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.

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: 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: 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 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: what are some websites that say that Crohn’s disease can sometimes really be parasites?
links that have statistics or has facts about how crohn’s disease can sometime be misdiagnosed and really be parasites would be really appreciated.
Thanks!

A: hi jelly, i am a crohn’s pt. It is due to the body rejecting the gut and seeing it as a foreign body due to a weakened immune system in the pt.

For more accurate information, check out the Crohn’s & Colitis foundation’s site. It has everything ranging from testing for CD, treatment, surgery, latest treatments, a live chat and hotline run by health care experts and an open forum you can post this question.

good luck. never heard of parasites as I’ve never had them and neither have the others I’ve met.

Q: What age can you operate on crohn’s disease?
My younger brother has Crohn’s disease. He’s about 12 now is it safe for him to go through surgery?

A: Hodel – Not everyone with Crohn’s disease needs an operation. Careful diet and medicines, as needed, often give excellent results. If his doctor (gastroenterologist) truly believess that surgery is required, this will be discussed with the family and the doctor. Operating comes only after other treatments do not give the desired good treatment results.

Q: What are the chances of getting Crohn’s disease?
I’ve been wondering this for a good… 10 minutes. I would like to know the chances of getting Crohn’s disease. I’ve been searching google, but all it tells me is smoking raises it, tells me nothing about the chance without smoking. I was hoping someone else would know, maybe someone with Crohn’s disease.

Thank you!

A: hi range, I am a Crohn’s survivor. You can’t catch Crohn’s disaease like an STD or a cold. It’s an autoimmune illness where the body is attacking the digestive tract as a foreign object and is trying to get rid of it. Medication therapy is used to get things in remission such asa Remicade, Entocort, Humira, 6MP or Imuran.

In order to dx it correctly you need to have a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, endoscopy if it is in the mouth, throat, stomach, blood work (Prometheus is the test you’d need), experiencing symptoms such as blood in the stool, abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, high or low grade fever, the big “D” or constipation and blood clotting if you area flaring. Smoking will aggravate it as well as birth control (the pill causes blood clots & when you are in a flare the blood becomes sticky thus increasing the chances over 75% of having a DVT, PE, or stroke).

There have been studies done to see if it is genetic. For more information on that, check out the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America site. They have all of the latest information on treatments, studies, medical tests used to dx IBD, etc.

If you still have questions, CCFA has the answers. Good luck.

Q: What is a simple way to explain Crohn’s Disease?
I dont get what crohn disease is. Can you explain it in a simple way so i may understand what it is.

A: All you need to know about Crohn’s:
1- You’re ALWAYS in the bathroom or looking for one
2- Pain, like…if you touch my gut I’m going to kill you and do not move because it hurts
3- Your immune system attacks itself which causes the inflammation which causes the pain and the oooo where is the bathroom!
4- Barium shoots through you!
5- You’re always are tired

That about sums up Crohn’s for you!

Pharmacy & Vet Tech/Crohnie

Q: How can I support a friend who has Crohn’s disease?
My friend was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He is taking medication, going to physio, and learning to change the way he eats. Sometimes he is in a lot of pain and is frustrated with his condition. I don’t want to baby him, because I don’t think that’s very empowering, but I want to show him that I take his pain seriously. What kinds of things can I say to him to show my support and to help comfort him?

Thanks for your time

A: This is coming from someone who HAS Crohn’s disease so I hope I can help.
I was diagnosed a year ago and yes, babying isn’t the way to go. What you can do is listen to what he has to say. Even if all he does is rant about how much he hates it, hes telling you because he wants to be heard. Don’t eat foods he used to like in front of him, or drink alcohol excessively in his presence. Honestly, even if its not intentionally, its frustrating. Best you can do is cheer him up with things he enjoys. Like for me, my friends would opt for movies nights that are caffiene-less, popcorn-less and all out tired-high fun (you know when you’re REALLY tired but not). Don’t constently go on about how he should do ‘this’ or do ‘that’ about it. Do be encouraging and a good thing to do is tell him you’ll join his diet plan, take sugar pills at the same time he takes his medication and above all wait it out, because once he gets used to the deal, and his Crohn’s is under control, you’ll be able to find ways to joke about it if he’s like me in any way. Don’t worry, he may be down now, but you can promise him it’ll get better from here.

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: What are the best job’s for people suffering with Crohn’s disease?
I wondered if there are good job’s that allow for good handling of crohn’s disease.

A: hi mark, i’ve been a crohn’s pt. since the age of 12.
People with this illness can do almost anything if they are in remission. We are protected by the 1990 Disability Act. The employers have to make certain accommodations for CD pts. in order for them to do their jobs. They can not fire us based upon our illness.

for more information on it, check out the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America website. They have information on surgery, medications, treatments, diet, and even information on locating a local support chapter. I belong to the one near me & I’ve even managed to have a few business contacts. You’d be amazed at the # of ppl from all walks of life w/IBD who have successful careers.

Also, CCFA has a live chat & 800 number that is run by healthcare professionals M-F 9 am – 5 pm (EST). You can ask them questions & get straight answers since they are up-to-date on IBD.

My last job was a medical biller at a local hospital I frqeuently go to as a pt. in the ER. My bosses were extremely supportive & come to find out there were 2 other coworkers with IBD so I didn’t feel like the odd woman out.

If you ever run into problems at your job due to your Crohn’s, contact CCFA. They can guide you & tell you what your options are.

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 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 is the daily dose of Vitamin C for a female with Crohn’s Disease.?
I take daily medication for my Crohn’s Disease. I also have to take Prilosec for acid reflux. I am usually always eniemic when it comes to my bloodwork. I have to take Vitamin C to help my body to absorb iron that would have been absorbed, if it wasn’t for the Prilosec canceling it out.

A: 1,000 mg twice a day.

If I were you, I would read this:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_colitis2.html
And this:

http://drfuhrman.com/success/successstory.aspx?id=64

Since following a blend of McDougall’s and Fuhrman’s diets, not only have I stopped taking my diabetes medication, I put the Prilosec away… for good. Maybe it’s worth looking into a diet change.

Q: I have crohn’s disease and am vegitarian. What do you suggest me eating? What would be good in my diet?
I was told high fiber foods but need some suggestions of high fiber foods to eat. I tried eating nuts the other week which was a mistake. It was one of the worst pains ever in my stomach. Apparently cashews or peanuts are not good for crohn’s. It caused a serious flare up and a lot of pain. Can anyone suggest foods that may be good for me and may even make me feel better?

A: No! High fiber foods are horrible for someone with crohns. I had surgery about 2 months ago because of crohn’s. They removed 16 inches of my small intestine because it was so inflicted with ulcers. Eat foods that are very low in fiber. Fiber will scrape your intestines, thus causing more ulcers, and like me, it can cause intestinal bleeding. Cashews and peanuts are not good because they can actually become lodged in the areas of your intestines/colon that are inflammed. Eat foods low in fiber, being vegitarian does not help, but if you steam (i am talking like steam the crap out of them) your vegetables, it helps to lower the fiber in them. Please take care of yourself and get some expert advice, you do not want to go through what I had to, and to be honest, I have heard of worse.

Low fiber
Make a food log. When you eat log it all and then if you have a problem, try to pinpoint what food caused it and stop eating it. This is really helpful.

Hope this helped. God Bless

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: 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: 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?
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: 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: Should I go back to taking my medication for Crohn’s?
I had been free of crohn’s symptoms for over a year now, but for the last week and a half, I’ve started to have light diarreah, abdominal cramping, extreme light-headedness, irritabilty, and light bleeding. I thought I was off the hook with this illness, but it hit me hard this time. Colege isn’t helping with the stress factor that much either. =( I found myself contemplating suicide and almost went through with it because I flash-backed and thought about how Crohn’s had utterly destroyed everything I had lived for.

Should I go back on the meds and continue to carry this empty shell of a body and live this empty meaningless existence?

A: i think you should always take your medications. this is how the disease starts flaring up. also contact your GI doctor for more specific advice.

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: 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: 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: Is Yoga good for Crohn’s Disease?
I’ve JUST started Yoga (Vinyasa). And was curious if it helps with any symptoms of Crohn’s. Anybody know? and if you do, how and why does it help?
thanks.

A: Yoga helps everything

Yoga is something that truly heals your body as a “whole”. Which means that if you do yoga on a regular basis, ALL of your systems will be in better health. Plus, yoga really helps reduce stress and stress is one of the main triggers for digestive disorders. I have a digestive disorder (but not Crohn’s) and doing yoga has really helped me. Oh yeah and one pose that has really helped my digestive system is “plow pose”. You should try it!

I hope i helped and hopefully after a while of doing yoga you will start to see the benefits!

Q: Is edema a common symptom of Crohn’s Disease?

A: I agree with Roxy. My boyfriend has Crohn’s and I have done A LOT of research and never heard of the two being related at all. One of the medications you are on could have Edema as a side effect. I would google the medication that you are currently taking, or were taking when the Edema occured and see what the side effects of the medication are. Good luck with your Crohn’s! You should go to www.dailystrength.com and join the Crohn’s support group. It helps a lot to talk to other with the same condition.

Q: is constipation a symptom of crohn’s disease?
Can constipation also be a symptom of crohn’s disease?

A: NO do not pay attention to them above, constipation is oposite of what u would have with chron’s. diahrrea is a main symptom.

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: 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: 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 and symptoms?
I have CD and was wondering about some of the sores in the mouth and was also wondering if people gets sores on their genital form CD.

A: I’ve had CD (diagnosed) for 16 years. The mouth sores are called aphthous ulcers. Talk to your gastro about “swish and swallow” mouthwash/medicine for those.

You can also get sores around the genitals, as well as sores on the extremities.

A great resource to talk to people and ask questions about crohn’s disease is the IBD Sucks forum. The people there have the disease, and can talk to you about how the disease might affect you.

http://qurlyjoe.bu.edu/webx?14@31.pos1eHQPmc8^1@/

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: 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: 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: Can someone tell me if my partner has crohn’s disease?
My partner suffers from IBS and cannot eat gluten or dairy products because of it. Also I have noticed he always seems to feel run down and unwell even though he has a relatively easy life with little stress. He suffers badly from mouth ulcers and constantly has a runny nose. A friend of mine who suffers from Crohn’s said these are all symptoms of the disease but could it be something else that I am missing?

A: I B S is only diagnosed when they cant find what is causing the trouble,it has no consistent symptoms and if you are prepared to accept that ,also does not progress to worse symptoms Digestive problems are the worst to diagnose and often the true cause is only found when its to late to do anything about it,or on post mortem after death.If your partner is feeling worse keep going back until they find the true cause

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: 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: Crohn’s Disease and recent painful symptoms?
I’ve had Crohn’s disease over half my life so I pretty much know how to deal with certain problems but lately they’ve been pretty bad.

I’d say for about the past month I’ve been getting bloated over foods that would generally have no effect on me. So I’ve been trying to avoid salt. Also, I’d say about the last week, no matter what I eat, it goes straight through me. And it can be anything from dairy to bread. (I rarely include any kind of dairy in my diet. I use soy, rice, and hemp alternatives.) I found rice milk is easier on my stomach than hemp or soy, but like I said, the last two weeks it has been with anything I eat. I made vegetarian food with my friend tonight thinking I might feel better than I do when I eat out, but no change. Also, sometimes the bloating gets so bad I cannot stand. Once, a few months ago, I had bloating so bad, I had to leave work. I went home crying and feeling nauseous. Now, it hasn’t gotten that bad lately, but I know the potential to become that ill is always there.

I was just wondering if anyone has any routines or remedies they follow. I drank some peppermint tea a little bit ago with two teaspoons of sugar, hoping it would settle my stomach. I think next cup I’ll make it sans sweetener.

If anyone has any suggestions they know from experience that work, I would love to hear them.

A: hi nikki, I am a female crohn’s pt. since age 12. I truly understand the gas pain problem as I’ve gone through it many times.

Have you tried Beano? It helps alleviate gas while you are eating. Have you talked to your GI about trying out the newer treatments to get the symptoms under control? Humira, Remicade, and Entocort are the latest ones that most docs use as Asacol doesn’t work on most patients and steroids have too many serious side effects after using them for many yrs.

Check out the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s site. They have some great information ranging from diet, surgery, women’s isssues, problems with gas, how to deal with pain, as well as a live chat & hot line run by healthcare experts well versed in IBD (crohn’s or ulcerative colitis). There is also an open forum where you can post this question to others who have Crohn’s. Give it a shot and see what they say.

You will get more answers on CCFA’s site as there are many folks with IBD who can truly relate to what you are dealing with than here.

Definitely look into it. I hope you feel better. Also, give your GI a call. He can assist you with the nausea, bloating, and the food not being properly absorbed in your body. Feel better. My heart goes out to you.

Q: is constipation a symptom of crohn’s disease?
Can constipation also be a symptom of crohn’s disease?

A: NO do not pay attention to them above, constipation is oposite of what u would have with chron’s. diahrrea is a main symptom.

Q: Is edema a common symptom of Crohn’s Disease?

A: I agree with Roxy. My boyfriend has Crohn’s and I have done A LOT of research and never heard of the two being related at all. One of the medications you are on could have Edema as a side effect. I would google the medication that you are currently taking, or were taking when the Edema occured and see what the side effects of the medication are. Good luck with your Crohn’s! You should go to www.dailystrength.com and join the Crohn’s support group. It helps a lot to talk to other with the same 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: Can Crohns disease have no other symptoms than vague pain and blood in stool?
Thought I had a hernia, but CT scan showed bleeding in the colon and anemia. More tests in a week… Doc said maybe Crohns disease, but I don’t seem to have the classic symptoms. Could this be a lot worse?

A: I was diagnosed w/Crohns Disease 3 years ago and like you, I had none of the “classic symptoms”. After months of pain, several surgeries, 3 colonoscopies and 6 pints of blood…the surgeon did an exploratory surgery and found 3 feet of “diseased” bowel…..meaning that it was dead and was removed.

For your sake, I hope that whatever it is that you are dealing w/is not Crohns. Perhaps you have IBS-Irritable Bowel Syndrome and that is far more controllable w/diet and the occasional medications.

Q: What symptoms do Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis share?

A: Diarrhea (bloody diarrhea is more common in UC but can appear in CD)
Stomach pain & cramps
Fatigue, dehydration and weight loss

Q: What are the symptoms for the disease crohns?
I know it has to deal with your digestive system and it’s heriditary.My father had it.My sister has it.I’m afriad I may have it.

A: * Often onset has limited symptoms
* Weight loss, lethargy, fever, and general malaise
* Diarrhea, which may be bloody and can be intermittent
* Often vague abdominal pain, typically right lower quadrant or central, cramping or constant ache in nature
* Severe acute pain mimicking acute appendicitis
* Palpable, tender mass may be present in the lower abdomen, which represents thickened or matted loops of inflamed intestine or an abscess
* Frequently perianal disease with abscess and fistulas
* Extraintestinal manifestations are common (15%) and include arthritis, stomatitis, oral aphthous ulceration, ocular disease (iritis, conjunctivitis, episcleritis), skin lesions (erythema nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum), clubbing, venous thrombosis, gallstones due to the malabsorption of bile salts from the terminal ileum, nephrolithiasis with urate or calcium oxalate stones, and sclerosing cholangitis

Q: What are the symptoms of crohns disease? any info please!?

