Full fluid to low residual

[kenny]

full fluid to low residual

I have been on a full fluid diet for three weeks now. It consists of supplement drinks, strained soups, basic puddings, jello and apple sauce. I have started to eat a bit of cottage cheese rice pudding and even tried scrambled eggs this morning! I am looking for advice on what foods to try over the next couple of weeks that can ease me back into solid foods without aggravating things. I don't seem to have any food allergies.

I have noticed my BM frequency has gone from 5-6 times a day to 3-4. is that good or am I going back to solids too fast? I have a restricted section of my ileum with a perforation in it that leaks into an abscess that is drained with a line and bag. Surgery still isn't scheduled yet so I have several weeks to gain back strength. I need to put on 15-20 lbs over the next month or so.

How would you recommend going back to some solids?

Oh and I do keep a complete food log/diary with meds and weight and stuff to help track problems.

 

[My Butt Hurts]

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[My Butt Hurts]

I don't know if binding foods would help or not. Things like cheese, bananas, and rice maybe?
Did you check out a low residue food list? Things that are easy to digest would be good I guess. When I am flaring I try to keep simple like a white bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter and plain crackers.

What are you kissing in your picture?? It looks cute and fuzzy but I just can't tell.

 

[kenny]

It's a 10 day old Alaskan Malamute puppy. We bred a litter this past winter from our show dog. We kept that puppy and named her Tinker belle. "Stinker" for short. She was very cute and cuddly and has grown into a rangy galloping beast! She will be a lot better skijorjing or biking then in the show ring.

I asked my Mother-in-Law, who has dealt with Crohns for around 20 years now and she said start soaking crackers or white bead (with the crust cut off) in the soups. I have been reinforcing the soups with skim milk powder but I need more substance to keep up with my hunger. It's nice that my appetite is coming back, but I really worry about putting anything too thick through that perforated stricture.

today I braved a bowl of runny instant oatmeal (apple/cinnamon flavor) for breakfast.

I was twinging a bit yesterday afternoon which was either the cheese cake from the night before, or scrambled eggs for breakfast. But it seems to have made it through. I really want to get this stricture fixed but at the same time, if my bowel could heal given enough time that would be even better. The surgeon has delayed surgery for the perforation to allow the stickiness and inflammation to go down. Less removed and better recovery, plus it gives time for the antibiotics to remove the infection from my abscess and surrounding tissues. That's also why im not on Prednizone. The infection was too severe to allow for any immune suppressants.

I have a diet guideline for people with Bowel Narrowing (phase 1 and phase 2) but I was checking to see what other people are doing. I guess this disease is so diverse that it is hard match what individuals do. I know one thing is out. Minced carrots! My perk-drain got plugged with them last time and I ended up with a blockage that took 4 days to break

 

[forum contributor]

It's a 10 day old Alaskan Malamute puppy. We bred a litter this past winter from our show dog. We kept that puppy and named her Tinker belle. "Stinker" for short. She was very cute and cuddly and has grown into a rangy galloping beast! She will be a lot better skijorjing or biking then in the show ring.

That puppy is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a bunny named Tinkerbell and I call her Stinkerbell lol

 

[Lisa5326]

What about instant mashed potatoes? You could even make them runny to smooth them through. This food is always good to me on bad days...

Also hummus is pretty bland and smooth.

 

[kenny]

What about instant mashed potatoes? You could even make them runny to smooth them through. This food is always good to me on bad days...

Also hummus is pretty bland and smooth.

I just put instant potatoes on the grocery list, thanks for the suggestion Lisa

I suppose I could use those to thicken up chicken broth too!

What is hummus? Sounds like some horrible Scottish thing I heard about as kid. My Great Grandmother MacGregor used to frighten me with stories of things she ate as a kid :ylol2:

 

[Mazen]

Hi Kenny

Hummus is a traditional middle eastern dish made from mashed chickpeas and tahini (which is sesame paste). It's a regular dish in my country and I can tolerate it most of the time. Try it, it's not scary

 

[kenny]

Hi Kenny

Hummus is a traditional middle eastern dish made from mashed chickpeas and tahini (which is sesame paste). It's a regular dish in my country and I can tolerate it most of the time. Try it, it's not scary

Thanks Mazen

The shell of the chickpea is ok then? It sounds good. I like chickpeas the few times I have had them in cold salads back in the days when I could eat real food. I really need some variety but have to go so slowly.

