Another flare question

[Lam123]

So, I have been in a minor flare for 2-3 weeks, my gut has been feeling better, but my knees are swollen (this usually happens during a flare), went to see the GI and he said the knee swelling is one of the extra things that comes with a flare. When I'm not flaring my knees are fine. So he put me on prednisone and said when the gut calms down the knees will calm down.
Is there any specific diet you follow during a flare? And for how long?
I feel that my gut is fine, but obviously my knees are telling me different. I do know that sometimes there can be inflammation even though I feel fine. So I'm thinking if I change the diet a bit, the inflammation in my gut can improve then my knees will improve.
Any suggestions?

 

[CrohnsChicago]

Hi Liam,

I am linking you to a thread which includes the types of diets commonly used for Crohn's patients:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=32036

Personally, I eat soft, bland foods. Low fiber, low residue and occasionally juice fruits and vegetables. All of these things make it easier on my gut to break down food. By doing so it relieves some pain and allows the gut to focus more of it's energy on healing.

 

[Lam123]

Crohnschicago, do u eat this diet all the time? Or only during a flare?

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I eat this diet during a flare. When I am well it is does not provide enough nutrients for a balanced diet.

When I am fully well I can eat more normally and focus on clean eating, reducing or eliminating processed/junk foods and foods with an abundance of additives and preservatives in the ingredients. I try to stay away from unhealthy fatty/oily foods and especially sugary foods because they help bring on inflammation. I still juice now and then to cleanse and give my gut a bit of a breather.

 

[Lam123]

Ok, during a flare, how long do u usually have to eat this diet for? Few weeks?

 

[CrohnsChicago]

There's no real set time.

I personally eat it until my symptoms start improving. It is also something I discuss with my doctor and we decide if it is something that should be continued for even longer. If it is helping, I'm more likely to continue until I feel comfortable with my symptoms and my lab results and with trying to add things back into my diet.

 

[Lam123]

Ok. My gut feels almost back to normal, but my GI is saying there must still be inflammation if my knees are feeling inflamed. So I wanted to be careful with food and give my gut a break inorder to lower any inflammation. Prednisone is working, but not the greatest. Ugh!

 

[Lam123]

Crohnschicago, can u give me an example of your daily diet of low residue food during a flare?

 

[afidz]

Although an active flare can definitely cause inflammation in our joints, I wouldn't say that is the only cause. So if your guts are starting to feel better (wahoo!) and you are still having joint inflammation and pain I would start to explore other avenues to find the cause. It could be a range of things. Being in a flare, you don't get all of the nutrients your body needs, so it can start to pull from other sources, like your bones. Your body doesn't just automatically bounce back from a flare, it takes time to get back to working order. That could be the cause. You could have also developed arthritis from having Crohn's, that is fairly common. you can speak to your doctor about referring you to a Rheumatologist for further testing. Prednisone itself can cause joint pain, I think thats fairly common as well.
Also, Crohn's can flare silently (no symptoms) so it could be that you are still flaring and the flare is actually causing the joint pain. But its hard to say.
I hope this helps

 

[Lam123]

My knees are very mildly sore, not a whole lot of pain, they mainly feel very swollen (although only look mildly swollen on the outside), especially after a fair amount of walking.

 

[afidz]

Even if its not causing you pain now, it's still worth trying to figure out the cause of the inflammation before it gets worse and does cause you pain

 

[Lam123]

My GI told me it's from the flare. This happens every time I flare.