kidney, pinto, buttered,refried, with no lard or spices except salt to start. Sunshine calcium and D’3, Iron supplements(in moderation)
if you are anemic.
2.) “Foods to avoid!”: fruit juice,dairy!,milk (hardest to digest, a cow use 4 stomachs!) chips!,processed foods of any kind, fast food of any kind, soda ,msg,sugar,corn, corn syrup,corn sweeteners,wheat products,sweeteners of any kind, coffee, teas,sauces, read the back labels (you are going to be surprised) for added ingredients any thing thats added, adds to your body’s toxic level. NO artificial sweeteners. foods that produce too much acid to break down the foods you eat. No alcohol of any kind NO Tabacco. pork, fatty foods.
3.) ‘Foods to eat’: in moderation after you stop bleeding and start gaining weight or are having no discomfort : certain fruits,steak,venison, peanut butter or almond butter, more plain oatmeal A multi-vitamin with minerals with 100% RDA (not large dose’s of any vitamins and 2x daily ,use shaklee as the bench mark for comparison ) of all of the B’s, hard cheese, soy milk,well cooked vegetables” Psyillium powder”.
4.)The beans,psyillium powder and oatmeal are a soluble fiber that absorb bile and remove the toxins in your body,then the liver will produce more bile but less toxic(simplified for lack of space).
5.)This is not an all inclusive list and your Doctor will disagree with the elimination of drugs, all removal of drugs should be done slowly if you decide to stop taking them, but they will add to your body’s toxic level as you continue take them. which will make your Crohn’s worse and make you susceptible to other more serious disease’s. I am not a specialist in any field or giving medical advice. I also hired KarenHurd.com at a fraction of the cost to teach my son to diet properly but you can go to her web site and get free information, but I recommend you pay her for a short time to get you healthy and on a routine faster. She has a very high success rate. Stress will make it worst so exercise and relax. Most importantly Faith, Hope, and Prayer, you will get better. God is faithful what ever the results. E-mail me if you have any questions and I can help. I don’t know if you have crohn’s but changing your diet could help you and most of us in America because of the poor nutrition we unknowingly subject ourselves too. Ibs and colitis is similar but the diet still apply’s. Routine and a little bit of self disipline and you will be drug free and have more money in the pocket. You may have other complications with the Crohn’s because you are now susceptible to all kind of complication’s and other disease’s because of the medicine you take!

Q: What is the difference between Crohn’s disease and Ulceretive colitis?
How to recognize Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis right away?
I appreciate your help.

A: It is very difficult to distinguish between CD and UC based on clinical inspection alone, as both are inflammatory processes that may cause diarrhea and bleeding. However, CD causes involvement of any part of the GI tract, from mouth to anus, and thus manifestations of the esophagus, stomach (i.e. upper GI bleed present as black stool), small intestine (malabsorption), or mouth (such as oral aphthous ulcers) are good clues that you may be dealing with CD rather than UC. In contrast, UC is limited to the colon and thus will not cause the extracolonic effects I mentioned.

Patient information may also help, as CD is seen in younger people (with high prevalence in Jewish people), while UC is most commonly seen in older people.

Otherwise, definitive diagnosis is based on endoscopic and histological evidence of specific etiology.

Q: Is the pain caused by Crohn’s disease and endometriosis enough to justify morphine daily?
This girl I know in her early 20’s has morphine every day. We fear she is addicted. She always looks and sounds strung out, she doesn’t work and is mentally unstable. It seems like overkill to me – I know there are things that can be done for endometriosis, but what about Crohn’s? What do you think?

A: hi, I am a crohn’s pt. for 28 yrs. Some crohn’s pt. are in severe pain almost daily because the newer treatments just don’t work for them so they go under a doctor’s care for pain management.

Before you judge this poor girl, she may be suffering w/abdominal pain, fatigue, bleeding, the big “D” or “C”. You just don’t know unless you’ve been in her shoes.

Check out the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s site to educate yourself. There is also a live chat & hotline run by healthcare experts who can answer your questions as well as an open forum where you can post this question to others who have IBD (crohn’s or ulcerative colitis).

