Eat what you want ?

[marcus]

After our visit to see my brothers doctor yesterday i came back a little confused, they basically said he can eat what he likes, he is currently in to his second week of prednisolone and he is still going to the loo around five times a day (although yesterday only twice) they said the prednisolone should have started working by now and seeing as going to the toilet is his only symptom we were hoping for better seeing the trade off in side effects from the medication and it being worth it.

I was just wondering what other peoples experience with the prednisolone was when it came to the frequency of going to the toilet, did it take a while or just a few days, i know people say that it works great for pain, but that is not a problem for him as he wasn't really getting any.

Do you think the doctors advice is correct about being able to eat what he wants or do you think he would be better of being a bit more careful, one other thing we asked them about supplements because of him being on the prednisolone they just said you can if you want, i was a bit surprised by that really. So now he thinks he can just eat what he wants and i don't know if i will be able to convince him to take any supplements.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I would still be careful about certain foods, especially high fiber or seeds & skins, that kind of thing. He could still get a blockage in his intestines if he eats something that is likely to get stuck. When I was on pred, it made me pretty constipated, although everyone is different. What dosage of pred is your brother on? He should be taking supplements, especially calcium, because pred can leech calcium out of the bones and promote osteoperosis.

 

[Astra]

Yeah I agree!
Pred makes me constipated too, but remember also that steroids masks infections or inflammation giving the false sense of security that it's ok to eat what you want!
A low residue diet can reduce the amount of BMs and diarrhea, and once the pred has kicked in then your brother can introduce other foods back in, slowly. Keeping a food journal will help.
The doc sounds a bit flippant here, he will defo need calcium supps whilst on pred. Do some research on the forum, get yourself genned up on this course of treatment, and be prepared for every eventuality.
good luck xxxx

 

[marcus]

Yeah I agree!
Pred makes me constipated too, but remember also that steroids masks infections or inflammation giving the false sense of security that it's ok to eat what you want!
A low residue diet can reduce the amount of BMs and diarrhea, and once the pred has kicked in then your brother can introduce other foods back in, slowly. Keeping a food journal will help.
The doc sounds a bit flippant here, he will defo need calcium supps whilst on pred. Do some research on the forum, get yourself genned up on this course of treatment, and be prepared for every eventuality.
good luck xxxx

To be honest i'm feeling a little bit angry as i have been trying to convince my brother to improve his diet, then yesterday they tell him okay eat what you want, and i had just got him round to the idea of taking supplements, the advice doesn't really tally with things i have read in these forums and other bits of info i have looked at online, i feel like such a square telling him what to do, i don't like doing it and have tried to do it in the most subtle way i can.

He started on 60 mg of prednisolone, now on 40 then reducing down 5 mg each week, they also want him to start taking 100 mg azathioprene, so i will keep trying to get him to take some vitamins supplements, i will have a good search on the forum for good ones to take, is Centrum any good. Thanks for the advice.

 

[seaofdreams]

There are some massively varying opinions on how nutrition and diet affects Crohn's and UC. My GI insists that it doesn't make a difference but my GP is a huge advocator of avoiding grains, sugars and fats.

While it's true that food won't necessarily affect the disease, it sure does affect our symptoms. Unfortunately it took me almost 2 years to really understand that and it's going to take time for your brother to learn it himself in his own way too. It's a very personal journey for everyone and as much as you love him and want the best for him, he has to learn his own way or it's just not going to stick. I've had my family harping on about my diet for years and if anything, it made me want to eat the bad things more to prove that I could. It was only when they backed off and let me do my own thing that I was able to focus and learn what effects my diet has.

