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crohn’s symptoms

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

Q: what are some good foods that help alleviate Crohn’s symptoms?
My fiance has Crohn’s and I just recently found out that there might be foods that help his digestive tract. Any ideas?

A: As far as things he can safely eat without irritating his GI tract, there are foods to definitely avoid (colas, alcohol), but unfortunately, the rest of the diet ends up being trial and error.

My friend who was diagnosed with CD at 19 has had great success with just eating sensible, healthy foods, and, oddly enough, making his own yogurt.

I have heard a good deal about blueberries being beneficial for the GIT.

Q: What are your symptoms of Crohn’s Disease???
I have crohn’s disease but I have unnormal symptoms of it. Instead of having diarhea and pains, I am nauseas and weak all the time. What are your symptoms? Are they like mine?

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, rice milk(rice dreams-Walmart) cherrios rice crispies or chex, 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. Goats milk(found in a can) Sunshine and D’3, Iron supplements(in moderation)
if you are anemic.
2.) “Foods to avoid!”: dairy!,milk (hard to digest a cow use 4 stomachs!) chips!,processed foods of any kind, soda ,msg,sugar,corn, corn syrup,corn sweeteners,wheat products,sweeteners of any kind, coffee, teas, cottage cheese,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 (maybe someday).
3.) ‘Foods to eat’: in moderation after you stop bleeding and start gaining weight or are having no discomfort : fruits,salads,steak,venison, peanut butter or almond butter,oatmeal, A multi-vitamin with minerals with 100% RDA (not large dose’s of any multi. 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”.
The beans are a water 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).
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. 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.

Q: What are all of the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease?
Just curious. No questions, just answer mine.

A: Crohn’s isn’t an infectious disease. The symptoms can vary from one person to another but the most common are abdominal pain, especially at the lower right quadrant and diarrhea. Other symptoms are skin disorders, fever, rectal bleeds, weight loss and arthritis.

Q: what are the symptoms of crohn’s?
I was wondering what the symptoms of crohn’s disease are? I’m wondering if I may have it.

A: hi, i am a crohn’s pt. for 28 yrs. This is the most accurate information from the Crohn’s & Colitis website:

What is Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease is a chronic (ongoing) disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Although it can involve any area of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus, it most commonly affects the small intestine and/or colon.

What Are the Symptoms?

Persistent diarrhea (loose, watery, or frequent bowel movements), crampy abdominal pain, fever, and, at times, rectal bleeding: These are the hallmark symptoms of Crohn’s disease, but they vary from person to person and may change over time. Loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss also may occur. However, the disease is not always limited to the GI tract; it can also affect the joints, eyes, skin, and liver. Fatigue is another common complaint. Children who have Crohn’s disease may suffer delayed growth and sexual development.

Some patients may develop tears (fissures) in the lining of the anus, which may cause pain and bleeding, especially during bowel movements. Inflammation may also cause a fistula to develop. A fistula is a tunnel that leads from one loop of intestine to another, or that connects the intestine to the bladder, vagina, or skin. Fistulas occur most commonly around the anal area. If this complication arises, you may notice drainage of mucus, pus, or stool from this opening.

Symptoms may range from mild to severe. Because Crohn’s is a chronic disease, patients will go through periods in which the disease flares up, is active, and causes symptoms. These episodes are followed by times of remission — periods in which symptoms disappear or decrease and good health returns. In general, though, people with Crohn’s disease lead full, active, and productive lives.

Types of Crohn’s Disease and Associated Symptoms

The symptoms and complications of Crohn’s disease differ, depending on what part of the intestinal tract is inflamed. That’s why it is important for you to know which part of your intestine is affected by Crohn’s disease. Your doctor may also refer to your illness by various names based on the principal area involved. The following are five types of Crohn’s disease, together with their presenting symptoms:

Ileocolitis: The most common form of Crohn’s, affecting the ileum and colon. Symptoms include diarrhea and cramping or pain in the right lower part or middle of the abdomen. Often accompanied by significant weight loss.

Ileitis: Affects the ileum. Symptoms same as ileocolitis. Complications may include fistulas or inflammatory abscess in right lower quadrant of abdomen.

Gastroduodenal Crohn’s disease: Affects the stomach and duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). Symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, and nausea. Vomiting may indicate that narrowed segments of the bowel are obstructed.

Jejunoileitis: Produces patchy areas of inflammation in the jejunum (upper half of the small intestine. Symptoms include abdominal pain (ranging from mild to intense) and cramps following meals, as well as diarrhea. Fistulas may form.

Crohn’s (granulomatous) colitis: Affects the colon only. Symptoms include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and disease around the anus (abscess, fistulas, ulcers). Skin lesions and joint pains are more common in this form of Crohn’s than in others.
How is Crohn’s Disease Diagnosed?