Don’t judge a book by its cover. I know many folks w/Crohn’s who are on pain management medications because they are not able to take the newer treatments. Check out the CCFA site and EDUCATE YOURSELF. If things get worse for your friend, then yes, definitely step in and talk to her family into getting her help.

It’s nice to know that some people actually care when a friend isn’t well.

Q: Do pregnant women with Crohn’s have a higher chance of the multiple marker test returning a false positive?
I have Crohn’s disease and I’m debating to do the multiple marker blood test, but someone told me that they know some Crohn’s patients who had tests that came back positive and the babies were fine. Could Crohn’s effect the test results?

A: if i were you, i wouldnt worry about doing the test. i opted out of it..mostly because they really dont end up telling you anything. there is such a high rate of people getting bad results on it when it doesnt mean anything. and it doesnt give you a yes or no to anything..just a percentage chance

Q: Is there privatized insurance for Crohn’s Disease patients? If so, how much does it cost?
I have Crohn’s (6 years now) and am currently being treated with Remicade. I need to find a private insurance company that will cover me and hopefully pay a significant portion of the medication costs!

A: hi, i am a female crohn’s pt. depending on if you live in the states or the UK, there should be a support group that can help you. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America has a website you can go to. They have tons of updated information as well as a live chat and a hotline that you can call and talk to a healthcare expert. They also have a forum where you can post questions to others like yourself.

Hope this information can be of some assistance to you. Best of luck.

Q: What is the worst that can happen if you have Crohn’s disease and take senna?
Senna in laxative form, that is.
I see warnings that say do not take senna if you have Crohn’s disease, but I would like to know what can happen, worst case scenario.

Would appreciate advice from a doctor especially.

Thank you for your time.

A: Not a Doc, just another Crohn’s patient. Senna can aggravate and/or cause serious flare ups with Crohn’s. I’d stay away from it. Doesn’t sound like anything I’d want to chance.

Q: Once a person begins having Remicade infusions for Crohn’s Disease, will they ever be able to stop?
Do Crohn’s patients have to take Remicade indefinitely, in order to stay in remission? If Remicade does need to be discontinued, how is that done? Gradually tapering off? Any other Remicade tips? Thank you.

A: hi elisabeth, i am a female crohn’s survivor like yourself.
I was on remicade infusions but had to stop it because it stopped working. If Remicade works, then the infusion schedules will vary according to the pt. and symptoms.

When it first came out, I had the infusion and it kept me in remission for 1 1/2 yrs. Once my symptoms came back, I went in for another infusion. That lasted 1 yr. My 3rd infusion, after a few weeks, I knew it didn’t take so I cld my GI and he put me on Entocort. When Humira was approved for Crohn’s he cld me and put me on that.

You don’t need to taper for Remicade if it stops working. Most infusions are done in an outpt. setting like in a hospital. Plan to spend 7-8 hrs. because the new protocol is premedication w/Benedryl to prevent hives and shortness of breath. Bring a book, ipod, magazine, etc. to entertain yourself as well as something to eat. The nurses will monitor you every 15-20 minutes to make sure there is no reaction.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America has a website w/information on the newest treatments, diet info, women’s issues, surgery, locating a local support group etc. They even have a hotline & live chat that is run by healthcare workers well versed in IBD M-F 9 am – 5pm. Give them a call and see what they say.

I hope the treatment works for you. This disease is a pain in the butt. no pun intended. Feel free to email me if you have questions. I truly understand your concerns and where you are coming from.

Q: What drug has liver damage side affects for Crohn’s disease patients?
The question asks it pretty pointedly. There are multiple drugs for aiding in the remission of a Crohn’s flare up, one of these drugs has very high risks of liver damage. What is the name of it? Please, help?

A: hi be, I am a female crohn’s pt. as well. If you check out the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s site and post your question on their open forum to others who have CD, you will get a better response. They have a live chat & hotline run by healthcare experts as well as great stuff on surgery, diet, latest treatments, finding a local CCFA support chapter, etc.

Immunosuppressants such as 6MP and Imuran affect the liver BUT if you have a good GI, he will check the liver for toxicity via bloodwork every 3 months. As soon as it starts to show signs, the med is stopped ASAP. I am speaking from experience when I was on 6MP.