 

[Miss Spencer]

After our visit to see my brothers doctor yesterday i came back a little confused, they basically said he can eat what he likes

That is what my doctor told me. He also told me that diet had NO connection whatsoever to IBD, UC & C. He actually told me to eat a plain diet of rice and meat and to drink milk in the first few weeks. I have since discovered that dairy, rice and meat cause me to flare up. This may explain why I was always bleeding in the early days. Because I now know that my doctor gave me the wrong information and that diet of vital importance when managing IBD, UC & C. I suggest you do your own research into the subject. Doctors are not Gods and they are not always right. Experiment a little, see what works and does not work for you, as we are all different.

 

[Miss Spencer]

but remember also that steroids masks infections or inflammation giving the false sense of security that it's ok to eat what you want!

Yes, I fell into that trap.

I put on masses and masses and masses of weight. And made the problem worse in the long run.

 

[Miss Spencer]

unfortunately it took me almost 2 years to really understand that and it's going to take time for your brother to learn it himself in his own way too. It's a very personal journey for everyone and as much as you love him and want the best for him, he has to learn his own way or it's just not going to stick. I've had my family harping on about my diet for years and if anything, it made me want to eat the bad things more to prove that i could. It was only when they backed off and let me do my own thing that i was able to focus and learn what effects my diet has.

ditto

 

[Lulu]

This disease affects everyone so differently and is so confusing to understand. I asked my GI about diet and he said I could eat what I like unless there was somthing specifically that I found made symptoms worse. As I dont have any symptoms I eat what I like.

I dont understand this as 'apparently' my disease is quite severe although apart from severe pain early last year I never had any symptoms in the past. The opened me up to get a better look which I feel was a bit premature, surely some testing would have been better. Got an abscess as a result of the first surgery which needed more surgery but since then (over 12 months) I have had nothing else. To look at me you would think I was in remission, look & feel great although GI is concerned that medication is not helping, that there has been no improvement to the condition of my bowel at all.

Do you think diet can help the disease itself or does diet only help the symptoms?

 

[Rebecca85]

Marcus- I take Calcichew-D3 Forte when I'm on Pred. You get it from the chemist. It's quite expensive over the counter (about £10 for 100 I think), but it's worth it because it's a lot stronger than stuff you get in supermarkets and health food shops.

I feel that diet only helps the symptoms, not exactly the disease. But if you have say ulcers, then eating soft stuff will allow the ulcers to heal, but you'll still have the underlying Crohn's. If that makes sense.

 

[marcus]

Marcus- I take Calcichew-D3 Forte when I'm on Pred. You get it from the chemist. It's quite expensive over the counter (about £10 for 100 I think), but it's worth it because it's a lot stronger than stuff you get in supermarkets and health food shops.

Thanks i will take a look at the Calcichew-D3 Forte.

 

[marcus]

There are some massively varying opinions on how nutrition and diet affects Crohn's and UC. My GI insists that it doesn't make a difference but my GP is a huge advocator of avoiding grains, sugars and fats.

While it's true that food won't necessarily affect the disease, it sure does affect our symptoms. Unfortunately it took me almost 2 years to really understand that and it's going to take time for your brother to learn it himself in his own way too. It's a very personal journey for everyone and as much as you love him and want the best for him, he has to learn his own way or it's just not going to stick. I've had my family harping on about my diet for years and if anything, it made me want to eat the bad things more to prove that I could. It was only when they backed off and let me do my own thing that I was able to focus and learn what effects my diet has.

I know i might be going on a bit, i will try and back off, but i can't help myself it's just in my nature, i think i will always try and give him a bit of gentle persuasion if i think it will do him good, but then if he tells me to stop going on i will listen to him.

 

[tflock]

As far as diet goes I have had to adjust mine drastically. I used to eat whatever and now i am almost afraid to eat much of anything. One of the comments by someone suggested that a peer tell him about this to let it sink in. Well i am also a teenager and will recommend to look at new diets that may not neccessarily be what he may want to have. I would much rather not bat an eye about what I eat, but i have to watch foods. My doctor told me that food is basically trial and error with this disease. The main things to probably cut out at this point are high fiber, residue, fat and diary. I have cut most of them out and noticed I feel better.