There is no single test that can establish the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease with certainty. To determine the diagnosis, physicians evaluate a combination of information from the patient’s history and physical exam. They examine the results of laboratory tests, X-rays, and findings on endoscopy and pathology tests, and exclude other known causes of intestinal inflammation. X-ray tests may include barium studies of the upper and lower GI tract. Endoscopy tests may include flexible sigmoidoscopy and, sometimes, colonoscopy, which allow the doctor to directly examine the colon with a lighted tube that is inserted through the anus. During these tests, biopsies may be obtained. This procedure involves the removal of a small piece of tissue for closer analysis. It is important to make sure that an infection is not causing the patient’s symptoms, so one routine test is to examine the stool for harmful organisms. Because Crohn’s disease often mimics other conditions and symptoms may vary widely, it may take some time to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

CD is not deadly but the side effects of the treatments can affect the liver, pancreas, bloodwork, etc. That is why the GI will run monthly tests to make sure things are ok. There is no cure yet, but the newer treatments–Remicade, Humira, and Encort put the pt. in remission faster.

For more information, check out the sources I provided below. They have a live chat & hotline run by healthcare experts and an open forum where folks with IBD (crohn’s or UC) can post questions to others who

Q: How long should a Crohn’s flare up last?
Diagnosed with Crohn’s Nov 12, 2007. Symptoms still persist. Is there such a thing as symptom free days? Will I always hurt, even if only minor symptoms persist. I’m not sure what are medicinal side effects and what are Crohn’s symptoms. I don’t feel any better than when I was released from the hospital. It’s been a month now.

A: hi chuck, once your GI finds a medication that works for you, you should start to feel better. I answered a previous post before that you had, so pls refer back to that.

I’d call the GI and tell him that you still feel lousy. Get in and see him again. This is what I do if things don’t get better.

As for the medical side effects and Crohn’s symptoms, call the GI’s office and ask his RN or better yet, I do this, call your pharmacist. They know the most when it comes to side effects of the medications. They can direct you as to whether or not it’s definitely a side effect of the drug you are on or if it’s a crohn’s symptom.

You can call the CCFA hotline and ask the same question. The healthcare professionals are well versed with IBD symptoms.

Are you on anything for pain management like Bentyl for spasms and Percocet for pain? You definitely should be on something for pain mgt. Demand it since you are suffering right now. email if you have questions. take care.

Q: Started Takara foot patches to detox from Crohn’s disease. I hadn’t had symptoms in months, now I am. Why?
Successfully used Takara detox foot patches to treat horrible TMJ pain. Nothing else helped for YEARS, including Dr’s, drugs, etc. I put the patches straight on my face and the back of my neck and they have cured my TMJ pain. They used to turn black, but they are not as much now. I decided to use them to detox my colon because, after years of having Crohn’s, I figured the build up of toxins should go. I put one patch on the bottom of my right foot on the meridian corresponding with the colon/intestines. I had not had Crohn’s symptoms in MONTHS, not even pain. Within FOUR hours of putting that patch on my foot, I was doubled over with Crohn’s pain right in the spot where it always is. I figured the patch was working, so I stupidly left it on for 4 more hours. I was sick for a week. I waited 2 weeks; tried again. I bought a less potent brand of patch and put it on for 4 hours. I had the same pain reaction, so I took it off. I didn’t want to get sick. Why is this happening?

A: Have you consulted with a physician or contact Takara to see what they say?

Typically during detox some old symptoms will come back, but it shouldn’t make you that sick. Perhaps there are other problems that you are not aware of?

Hope your situation gets better.

Q: If I have crohn’s and swine flu symptoms should I go to the doctor?
They started this morning with nagging cough, sore muscles, and a fever of 99 degrees which is now upward toward 100 degrees. What benefit would there be in going to the doctor? I don’t want to take tamiflu or anything because I have food allergies and don’t like taking stuff that has a lot of ingredients.

A: I would say, keep an eye on your temp. Do you have flu like symptoms? The main symptoms of Swine flu are just like regular flu fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose ,body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

The main emergency symptoms of swine flu are:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

I sometimes have fevers and sore muscles with my crohn’s. It’s because I had an infection. Also, some of the medicine we crohn’s people take weaken our immune systems, so we have to be very careful.

If you are very worried you can always go to the emergency room and have a quick test done.

Q: What are the symptoms of Crohn’s disease?
My boyfriend has been to several doctors because he has symptoms similar to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). But the last doctor he went to just basically said that he might have IBS but there’s no way to diagnose it and there’s nothing you can do about it anyway. But he gets such severe cramps and bloating (and gas) that I want to help him find a better doctor who can help.

