For crohns people over the age of 30

[AJC - Australia]

I found a new doctor recently who is brilliant.
A few things he said I need to share with you.

1) If you havent had your bone density tested, get it done. Many, if not most people with bad crohns get bone loss and there are things you can do to slow it down.

2) If you ever took cortisone longterm and then got off it, there is a chance your body is not making enough cortisol and this can lead to poor health and fatigue….they can check your cortisol levels through a urine test, where they get you to wee in a bottle all day and they compare your cortisol levels with healthy people….a blood test is not the best way to test for cortisol.

3) if you are very underweight, like me, there is ways to test your stool and see what fats, vitamins and minerals you DO absorb well. Then you can eat more of that, to help you put the weight on.

4) If you are fatigued, then it makes sense to do a blood test that goes beyond a normal blood test. There are certain vitamins and minerals that your gut absorbs and if you have had your iliem removed, for example, then it will affect how you absorb B12, vitamin D and others….if, like me, you have had multiple surgeries, then there are other vitamins and mineral (like 15 of them) you may be lacking and it can all cause fatigue!

Long story short - this doctor gave me hope that I can get on top of the fatigue and that I can put some weight on….hope is good.

 

[AJC - Australia]

Another thing worth checking is the elasticity in your arteries. Long term cortisone use and long term prescription medication
can harden the arteries and there is things you can do to help that.

 

[Jennifer]

Another thing worth checking is the elasticity in your arteries. Long term cortisone use and long term prescription medication
can harden the arteries and there is things you can do to help that.

I haven't heard of this. What sort of things can you do to help?

 

[Lady Organic]

[QUOTE.


1) If you havent had your bone density tested, get it done. Many, if not most people with bad crohns get bone loss and there are things you can do to slow it down.
[/QUOTE]


Hi and thank you. A few years ago, my GI tested my VIt D which was low, he then ordered osteodensotometry to check bone loss/osteoporosis. It turned out I have minimal osteopenia, which is pre-stage osteoporosis. Other than taking Vitamin D and calcium supplements and encouraging ''bone impact'' physical activity, is there anything else you doctor recommended to slow this process down? thx

 

[shamrock15]

I had some bone density issues that were a little more advanced than yours Lady. Mine was a 10% bone loss (I was I think in my early 30's at the time). I found out very quickly I could not tolerate the calcium/vitamin D combination. I included more dairy in my diet daily and it was enough over the course of the year to have reversed the bone loss that I had. I am pretty certain there would have been other absorption issues here, but there were no meds responsible for the return of bone matter for me. I know that acidity levels in your bowels can have an impact on your body's ability to absorb calcium.

Just had an interesting thought - have any of you with bone loss had issues with kidney stones? I am in the process of getting rid of what hopefully is the last one I have. There has been very little growth, if any, over the last year. I suspect based on this that the calcium involved may have come at least partially from the time I lost the bone density.

 

[Lady Organic]

Hi Shamrock, did you completely stop taking Vit D? Or you stopped the combo D+calcium suppl.?
What i want to know is if you can isolate with certainty the variable that only eating more dairies increased your bone density...
I currently take Vit D, but no calcium supplement, only trying to find it from food (but not in dairies).

 

[Robrich]

For arterial and bone health add vit k2 to calcium and VIT D along with magnesium(glycinate or malate not oxide or citrate) this will help direct the calcium where you need it, to the bones and not the arteries.
Weight bearing exercise and cardio are extremely helpful for both conditions.

 

[shamrock15]

At the time I had stopped taking both. For a couple years afterwards I did take vitamin d, but most of our milk already has it added. If you get sunshine daily (yes, I see you are in QC and know what the weather has been like) you shouldn't need too much more. While there are discussions that our daily limit of D should be raised, I believe I have seen that excesses of it have been implicated in kidney stone formation. That might be worth checking out though. Fighting stones right now a bit as we speak and I might have that incorrect.

 

[shamrock15]

Just saw a study indicating that MAY not be the case. Could be up for debate.

 

[AJC - Australia]

hi everyone…i am having a few more tests, blood and stool tests before the doctor advises what I can do to help these things……but yes, exercise and bone impact stuff is good for bone density, as are vitamin K and D…

I will advise after I have been advised, as to what things can be done.

pretty excited about being able to absorb SOME fats and be able to put weight on and maybe, just maybe, fight off the fatigue, the fatigue is killing me emotionally - it is so depressing.

 

[AJC - Australia]

hey I got some Guarana powder recently and two teaspoons of that in water is WHOA, yeah, it works…..I got it from a health food store, they ordered some in….def worth a try.

I get all the other stool and blood test results back this Weds and will report my findings here on the fatigue stuff.

 

[AJC - Australia]

OK… the update.

The stool test indicated that I have five times the amount of certain fats, in my stool. That means that the fats are not being digested, which also indicates that other things are not being digested. SO - the doctor suggested a very simple and strict SCD diet…..quite simple and clever advise I thought. So, following it.

The cortisol levels were not normal, indicating I am not making enough cortisol a fundamental in digestion and general mood….so, they are hitting me with heavy doses of vitamin C to try and stimulate the adrenal system to make more cortisol…..if that doesnt work, i will take a very small dose of prednisone…like 0.5mg, daily, just to get the level correct…to avoid the fatigue. (they test cortisol levels through a 24 hours urine gathering)

The B12 levels were ok in the BLOOD…this does not mean they are ok in the tissue….or the brain, so he is giving me B12 injections every week for 2 months and also a B vitamin supplement….the blo tests indicate that my IRON levels are on the low side, but my body is breaking down other things, trying to get more iron - so iron supplements are in order.

For the (NORMAL) bone loss of someone who has had crohns for 20 years, he has prescribed physical activity on the arms and legs.

My liver function is elevated, from taking Remicade for 8 years. We are keeping an eye on those 3 elevations, it is quite normal - but once it gets VERY high, then they suggest ceasing remicade.

I also have an allergy to SOMETHING, but we dont know what…i was happy it wasnt gluten, milk or eggs….i still dont eat milk or eggs and eat very little gluten, but i was happy i dont have an allergy to them….he prescribed further testing for the allergy and has also requested another stool test that is being sent from AUstralia to the US to test for various things.

A complete doctor.

After the 2 hour consult, i spoke to his nutriltionalist who talked me through the Simple Carbohydrate Diet (SCD diet), all makes sense. The book 'breaking the vicious cycle' is obviously worth reading.

thanks for your support.