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Any difference in caloric intake? Also B12 and Iron!

TL;DR : Does having Crohn's change the amount of calories you need to consume? How do you guys get enough B12 and Iron?

Hello!
I've not been officially diagnosed with Crohn's yet (scope was delayed due to covid) but I have strong suspicions that that's what it is. I was in a stereotypical flare for a couple months, but seem to have mostly recovered from that (eg i can eat things other than just white bread and potatoes again! Yay!). I lost a fair amount of weight during that time though (even though i was feeling too sick to exercise), and i'm working at regaining my healthy body back. I used to keep track of my caloric intake just to identify if I was snacking too much/eating too much junk food/etc and I'm wondering if, assuming I have Crohn's, I need to make sure I'm getting more/less calories than would be normal for someone without Crohn's?

Also, where do you guys get your B12 and iron from? I've heard those are hard to absorb and I'm suspecting I might be deficient; I'm constantly tired and sometimes even headachey despite sleeping 9+ hours a night, and sometimes I'm dizzy when I stand up from lying down. I'd ask my doctor to test me for it but...covid means reduced access to healthcare.

Anyway, any help any of you could provide to this newbie would be appreciated! Thank you!
 
Hi Lizzy - sorry that you are not feel optimum and hopefully you will get answers soon. When the digestive system is working properly, all nutrients are getting absorbed and most of that is done via the small intestine. People with crohn's (not under control) often have trouble absorbing nutrients and often there are deficiencies - iron, B12, zinc, etc. Also often there is loss of blood as well which also depletes the body. High inflammation for long periods of time can also attribute. So yes, you might have to consume more to keep the weight on... but once your inflammation is under control, you will find that you won't be needing those extra calories.

My son has Crohn's and when it was active, his iron counts were low . It takes awhile to get those numbers back up. His B12 is fine and we do not eat meat. If you think you are deficient, you should have blood tests to check what your levels are and then determine the course of action.

Good luck!
 
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