What is the difference between Crohn’s disease and IBS? I have heard they are similar, but not sure. And for those who have IBS, is there anything you can do? Or medication that helps?

A: hi digital, i am a female crohn’s pt. dxed at the age of 12.
First, you bf needs to see a GI to test him to see if he has it.

Here is the information from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s site:
What Are the Symptoms?

Persistent diarrhea (loose, watery, or frequent bowel movements), crampy abdominal pain, fever, and, at times, rectal bleeding: These are the hallmark symptoms of Crohn’s disease, but they vary from person to person and may change over time. Loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss also may occur. However, the disease is not always limited to the GI tract; it can also affect the joints, eyes, skin, and liver. Fatigue is another common complaint. Children who have Crohn’s disease may suffer delayed growth and sexual development.

Some patients may develop tears (fissures) in the lining of the anus, which may cause pain and bleeding, especially during bowel movements. Inflammation may also cause a fistula to develop. A fistula is a tunnel that leads from one loop of intestine to another, or that connects the intestine to the bladder, vagina, or skin. Fistulas occur most commonly around the anal area. If this complication arises, you may notice drainage of mucus, pus, or stool from this opening.

Symptoms may range from mild to severe. Because Crohn’s is a chronic disease, patients will go through periods in which the disease flares up, is active, and causes symptoms. These episodes are followed by times of remission — periods in which symptoms disappear or decrease and good health returns. In general, though, people with Crohn’s disease lead full, active, and productive lives.

here is the ccfa link on diagnosing it:

http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/diagnose

Here is the difference between IBD (aka Crohn’s/ulcerative colitis) and IBS:

IBD versus IBS
Is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) the same thing as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
No. Inflammatory bowel disease, including UC and CD, is different from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Unlike IBD, IBS does not cause inflammation, ulcers or other damage to the bowel. Instead, IBS is a much less serious problem called a functional disorder. This means that the digestive system looks normal but doesn’t work as it should. Symptoms of IBS may include crampy pain, bloating, gas, mucus in the stool, diarrhea and constipation. IBS has also been called spastic colon or spastic bowel.

If you go to the ccfa site, you can find tons of information ranging from diet, the latest treatments, surgery, coping, to finding a local CCFA support chapter near you where you can share info w/others in the same situation. You can learn which GIs are the best in the area, which hospitals are noted of treating IBD pts., which medial facilities to avoid, hear guest speakers such as insurance reps, dieticians, MDs, drug company reps, etc. They also have a hotline and a live chat during the week which is run by health care experts plus they have a forum where you can post questions to others who have IBD.

Definitely get him in to see a GI. I can totally understand where your BF is coming from. I suffered when I was 12 and the pediatrician told my mom I was looking for attention….losing weight, not eating, low grade fever, bleeding, etc. His partner disagreed and got me in to see a GI who dxed me ASAP w/Crohn’s and put me on medication.

good luck to the both of you.

Q: Crohn’s disease symptoms?
Ever since I was sick in October (with flu-like symptoms) I’ve had horrible back pain and diarrhea very frequently. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t bend over or lift heavy things because the pain is so severe. I also have sudden urges to have diarrhea multiple times a day.
These are both symptoms that I know are associated with Crohn’s disease, but would it be possible to have Crohn’s disease without any weight loss? I’ve never had a lot of weight loss, in fact I’ve been the same weight for years.
Thanks!

A: Most common Crohn’s disease symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea. But these are non specific symptoms for Crohn’s, these could be any gastrointestinal disease. More specific to Crohns are fevers, loss of appetite, flatulence, etc.

More on Crohns symptoms:

http://www.journey-with-crohns-disease.com/crohns-symptoms.html

You don’t have to have all the symptoms to have Crohns. Sometimes patients with mild Crohns symptoms can go symptom free and the way to diagnose would be doing a series of blood tests, scans, etc.

Crohn’s or not you need to take care of your health, get some rest, do light excercise, take liquid multivitamins. Acupuncture is great.

I hope you feel much better, Inna

Q: Crohn’s disease symptoms and so forth?
My ex husband is saying he has stage 4 Crohn’s Disease…I have looked everywhere and can’t find anything over stages of this disease…I guess either you have it or you don’t…Cancer has stages not this disease from what I see…Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong…I want to know when you have this disease….What can you physically not do and so on because…He won’t pay child support and I’m taking him to court…I have proof the he goes shopping all the time and even hand washed three cars by hand…I was told he’s filing for disability…Yeah he sounds real sick…So please anything at all you know about this disease will be much appreciated…Thank you

A: Well the disease itself is debilitating or can be for some people. Many times people with Crohn’s have a hard time keeping a job depending on how many flare ups they have within the month.