Definitely check out the site and post your question and look around to educate yourself about Crohn’s. best of luck.

Q: What would be a good healthy diet for someone with crohn’s?
I have crohn’s disease and it is hard for me to eat anything that has a lot of fiber in it, like steamed vegetables, raw vegetables, cereals, etc. So my diet mainly consists of carbs and meat. Along with this not so varitable diet and my treatments I am gaining a lot of weight. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can maintain a healthy diet and lose some weight without causing a flare up?

A: Most folks with crohn’s find that a gluten free diet eliminates many symptoms. I know you feel like you don’t want to cut out MORE foods, but I highly suggest you give a high saturated fat (especially from virgin coconut oil) diet a good trial. You might also want to try chia seeds, they are high fiber but the fiber is encased in a gel sack that makes it easier on the digestive system.

Nearly 6 years ago, I started Atkins low carb way of eating to just quit gaining weight. I had to get my out of control appetite under control. I never imagined I could LOSE weight without hunger or exercise, since I’ve become disabled. I never bothered weighing or measuring til I’d noticed that my clothes got huge quick. When my health improved dramatically also, I knew this was my new way of life and since it’s eat all you want (of low carb foods) I know I can do this for life.

My personal carb level is low. I am older & disabled & don’t move much (or cook much) but I eat all I want of meats, eggs, cheeses, yogurt, fats, green vegetables, almonds, berries, flax seeds, chia seeds, shirataki noodles and other foods. Someone active would have a MUCH higher carb level & can usually include all fruits, beans, whole grain products but not sugar & highly refined carbs in unlimited amounts. As long as you have <9grams carbs per hour, you will maintain insulin control & shouldn't gain weight, no matter the calories.

Most overweight & obese people have blood sugar & insulin dysfunctions and can NEVER eat carbs as someone with a functioning body can. They make the mistake of going back to the way of eating that made them fat and that is not possible and yes they will gain all weight back if they eat what they ate that made them obese originally. Insanity is defined as doing the exact same thing, in the exact same way and expecting different results. Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar & maintain weight or health.

You can lose more body fat eating protein & fat (don’t eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast, eat all you want, but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter & half an avocado a day (for added potassium). Keep the calories high & the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace.

The first 2 weeks eat several cups a day of (mostly) lettuce & celery, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, peppers & more vegetables thereafter – add 5 grams per day additional every week (20 grams day first 2 weeks, 25grams 3rd week, 30grams 4th week etc) til you gain weight, then subtract 10grams. That will be your personal carb level (everyone is different & depends on how active you are.)

Start with meat, fats & salads for 2 weeks and then slowly add in more green veg, wk4 fresh cheeses, wk5 nuts & seeds, wk6 berries, wk7 legumes, wk8 other fruits, wk9 starchy veg, wk10 whole grains. You will learn how your body reacts to different foods.

The body won’t release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow metabolism to compensate & store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering calories, it will continue lowering the set point, til it can survive off nothing & store fat on anything. The body will only release it’s fat stores if it knows there is plenty of nutritious food.

Eating carbs while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) & exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat.

The core of Atkins program is converting the body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). Dietary fat levels need to be at >65% of total calories, if not, the body will still remain in glycolysis by converting 58% of excess protein into glucose (via gluconeogenesis).

It takes minimum of 3 days to convert a body to ketosis, (but only one bite to convert back to glycolysis). People feel sluggish the first week but most feel better than ever thereafter.

Simple carbohydrates (sugar, flour, bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice) trigger insulin, the only fat storage hormone. Protein releases the fat burning hormone glucagon.

High insulin levels promote inflammation, weight gain, hunger & unbalance other hormones. Controlling insulin levels will balance out other hormones & allow human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally so lean muscle will be gained even without exercise.

Q: What do i expect after a Crohn’s ressection surgery?
I am about to have a ressection done after years of dealing with Crohn’s. Needless to say I am pretty nervous. What are the things to expect after surgery?