You have to watch those Scottish foods. Some of that stuff IS really scary :ylol2:

 

[Mazen]

You can try to find it canned. You just open the can and add some lemon juice. I guess you live in canada, so you should find it at middle eastern supermarkets, or try it at a Lebanese restaurant. I never tried Scottish food, what does it do

 

[CROHNS SUFFERER]

scottish food rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but mr bowel doesn't like it anymore

 

[kenny]

Oh well I tried a baked Sweet Potato on the weekend and did myself in. I'll stick with the liquidy stuff until they remove the perforated section.

 

[Hope]

I have a stricture and abscesses as well. I am currently on a full fluid diet and I am also trying to start on soft foods. I basically eat a lot of pudding, yogurt (full fat), hummus, mashed potatoes, cream cheese, soups--butternut squash is pretty easy to manage-you should try to make your own. Cut the squash in half-roast it in the oven for at least 40 mins, or until its soft, then scoop it into a pot, add some broth and puree it. Really good and full of vitamins!
I wish you luck dealing with this! I feel your pain and cant wait to get all sorted out as well!

 

[kenny]

I think you just need to stay away from anything with fiber in it (sweet potatoes are one of my FAVorite things, but it has fiber - so maybe not so good for you right now?). MBH is right - low residue all the way baby! Last thing you want is to be stretching that stricture with a perf going on. There is a book my sister has read - I'm making sure it is low residue before I get the name for you, but it lists a lot of "safe" foods for Crohnies. I'll let you know when she gets me the name of it.

BTW - you taught me something new - I didn't realize you could have a perf without needing immediate surgery! I will hope it heals up for you so they can take that nasty stricture out. Meanwhile -- here is to weight gain!!!

The perforation is draining out an attached abscess and through a tube inserted into my abdomen into a bag. Like a man-made Fistula. There was supposedly significant risk of major septicemia if they went cutting me right away and they did not feel there would be much healthy bowel to work with at that point. So here I sit for two months with my bag buddy and you guys for company :ycool:

One thing about this perc drain is I get to see a live action sample of everything passing through my terminal illium. I have even had to flush bits of minced carrot through there! I have adapted to use it like a diagnostic tool to see the effects of food within hours of eating them. Not just if they hurt or not but color and consistency as well. . .. . omg am I really saying this. . . wait till it's my turn to be on the prednizone :lol:

 

[kenny]

I have a stricture and abscesses as well. I am currently on a full fluid diet and I am also trying to start on soft foods. I basically eat a lot of pudding, yogurt (full fat), hummus, mashed potatoes, cream cheese, soups--butternut squash is pretty easy to manage-you should try to make your own. Cut the squash in half-roast it in the oven for at least 40 mins, or until its soft, then scoop it into a pot, add some broth and puree it. Really good and full of vitamins!
I wish you luck dealing with this! I feel your pain and cant wait to get all sorted out as well!

I am really glad to see someone with the same situation. I hope you can continue to share your findings. I did try a butternut/carrot/curry soup from Knoor. It was in a box and supposedly one of the healthy premium preparations. I had a rough day afterward. But I find it hard to really identify which thing did it. I was trying two or thee new food items each day and I guess I messed myself up. I will try butternut soup again but as the only variable in a given 24 hours.

On the days I feel good I get too impatient and forget about being sick :smile:

 

[shazamataz]

Ha ha kenny, I would do that too! I have always ben one for examining things like that. I've always looked at my poo, even before now, where I am more obsessive with it! :lol:

 

[Hope]

Kenny! I feel the same way! Its funny that you say on your good days you get too impatient and forget about being sick! Its like i feel as if I can eat a steak or something! lol!!!

I too am going though the downside of having abdominal abscesses. I have three. Was on IV Cipro and Flagy while in the hospital and now i am on oral cipro only. I really hope it is shrinking them, but I do tend to feel pain in that area still.

How would you describe your abscess pain?

btw Kenny--Hang in there! Ive had this disease since i was 7! 25 years now!!

 

[shazamataz]

Hi guys, I actually have a kinda related query about abscesses that may as well go in this thread.

When I was in hosp and diagnosed about 8 weeks ago they said I had a pelvic abscess coming off my ileum. While in hosp they gave me huge amounts of antibiotics over seven days and then sent me home with no more.

a week and a half later I had an MRI which I understand is more detailed than the CT?

Took three weeks or so for them to write to me with results of that and doc said it shows I had SEVERAL small abscesses but they were 'improving'. Now, How can going from one to several be an improvement? This alarmed me a little of course. However I don;t have the pain any more - though how can I know how much of that was the abscesses and how much was the stricture which may also be 'improving'?