A: * Abdominal pain. The pain often is described as cramping and intermittent, and the abdomen may be sore when touched. Abdominal pain may turn to a dull, constant ache as the condition progresses.
* Diarrhea. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times per day. They may wake up at night and need to go to the bathroom. Crohn’s disease may cause blood in stools, but not always.
* Loss of appetite.
* Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that affect the entire body may develop. A high fever may mean that you have a complication involving infection, such as an abscess.
* Weight loss. Ongoing symptoms, such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.
* Too few red blood cells (anemia). Some people with Crohn’s disease develop anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or the intestinal inflammation itself.

Q: what are some symptoms of crohns disease?

A: also extreme tiredness, loss of desire for things you like to do, depression, nausea & or vomiting(especially if there is blockage)
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s ilietis 1-98

Q: i was diag with crohns however most of my symptoms are only in the mourning’s.?
after the am bout i get better, for most part symptoms are rare rest of the day? is this normal for any one else? i am always tired but have not had any weight loss.

A: So what symptoms was this diagnosis based upon? Feeling tired is not specific for Crohn’s disease.

Q: what are the symptoms of Crohns disease?
i was wondering if anybody knew anything about it

A: What Are The Symptoms Of Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease can cause a variety of symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. The three classic (though not specific) symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease are:

* Persistent or recurrent diarrhea (possibly with blood, mucus, or pus)

* Abdominal pain

* Fever

There also may be signs and symptoms unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract.

A doctor will obtain a complete medical history and perform a thorough physical examination, along with laboratory and diagnostic tests, to diagnose Crohn’s disease. The examination and other tests are necessary to rule out a number of transient conditions, such as viral, bacterial, or parasitic infection, that cause symptoms similar to Crohn’s disease.
Diarrhea

In cases of Crohn’s disease, patients often experience frequent loose or watery bowel movements. The stool is occasionally accompanied by thick, dark blood (not bright red smears of blood, which usually result from a bleeding hemorrhoid). There is less mucus or pus in the stool than in cases of ulcerative colitis.
Pain

Patients may experience crampy, achy, or even sharp pain in the affected area. Most often, patients with Crohn’s disease feel pain on the lower right side of the abdomen (lower right quadrant) and just below the bellybutton. This is because the majority of cases of Crohn’s disease involve disease in the terminal ileum, where the small intestine meets the large intestine. The terminal ileum crosses from left to right just above the beltline, and joins the large intestine in the lower right quadrant.

The type of pain associated with Crohn’s disease depends on what part of the GI tract is affected. Disease in the terminal ileum generally causes sharp pain, while disease in the colon causes more crampy pain, similar to that that of ulcerative colitis. Pain is sometimes relieved (temporarily) after a bowel movement.
Fever

Crohn’s is an inflammatory disease, and one of the key characteristics of the inflammatory process is fever. (The others are pain, swelling, and redness.) Some individuals with Crohn’s disease suffer a high fever, especially during the acute phase of a flare-up An increase in clinical disease symptoms. . Others run a persistent, low-grade fever. Fever may be accompanied by irritability and fatigue. Sometimes, the fever recurs each day, especially late in the day, then repeatedly breaks during sleep, causing night sweats.
Signs and Symptoms Unrelated To The GI Tract

A number of signs and symptoms that do not involve the gastrointestinal tract can occur with Crohn’s disease. These may occur at the same time as the intestinal symptoms, or may be experienced weeks or even months before any intestinal symptoms are noticed. If your doctor suspects inflammatory bowel disease, he or she will ask you detailed questions about whether or not these extra-intestinal symptoms have appeared:

* Reddening and inflammation of the eye (iritis)

* Joint pain (usually in the large joints of the knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, and shoulders), which sometimes migrates from one joint to another (migrating arthralgia)

* Skin lesions, including tender red nodules on the shins or calves (erythema nodosum)

* Sores inside the mouth (aphthous ulcers)

Q: I’m having some added symptoms along with my usual with Crohns Disease. What are ALL of the symptoms of Crohns

A: That is a tall order… in general, the effects of Crohn’s, outside of the usual GI distress, diarrhea, mucus, bleeding pain, etc. There are ocular irritation, i.e. iritis, joint aches, and skin rashes, erythema nodosum. The Crohn’s can affect any part of the GI track, from oral ulcers to rectal disease. Anything in between!!

Q: Crohns: Crohns disease is hereditary in my family. Is it an early symptom of crohns to have…?
Red blood in stool and an increased frequency of bowel movements early on? I am currently seeing a doctor for this because I have had blood in my stool for about a month now. I am afraid of what I am going to find out or have to do on the next visit.

Also, these ’symptoms’ developed extremely fast.. . which has me doubt that it could be crohns.

Thanks!

A: Has your doc done an ANA blood test? This would aid in detecting an autoimmune disease, which Crohn’s is. Even if they find you do have it, it can usually be controlled with the proper medication.

Q: what are symptoms for crohns disease?

A: A good friend of mine has it…she had crazy stomachaches, diarrhea, and heartburn. Unfortunately those are kind of general to any problem like that, but, a colonoscopy helped them diagnose her. Now she takes medicine and stays away from spicy food and any kind of seeds (can irritate the bowel lining) and she’s much better.

Q: Does anyone know any herbs or over the counter products that help with crohns disease?
I was on prednisone about a year ago for a few weeks and it really helped a lot, but it was very harsh on my body / mood. i have recently been experiencing a relapse, and would like to try over the counter products and some natural herbs that would be able to help me. In the past i have used advil and chamomile tea to help, but they aren’t very effective in helping the symptoms of crohns

A: I have had Ulcerative Colitis for 27 years now and have tried various herbal remedies. None of them work and I’m now on 6 Asacol tablets a day for life. My advice is to see your doctor to see if you can have an alternative to prednisolone.

Q: What’s the best way of diagnosing Crohns disease? (Tests so far proved inconclusive despite all the symptoms)
Endoscopy, colonoscopy and barium x-ray did not reveal any inflammation yet the consultant remained 99% certain I had Crohns. Now I’m told that it’s IBS and the only medication to help is antidepressants. The symtoms persist including diarrhea (upto 6-7x a day), constipation, anal fissure, stomach cramps, tiredness, bloating, occasional anal bleeding, passing mucus, low appetite yet no wait loss, ulcers on tongue, occasional ‘24 hr’ fever. Help would be very much appreciated.

A: I have had luck treating my IBS and a friend that has Chrons tried the same approach and has been feeling much better. Diagnosing auto immune disorders can be difficult.

Q: I have heard that Crohns Disease can cause “night blindness” is this true?
Hi
I have had Crohns Disease for many years and have difficulties driving on unlit roads. I read somewhere that this “night blindness” is a symptom of Crohns Disease. Is this true and does anybody else have the same difficulty?

A: Night blindness is usually a result of deficiency of Vitamin A. This fat soluble vitamin might be poorly absorbed from the intestine in people with conditions like extensive or severe Crohns due to decreased normal mucosal absorptive surface area.
Crohns can also occasionally have extra-intestinal manifestations including inflammation of the eye (episcleritis, uveitis, etc) but this would cause symptoms all the time, not just at night. In summary, night blindness is not a symptom of Crohns, but can be a consequence of intestinal involvement.

Q: crohns disease and small fiber neuropathy?
how does crohns disease trigger small fiber neuropathy symptoms through your whole body, especially worse in feet and hands. i’ve been burning throughout my whole body for the past 4 years and have just recently noticed that fasting or just chicken and salads make it better. does anyone know if this is normal with crohns? my dr says it’s what’s causing the burning. hopefully once i start on the medication these symptoms will subside.

A: this is news to me but sorry for your pain.

Q: What foods should you eat, and what should you avoid if you’re living with Crohn’s Disease?

A: I was diagnosed with Crohn’s in ‘98 and figuring out what you can and can’t eat is all by trial and error. Fried foods have never really worked well for me except I can eat eggs that are fried – actually I can tolerate eggs cooked any way when I have a flare. But most people will tell you to stay away from lettuce, popcorn, etc. Those don’t really bother me but I can’t eat bananas. Weird! It is different with everyone. I seem to be able to tolerate most fruits and veggies although meats aren’t quite as nice to my stomach. My most tolerated foods are rice and pasta – without a lot of additives. I definately can’t eat anything very spicy although I love peppers.

Q: should people living with crohn’s disease wear a medi alert bracelet(id bracelet)?
Well I’m sorry but all you people are wrong i went to the doctor yesterday and he said that i do need one so yer but i do think its a good idea to carry around a toilet pass thing

A: i have never been told anything about it and i have crohns… i dont think it would cause any probs with medication or anything but i supose it could help with diogonosis so maybe… its ur choice.

Q: Im 18 years old, not living with my parents and i have crohn’s disease, how do i get medicaid?
I’ve applied numerous times and i keep getting denied because i no longer live with my parents. I can”t afford over $1000.00 in medication nor the doctor appointments. I have over 10 teeth that need to be removed because theyre ruined and rotted from medications im on and i cant find dental either. What do i do?

A: Just depending on if you have been to a hospital lately, have you tried to see if the hospital (if you have been to one) has a charity assistance program, that can not only help you with bills but can also work to try and find insurance for you. Also have you been to your local health department and talked with a social worker about maybe getting medical assistance? If you have a documented condition like crons then they can help you to get assistance. Also if your area has a free clinic sometimes going to them is a good first step because most free clinics will have a day that the dentist comes to the clinic then the free clinic can refer you to get help with medical assistance. I would first start at the health department in your area. There are some forms that they will ask you to bring with you such as a recent paycheck stub, bank statement proof of any property, and any medical records that you may have that show your current medical condition.

Q: Is Crohn’s disease a good topic?
I am writing an essay for my college application and i was wondering if you think living with crohn’s disease would be a good topic. I have the disease and i believe it is a setback in my life. The questions i have to answer are “Describe a setback that you have faced.How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? If something similar happened in the future, how would you react?”

A: It depends on who you ask. Sometimes people are leary these days of discussing health related issues for anything that is school/job related. You always worry how it could be used. If you do decide to use this, there is concern that you say it is a setback. The essay is looking for you triumph over setback. If you can answer this in your favor, then that is a good thing (health disclosures aside).

Here are some other options to think about …

did you ever move, change schools, have to be in a new environment and start over?

were you ever told that you could not play a sport, and were disappointed, but found a way to play the sport, make the friends you wanted to, or something even greater.

Whatever topic, your essay would do well to focus on the positive. Noone wants to read depressing essays, regardless of the open-endedness of the topics. Eg, your CD led to your working with children with the disease, you organized a support group, you found an interest in non-profit work for fund raising.

Think about it … there are 1000 essays to read in a pile in front of you. You have to have them read with comments by the end of the day. Your essay is #593. What do you want this reader to take away from your essay?

Feel free to drop other ideas and how you would develop it.

Q: Does anyone live with Crohn’s disease?
I have been told that I might have Crohn’s and my doctor will not do the endoscopy or colonscopy until I come up with $1,000…I was just wondering what are your symptoms and what do you do about it to control it…This has totally confined me to my house and I have to choose between eating or to be miserable…I have also lost about 20 pounds in the last month…But these doctors are so money hungry and do not care if you are sick and die or not…Please help…

A: I am so sorry to hear that you are dealing with Crohn’s in the USA without insurance. My heart goes out to you. I feel very lucky to live in Canada, where I did not have to worry about the cost of medical bills.

Anyway, I have Crohn’s in remission, and while only the tests you mentioned can truly confirm it, your symptoms sound -exactly- like what I had. So, in your situation, it would cost you $1000 just to get a test, forget about any treatment. From my own experience, I would go see a Naturopath. I thought that naturopathy was total garbage until was pretty much dragged to one by my step-mother. She did not cure my Crohn’s, but she made it so much easier to live with.

First, I went on a very strict change of eating lifestyle. If you are anything like I was, this will be hard, but not TOO hard, since by now eating at all probably fills you with dread, and later, pain. The basics are a complete removal (for the time being) of the following foods: dairy, red meat, fish and seafood, stringy/uncooked vegetables, soy, wheat, potato, complex sugars (things like honey and naturally occurring fruit sugars in small amounts are fine), anything with small seeds or fibres, beans, tomatoes, anything really acidic like citrus, nuts… yeah, it’s a scary list. You are probably looking at this and wondering what the hell I ate for 8 months, which is about how long I was on this diet. This was pretty much what I ate every day:

Breakfast: a smoothie using a 1/2 cup of blueberries, half a banana, crushed ice, rice milk, a squeeze of honey, and supplements given to me by the Dr. Clarke (the naturopath) which included probiotics (just like the stuff in yogurt, but in powder form), aloe juice, some glutamine (what body builders use to support muscle growth. Trust me, your body is using your muscles for food right now) and a rice-based protein powder. Hard to get down, at first, but not bad tasting.

Lunch – a homemade chicken soup, my stepmum would make me, which had broth she made from previous chicken dinners (bones), chopped chicken, cooked carrots, squash, and brown rice. Brown rice was the only rice I was allowed to eat.

Dinner – some pieces of white meat chicken, well-cooked broccoli and carrots, and brown rice.

Why this strict a diet? You are giving your digestive system a rest. It is completely inflamed right now. You have probably researched what Crohn’s is, so you know that some part of your digestive system is suffering from inflammation that won’t go away. By eating a very, very simple diet, your digestion can be more relaxed, and give your body some time to repair.

The good news is, over time you get to reintroduce foods. This is where you really do need to go to a naturopath because you need their guidance to know when this is a good idea, and how quickly. The one thing I can say is that it is a one at a time thing. Certain foods will be your triggers (ie. they will make you feel the worst) and by introducing one type of food at a time, you can isolate the triggers. That is why this type of strict diet is often called the Isolation Diet, or Elimination Diet.

I also learned that a lot of things contain stuff you never even realized. Like, you can find rice bread pretty easily, but it often contains potato flour! You can have rice bread if you are sure it has only rice flour. Same goes for pasta. There is a really good brand of brown rice pasta, but because I am in remission, I don’t eat it any more, so I am sorry, I have forgotten. You will want to find yourself a great health food store, because you will be hard pressed to find selection in a normal grocery store.

This is getting to be a big ramble, but seriously, this is a change you can start right away. It will help.

Of course, traditional western medicine is very important. I am not suggesting you do not need your doctor to help you. In the long run, you likely need the kinds of medicine that a Naturopath cannot prescribe to you. I personally took up to six strong inti-inflammatory pills a day. The reminds me… you are probably in a lot of agony. DO NOT USE IBUPROFEN! This only adds to the inflammation. Aspirin is also not a good idea. Stick to Acetaminophen, aka Tylenol. Don’t take more than 8 extra strength Tylenol per day, or you risk hurting your stomach. Liquid caps will deliver the medicine faster. Hot water bottles are your best friend! I recommend getting two, and put one under you and one on your belly.

This is a lot of info, and I would be more than willing to help you more. Let me know.

Q: Is Crohn’s Disease hard to live with?
Or is it manageable?
I’ve been living with it in the past, but should I expect it to get much worse?

A: It depends on the person – for some it’s more mild than others. I would really do research on what foods help (or hinder) amongst other things and try to stick to that as much as possible.

Wish you the best. It’s a difficult disease to have.

Q: Crohn’s disease advice?
I have lived with Crohn’s disease for 6 years……and I was wondering if anyone knew of a special diet that REALLy works to reduce symptoms? My symptoms are steadily getting worse, and I don’t want to end up in the hospital again taking remicaid infusions for months and be put on a liquid diet! Please, any advice welcome!