There are no stages but his condition could be worse or better than someone else with Crohn’s. Usually in severe cases or even the debilitating cases, surgery will be required and part of the small intestine is removed and/or an Ostomy is placed.

Q: Does smoking marijuana help ease the pain in crohn’s disease?
I want to know if medical marijuana helps with the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease such as intestinal pain due to obsturction, bloating, flagulence, and etc. I also would like to know if it helps with physical symptoms like arthritis pains and scoliosis.

A: It helps with alot of pain – that is why they have medical marijuana. It helps aids victims gain weight and take pain away. They also give it to terminal cancer patients. I went to school with a girl who had bone cancer and her parents finally let her smoke it to ease the pain. It worked.

Q: Using a worm to help with crohn’s disease?
One of my coworkers told me that you could have (i think a tapeworm or roundworm) put inside you to help with the symptoms of crohn’s disease. Has anyone heard of this?

A: In a small study, and in cases where it did not respond to ther treatments, yes. http://www.altabates.com/health/healthinfo/reutershome_top.cfm?fx=article&id=19740

Consult with an MD who deals with many Chrohn’s patients. There are many treatment options and a specialist in this area is who you should be talking to!

Q: Anyone have crohn’s disease like symptoms but can’t be diagnosed?
I’ve been sick for the past 3 1/2 years. When I initially became ill, I lost 30lbs within a month. Everytime I ate I would get a fever, nauseus (dry heaving soon followed), cramps and diarhea. Followed by horrible muscle aches and a rash.

It’s better now, and I get flare ups like this every once in awhile, but struggle still with fevers, aches, and eating. I get terrible stomach aches and my right side swells right under my ribs which they thought was my galbladder but turns out not so.

Doctors say that they think it’s Crohn’s but can’t pinpoint the imflammation so they can’t diagnose or treat me, so they say I have “IBS/Crohn’s”.

Has anyone gone through this? Is there hope that I’ll grow out of this, or get diagnosed so I can be treated?

A: Oh man do I feel your pain!!! I went for 7 years without being diagnosed with Crohn’s, finally ended in the hospital for 10 days with a complete obstruction. Have you had a colonoscopy or small bowel follow through x-rays? If not and your dr. doesn’t want to, ask to be referred to a gastroenteroligist. If he or she still won’t, find a new dr. Having Crohn’s undiagnosed for a long period of time can be very dangerous!! You can email me if you need more info.

Q: Crohn’s disease?
I have crohn’s disease which in my opinion is under control, due to my specific carbohydrate diet. However, I have HUGE SUGAR cravings and I am constantly hungry and losing weight. Today I ate every hour and I’m not taking about little meals!!!!! I cannot stop having these cravings for sugar which I resist most of the time. However, when i start eating complex carbs again my crohn’s symptoms come back. Ohh yeah Iii’m bloated as well. Any one with the same symptoms?

A: I am a crohnie like yourself. I’ve had it since I was 12 yrs.old. Certain foods will cause your stomach to bloat so be sure to keep a food journal so you can figure out what’s causing your gas pain. Also, the SCD diet, from what a registered dietician told me, can cause the excess gas as well. you need to be eating a well balanced diet (if your gut can tolerate it). if you can’t eat raw, try steamed or even steamed to the point of mush so you can get the nutrients you need. don’t omit bread, pasta 100%. you can have toast in the AM w/juice an cereal..just don’t go overboard. you need protein in your diet such as fish, chicken, some red meat that is 90% fat free in order to gain the weight you are losing.

Also, you need to be under the care of a good GI who is well versed in IBD (inflammatory bowel disease–Crohns or UC). not all of the newer meds out there are bad. I am on 1 and I’ve been in remission for over 1 yr.

for more information check out the crohns and colitis foundation of america site noted below. you will find the latest info on medications, diet, surgery, coping skills, womens issues, local support chapters, etc.

Good luck to you.

Q: is my Crohn’s medication working ALREADY?
I’ve been put on methotrexate and sulphasalazine for my crohn’s symptoms, a week ago, I’ve had diarrhoea and sickness for almost a year, it got to the point i couldn’t cope with feeling ill, drained and weak any longer. I’ve been told it will take at least 3 weeks to start working, but after a week I already feel a bit better, it makes me dizzy the new meds, but somehow my ‘output’ is suddenly thicker (I have a stoma), can it be they are working so soon? I’m also on prednisolone and have been for over a month, but so far have only stopped the arthritic pains, the bowels stayed the same

A: It is possible, that is for sure.

Try to get off the pred ASAP…it destroys your bones. Ask your doctor to do a bone density study on you…if you have been on high doses.

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