I guess what i am wondering, and I want to be prepared with the right questions when I see my GI next week, is how can they tell the abscesses are going away? Do they need to do another scan? I am mostly not worried, but I'd hate to think they were in there ready to erupt again at any time.

Thanks in advance and I hope i haven't stolen your thread kenny!!!

Shaz :Flower:

 

[kenny]

Maybe the MRI showed stuff that did not show up on the CT? Also overall inflammation might be lesser??
My abscess has been tracked with biweekly X-ray imaging under some funky kind of real time x-ray thing. they call them Tube checks and they can actually estimate the size of the perforation when they look at it.

Did you have the stricture operated on Shaz? Are you back to a Low res diet or still somewhere in between?

 

[shazamataz]

Hi Kenny, no I didn;t have surgery, so I hope that means it wasn;t a bad one.

I am seeing the GI next weeks so will have lots of questions! In the letter which discussed the 'several' abscesses' it also said I have a 'tight' stricture at the terminal ileum. I am hoping now that several weeks has passed and I am not having pain that perhaps it wasn't scar tissue and may have loosened up on its own. My understanding is that this is possible, perhaps another scan can look at this too.

Still on low res until told otherwise. I am not finding it too bad, just making sure veges are really well cooked and meat is soft. Have had no problems so far except still had some pain (mostly in my lower back) for first 3-4 weeks just every few days and now 2 weeks where all is good, just still a little constipated.

Hope yours heals up nicely - its so yucky to think of having something festering away inside eh? I named mine (when I thought there was only one) after my ex - I reckon it helped!!

Shaz :Flower:

 

[Lisa5326]

Just made it back to this thread and yummm mashed potatoes and yeah hummus is always good for me it is blended up real nice but it does have a fair amount of oil in it, but 'good' extra virgin olive oil is what I use, but you can buy it instead. Hummus and olive oil so far hasn't ever bothered me...but some oil does hurt me.

 

[kenny]

Thank goodness for Chef Boyardee! things seem to be coming around somewhat although I still have a way to go before surgery :/

 

[dustydshook]

I was having trouble getting enough colories into my diet so my gp suggested getting some instant protien which is also good to help you heal. I went to wal mart Dont know where you are or if you have the m but you can get powder protien from any health food store. walmart was just a cheaper choice for me. Add a couple of scoops to some soy or rice milk it went down easy and didn't hurt my stricture and gave me the the extra calories i needed.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Rice pudding doesn't sit that well with me.

My recommendations:
Rice or potato crackers and soft foods.
Yogurt
Cottage cheese
Bananas
Avocado?
soup w/ soft rice crackers
salmon

 

[Skinny Dub]

So during my stay in the hospital I was on a clear fluid diet then moved onto liquids then a soft food/ low res diet here are a few pictures of the menu they gave me. Hopefully this give some people a better idea of what they might be able to eat when on said diets. I apologize in advance for not having a scanner so hopefully you can still read them in this form...

clear/liquid diet

Low res/soft food

breakfast

lunch/dinner

 

[nogutsnoglory]

that menu made me hungry although i think its crazy that hospitals offer carbonated drinks as they are so bad for crohns, also oatmeal wtf that stuff scratches.

 

[Skinny Dub]

Yeah some of the stuff I thought shouldnt of been on there. But if you look at the the oatmeal closer right after it it says (no low residue).

 

[nogutsnoglory]

still oatmeal has pieces it scares me i dunno i wouldnt touch it

 

[crohnsproof]

Do we have a seperate thread for foods? I have an excellent compliled list of the differences in soluble fiber; insoluble fiber; trigger foods; and suggestions on eating.

Crohnsproof

 

[crohnsproof]

Man oh man peaches. That acid stuff is the worst for the gut. Including stomach and bowel.

 

[Mazen]

Hi Kenny. Back to the original thread you mentioned "I have a diet guideline for people with Bowel Narrowing (phase 1 and phase 2)".

Can you provide this to me, as I'm now also on a liquid/soft food diet and don't know exactly what to eat? I'm currently eating boiled eggs, strained chicken soup and some steamed chicken, and little plain greek yoghurt with honey + and elemental nutrition drink.

i am trying to gain some weight to get some energy back, while also not straining my narrowed ileum or disturbing the abscess there !!!!

 

[Skinny Dub]

PLEASE do that - there is the Food and Diet section and you can start a new thread there. Everyone would love the info I'm sure.

x2