A: Along with diet here are some all-natural supplements that have been very effective.

OPTIFLORA: to repopulate the bowel lining with “friendly” bacteria

ALFALFA COMPLEX: anti-inflammatory; high mineral content promotes healing; promotes cleansing of bowel irritants

B-COMPLEX: anti-stress; increases absorption

GLA COMPLEX: essential for tissue healing

Hope this is useful and feel free to contact me with questions or the website.

Q: Diet for Crohn’s disease?
We’re having a friend with Crohn’s disease over for dinner tonight, and I want to make sure I don’t cook anything that will make her sick. Long story…but she doesn’t know that we know she has this disease, and I don’t feel comfortable bringing it up with her.

Is there anyone out there living with the disease, or who knows about it and can fill me in?

Also, does this menu sound OK – all I know about the disease is that sufferers should avoid spicy food:

grilled chicken marinated in lemon, olive oil, thyme
sauteed asparagus and snow peas
white rice

I am trying to keep it as neutral as possible. Thanks!

A: It’s hard to say, since you can’t ask her and you don’t know the details of her condition, but it should be fine. I have Crohn’s disease and grilled chicken and white rice are some of my “safety foods” and I have never heard of anyone having problems with them, or read anything about problems with them. The one hangup could be that if she’s on a low-residue diet for a stricture (narrowing of intestines, which is common with Crohn’s), then she may need to only eat vegetables that are very well-cooked, almost mushy. (And some vegetables shouldn’t be eaten at all on a low-residue diet.) This could be done by steaming or baking the vegetables. But it’s very kind for you to be considerate, and I would just cook the meal and not worry about it and if she chooses not to eat something (because she’s not supposed to), just don’t mention it and offer her more of the other foods she can eat.

Q: Patient of Crohn’s Disease wishes to lose weight – and keep it there?
I am 4′11, have been living with the disease since I was 9, I am 17 yrs old, I am a senior in highschool, I had a surgery to remove a part of my intestine when I was 15.
I’m so fustrated with my weight. When I’m sick, I lose weight. When I’m healthy, I gain. When I’m on prednisone, I gain way too much. Sometimes I wish I was sick just so I could lose weight. I want to weight 105 lbs. I currently weigh between 125-130. When I was really healthy, I was almost 140. When I got sick I lost 20 lbs, down to 120. Then because I was so sick I had to take steroids and shot back up to 130. I just wish I could be sick, lose the weight until I’m 105 lbs, then be healthy. Its interfering with how I take care of myself. Sometimes I eat unhealthy foods knowing it will make me feel bad – thus get sick, lose weight. Sometimes I continuously forget to take my medicine. I really don’t understand why I wish to be sick in order to be thin. It is a weird desire. . .someone please help me out? Perhaps tell me something so I can stop hurting myself in order to be thin?

A: I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and have been put on prednisone (steroid). My doctor says that in order to maintain or lose weight on steroids you have to watch your calorie intake and exercise regularly. Good luck! Hope this helps! =)

Q: How do you live with the pain of Crohn’s Disease?

A: I’m so sorry to hear you (or someone you love) has Crohn’s disease. I just read webmd.com about it. Doesn’t sound good, though it does appear to make a turn: “Abdominal pain may turn to a dull, constant ache as the condition progresses”. I can’t begin to give comfort or advice to such a horrible scenario other than perhaps some lame sentiment like… you might learn from it…

Consider this: America is one of the biggest meat-eating countries and also one of the countries with the largest population of digestive-track difficulties. It’s easy for me to advise more fiber and no meat or chicken knowing that relief is not in sight. But just know that there is someone in the universe who feels for you, has heartrending empathy because I too have some digestive tract problems that must be addressed. But I don’t think I have anything that serious, maybe stress bloating and cramping.

Write me if you need a hug morphola@hotmail.com

Q: Crohn’s disease recovery information please help me?
Well i was diagnosed with crohn’s disease a few days ago yesterday i was in so much pain i had to come home from my friends early even though when i got home none of my family was home and idk why that really sucked and i need help because i am seriously thinking about suicide and you know just the other options that i have besides living with crohn’s. For one i have the medicine but what should i be eating while recovering from crohn’s basically what is easier for me to digest and all that good stuff like what should my diet be, also my dad ordered me this medicine called digestacure last night and i am hoping it works because on the site it says it can pretty much cure my crohn’s disease if you know anything about digestacure that information would be good to know, also ever since my colonoscopy which was wednsday now it is sunday morning i have been feeling worse than ever i wanted to know if there was something that could have gone wrong during that procedure and if there was then mabye i should do something about it, one of the things that i have been feeling is this pain in the lower center of my chest and it is agonizing like it is so bad that sometimes i just want to die and i know it has nothing to do with my heart because the doctor checked my heart and tested me for pancreantitis not sure how to spell that but all the test came back negative my mom thinks that some of these pains are coming from my rapid weight loss which is caused by the fact that crohn’s already makes you lose weight but i am to scared to eat anything besides for plain turkey sandwiches and golden mushroom soup because everytime i do i go into sever lower abdominal pain. PLEASE I NEED HELP ON ALL OF THESE SUBJECTS IF YOU CAN HELP ME PLEASE DO!!!!
Also i have had my gallbladder taken out because it was blocked so they had to do something about it

A: Calm down, friend. Everything will be fine once you are more stabilized.

I’ve had Crohn’s Disease for 8 years now. The thing you need to do is find a good doctor that specializes in this sort of thing. A Gastroenterologist is the best choice. They can get you started on finding a right combination of medications that can help stabilize you.

The main things you should stay away from are things that are deep fried, greasy, and spicy. At this point it is what I call “trial and error”… where you test your boundaries by eating food to see if your body can tolerate it, and staying away from it if it makes you sick.

The pain in your chest could be acid reflux from your Crohn’s. You should try Prevacid. It is over the counter now, and all you do is take one in the mornings as soon as you get up, before you eat anything, and it will help prevent an overabundance of acid for 24 hours. Reglan helps as well.

Don’t let Crohn’s Disease rule you. It isn’t the end. I’ve had it since I was in 8th grade, and I’m going to be graduating from college next year. You learn to live with it, take precautions, but don’t let it stop you. You rule it, not the other way around.

If you want any more information, have any questions, or you just want to talk, my e-mail is BUDrummer06@yahoo.com. I’ll gladly help you the best I can.

Q: Crohn’s disease……anyone?
I was wondering what the tell tale signs of Crohn’s disease are and how does a person live with. What are the syptoms and maybe your experience with the disease. Can you still live a normal life? Is there medication…surgery…what? My doctor thinks I might have it. I have to go in for a Colonoscopy. Thanks.

A: The telltale signs of Crohn’s disease are quite variable. I was diagnosed about 6 years ago. I had lost my appetite, lots of diarrhea, nausea, lost about 45 pounds, lesions on the gums, etc. Typically an altogether unwell feeling, sometimes you feel worse after going to the bathroom, maybe blood, etc. As
I said there are a lot of signs and symptoms, and some people don’t get it as bad. The colonscopy shoul give you a better idea. I live with it. It’s not easy but for the most part you can live a normal life. It is important to watch what you eat, you will learn what makes you sick, and it is important to take vitamins because with crohn’s you do not absorb nutrients as well. I have struggled with it, I won’t go into detail, but there are definitely times you flare up, and times you are in remission. Medication, they may start you on a corticosteroid such as prednisone to get the inflammation under control, and then you will go on a maintenance drug such as sulfasalazine, imuran or in bad cases remicade. There are things that come with Crohn’s potentially, and the crohn’s itself which can require surgeries. Other than that, feel free to email for more information. Hope this helps.

Q: can you live with the frustration and pain of crohn’s disease?
there are days I don’t really feel pain but i feel like little things are too much. i want to scream. some noises are too much.. people need to shut up and leave me alone.
I don’t want to be bothered. and other days i feel like I have pressure inside and I want to explode and get it over with. or the pain won’t stop.. yet if i don’t eat i feel like my stomach will eat me.

A: One of the best ways to control the pain and other symptoms is to find out what foods set off the symptoms and control it with diet. Yeasts, processed foods (including white sugar, white flour, white vinigar, white rice etc), spicy foods and preservatives are often big triggers.

There are also medications and antibiotic type drugs that can minimize the effects.

Also if you are taking drugs such as paing killers, anti-inflamatories and anti cramp medication, make sure you eat before you take them or take them with milk (as long as you aren’t sensitive to lactose) so the chalk and acids in the medications don’t irritate your stomach.

Most of all, speak to a doctor and google-wack crohns disease support groups, there are sure to be online as well as local groupls that will be able to help you out with advice and understanding. Don’t underestimate the power of your friends too, tell them what you are going through and they will be far less likely to try and get you to eat things that set you off and they will be glad of knowing why you may be under the weather at times.

Good luck with it

Q: The doctors say I might have Crohn’s disease…..Am I gunna die from this?
Hi im 16 & just found out yesterday I may have Crohn’s disease.
Many things are running through my mind right now & Im not sure what to think or what to believe on the websites.
Am I gunna be in pain for the rest of my life?
Will it go onto my kids?
How does smoking & drinking effect it?
Just anybody with this disease please talk to me & tell me how your living with it.
Give me some kind of peace of mind or just let me know what ill be dealing with in the future having this disease.
Thanks so much.

A: Your Answer:
I have had CD for 25 years. First off, wait until you know for sure you actually have CD. There are other ailments that are similar to CD but more easily treated. Colitis, Irritable Bowel syndrome are a couple.

You will not die from CD. It would have to be EXTREME circumstances and complications, like surgery wise and nutrition wise (though, that can happen even without CD). Example, in 2002 to the almost the end of 2003 I was suffering from fistulas (an opening that shouldn’t be there) and abcesses in my butt. The doctors at the time refused to give me the medication I knew, and several other doctors (who didn’t take my insurance) knew. I was going about every 2-3 months for outpatient surgical proceedures and due to the side affects of the anesthesia they used, I had severe loss of appetite to the point I stopped eating, I was down to 70 lbs (I was in my early thirties), this only added to the weight loss and appetite loss I was already experiencing.

I nearly died not from CD directly, but because I didn’t have adquate medical care and had stopped eating. I was soo weak and bed ridden on the couch. Fortunately, my colon/rectal surgeon at the time told my family in no uncertain terms to get a second opinion, that I would not have lasted much longer. So, when we got home, my uncle called the doctor I had for my second surgery (I had stopped seeing him after the sugery for financial and transportation reasons), when they found out how much I weighed, they wanted to see me that day, but because it was in the city (a few hours away) we couldn’t go that day…we went the next. When I told the doc my story, he shook his head in disbelief at the appauling way the other docs had treated me. He knew right away I needed the Remicade. I started it the next week and within 2 weeks I had gained 5 lbs and was feeling stronger.

My point is, that it’s the complications and consistancy of adequate medical care that can be potentially life threatening, not the disease itsself.
That’s why it’s IMPORTANT that if you do have CD, you have a good doctor that SPECIALIZES in CD. There is a difference between a general G.I. doc and a Specialist. My father, who also has CD (since he was 13, he’s now in his 60’s, in fact he was operated on by Dr Crohn when he was 13) is the one who clarified this for me.
Also, alot of times CD will not be diagnosed correctly at first. I have heard stories where people had seen several doctors over a few years before getting the right diagnosis. BE AWARE of your symptoms, it helps to keep a journal or log of them (including how many times you use the bathroom, what it looks like and if there is any blood), also a food diary is helpful in regards to your nutrition. If you feel the doctor is not listening to you or is not correctly diagnosing you, then get a second opinion.

Genetics. The disease itsself is not inherited. It’s the gene that COULD develop into CD that is inherited. I have CD, but my brother does not. So far, his daughter (9 yrs) doesn’t have it. BUT there’s always a chance that either could develop it later in life. It’s always a possibility as long as the person carries the gene. It’s dormant in my brother for the time being. Hopefully, he will never get it, nor his children.
I do not have any children, unfortunately, my various problems due to the CD has made me, at least for the time being (although, I am already 38) unable to devote caring for a baby/child 24/7.

Don’t get stressed by that. That is only my circumstance. CD is very much an idividual disease. Although many CD sufferers, have similar symptoms, they also greatly vary and depend on other things like nutrution and surgeries the individual has had.
For example, someone may be able to tolerate eating tomato sauce. I cannot. I get severe cramps after eating it. As I’ve gotten older, had 2 surgeries, the less things I’ve found myself able to tolerate. Although, experience over the years with CD along with research, I just try to eat things that are relatively easy to digest and would not cause irritation to the gastro-intestinal tract. Think of it in a way, like a bad ulcer, sort of. Certain foods only exacerbate (make things worse) the symptoms.

To answer another of your questions, unfortunatley, alcohol and smoking are irritants to the lining of the intestines and is not reccomended by doctors of patients with CD. However, when you are of legal age (insert raised eyebrow smiley here), and if you do have CD and it is under relative control, you can occassionaly have a drink. But not too much, because over time it can cause symptoms: ie severe cramping. When I was in my 20’s, I could tolerate alcohol better, even after my 1st surgery. But since the second, not so much. And now…I don’t dare try it. If it anit broke, dont fix it. The consequences of all the later suffering are not worth the momentary “buzz”. Consequences that could last years.

It is also important to try and not get yourself overly stressed. Being upset for someone without CD can be bad enough, with CD it makes things worse. I read an article some years ago in a ccfa (Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America) publication that lead me to comparing the intestines of a CD patient to a battery. A healthy person has this secrection that functions in the intestine much in the same way the alkaline lining does for a battery. People with CD, this function doesn’t work properly, therefore the intestines do not have that “alkaline” lining to protect it from the gastro-intestinal acids. That means, stressing, getting upset, can cause cramping more easily. I know it’s hard, I’ve been there, had crazy thoughts running through my head, but it will only make matters worse. Try to remain calm, take deep breathes, inhale through your nose, exhale out your mouth. Find something to do that will help keep your mind off it, like playing a video game, watching tv, reading, etc.
Do you have someone you can talk to about what your going through emotionally? A friend, relative? Having a support system goes a long way in coping with an illness of any kind.

That’s just a little of what I have suffered since I was 21 yrs old. Prior to that, when I was in my teens, I had an easier time of it. Meaning, I didn’t have my 1st surgery until I was 21. I was able to eat just about anything — popcorn, italian food, barbeque sauce, orange juice, grapefruit juice, caffine, chocolate, coffee, soda, etc. But I was also a stool withholder, which is a VERY bad thing to do. I actually had been doing that since I was a kid (I stopped around 16 or 17). So, no matter what…when ya gotta go…go. Serious damage and problems can arise from not going when you have to. And no matter how much it may hurt or your tired of going, don’t hold it in.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Cramping, diarhea, joint pain, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, problems tolerating certain foods. The thing is, you won’t really know what will bother you until it does bother you. ie you eat something, get cramps and/or go to the bathroom, then you know to stay away from that particular food/drink. That doesn’t mean it will be like that forever. You may be able to tolerate those foods/drinks once again, it happens. I used to have a problem with peanut butter for a few years in my 20’s, but I no longer have that problem. I cannot have carbonation (causes gas, and cramping), or caffine. I gave up (kicking and screaming) chocolate for a long time, then a few years ago when I began the Remicade, I could tolerate it again, though, except if my stomach was bothering me. I can no longer eat it right now, because of problems with my stomach. (not the usual CD cramping, but going to the bathroom alot). Also, alot of people with CD have lactose intolerance, but to what degree can vary. For me, it’s only with actual drinking milk and things like pudding, ice cream and yogurt. But they have lactose free ice cream and milk and I find fat free products are better tolerated (like sour cream). I have no problem with cheese or eggs (which is good since cheese is one of my favorite foods).