A: I had a bowel ressection this summer actually. I can tell you, I was very very nervous at first, and when I woke up from the surgery, it was not pleasant! I had it in my head that after years of dealing with crohns I could deal with some soreness in my stomach, but the worse thing was not that (The morphine made that pretty easy to get through!) it was the NG tube. I also got pretty hungry after 10 days of not eating straight. I would not be worried about Stomach Pains. Not that bad, actually! yeah you’re sore.So what? As a crohns patient, you KNOW what its like to be in pain. Also, you might be pretty dependant on people, needing their help to get up and down. Try and push yourself though. Walk everyday you can, more each day. Your back might hurt from laying in bed, but the more you walk, the FASTER you recover!! I was able to get out of the hospital the day after my NG tube was removed. Also, IVs are very annoying, so be carefull with them…I, and the patient (9 years, appendix removal…) next to me both had problems.

Keep a positive attitude! I bet you knew this was coming at one point. You will feel really crappy in the hospital, but let me tell you, after a month or so, you will be a better you! no more stomach pains, no more apetite problems, no more prednisone if you had to take it, no more !!

I had a bowel ressection – 10 inches of intestine taken out, as well as my appendix, a fistula, and some weird cyst no one knew i had lol. And I recovered faster than the 9 year old patient, who had a lesser surgery. It was the combination of dealing with crohns for so many years and just keeping a positive attitude that got me threw it. Also, books, my laptop, and my family were good company.

Good luck, if you want to know anything else, feel free email me. It has made me a better person…all the bumps in our life make us better people!!

Q: How can you avoid putting on weight when on a course of steroids for Crohn’s disease?
My Girlfriend has been diagnosed with Crohn’s deisease and is due to start her treatment which will start with a course of steroids.

She is absolutely dreading putting on the weight that seems to come with this form of medication.

Does anyone know how much weight she can expect to put on and how she can avoid it?

Thanks for your help.

A: hi graeme, I am a female crohn’s pt. for 28 yrs. dxed at the age of 12. Many gastroenterologists are starting to shy away from steroids, Asacol, and Pentasa due to the serious side effects after a long period of time and the fact that they don’t really work to keep a pt. in remission.

Have your girlfriend ask her GI if she is a candidate for Entocort. It is a type of steroid BUT it doesn’t have the serioud side effects like steroids–weight gain, moon face, mood swings, bone thinning, & cataracts. It gets absorbed into the area where the inflammation is & doesn’t go into the blood stream like prednisone that causes side effects.

Other newer treatments are Remicade, Humira, 6MP, Imuran, or Methotrexate. If her MD is persistent on prescribing the prednisone, she should avoid anything, and I mean ANYTHING that has a very high sodium content. It’s the sodium that will cause the weight gain. I learned about this when I was 12 and on it for 13 yrs. until the other meds came out, then I was weaned off of it.

If you go to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, there is more information for you to check out including diet, meds, surgery, coping, women’s issues, as well as locating a local support chapter (highly recommended for you and her to educate yourselves & meet others in the same boat), plus CCFA has a live chat & hotline run by healthcare experts and a forum where anybody can post questions to others who have IBD (inflammatory Bowel Disease–aka Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis).

The key to this illness is to eat healthy when in remission, avoid smoking, avoid drinking alcohol, (both interfere with treatments & cause flare ups), exercise, and educating oneself.

Definitely have her see if she is a candidate for the better treatments. Good luck.

Q: Do I have to reveal that I have Crohn’s and digenerative bone disease during a job interview?
I am going for a job interview this week. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and digenerative bone disease about 8 months ago. Before my diagnosis, I miss many, many days of work due to abdominal pain, joint pain, stiffness and the inability to be too far away from my bathroom. This went on for 4 years before I was finally diagnosed. Since I have been diagnosed and gotten the proper medication, I have both undercontrol. The possibility of a flair up at one time or another is relatively certain. Should I disclose this information in the interview or wait til I have the job and only disclose if a flair up occurs and I am forced to take time off?

A: By law, you do not have to disclose anything. (HIPAA Privacy Rule) You only have to answer truthfully questions that directly relate to your ability to do the job, such as Can you lift 20 lbs. on a regular basis (if that’s part of the job), or look at a computer screen for 8 hours a day, etc. I have Crohn’s and I know the worry that a flare may occur and interfere with your brand-new job and make a bad impression. Consult an attorney or go to www.ccfa.org and look for their book on employment rights for more information, or the government Web site: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/

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