My father was in remission for 25 years before he suffered another flare up of CD. I had 6 years between my 2 sugeries, and I did better in several ways when I was a teen and I have been relatively okay since 2003 until recently. Like I said, it’s an individual thing.

I know this is all very scary and alot to take in, but you have youth on your side. The young are more resilient and heal faster, are stronger. Also, if you do have CD, there are alot of treatments and the medical advances today are much better than they were when I was a kid in the 80’s. There is no cure at this time, but they are learning more about CD and getting closer to one everyday.

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America

http://www.ccfa.org/

A very good organization with rescources and support. They have 8 week support groups at least 1x a year and ongoing support groups for parents of and children with CD. (I know your not a child, but being a minor you would probably be able to go to these) On the site, you can check for a local CCFA chapter in your area. There’s very nice supportive people to talk to and can give assisstance where needed, ie help you locate a doctor, other things you may need help with.

Again, try and remain calm, wait until you know for sure if you have CD, research, talk to someone, keep journals of symptoms and diet. I know it’s soo hard when you’re soo young, but you’ll get through it. I wish you luck and for your well being for the future.

(now go tell your mom, friend or relative that you need a hug)

Q: what is your most defining moment in life?
mine is living with crohn’s disease and accepting it. i still go to college and live life to the fullest.

A: Accepting Christ in my life

Others
Fighting Crohns, being told I had 6 months to live almost 5 years ago
Gratuating College
Getting Married
Having a baby girl
More to come………

Q: Crohn’s Disease Pain – - Help!?
I have had Crohn’s Disease for about 17 years. During a recent flare-up, I had a colonoscopy that showed I’m pretty messed up inside. But the doctor did not change my medication. So, now, I’m on the same meds that have NOT been working for me for the past couple of years, and I’m having severe pain in my gut. I called to see the doctor and they can’t get me in for a few weeks. Is there anything I can do in the mean time to ease the pain while I wait to see her? My HMO does not have any other GI doctors in it, and I don’t know that Immediate Care would do anything for me knowing it’s GI related…. Any advice on how to make it through?

A: hi kim, i am a female crohn’s pt. for 28 yrs. I can truly relate to the pain that you are going through. It is very frustrating to the point where you are in tears and feel so alone.

Call your insurance and tell them that you are not satisfied with the GI that they have listed and would like to see someone outside of their network. If you have to, tell them that you will report them to the state if they don’t comply. You have that right to a 2nd opinion or even a 3rd.

Go to see your primary MD and have him check you out. Tell him about the pain you are experiencing and ask him to prescribe something such as Tylenol 3 w/codeine, Darvocet, Demerol, etc. This is what I did: I have so many doctors myself and I didn’t want any confusion as to who was giving me my pain meds and muscle relaxer. So I asked my primary to give me the script and that we’d work together if things got worse, I’d see my GI. For stomach spasms, I go to my GI and ask him for a script for Bentyl.

You can ask your primary MD which GI he’d recommend sending his family members to or ask one of his nurses seeing as they deal with GIs all the time.

I found that when I take the muscle relaxer around that time of the month (we are prone to hormonal flares) and then a few hrs. later I take my pain pill, it takes the edge off. Mind you though you can’t smoke or drink while on this stuff.

Try a heating pad on your gut 15 minutes on, 20 minutes off or better, a Thermacare heat wrap for your back. Move the discs to the front and you can sleep with it for 8hrs. at bedtime.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America has a site which has tons of information ranging from the latest treatments, diet, surgery, coping, to locating a local support chapter near you. They also have a live chat, a hotline (both run by healthcare experts) and a forum where pts. and family members can post questions to others in the same situation.

As for newer treatments–ask if you are a candidate for Remicade, Humira, 6MP, Imuran, or Entocort. If surgery is needed and you have to have a total colectomy permanent ileostomy (bag that nobody knows you have unless you tell them–i’ve had mine since the age of 17) email me and i will do my best to help you or give the untied ostomy assoc. of america a try.

I wish you the best of health and hope that you are pain free soon.

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: What pain meds can you take to help control the pain from Crohn’s Disease?
I have a really bad achy to sharp pain in my lower right side from my Crohn’s Disease and I am taking Tramadol and/or Vicodin as needed. Tylenol does not help at all whatsoever and I don’t want to become dependent on controlled drugs.

A: I use a medication called Sertal,When necessary, it’s composed of hydrochlorate 10 mg, Clonixinato 125 mg. I give the medical break down because I am in another country and its probably called something different where you are. This really stops the pain from the spasms.

Double coated peppermint oil capsules can really help with the pain.

I find the biggest help is change of diet. Since I have changed my way of a eating I no longer suffer with the extreme pain In the intestines. I’ve enclosed to link to a website that gives very detailed information on how to eat. It talks about irritable bowel syndrome, but it relates to Crohns disease as well. Study the different pages on this website by think you will learn a great deal.

Q: Help with Crohn’s Disease tummy pain?
I am 26 and have had Crohn’s for 11 years. I have had two operations and tried all sorts of medication – prednisolone, immuran, mesasal, entocort. I am suffering yet another flare-up and my stomach pain has been the most severe yet. I’m used to discomfort but this is the worst I’ve experienced – not even my hot water bottle is helping! My tests show chronic inflammation and my tummy has swollen so much I actually look pregnant (which I’m not). I am currently taking entocort (budesonide) but I am desperate to combat this pain somehow. I am usually a pro at dealing with my tummy pain but this time around it is constant and I can’t seem to get rid of it. Any suggestions? I don’t want to have a third operation.

A: I’m taking a gastrointestinal physiology class right now and we actually just learned about Crohn’s disease.

Our professor said Remicade and Thalidomide are some current medications that are used. Have you tried these?

Apparently Thalidomide has a great anti-inflammatory result, but is also associated with severe birth defects (read about “thalidomide babies” on google). Depending on your future child plans, etc. this could be an option for you.

Maybe ask your doctor about these as options.

Q: Coccyx Pain/Crohn’s Disease?
Hi, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease about eight years ago. I have been having incredible tailbone pain in the last three weeks or so. I have been waiting for it to go away, and it hasn’t. There wasn’t a specific time that I can remember that caused the pain, it just kind of developed since I have been running, that could be it, though I’m not sure. I have heard of some connection between Crohn’s and Scoliosis, is this true? Are their any other possible causes, like running, and it will go away?

A: It’s possible the Crohn’s is causing your Coccyx pain since the same nerves that innervate your digestive system also innervate you lower back. Could be weak core muscles. You could have a fracture. Go to doc.

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: can you live with the frustration and pain of crohn’s disease?
there are days I don’t really feel pain but i feel like little things are too much. i want to scream. some noises are too much.. people need to shut up and leave me alone.
I don’t want to be bothered. and other days i feel like I have pressure inside and I want to explode and get it over with. or the pain won’t stop.. yet if i don’t eat i feel like my stomach will eat me.

A: One of the best ways to control the pain and other symptoms is to find out what foods set off the symptoms and control it with diet. Yeasts, processed foods (including white sugar, white flour, white vinigar, white rice etc), spicy foods and preservatives are often big triggers.

There are also medications and antibiotic type drugs that can minimize the effects.

Also if you are taking drugs such as paing killers, anti-inflamatories and anti cramp medication, make sure you eat before you take them or take them with milk (as long as you aren’t sensitive to lactose) so the chalk and acids in the medications don’t irritate your stomach.

Most of all, speak to a doctor and google-wack crohns disease support groups, there are sure to be online as well as local groupls that will be able to help you out with advice and understanding. Don’t underestimate the power of your friends too, tell them what you are going through and they will be far less likely to try and get you to eat things that set you off and they will be glad of knowing why you may be under the weather at times.

Good luck with it

Q: How do you live with the pain of Crohn’s Disease?

A: I’m so sorry to hear you (or someone you love) has Crohn’s disease. I just read webmd.com about it. Doesn’t sound good, though it does appear to make a turn: “Abdominal pain may turn to a dull, constant ache as the condition progresses”. I can’t begin to give comfort or advice to such a horrible scenario other than perhaps some lame sentiment like… you might learn from it…

Consider this: America is one of the biggest meat-eating countries and also one of the countries with the largest population of digestive-track difficulties. It’s easy for me to advise more fiber and no meat or chicken knowing that relief is not in sight. But just know that there is someone in the universe who feels for you, has heartrending empathy because I too have some digestive tract problems that must be addressed. But I don’t think I have anything that serious, maybe stress bloating and cramping.

Write me if you need a hug morphola@hotmail.com

Q: Do you or someone you know struggle with the pain of Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis?
I was diagnosed 15 years ago, and this year I’m fighting back by riding my bicylce 210 miles in 3 days. To find out more, or to support me on this journey please visit www.ibdride.org/arwyatt

A: hi doc, i am a female crohn’s survivor dxed at the age of 12. Currently going in for outpt. surgery to have a fistula closed with surgical glue and stitches.

I hate this illness and wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. I am a local CCFA volunteer for our chapter but I had a stroke 3 yrs. ago so I can’t do much now.

Anyway, thank you for doing your part to bring attention to this disease. I hope to see a cure before too long.

God Bless You and may you have a successful ride and a long remission!!!

Q: Is there a connection between crohn’s disease and heel pain?

A: Probably not unless you are getting a second autoimmune disease-fibromyalgia, this is a possibility but it is slim. With the right supplements both can be improved greatly.

Q: My new boyfriend has Crohn’s disease. I watch him in pain all the time, how can I help him?
I started dating this guy I really like. He told me he has Crohn’s. He doesnt say much, but I can see his face twisted in pain ALOT. I feel terrible. I want to be wonderful and supportive, any advice??????

A: I have Crohn’s and I have trouble with the pain sometimes. There really isn’t anything you can do to stop his pain, you’re not a doctor and there’s no cure. Just help him, like don’t let him eat bad foods and stuff, and hold his hand…ya know? Let him know that you’re there for him, despite the embarrassment that comes with Crohn’s. I know, I’ve been there, I’ve lost friends because of how shallow people can be. If he’s feeling too sick to go out or whatever just watch a movie and relax. I don’t really know what else to say, because I’ve never really had a boyfriend to tell. It’s a big step that he’s telling you, because I know some people that have been dating and still don’t tell their boyfriend/girlfriends.

PS. If he’s having a stomachache, a heating pad is usually the best remedy to ease the pain. At least for me it is.
Hope it helps…

Q: Pain with Crohn’s Disease?
I’ve just recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s and just this morning when i wake up, i had really bad pain on my stomach and it would hurt if i move it or just touch it. Also when I lay down it would hurt really badly. When i breath it would hurt. So does this mean my Crohn’s is getting worse or is it normal because I had pain before but never this much.

A: hi tran, i am a crohn’s survivor. The pain you are experiencing is normal until your GI puts you on a maintenance drug like Remicade, Humira, Entocort, 6MP, or Imuran. Until it kicks in, you should have been given something for pain mgt. such as Tylenol 3 w/codeine, Demerol, Darvocet, etc.

If you are still in a great deal of pain, call the MD and request something for the pain. You are entitled to have something to make you feel better.

I truly understand all of the discomfort you are feeling as I have been through it many times myself. It gets to the point where you have to cancel appts. w/friends, are doubled over crying b/c you feel like noone else understands and you feel so alone. It does get better in time. You just have to take it one day at a time.

feel free to email me w/questions. feel better.

Q: does anyone else with crohn’s disease suffer from back pain?
lower back pain seems to be one of my main symptoms and i was just wondering if anyone else had this problem. some times it travels further up my back but usually its just at the bottom. What other symptoms do you have?

A: I’m sorry to hear of your suffering. I do not have Crohn’s but I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2005. Lower back pain has been one of my main symptoms as well. They have given me Ultram/Tramadol for it but I hate taking it. I literally have to wake up and take one before I can begin my day, otherwise I’m useless! My list of other symptoms is a long one, as I have multiple health issues. Pleurisy, stomach discomfort/pain, painful BM’s, the dreaded “D’ etc etc.
Healingwell.com has a huge forum support group for Crohn’s and UC. They are separated but usually members cross post or jump from one to the other because symptoms are quite similar. I hope this has helped. Feel free to contact me if you’d like further information or just a friend that understands.

~katsumi
If you haven’t joined a support group yet, I highly recommend it. It took me three years to become comfortable with the idea of talking about my yucky situation but they are so welcoming, supportive and quite humorous, which is nice when you’re having a bad day.

Q: What hurts more, Crohn’s disease or giving birth?
I’ve had the answer for a Caesarian birth (Crohn’s disease) but never found a girl who gave birth naturally that also experienced the pain of Crohn’s disease. So my question is regarding natural birth.

A: Having had crohn’s disease for 15+ yrs & given birth to 2 boys naturally both over 8 lbs., I will honestly tell you that my Crohn’s hurt way worse than giving birth (I had a complete obstruction), with birth you feel pain for a short duration of time 1-2 days, with Crohn’s it can be painful for years at a time, plus you don’t hardly remember the pain of childbirth, yes you can get better pain killers with your crohn’s verses birth but the Crohn’s pain is often very reoccuring. Good Luck!

Q: Is joint pain related to Crohn’s disease?
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease about a month ago and put on 50mg of Prednisone daily. I’m going back to the doctor on Friday, and he will probably start to lower my dosage then. Lately, I’ve been having pain in my lower back, and my tailbone feels sore when I sit down. Plus, today, my ankles started hurting when I walk. School started a couple of weeks ago. Because of my Crohn’s disease, I felt too weak to be very active over the summer, and so I’m thinking maybe I’m just sore from having PhysEd every other day. But if this is a common symptom of Crohn’s or a side effect of the Prednisone, then let me know. Thanks

A: Yes, during Crohn’s disease flares, some sufferers do experience joint pain. This is likely to be as a result of body wide inflammation, not the result of the prednisone itself. It may be that during flares you may need a physicians note for limited activity during physical education.
Feel better soon.

Q: What are they symptoms of Chrones disease?
My brother has it.

A: Crohn’s disease: A chronic inflammatory disease, primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can affect other parts of the digestive system as well. It is named for Burrill Crohn, the American gastroenterologist who first described the disease in 1932.

Crohn disease is usually diagnosed in persons in their teens or twenties, but can come to the fore at any point in life. It can be a chronic, recurrent condition or can cause minimal symptoms with or even without medical treatment.

In mild forms, Crohn disease causes small scattered shallow crater- like areas (erosions) called aphthous ulcers in the inner surface of the bowel. In more serious cases, deeper and larger ulcers can develop, causing scarring and stiffness and possibly narrowing of the bowel, sometimes leading to obstruction. Deep ulcers can puncture holes in the bowel wall, leading to infection in the abdominal cavity (peritonitis) and in adjacent organs.

Crohn disease comes in many forms. Involvement of the large intestine (colon) only is called Crohn colitis or granulomatous colitis, while involvement of the small intestine alone is called Crohn enteritis. The most common part of the small intestine to be affected by Crohn disease is the last portion, called the ileum. Active disease in this area is termed Crohn ileitis. When both the small intestine and the large intestine are involved, the condition is called Crohn enterocolitis (or ileocolitis). Other descriptive terms may be used as well.

Abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and weight loss are common symptoms. Crohn disease can be associated with reddish tender skin nodules, and inflammation of the joints, spine, eyes, and liver. Diagnosis is commonly made by x-ray or colonoscopy. Treatment includes medications that are anti-inflammatories, immune suppressors or antibiotics. Surgery can be necessary in severe cases.

Genetic factors contribute to the causation of Crohn disease. One of the genes has been shown to be on chromosome 14 in region 14q11-12.

Hope this helps!

Q: Can wheezing be a symptom of Chrones Disease?
My friend is about 60 and she has Chrones and she wheezes
with the whistle in the Spring. I think she says it happens more outside when she’s working in the green grass, not sure.
Her doctor refuses to give her anything for her wheezing or do a workup. I told her she needs to get another opinion but she’s real stubborn. She almost died by before she was diagnosed with Chrones. Any suggestions for my frriend?
I’ll forward her the answers.

A: That symptom is not part of crones. What your friend has going on sounds more like asthma than anything else. She needs to go to her primary doctor to get a spirometry done, this will measure how well she is breathing and if she needs it, medications will be provided to her for treatment of these symptoms. Since she is having this reaction while working in the grass, I would think it is possibly an allergic reaction. In any case, the best diagnostician is her doctor. Hope this helps!

Q: Chrones disease and whey sensitivitie?
Does anyone know if high sensitivity to whey protein is a common symptom of chrones disease?

A: Madeline, I am a crohn’s survivor. The first thing the GI will do is test for celiac disease if you are wheat sensitive.

Here is the correct information from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America site. they have a live chat and a hotline you can call M-F 9 am – 5 pm (EST).

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.

Feel free to email me if you have questions. Best of health to you.

Q: Can Chrones keep me out of the navy or seals program?
I have chrones, and have had it for a while. i am on some medication (pentasa) for it but im not really sure that it does anything becaus i feel fine when i dont take it for months. Also my chrones is not severe and is quite strange, i have abnormal symptoms,liek i constipation instead of dirreah. i also eat whatever i want and i am not really affected. but honestly i do feel it sometimes, like stomach aches but i just ignore them and act as i always would(maybe eat less).

so i was wondering if this could keep me from pursuing my dream
you have to be kidding me

A: Chron’s Disease is disqualifying for entry into the armed forces. The source below is the medical standard.

Q: Not IBS? Not Colitis, Not Chrones, No Polyps or Hemorrhiods, what is it?
My husband has been having the problems I am about to explain starting at age 15, He is now 23.

It started as a few loose stools, and Gradually turned into constant Diahrea with 2 or more bowl movements daily. Recently (Past 2-3 years) There has been blood in his stool. Sometimes large amounts of blood. There is constant cramping and bloating of his stomach, and often between bm’s the feeling of needing to go, with no production. He has all the symptoms of Colitis, and IBS, however, These problems occur with EVERYthing he eats. And even when he doesn’t. Testing has showed no illness or disease, No chrones. A colonoscopy has revealed no colitis. Also no Polyps or hemorrhoids to cause the bleeding. Any insight on what is plaguing my husband? Because of all this he is constantly fatigued and dehydrated. Just a suggestion to bring up with the doctor would be wonderful.

A: I’m no doctor, but this story is so similar to what I have been going through. This could very likely be Celiac Disease, which is relatively unknown to doctors in the USA, as it is a disease that occurs mainly in western Europe. The highest population with Celiac are those of Irish descent. Doctors will almost always dismiss it as I.B.S. The worst part is that there is no specific test for it that is conclusive. It is a disease in which the intestines cannot digest anything with gluten, and many times dairy products (wheat, barley, rye, iodine, oats, whey, milk, butter, cream) including topical products such as shampoos, deodorants, toothpastes, make-up, lotions, the list goes on and on. Undiagnosed Celiac, as in my case, can lead to immunological disorders and diseases of all kinds, as the body is unable to fight off any airbone viruses. Lupus is a disease linked to Celiac, as well as Colorectal cancer. In my case, I developed Epilepsy and asthsma, among other countless things. Look up Celiac Disease on the net, and contact the “Silly Yaks”, the moderator is a member of YA and they are out of Canada, but will answer any questions you have. Best of Luck to you both.

Q: Please Read! People with Gastrointestinal Problems. Chrones disease? IBS? IBD? Celiac Disease?
I am sixteen years old and have been suffering from chronic abdominal discomfort and other symptoms for more than four months. I have constant nausea ( I always feel like I am on the verge of vomiting but never do), abdominal pain ranging from a
mild irritated feeling to sharp cramps (not menstrual), gas, headaches, and debilitating fatigue.. I had an ultrasound and a ct scan a week ago and they both showed that I don’t have gallstones but I do have a large amount of (may be graphic-beware) compacted fecal matter (I warned you). However I have not been feeling constipated. In fact lately I have been having dihherea (occasionally bloody) 4-5 times a day.
I have Celiac disease and I was diagnosed about 4 months ago. And I know that it can take a while to heal but even the doctor doesnt know why its taking so long.
I just feel so sick all the time. Here’s my question: could it be Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chrones or Ulcerative Colitis) or something els

A: Warning – also graphic! Sometimes constipation can get so bad that we can actually leak liquid stool around the impacted fecal matter.

This sounds a little more serious than irritable bowel syndrome, especially considering the fact that you are having blood in your stool. It sounds as if you need a colonoscopy, but you would have to have your colon “cleaned out” first.

You should have a good gastroenterologist; if you are having a significant amount of blood loss, sooner rather than later. I assume you are following the celiac diet.

I would make sure that someone has run a thyroid panel, as low thyroid can cause both constipation and fatigue and can be overlooked in cases where an alternative explanation is available. You should also make sure your blood count is not low, as this could make you feel very tired as well.

Q: What could be causing my stomach pain, weight loss and other symptoms?
I have been sick for over a year, without a diagnosis. If anyone else has had similar symptoms, I’d be interested in knowing the diagnosis.

Initial Symptoms:
Severe stomach pain, unrelated to eating or bowel movements, worse while in a seated position; Significant weightloss without dieting; Intermitant chest pain; Frequent fainting and dizzy spells; Severe and chronic fatigue.

These symptoms have persisted, and new symptoms have developed:
Headaches; mental confusion and inability to concentrate; nausea and vomiting, expecially after eating white flour, red meat, fats and refined sugar; muscle aches; upper back pain and chest pain when sitting or standing; decreased dexterity and strength in fingers; increasing physical weakness, such that I need a cane to walk short distances.

Doctors have ruled out cardiac problems, chrones disease, thyroid problems, Addisons, Diabeties, celiac disease. There are no visible physical abnormalities on abdominal CT.

Does this sound familiar?
Additional details

- to all who said see your doctor – I have, right from onset of symptoms. My GP referred me to a cardiologist, and endocrinologist, and a gastroenterologist. Unfortunately, none of these specialists look at all the symptoms.
The cardiologist concluded that I was suffering from vasovagal fainting, where the heartrate and blood pressure drop suddenly, but could not identify the cause. The endocrinologist said chronic fatigue syndrome and Polycystic Ovary Disease, but neither fully explain my symptoms. The 1st gastro said IBS, the 2nd (his boss) said no, doesn’t explain symptoms.

-my gallbladder was removed at age 17.

- We’ve considered psychosomatic but I was pretty happy and stable before I got sick…I can’t think of anything psychological that could have set it off. Now of course I have a great deal of stress and anxiety due to health problems, financial worries, being unable to work.

A: How have the doctors ruled out coeliac disease if it’s just the blood test it isn’t 100% reliable, you should have had a biopsy taken from you small intestine (or bit just before it but after you stomach, I forget what it’s called).

I’d say your symptoms are assoiated with malnutrtion which in a coeliac (like me) eating gluten errodes the lining in the small intestine.

Also look at possible problems with your pancreas, chronic pancreatitas would alos cause these problems

Q: Why won’t my symptoms go away? I need help asap!?
I am a 15 year old female and am currently 5′8″ and 94lbs.
I have been getting increasingly sicker and my doctors have done almost every blood and urine test possible and still haven’t found the main cause.
I finally have been thinking the worst this week, that maybe my bad dreams of being diagnosed with stomach cancer or a brain tumor (which I haven’t told anyone about because I don’t want to sound like a hypochondriac) are coming true.

Here are my symptoms ~
*Severe nausea (five years, but in the last year has grown increasingly worse)
*Severe abdominal pain (last few months)
*Loss of appitite and painful boloating after eating (1 year)
*Black stools (past few weeks, I have not taken pepto bismal, ect. for months)
*30lb weight loss in 3 months (unintentional)
*Night fevers (last few months)
*Severe headaces (last few months)
*Dizziness/Fatigue/Blurred vision (last few months)

I am currently taking 25mg Promethagan once a day and 5ml of Zantac twice a day and they helped at first but not any more.

I have had tons of blood tests, some urine tests, and one stool test to test for a bacterial infection. No scans, mris, ect.

I went to a GI doctor before Christmas and he did nothing for me except a blood test for chrones which was negative. At that time I didn’t have black stools though. My parents say that I have had almost every blood test possible and nothing is wrong with me. I can’t go to the doctor on my own, so how can I get my parents to take me?

What is wrong with me? I just want to get better! Any help is appriciated!

A: The shouldn’t just be doing blood tests, that doesn’t tell enough. They need to be doing upper and lower GI tests, MRIs, etc. If you have a medical school near you, go there. They will spend more attention on you. You have something major wrong, but not likely stomach cancer. Insist on more than blood tests.

Q: Why won’t my nausea and other symptoms go away? I need help asap!?
I am a 15 year old female and am currently 5′8″ and 94lbs.
I have been getting increasingly sicker and my doctors have done almost every blood and urine test possible and still haven’t found the main cause.
I finally have been thinking the worst this week, that maybe my bad dreams of being diagnosed with stomach cancer or a brain tumor (which I haven’t told anyone about because I don’t want to sound like a hypochondriac) are coming true.

Here are my symptoms ~
*Severe nausea (five years, but in the last year has grown increasingly worse)
*Severe abdominal pain (last few months)
*Loss of appitite and painful boloating after eating (1 year)
*Black stools (past few weeks, I have not taken pepto bismal, ect. for months)
*30lb weight loss in 3 months (unintentional)
*Night fevers (last few months)
*Severe headaces (last few months)
*Dizziness/Fatigue/Blurred vision (last few months)

I am currently taking 25mg Promethagan once a day and 5ml of Zantac twice a day and they helped at first but not any more.

I have had tons of blood tests, some urine tests, and one stool test to test for a bacterial infection. No scans, mris, ect.

I went to a GI doctor before Christmas and he did nothing for me except a blood test for chrones which was negative. At that time I didn’t have black stools though. My parents say that I have had almost every blood test possible and nothing is wrong with me. I can’t go to the doctor on my own, so how can I get my parents to take me?

What is wrong with me? I just want to get better! Any help is appriciated!

A: Well there is obviously something wrong with you and you should tell your parents. It might not be something serious and it might be easily curable and treatable, but losing 30 pounds in three months is drastic and should be raising some eyebrows.

If your parents won’t take you to the doctor, I don’t know what to tell you. If you really think it’s serious, check yourself into the ER and tell them there’s something wrong. It’s your judgment.

I think you should go ahead and have an MRI. I think if you’d had a brain tumor OR stomach cancer for years you would be bedridden by now… so it’s probably not that, and the doctors probably would have picked up on it by now if it WERE that. So maybe it’s something else. The initial nausea may have been from other factors (stress or something), and the recent developments you talked about during the last few months could be something new. Regardless, losing 30 pounds is definitely a sign that there’s something wrong, especially if it was unintentional. Go to the doctor’s again, and get a 2nd and 3rd opinion if they say the tests are inconclusive. If you’re losing drastic weight and getting sicker and sicker, you need to get better so you can enjoy life, even if the cause of your sickness isn’t very serious.

Good luck! I hope you get better.

Q: What could this disease be?
My husband has been tested for Chrones and has been been threw all these tests: http://www2.med.umich.edu/healthcenters/clinic_detail.cfm?hc_id=&service_id=170&um_unit_id=&clin_dept=Internal%20Medicine&search_clinicdept=Internal%20Medicine&search_clinicname=&search_clinkeyword=&thissearch=moresearch which all have shown up normal, but he has all the symptoms to Chrones, I don’t know what to do, we have been to many doctors and hospitals and specialist, if you know anything that could possibly help please let me know, I don’t want to find out too late…

A: u must feel happy because it is not crohn’s disease.(crohns has no proper treatment.
follow the advise of the specialist after some days ur husband gets relief. nothing to worry.
i hope u have consulted a gastro enterologist.

Q: need medical advice, trying to become intern and need help on tough illness.?
Okay, so my teacher set me and 47 other students up with a patient that he treated a long time ago, I will give you all the answers we got out of him before he said no more.

Age-16
Gender-Male
Time symptoms began to occur-10 months
Family History-Heart disease, diabetes 1 and 2, chrones disease, and gallbladder disease.
Symptoms-The patient complained of pain in the tip of his penis during exercise or exertion, he complained that he could not concentrate on anything like he had an infection of sorts, he complained that his blood circulation was no good, he complained of random head and stomach pains, that his eyes were forcing eachother apart, and blood in his stool.
-What the teacher gave as tips-
-The patient will die in a week if not diagnosed or treated-
-The patient has a past of mild hypochondria-
-The patient has been to 4 other doctors and taken 3 prescriptions of anti-biotics for the problem, which seemed to fight off the symptoms, but his symptoms came back after a month or two after each treatment, the treatments only working after 7 days.-
-The patient has not been clear on whether he has had sex yet-
-The patient is on a very strict budget, and only gets 1000$ of tests provided-
-the patient also had redness and slight discoloration on the knuckles-
-the patient has been treated yearly for the past 4 years for what was assumed was strep throat.-
-The patient has never been out of the country-
-the patient seems to be extremely lethargic-

What should I ask to check? Or if you know the diagnosis and can give me some hints/tips that would be great!
he said that the symptoms seemed to disappear after about a week of treatment. Not suddenly.
That makes quite abit of sense, we have a winner. =) Thanks man, you saved my a$$ on that on. Phew

A: He has neurosyphilis which started out as regular syphilis. An LP will confirm. He got it through the dirty stuff. He had sex, which explains the penis. He has infected tissue down there. Bad circulation due to syphilis results in bleeding in stomach which equals blood in stool. Antibiotics helped because they probably prescribed a blood thickening agent, which minimized the bloody stool. The disease moves to the brain, putting pressure on it, pressing the eyes apart and messing with concentration. Two weeks of penicillin will clear it all up. LP’s at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months will conclude.

Love,
Dr. House

P.S.- These are fun. Keep em’ coming.

Q: Worried I have bladder cancer?
I have had bladder infections off and on since I was little, but starting 6 months ago I would get one every month… then every other week… to every other day. I was seeing the doctor so many times for the same thing its driving me crazy. Every time i go and do a urine test theres blood and its never a “clean catch”. My general practitioner suggest i go to the urologist.
Once i had my appointment with the urologist and had a cystoscopy they discovered what they thought at the time was a fistula. To me it looked like a lump with stuff secreting from it. The only problem is i dont have Chrones disease (fistulas are a common symptom of this) and every doctor ive talked to has stated that a bladder fistula is extremely rare… even in a person with chrones.
Ive waited for a month to hear from the surgeon but have been back to the doctor for more of these “bladder infections” and nothing.
I suppose i should describe some of my symptoms so it makes it easier….

Bladder infection like spasms, frequent use of the restroom 7+ times a day, kidney pain, lower back pain, hip pain, intense pain while expelling the bladder, urgency to urinate, blood in urine…

Im just looking for answers… and every doctor ive talked to isnt giving me any results… i guess that kaiser for you… im so fed up that im turning to the internet for help

A: I would be looking for a second opinion.

In the meantime, lots of fluids.

Try cranberry juice (good for bladder infections)

Try non-alcoholic beer (good for kidney stones)

Good luck!

Q: cronhs disease?
is ther anyone out there with chrones diesease,if so what foods do you try to avoid to help symptoms

A: i’ve had it since i was 17 and i’m 31 now. I def think it depends on you and your diet.The best thing is just 2 keep a diary of foods you eat and when you find something thats not good for you write it down and then avoid it. Greasey food and roast dinners are my worst but if your anything like me its all foods but i eat them anyway!!!!

Q: I have been sick for 8 months?
I turned 16 years old in April. Last October, I got sick with what we thought was the swine flu and I never recovered. I was very healthy; slim, 5′4″ dancer, and about 116 lbs. I got sick with a horrible stomach virus. I always had the gagging urge in the back of my throat, but when I would throw up, only very small amounts of acid would come up. I kept a migraine headache, and my nose would bleed four and five times a day. I went to the doctor, and he did a swine flu swab that came back positive. He said come back in three weeks if you aren’t better. Three weeks, I was back at the doctor. I still had some appetite, but the vomiting was still there. I had also developed a scaly oozing rash then went down the back of my legs. And I was having panic attacks [daily] for the first time in my life. I went back to the doctor, he prescribed me zoloft for anxiety, zofran for the nausea and vomiting, and omeprazole for stomach spasm. On Christmas, I was taken to the urgent care because I had been throwing up then collapsed and was out for over ten minutes. In two and half months I had gone from 116 lbs to 99.6.
I am a competition dancer, and we have three hour practices 5 times a week. It is very challenging and physically demanding, but I love it. Dancing is my life. When I got sick, I had to quit. I missed four months. This was the first time I had missed a practice in 3 years.

While at the hospital, they ran bloodwork for everything from food allergies to Chrones disease. My food allergies came back, and I am allergic to soy, malt, oat, peanut butter, corn starch/powder, and whey. Those were the top 6, ALL of which had developed over the last 6 months [ I had recently had a physical].
The tests for Mono, Chrones disease and Celiac disease were all negative, and my white cell count was atill on the low side of normal, so an endoscopy and colonoscopy was called for. Everything looked normal except for my esophogus, which was irritated and inflamed due to the acid. When they did an ultrasound, my gallbladder was severly contracted, causing me a lot of pain, put it still looked normal [no inflamation or infection].
By the end of January, I was down to 83 lbs. I was on 7 medications, 16 pills per day, all treating the illness symptomatically. I was diagnosed with IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and prescribed the highest safe dose of lexapro for anxiety. My sysmptoms now included, but were not limited to dizziness/vertigo, nausea, vimoiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, extreme hair loss, nosebleeds, weight loss, stomach cramps, shaking, muscle cramps/spasms [lasting for up to an hour], insomnia, joint pain, anemia, and I had not had a period since October, the week before I got sick. Everything led back to Celiac disease, when my doctors seemed insistant upon, other than the MAIN factor that I was not allergic to wheat [gluton], the cause of Celiac.
Now it is June, and I am still sick. I am back up to 100 lbs, and I can dance in very small amounts again, but most of the symptoms remain. I take Zofran and phenergan for nausea and vomiting, but it only works occasionally. The lexapro has helped with the anxiety attacks, but only to an extent. I have another dozen medications for my symptoms.
I’m just tired of being sick. I want my life back! Is there any doctors out there who might know what this is, and how I can get better?
*Oh! I also have a severe iron and Vit. D defficiency [I take 400 mg of Iron 2x dailey, and 2,000 mg of Vit. D 2x dailey also] And I am allergic to UVB rays [I break out and get sick if I am outside for more than 15 minutes]

A: Have they rechecked you for swine flu since your first visit. It almost sounds like the swine flu precipitated this and you have never gotten better. If they checked your small intestines for celiac disease with an endoscope, you don’t have celiac disease or they missed it. One thing worth trying is going gluten free for 2-3 months and seeing if any or all of your symptoms clear up. There are circumstances of having a non-celiac gluten intolerance which has same problems as celiac but doesn’t register on the celiac tests.

I don’t know where you live, but you should explore getting your case reviewed by a large teaching hospital and getting seen there. If you are in Maryland, New York City or several other places, there are celiac centers that would be helpful in not only diagnosing CD but some of the other hard to figure out issues.

Did you ever get given Tamiflu or one of the other antivirals? How about IV Peramavir which is an IV antiviral?

Good luck and Hope you get well soon!!

Q: Do I have an autoimmune disease?
I AM 29 YEARS OLD WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES.(SARCOIDOSIS, REYNOLDS,CHRONES,RA ETC.) I FOUND OUT RECENTLY THAT I HAVE A THYROID PROBLEM. THE DOCTOR OVER MEDICATED ME CAUSING MY FT4 TO ELEVATE. DURING THAT TIME I HAD BODY ACHES (FELT LIKE THE FLU WITH OUT THE FEVER AND SNEEZING). I NOTICE I KEPT DROPPING EVERYTHING. I DECIDED TO DO A ANA TEST. IT TURNED UP POSITIVE NUCLEOLAR PATTER 1:320 WITH SOME CYTOPLASMIC STAINING. MY THYROID IS LOWERED WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I HAVE A ESR OF 105. I WANT TO GO TO THE DOCTOR BUT FEAR THAT I WILL BE WASTING MY TIME. ON THE OTHER HAND I WONDER IF I MAY HAVE A AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE.

A: With a family history of autoimmune diseases, it is best to be checked out by a medical specialist. If you are leery about returning to your doctor, than find another physician that specializes in Endocrinology (the study of the chemicals/hormones in the body.) With test results as you specified, make sure you take your records when you schedule a consultation with the specialist.

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: Can Crohns disease have no other symptoms than vague pain and blood in stool?
Thought I had a hernia, but CT scan showed bleeding in the colon and anemia. More tests in a week… Doc said maybe Crohns disease, but I don’t seem to have the classic symptoms. Could this be a lot worse?

A: I was diagnosed w/Crohns Disease 3 years ago and like you, I had none of the “classic symptoms”. After months of pain, several surgeries, 3 colonoscopies and 6 pints of blood…the surgeon did an exploratory surgery and found 3 feet of “diseased” bowel…..meaning that it was dead and was removed.

For your sake, I hope that whatever it is that you are dealing w/is not Crohns. Perhaps you have IBS-Irritable Bowel Syndrome and that is far more controllable w/diet and the occasional medications.

Q: What symptoms do Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis share?

A: Diarrhea (bloody diarrhea is more common in UC but can appear in CD)
Stomach pain & cramps
Fatigue, dehydration and weight loss

Q: What are the symptoms for the disease crohns?
I know it has to deal with your digestive system and it’s heriditary.My father had it.My sister has it.I’m afriad I may have it.

A: * Often onset has limited symptoms
* Weight loss, lethargy, fever, and general malaise
* Diarrhea, which may be bloody and can be intermittent
* Often vague abdominal pain, typically right lower quadrant or central, cramping or constant ache in nature
* Severe acute pain mimicking acute appendicitis
* Palpable, tender mass may be present in the lower abdomen, which represents thickened or matted loops of inflamed intestine or an abscess
* Frequently perianal disease with abscess and fistulas
* Extraintestinal manifestations are common (15%) and include arthritis, stomatitis, oral aphthous ulceration, ocular disease (iritis, conjunctivitis, episcleritis), skin lesions (erythema nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum), clubbing, venous thrombosis, gallstones due to the malabsorption of bile salts from the terminal ileum, nephrolithiasis with urate or calcium oxalate stones, and sclerosing cholangitis

Q: Crohns Disease?
At the beginning of April I went to the doctors because I was constipated. But before that I had white mucus and blood in my bowels. So the doctor gave me laxatives which did the trick, but when I got back to normal there was still blood and mucus in my bowels. So they set me up for a colonoscopy. Afterwards the doctor said that he found two ulcers and my colon was inflamed. He thought I had either a bacteria infection or ulcerative colitis.

He did a biopsy and the results came back that said what they saw was CONSISTANT with Crohns disease. I’ve never had any of the symptoms of Crohns (abdominal pain and diarhea). I have not taken the meds they gave me and I’ve shown no signs of anything. The doctor said that it could have all been a fluke and that he has seen it before.

One thing also, almost every morning I wake up with my stomach cramped up. I think it’s because I sleep on my floor and not a soft surface, but does anyone know if this is an indicator of anything else?
I do not have regular stomach pains or any diarrhea whatsoever. A lot of times when I wake up in the morning my stomach is cramped up, but goes away when I’m awake and moving around. The doctor found 2 ulcers in my colon and saw the my colon was inflamed and the biopsy results came back saying it was consistant with Crohn’s disease. I’ve never heard of the stomach cramping in the morning as a symptom, but other than that I have no symptoms of Crohns…..any ideas?

A: hi thinker, I am a female crohn’s pt. for 28 yr. who has been through all of the tests as you have described. I can relate to the pain you go through……. the stomach cramps you are experiencing are definitely a symptom of Crohn’s I have had it for a long time so I take my anti spasmatics to ease it. Why are you not taking your meds? Just because you feel fine isn’t a reason not to take it. It will make things worse. Call your GI and tell you what you are doing. This illness is like that. Maybe he can do something else for you.

Symptoms will vary in each person as well as pain. Check into the crohn’s and colitis foundation’s website for more information. they have a live chat, a hotline both run by healthcare experts as well as a forum where you can post your questions.

Seriously,even though you are not showing outward signs of CD, your insides are inflamed and that needs to be under control otherwise the intestines can narrow and cause an obstruction. They are extremely painful and can lead to other serious problems such as a perforation or a total colectomy.

good luck to you.

Q: What are the symptoms of crohns disease? any info please!?

A: * Abdominal pain. The pain often is described as cramping and intermittent, and the abdomen may be sore when touched. Abdominal pain may turn to a dull, constant ache as the condition progresses.
* Diarrhea. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times per day. They may wake up at night and need to go to the bathroom. Crohn’s disease may cause blood in stools, but not always.
* Loss of appetite.
* Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that affect the entire body may develop. A high fever may mean that you have a complication involving infection, such as an abscess.
* Weight loss. Ongoing symptoms, such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.
* Too few red blood cells (anemia). Some people with Crohn’s disease develop anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or the intestinal inflammation itself.

Q: what are some symptoms of crohns disease?

A: also extreme tiredness, loss of desire for things you like to do, depression, nausea & or vomiting(especially if there is blockage)
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s ilietis 1-98

Q: what are the symptoms of Crohns disease?
i was wondering if anybody knew anything about it

A: What Are The Symptoms Of Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease can cause a variety of symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. The three classic (though not specific) symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease are:

* Persistent or recurrent diarrhea (possibly with blood, mucus, or pus)

* Abdominal pain

* Fever

There also may be signs and symptoms unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract.

A doctor will obtain a complete medical history and perform a thorough physical examination, along with laboratory and diagnostic tests, to diagnose Crohn’s disease. The examination and other tests are necessary to rule out a number of transient conditions, such as viral, bacterial, or parasitic infection, that cause symptoms similar to Crohn’s disease.
Diarrhea

In cases of Crohn’s disease, patients often experience frequent loose or watery bowel movements. The stool is occasionally accompanied by thick, dark blood (not bright red smears of blood, which usually result from a bleeding hemorrhoid). There is less mucus or pus in the stool than in cases of ulcerative colitis.
Pain

Patients may experience crampy, achy, or even sharp pain in the affected area. Most often, patients with Crohn’s disease feel pain on the lower right side of the abdomen (lower right quadrant) and just below the bellybutton. This is because the majority of cases of Crohn’s disease involve disease in the terminal ileum, where the small intestine meets the large intestine. The terminal ileum crosses from left to right just above the beltline, and joins the large intestine in the lower right quadrant.

The type of pain associated with Crohn’s disease depends on what part of the GI tract is affected. Disease in the terminal ileum generally causes sharp pain, while disease in the colon causes more crampy pain, similar to that that of ulcerative colitis. Pain is sometimes relieved (temporarily) after a bowel movement.
Fever

Crohn’s is an inflammatory disease, and one of the key characteristics of the inflammatory process is fever. (The others are pain, swelling, and redness.) Some individuals with Crohn’s disease suffer a high fever, especially during the acute phase of a flare-up An increase in clinical disease symptoms. . Others run a persistent, low-grade fever. Fever may be accompanied by irritability and fatigue. Sometimes, the fever recurs each day, especially late in the day, then repeatedly breaks during sleep, causing night sweats.
Signs and Symptoms Unrelated To The GI Tract

A number of signs and symptoms that do not involve the gastrointestinal tract can occur with Crohn’s disease. These may occur at the same time as the intestinal symptoms, or may be experienced weeks or even months before any intestinal symptoms are noticed. If your doctor suspects inflammatory bowel disease, he or she will ask you detailed questions about whether or not these extra-intestinal symptoms have appeared:

* Reddening and inflammation of the eye (iritis)

* Joint pain (usually in the large joints of the knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, and shoulders), which sometimes migrates from one joint to another (migrating arthralgia)

* Skin lesions, including tender red nodules on the shins or calves (erythema nodosum)

* Sores inside the mouth (aphthous ulcers)

Q: what are symptoms for crohns disease?

A: A good friend of mine has it…she had crazy stomachaches, diarrhea, and heartburn. Unfortunately those are kind of general to any problem like that, but, a colonoscopy helped them diagnose her. Now she takes medicine and stays away from spicy food and any kind of seeds (can irritate the bowel lining) and she’s much better.

Q: I’m having some added symptoms along with my usual with Crohns Disease. What are ALL of the symptoms of Crohns

A: That is a tall order… in general, the effects of Crohn’s, outside of the usual GI distress, diarrhea, mucus, bleeding pain, etc. There are ocular irritation, i.e. iritis, joint aches, and skin rashes, erythema nodosum. The Crohn’s can affect any part of the GI track, from oral ulcers to rectal disease. Anything in between!!

Q: I have heard that Crohns Disease can cause “night blindness” is this true?
Hi
I have had Crohns Disease for many years and have difficulties driving on unlit roads. I read somewhere that this “night blindness” is a symptom of Crohns Disease. Is this true and does anybody else have the same difficulty?

A: Night blindness is usually a result of deficiency of Vitamin A. This fat soluble vitamin might be poorly absorbed from the intestine in people with conditions like extensive or severe Crohns due to decreased normal mucosal absorptive surface area.
Crohns can also occasionally have extra-intestinal manifestations including inflammation of the eye (episcleritis, uveitis, etc) but this would cause symptoms all the time, not just at night. In summary, night blindness is not a symptom of Crohns, but can be a consequence of intestinal involvement.

Q: crohns disease and small fiber neuropathy?
how does crohns disease trigger small fiber neuropathy symptoms through your whole body, especially worse in feet and hands. i’ve been burning throughout my whole body for the past 4 years and have just recently noticed that fasting or just chicken and salads make it better. does anyone know if this is normal with crohns? my dr says it’s what’s causing the burning. hopefully once i start on the medication these symptoms will subside.

A: this is news to me but sorry for your pain.

Q: Crohns: Crohns disease is hereditary in my family. Is it an early symptom of crohns to have…?
Red blood in stool and an increased frequency of bowel movements early on? I am currently seeing a doctor for this because I have had blood in my stool for about a month now. I am afraid of what I am going to find out or have to do on the next visit.

Also, these ’symptoms’ developed extremely fast.. . which has me doubt that it could be crohns.

Thanks!

A: Has your doc done an ANA blood test? This would aid in detecting an autoimmune disease, which Crohn’s is. Even if they find you do have it, it can usually be controlled with the proper medication.

Q: What’s the best way of diagnosing Crohns disease? (Tests so far proved inconclusive despite all the symptoms)
Endoscopy, colonoscopy and barium x-ray did not reveal any inflammation yet the consultant remained 99% certain I had Crohns. Now I’m told that it’s IBS and the only medication to help is antidepressants. The symtoms persist including diarrhea (upto 6-7x a day), constipation, anal fissure, stomach cramps, tiredness, bloating, occasional anal bleeding, passing mucus, low appetite yet no wait loss, ulcers on tongue, occasional ‘24 hr’ fever. Help would be very much appreciated.

A: I have had luck treating my IBS and a friend that has Chrons tried the same approach and has been feeling much better. Diagnosing auto immune disorders can be difficult.

Q: Does anyone know any herbs or over the counter products that help with crohns disease?
I was on prednisone about a year ago for a few weeks and it really helped a lot, but it was very harsh on my body / mood. i have recently been experiencing a relapse, and would like to try over the counter products and some natural herbs that would be able to help me. In the past i have used advil and chamomile tea to help, but they aren’t very effective in helping the symptoms of crohns

A: I have had Ulcerative Colitis for 27 years now and have tried various herbal remedies. None of them work and I’m now on 6 Asacol tablets a day for life. My advice is to see your doctor to see if you can have an alternative to prednisolone.

Q: inflammatory bowel disease question?
what are the signs & symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease??

A: here’s a good website:

Q: Can anyone give me Information on Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Is it Genetic?
What are the symptoms?
What can be taken for it?

Any thing esle would be really helpful. I want to understand it before I go to my Doctors

Thanks

A: www.ccfa.org…should have a ton of information on Crohn’s disease as well as Ulcerative colitis.

Q: Could I have Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
I have been going to the doctors alot recently for excessive gas. I was to go into surgery, but then I was told to wait and was put on a new medication and was also told to send a stool sample to get tested for it. (It’s disgusting, but I really don’t care anymore, its been going on too long for that.)

I haven’t gotten the results yet, and right now I am actually hoping that I do have because at least then there would be some answers, and possible treatment. So, here are some of the symptoms I am experiencing. If you are easily offended or are going to leave nasty comments please just leave.

1. terrible gas, it doesn’t smell, just all the time never ending burping and even worse, farting

2. just recently i have stopped wanting to eat, and easily get sick after eating (there are things that i do still like to eat though, but i get sick very easily eating sweets and anything in large amounts, not throwing up, but feeling like i have to) i do eat alot of spicy food still though, i don’t know if i’m just getting more picky, or what

3. bloating (on some days to the point where i feel like my stomach is going to explode and i look pregnant or something)

4. i don’t know if this is related, but i get headaches alot

Also, I was told I was constipated and put onto a medication for it. That’s when I started to lose my appetite, and have terrible diarrhea, I got so sick from it that I stopped taking it, and by then my body was used to it, so I didn’t go to the bathroom for about 2 weeks. It was terribly painful, but not as bad as the pain that I experience before I started taking the medicine. It was a much duller pain and more of a full feeling than the sharp pains that I had before.

The medicine did bring the gas problems down, but it gave me terrible diarrhea, to the point where some days I couldn’t go to school because of it.

I really need some kind of hope that I will get through this. Its been going on for over a year now, and before I started to get help I was thinking of taking my own life. Now its a race for getting better as I might be out of the country this summer for a volunteer program and don’t want to be sick the entire time.

If you think you know what I might have, would you mind helping me?

A: Have you been tested for celiac disease as well as other food allergies and intolerances?
If the doctor tells you that celiacs have diarrhea and not constipation, just be aware that that is absolutely not correct!
The screening test for celiac is a simple blood test and then an endoscopy if necessary.
I wish you well and I hope you get your diagnosis soon!

p.s. my best guess would be Crohn’s or Celiac btw

Q: Has anybody ever heard of the use of active bacterial cultures to treat chron’s or colitis?
I’m curious as to whether or not daily doses of the bacterias Acidophilus and Bifidus or others might help in treating inflammatory bowel disease, or at least reducing the symptoms.

A: Yes, that is true. My daughter-in-law has ulcerative colitis and was taking prednisone. She started faithfully taking all natural Optiflora and she consistently improved – her doctor started reducing her medication ’til she was off of it completely. Optiflora is a two-product system which includes (Bifidus & Acidophilus) + Prebiotic (food source for microflora). I think the reason this supplement worked so well is because of the encapsulation process that is used. It guarantees that 500 million live microflora reaches the intestines and colon. Other products only guarantee that there are live microflora at the time of manufacture and not that they will reach the intestines live. Optiflora treats the cause and not just the symptoms.

Safe for all ages from infants to seniors with no side effects.

Hope this is helpful and feel free to contact me with questions.

Q: Did I answer the question she’s asking?
I have to write 2 paragraphs as a biology assignment, one on how bacteria is helpful to humans and another on how it is harmful. I am not sure if I am answering the question in the best way. Here is the paragraph I wrote on how it is helpful:

Different types of bacteria are helpful to humans, and these bacteria are called Probiotics. One thing probiotics do is help maintain and restore the balance of bacteria. Without this balance, harmful bacteria multiply and eventually take over. Another thing probiotics do is help relieve symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowl syndrome, calitis, and alcoholic liver disease. There is also evidence that probiotics help prevent certain types of allergies and the risk for colon, liver, and breast cancers.

A: your first sentence would be stronger if you said why certain times of bacteria are helpful to humans. so ‘Different types of bacteria are helpful to humans BECAUSE…’

‘one thing’ and ‘another thing’ are somewhat awkward of transitions. try something like ‘Also, probiotics help relieve…’

remember to always state your idea, and then your reason! don’t try to bs…I did that in school too, but teachers can always tell. just say what you mean, even if it is short. but yes I would say you answered the question. good luck!

Q: Please Read! People with Gastrointestinal Problems. Chrones disease? IBS? IBD? Celiac Disease?
I am sixteen years old and have been suffering from chronic abdominal discomfort and other symptoms for more than four months. I have constant nausea ( I always feel like I am on the verge of vomiting but never do), abdominal pain ranging from a
mild irritated feeling to sharp cramps (not menstrual), gas, headaches, and debilitating fatigue.. I had an ultrasound and a ct scan a week ago and they both showed that I don’t have gallstones but I do have a large amount of (may be graphic-beware) compacted fecal matter (I warned you). However I have not been feeling constipated. In fact lately I have been having dihherea (occasionally bloody) 4-5 times a day.
I have Celiac disease and I was diagnosed about 4 months ago. And I know that it can take a while to heal but even the doctor doesnt know why its taking so long.
I just feel so sick all the time. Here’s my question: could it be Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chrones or Ulcerative Colitis) or something els

A: Warning – also graphic! Sometimes constipation can get so bad that we can actually leak liquid stool around the impacted fecal matter.

This sounds a little more serious than irritable bowel syndrome, especially considering the fact that you are having blood in your stool. It sounds as if you need a colonoscopy, but you would have to have your colon “cleaned out” first.

You should have a good gastroenterologist; if you are having a significant amount of blood loss, sooner rather than later. I assume you are following the celiac diet.

I would make sure that someone has run a thyroid panel, as low thyroid can cause both constipation and fatigue and can be overlooked in cases where an alternative explanation is available. You should also make sure your blood count is not low, as this could make you feel very tired as well.

Q: What to do with extreme stomach disease?
I have been diagnosed with severe colitis which is an inflammatory bowel disease last May. No medicine has seemed to help me, we have even tried steriods..but the diarreha and vomitting has increased in amounts and intensity. My gastrologist says there is nothing left to give me to stop the cycle. I have lost 30 pounds since May and the hospitals are not sure what to do with me. I keep myself hydrated the best i can and try to replace the food i loose but i can’t seem to keep anything in. I tried to reduce any stress that may inhance the symptoms with lexpro and klonopin, i am taking lomotil and immodium which do not help. i use the bathroom 10-40 times a day with a few bouts of vommitting with fluid. any suggestions?

A: i was diagnosed with crohns disease. but i think its more than that.

first, i know Imodium helps but take a break from it. keeping hydrated is really good.

i strongly suggest doing an elimination diet. this means for me stop eating for a few days. then slowly introduce foods that are very mild. plain oatmeal, or rice. stay away from any wheat products. they are an allergen and irritant.
jello is a good option, and does not stress the digestive system, and helps keep you hydrated. simple veg or chicken broth is good too.

and this is from me to you, painkillers.
AVOID= aspirin, and ibuprofen. they are bad for any tummy issue. sometimes tylenol can be used but not always, again personal from me to you is that i have found that vicodin helps immensely. sometimes you just need a break from the pain. talk to the doc about it. it can be strong for some, so if you do use it then keep yourself hydrated when you take it.

the docs, sometimes they give up, sometimes all they want to do is shove tubes up your bum. been there done that, sometimes they are idiots.
but sometimes, you need to find a better doc. one who will listen and understand.

Q: Diagnosing Inflammatory bowel and Irritable bowel syndrome ?
The symptoms are so similar , how does one diagnose one over the other.
The significance of the two diseases is so different.

A: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are two very different entities even if some of the presentation may be similar (diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain)

but in IBD there is a clear pathology and the effects is much more sinister – causing bloody diarrhoea, malabsorption problems, may cause abdominal obstruction from strictures, or abnormal connections with other organs (fistulas), intestinal perforation or increased risk of colorectal cancer. The abdominal pain is much more severe than IBS
to diagnose IBD for sure you would need a colonoscopy and biopsy of the affected part for pathological evaluation. abdominal x-rays, small or large bowel enemas or follow throughs and blood results may be supportive of the diagnosis as well.

IBS is more likely to be a functional disturbance of the bowel, the symptoms are not as severe, and is a diagnosis of exclusion (there is no investigation to show that its a case of IBS) after the doctor has done the appropriate investigations to outrule other causes of chronic diarrhoea (other causes include IBD, chronic gastroenteritis, coeliac disease, lactose intolerance). and it has no significant long term complications. When doing colonoscopy and biopsy the lining of the intestine in IBS is normal, the only significant thing is that they have a much lower pain threshold during the procedure than the normal population (hence probably an over sensitive stomach, or a functional disturbance) and IBS is also related to stress and anxiety

the causes for both IBS and IBD are still unknown

Q: THIS IS MY COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY, IS IT READY TO BE SENT TO COLLEGES?
I would like to share with you something about my current medical situation. Ordinarily I would not do so, as I am an intensely private person, but I now accept that my physical limitations have quite possibly impacted my high school performance in a negative manner, and I feel that it is only fair that you have this information. Therefore, I am reluctantly going to allow access to information that I would never, otherwise, speak of.For the past several years, I have been afflicted by a physical situation that has sometimes interfered with my ability to focus, both in the classroom and out. I do not wish to be too specific about the symptoms of my disease, except to say that they are digestive in nature and sometimes require me to spend long periods of time in the Ladies’ Room. Despite my terrible discomfort, I refused to accept that there might be something wrong with me, and would not seek treatment. I know now that I should have been less determined to suffer in silence and more willing to accept help. Finally, my parents insisted on bringing the matter to the attention of a physician. I was tested, over a period of several weeks, for colon cancer, Crohn’s Disease, intestinal obstructions, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett’s esophagus, Heliocobacter pylori (commonly known as ulcer), celiac sprue (commonly known as wheat allergy), lactose intolerance, gallstones, bile duct stones, sclerosing cholangitis (the narrowing of the bile ducts), “Sphincter of Oddi” dysfunction and pancreatitis. You can imagine how relieved I was to learn that I had none of these terrible diseases.Finally, I received the diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is sometimes known as spastic colon, nervous colon, nervous stomach, mucous colitis and spastic colitis, and is distinguished by abnormal bowel habits, such as diarrhea (loose stools), constipation or sometimes, as in my own case, both. It is well known to experts in this field that periods of stress can intensify the severity of IBS. I have certainly found my busy schedule of six honors/AP classes, Varsity field hockey, swimming and track teams, performing lead roles in three consecutive Spring Musicals, volunteering at the local animal shelter, tutoring at-risk children, and working three evenings a week plus all day Saturday at The Gap to be, at times, stressful, but of course it is impossible to say what has caused me to be afflicted with this very horrible syndrome.Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS or spastic colon) is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause.[1] In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements.[2] Diarrhea or constipation may predominate, or they may alternate (classified as IBS-D, IBS-C or IBS-A, respectively). IBS may begin after an infection (post-infectious, IBS-PI), a stressful life event, or onset of maturity without any other medical indicators.
Although there is no cure for IBS, there are treatments that attempt to relieve symptoms, including dietary adjustments, medication and psychological interventions. Patient education and a good doctor-patient relationship are also important. Several conditions may present as IBS including celiac disease, Fructose malabsorption,[3] mild infections, parasitic infections like giardiasis, several inflammatory bowel diseases, functional chronic constipation, and chronic functional abdominal pain. In IBS, routine clinical tests yield no abnormalities, though the bowels may be more sensitive to certain stimuli, such as balloon insufflation testing. The exact cause of IBS is unknown. The most common theory is that IBS is a disorder of the interaction between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, although there may also be abnormalities in the gut flora or the immune system. IBS does not lead to more serious conditions in most patients. But it is a source of chronic pain, fatigue, and other symptoms, and it increases a patient’s medical costs, and contributes to work absenteeism. Researchers have reported that the high prevalence of IBS, in conjunction with increased costs produces a disease with a high societal cost. It is also regarded as a chronic illness and can dramatically affect the quality of a sufferer’s life. In fact, doctors do not know what causes IBS, or why people who share my disease feel the need to have a bowel movement soon after eating, causing diarrhea, or why the prolonged spasm of the large intestine causes stool to stay in one area for too long and get dried out, resulting in small hard stools (constipation). As of today, palliative treatments are only in the experimental stage, and the hard truth is that there is no cure for IBS. It has been very difficult for me to accept this diagnosis at my young age. I do not know what the future will hold for me and other I

A: The best college finder is http://FindYourUniversity.info

You should try them.It’s 100% free , and it is the most trusted online site for finding education.

I think that will help

Q: THIS IS MY COLLEGE ESSAY, IS IT READY TO BE SENT TO COLLEGES?
I would like to share with you something about my current medical situation. Ordinarily I would not do so, as I am an intensely private person, but I now accept that my physical limitations have quite possibly impacted my high school performance in a negative manner, and I feel that it is only fair that you have this information. Therefore, I am reluctantly going to allow access to information that I would never, otherwise, speak of.

For the past several years, I have been afflicted by a physical situation that has sometimes interfered with my ability to focus, both in the classroom and out. I do not wish to be too specific about the symptoms of my disease, except to say that they are digestive in nature and sometimes require me to spend long periods of time in the Ladies’ Room. Despite my terrible discomfort, I refused to accept that there might be something wrong with me, and would not seek treatment. I know now that I should have been less determined to suffer in silence and more willing to accept help. Finally, my parents insisted on bringing the matter to the attention of a physician. I was tested, over a period of several weeks, for colon cancer, Crohn’s Disease, intestinal obstructions, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett’s esophagus, Heliocobacter pylori (commonly known as ulcer), celiac sprue (commonly known as wheat allergy), lactose intolerance, gallstones, bile duct stones, sclerosing cholangitis (the narrowing of the bile ducts), “Sphincter of Oddi” dysfunction and pancreatitis. You can imagine how relieved I was to learn that I had none of these terrible diseases.

Finally, I received the diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is sometimes known as spastic colon, nervous colon, nervous stomach, mucous colitis and spastic colitis, and is distinguished by abnormal bowel habits, such as diarrhea (loose stools), constipation or sometimes, as in my own case, both. It is well known to experts in this field that periods of stress can intensify the severity of IBS. I have certainly found my busy schedule of six honors/AP classes, Varsity field hockey, swimming and track teams, performing lead roles in three consecutive Spring Musicals, volunteering at the local animal shelter, tutoring at-risk children, and working three evenings a week plus all day Saturday at The Gap to be, at times, stressful, but of course it is impossible to say what has caused me to be afflicted with this very horrible syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS or spastic colon) is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause.[1] In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements.[2] Diarrhea or constipation may predominate, or they may alternate (classified as IBS-D, IBS-C or IBS-A, respectively). IBS may begin after an infection (post-infectious, IBS-PI), a stressful life event, or onset of maturity without any other medical indicators.

Although there is no cure for IBS, there are treatments that attempt to relieve symptoms, including dietary adjustments, medication and psychological interventions. Patient education and a good doctor-patient relationship are also important.[2]

Several conditions may present as IBS including celiac disease, Fructose malabsorption,[3] mild infections, parasitic infections like giardiasis,[4] several inflammatory bowel diseases, functional chronic constipation, and chronic functional abdominal pain. In IBS, routine clinical tests yield no abnormalities, though the bowels may be more sensitive to certain stimuli, such as balloon insufflation testing. The exact cause of IBS is unknown. The most common theory is that IBS is a disorder of the interaction between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, although there may also be abnormalities in the gut flora or the immune system.[5][6]

IBS does not lead to more serious conditions in most patients.[7][8][9][10][11] But it is a source of chronic pain, fatigue, and other symptoms, and it increases a patient’s medical costs,[12][13] and contributes to work absenteeism.[14][15] Researchers have reported that the high prevalence of IBS,[16][17][18] in conjunction with increased costs produces a disease with a high societal cost.[19] It is also regarded as a chronic illness and can dramatically affect the quality of a sufferer’s life.

In fact, doctors do not know what causes IBS, or why people who share my disease feel the need to have a bowel movement soon after eating, causing diarrhea, or why the prolonged spasm of the large intestine causes stool to stay in one area for too long and get dried out, resulting in small hard stools (constipation). As of today, palliative treatments are only in the experimental stage, and the hard truth is that there is no cure for IBS.

It has been very difficult for me to accept thi

A: It flows really nicely . . .But I am unsure as to what the college asked you. What was the prompt in the first place? Is this a college entrance essay or is it another one of the essays that asks you to explain your “disabilities”?
If this is a college entrance exam that goes over something like “explain any physical disabilities/hardships that you have and how you overcame them” then you did a good job explaining your phsyical disabilities but you didnt do a good job explaining on how YOU cope with it. How did you win your battle with this disease? How have you come to terms with it? What have you learned about yourself when facing this disability? In fact you generalized it a bit too much. No one wants to know treatments, or what doctors think or what they can do. They want to know about YOU! So include some positives and it will look good.

Q: Can I carry my son If I have PID? Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?
I think I have PID My symptoms are
extreme swelling in the vagina
pain during sex (i stop immediately as soon as I felt pain)
vaginal bleeding, which at first I thought was a period
cramping before, during and a few seconds later after a bowel movement
I have no idea if I have it or not but If I do can I still carry my 20 lb son?
I have a dr appointment this week but what about meanwhile?
Is there anything you can tell me if you have had PID?
I ask here because there are more women here than in the health section. And we are all mom
Thanks Diet C for the web site
I think I got this when My IUD was inserted I hope is not Chlamydia or Gonorrhea or else my husband is in big trouble

A: Yes, you can carry your son.

PID is generally a complication of chlamydia and gonorrhea and is curable via antibiotic treatment.

More info: http://www.cdc.gov/std/PID/STDFact-PID.htm

Q: What will happen 2 me????
Im 21 years old and about 4 months ago i was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) this is chronic.
I spent over 2 weeks in hospital and a further 3 weeks at home sick. There was no warning and i suffered no symptoms. Since i have had this i have had nothing but problems i take over 8 tablets a day which i have 2 for the rest of my life, i suffer with stomache pains on a regular basis which has made it harder 4 me at work, i no longer sleep properly, i can no longer eat or drink everything. My life consists of weekly trips 2 my doctor. I also have 2 go for tests e.g. a camera being put inside me every 6 months, blood tests ect. Ive never met anyone who suffers from this and i would very like 2 understand how i got this and will my life ever go back 2 normal. My biggest fear is cancer i know the risks are there and i try not 2 let it worry me but my visit 2 the doctors today shows my health is not looking good.

Please honest and helpfull answer

A: My uncle also has ulcerative colitis, I am very sorry to hear this. If you ever need anyone to talk to please email me. Here is my answer:

Mortality
The effect of ulcerative colitis on mortality is unclear, but it is thought that the disease primarily affects quality of life, and not lifespan.

Causes
While the cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown, several, possibly interrelated, causes have been suggested.

Unusual Causes
At one time it was a practice to give hydrogen peroxide enemas for certain conditions. Sometimes hydrogen peroxide is accidentally introduced into the colon during procedures. This is known to cause a condition that appears to be identical to ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis has been reported subsequent to administration of vitamin B6 and iron as dietary supplements, suggesting that these might be causative factors.

Treatment with Drugs
Standard treatment for ulcerative colitis depends on extent of involvement and disease severity. The goal is to induce remission initially with medications, followed by the administration of maintenance medications to prevent a relapse of the disease. The concept of induction of remission and maintenance of remission is very important. The medications used to induce and maintain a remission somewhat overlap, but the treatments are different. Physicians first direct treatment to inducing a remission which involves relief of symptoms and mucosal healing of the lining of the colon and then longer term treatment to maintan the remission.

Surgery
Unlike Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis can generally be cured by surgical removal of the large intestine. This procedure is necessary in the event of: exsanguinating hemorrhage, frank perforation or documented or strongly suspected carcinoma. Surgery is also indicated for patients with severe colitis or toxic megacolon. Patients with symptoms that are disabling and do not respond to drugs may wish to consider whether surgery would improve the quality of life.

Ulcerative colitis is a disease that affects many parts of the body outside the intestinal tract. In rare cases the extra-intestinal manifestations of the disease may require removal of the colon.

General
The initial diagnostic workup for ulcerative colitis includes the following:

A complete blood count is done to check for anemia; thrombocytosis, a high platelet count, is occasionally seen
Electrolyte studies and renal function tests are done, as chronic diarrhea may be associated with hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and pre-renal failure.
Liver function tests are performed to screen for bile duct involvement: primary sclerosing cholangitis.
X-ray
Urinalysis
Stool culture, to rule out parasites and infectious causes.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be measured, with an elevated sedimentation rate indicating that an inflammatory process is present.
Although ulcerative colitis is a disease of unknown causation, inquiry should be made as to unusual factors believed to trigger the disease. Factors may include: recent cessation of tobacco smoking; recent administration of large doses of iron or vitamin B6; hydrogen peroxide in enemas or other procedures.

I hope this has helped. I got all my info from Wkipedia. Fight through this, and please email me if you need someone to talk to. toaster9795@yahoo.com

Q: Hemorrhoids, Herpes, or ??? Please Help!!?
This is embarrassing, but…. I have tested positive for herpes through a blood test, but I have never had an outbreak. My problem now is that I think I may have hemorrhoids (mostly internal), but I’m worried that maybe it is anal herpes instead? I have never had anal sex, but I have heard that you can still have an anal outbreak regardless.
For a few months now, I have seen a little bit of blood on the toilet paper when I wipe, but it has always been a small amount. There have been a couple of little tears now and then, so I figured that was the cause of the bleeding. I have had itching too.
The past few days, my symptoms have been a little worse. I’m not sure why I initially decided to do this, but I took a mirror to the bathroom and held it so that I could see my anus as I was pushing out. A couple really swollen looking and bright red things come out past my anus, and go back in.

I forgot to mention that I have been taking a diet pill, for about a month. I have been having diarrhea, but it started after I started taking the pills, so I think its related to just that. I say this to point out that I have not been constipated, so I haven’t had to push too hard to go to the bathroom. However, now that I see the swollen looking red things that come out, I feel like I am having to push harder because It feels like I need to push extra to get the stool to go past the red things. I know this is kind of gross, but I took a couple of pictures (clean) in case I can send them to someone to help with a diagnosis. I’ve been reading and it seems like my symptoms can fall under anal herpes, hemorrhoids, and even inflammatory bowel disease. Please help!

A: This is truly a remarkable question. I hope someone answers this one!!!

Q: People with gastrointestinal problems: What is wrong with me?
I am sixteen years old and have been suffering from chronic abdominal discomfort and other symptoms for more than four months. I have constant nausea ( I always feel like I am on the verge of vomiting but never do), abdominal pain ranging from a
mild irritated feeling to sharp cramps (not menstrual), gas, headaches, and debilitating fatigue.. I had an ultrasound and a ct scan a week ago and they both showed that I don’t have gallstones but I do have a large amount of (may be graphic-beware) compacted fecal matter (I warned you). However I have not been feeling constipated. In fact lately I have been having dihherea (occasionally bloody) 4-5 times a day.
I have Celiac disease and I was diagnosed about 4 months ago. And I know that it can take a while to heal but even the doctor doesnt know why its taking so long.
I just feel so sick all the time. Here’s my question: could it be Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chrones or Ulcerative Colitis) or something el
I have a really healthy gluten free diet. I really think that there is something else besides the celiac disease because I am feeling progressively worse instead of better as the days go by.

Please tell me what you experienced with any of your conditions so I can have a better understanding of what I might be dealing with.
Really all the compaction has been cleared by the diherrea I think.

A: A deficiency in vitamin B6 will produce symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, numbness and tingling and prickling sensations in the outer extremities, excessive urination and dry mouth that can’t be resolved despite how much water you drink, muscle spasms,leg cramps. These symptoms can all be due to the use of tricyclic antidepressants.

Eat more foods rich in this vitamin ie: wheat bran, wheat germ, liver, fish, cantaloupe, cabbage, blackstrap molasses, unmilled rice, eggs, oats and peanuts.

Other symptoms of Bcomplex deficiency (as they are all interdependant) are constipation, bad digestion, headaches and migraines and fatigue and exhaustion, heart palpitations and chest pains,excessive sweating, dizzy spells, fainting and loss of balance, depression, tingling and prickling and numbing sensations in the outer extremities, insomnia, irritability and moodiness and an inability to think clearly ….Quite scary actually if you don’t realise the vitamin factor.

Eat more foods rich in this vitamin ie: organ meats such as lambs fry and kidneys, skimmed milks and cheeses, fish and eggs.

If you are lactose intolerant or vegetarian then it is really important that you supplement your diet with a multi B complex tablet on a daily basis.

Things that could be robbing you of your precious B complex of vitamins are :- eating too much protein, alcohol, eating too much tinned food, antiobiotics, antidepressants, penicillin, prednisone and aspirin.

Also, try to cut back on drinks such as caffeine, tea, sodas and soft drinks as they are all B complex thieves…….. as well as being great at dehydrating you.

Take a multi B complex tablet including all the B’s ie: B1, B2 B3, B5, B6 and B12 as they work best synergistically (together).

The B complex of vitamins is essential for healthy neural, digestive and immune system functioning.

The B complex of vitamins is a water soluble complex and as such our bodies can neither store or produce them. Therefore we need to ingest them on a daily basis or suffer the consequences as you unfortunately are……… a good point to make here is that if you are deficient in vitamin B12 you would therefore also be deficient in iron as iron also needs vitamin B12 to be properly assimilated by the body and hence you would be displaying iron deficiency anemia symptoms ie; fatigue and exhaustion (as you are), dizzy spells and fainting.

When you take your daily supplement ensure that you take it with some type of calcium rich food ie: low fat cheese or milk or a calcium supplement as B12 needs calcium to be properly assimilated by the body……….. ensure you also get enough sunshine (vitamin D) or eat cold water fishes such as tuna, salmon, sardines and whiting as calcium needs enough vitamin D to be effectively absorbed!! These cold water fishes are also a rich source of magnesium (known as the antistress mineral) which is probably another thing you need to focus on as well ~ your stress levels.

Foods rich in magnesium will also aide in eliminating your constipation ……. magnesium is needed in the body for healthy nerve and muscle functioning and for heart health. Quite a handfull of information here …….. sorry it’s a bit long winded but you need to know all this.

When our bodies are placed under added stress such as sickness, relationship dramas, new job, school studies or just daily life really, the B complex of vitamins are usually the first group to get used up and we therefore need to adjust our intake accordingly.

When you are getting any stress related symptoms or any of the above mentioned symptoms simply take another B tablet. As they are water soluble our bodies will simply excrete any excess in our urine.

Drink loads of fresh filtered water too as the happiest and healthiest body will always be the most hydrated one.

I sincerely wish you the best of health & vitality buddy♥

***edit*** Oops, sorry, a deficiency in vitamin B3 ~ which is part of the B complex of vitamins ~ will cause diahhorea, headaches, fatigue, dermatitis, depression, bone pain and muscle weakness …….:0)

******

CHEERS
♥

Q: What Can I do for rectal pain and pressure?
I was diagnosed with IBS 3 years ago but over the last 12 months my symptoms have got really bad.
A few weeks ago I started passing blood while trying to make bowel movements,sometimes i didnt actually make a bowel movement just passed blood,this lasted for 3 days
and hasnt happened since,I went straight to my DR who took blood tests and a stool sample,they all came back ok.My GP has refered me back to a gastroenterologist for futher investigation and to check for IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) which my grandmother suffered with.
Over the weekend I have had sever pressure in my rectum and also sharp stabbing pains which woke me up from a sound sleep,also my stomach pains have got alot worse and more frequent than normal,I have made an appointment with my GP for this on Monday.
I was just wandering if anybody knows of anything I could do to ease this pressure and pain in my rectum?
Thanks in advance for any replies

A: I believe the only thing you can do is wait for your results from your Dr. Are you constipated? If so, that would definitly cause alot of pain in your abdomin and rectum. Try taking a couple of Tylenol to see if that relieves the pain until you see your Dr. The blood may be caused by pushing too hard. Also, your Dr. is referring you to the Proper Dr. He will have all your test results, by the time you get into seeing him.Wish you the best of luck