How did you begin your food selection after diagnosis?

[Turftech]

I'm basically drinking boosts and eating grape jelly on bread. I'm afraid to eat anything.

Mind you, I still haven't controlled my first flare up.

I'm going camping this weekend and my wife purchased chicken dogs for me.

Am I taking the caution too far? Should I be afraid to eat these things or just go for it.

My GI wrote on the post op sheet after my scope that I should stay away from raw fruits and veggies and dairy.

I may have read too much and have stopped most foods, Hoping the flare will get under control.

Should I just trust her and stay away from those the things? What would you do. At the beginning?

Thanks

Chris

 

[Pilgrim]

Dairy seems to cause a lot of Crohnies trouble. If your scope showed narrowing caused by inflammation or scar tissue then fruits and veggies could be a problem. I think that the general consensus is to avoid a lot of animal fat, and processed foods (I think chicken dogs would qualify as processed).

Everyone is unique in what causes them issues. Some people keep detailed food journals as they are reintroducing food. Introducing one food at a time and trying to see how they feel with it for a few days. It might help in the long run.

Chicken breast seems to be a good grilling option, low fat. If you want fruit you could try grilling peaches. I'm just thinking camping.

At the beginning my daughter went on a 100% boost diet. If you can handle drinking them and you know how many you need so you don't lose weight it has shown some evidence of helping people into remission.

It sounds like it might help if you made a phone call to your GI office and asked for specifics.

I don't think you're over reacting. Are you starting a medication regimen?

 

[teeny5]

I was drinking Boost or Ensure at the beginning. I think the chicken dogs could give you problems. I agree chicken breast (no skin) might be better. Plain pasta, white rice, plain toast, tortillas, and crackers were all things that I could eat at first. Think plain, not spicy, not fried, soft foods. It is different for all of us. For me spaghetti and bean burritos are ok almost all of the time, but others have issues with beans and tomato sauces.

You are not being unreasonable. Even in remission I am still afraid to eat certain foods. You will have to find what foods you can eat through trial and error. Just add one thing at a time. The liquid diet is helpful in giving the digestive system a rest so it can try to heal.

 

[Turftech]

Thanks.

I've been told to make an aapt with my GI in one month, so I'm feeling kinda in limbo until then.

I've been on asacol for a week and prednisone for two days. I'm still in a flare.

I'm supposed to be on prednisone for a couple of months... Once the flare is under control do I just start introducing foods again until I flare up again and have to start prednisone again. Or how does Crohns work?

Is the disease a flare, remission, flare, remission? Or is it flare, remission, eat a chicken dog and get a bit of diarrhea, stop eating chicken dogs, remission...?

I ask cause my one and only flare has been hell. It started a few days ago and I almost died, or felt like I did.

Prior to that I had weight loss and a lot of loose and watery bm's for two months. It wasn't until my scope that I started having cramps and copious amounts of blood loss.

I guess I just don't understand how this thing works. I will be asking GI all this but not for a month.

Any feedback is loved.

Chris

 

[Tuff]

Weight loss and a lot of loose and watery bm's for two months would be considered a flare. My disease is more like, flare for a year, remission for six months, flare again....this current remission is a year old. I hope it lasts.
My safe foods are chicken, potato without skin, rice, toast, bananas, soups. I'm still not eating raw veggies, and can't digest fat very well.
Does your doctor know about the copious amounts of blood loss? It could have been caused by the scope, he should be told.

 

[teeny5]

You can go in and out of flaring. The time between is different for everyone...could be weeks, months or years. I haven't had a flare in over a year and even that was very minor. My first one (when I was diagnosed) was the worst. That was 7 years ago. Took years to come out of that one...gradually got better and better. I would consider the start of the weight loss and diarrhea the start of the flare. I don't consider it remission for me till symptoms go away, no inflammation found with colonoscopy, and blood work is normal. I still have bad days here and there, but can eat almost anything and no diarrhea now that I am in remission. Food does not necessarily cause a flare, but can make symptoms worse. There are many people that at a very specific diet that works for them, but then go into a flare anyway. I guess what I am trying to say is I understand the fear of food...but there are other things that can play into flaring like stress, bacteria in the gut, environment, etc. This disease is very complicated and seems to have a mind of its own. Stress for me can make symptoms worse.

Read up on the forums there is a lot of good info on here. Keep us updated!

 

[2010mustang]

Ive been in a flare for 8 months. I ate potatoes, chicken, fish and eggs for a while as it was all i could handle. I slowly began to add things. Im pretty much back to normal diet except i cant eat pizza with much sauce or spegetti and lasaguna (sp). My current meds are slowly helping but somedays foods i normally dont have a problem with will cause problems. Everyday you will learn more about what works just take it slow. I unlike many can down dairy and not have a single problem. But have the common problems like some spicy foods and veggies etc. Cant have much red meat with out a problem either.

 

[UnXmas]

I think the best strategy for figuring out diet is trial and error but with special attention to common "trigger" foods and "safe" foods. (Trigger foods provoke symptoms, safe foods are easiest on your digestion.) But it's not like when someone has a true allergy and a tiny amount matters and specific foods are important. With Crohn's, the amount you eat matters, and you need to look at your diet as a whole, especially the fibre content. And remember you may well have symptoms regardless of what you eat, so don't be too quick to rule foods out, instead look for consistent reactions.

Have a read of other people's trigger foods and safe foods; you can find lots of info on this on medical websites' guides for Crohn's, and on the diet section of this forum, especially this thread: http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=17707

You'll see that different foods suit different people, but learning the things that seem to affect many people will help you see which foods you should be paying most attention to when assessing your own diet.

If you want a very safe diet, stick to soft foods that are bland and keep your diet low in fibre. Liquid-only diets, often with supplements like Ensure, can help settle your digestive system but don't do that for more than a day or two without medical supervision. Avoid fibre and large greasy/fatty/spicy meals, and avoid alcohol. Dairy can be safe or not - a lactose intolerance test can tell you if it's safe for you.

There are some extreme diets that people claim helps Crohn's, and a lot of conflicting information. I began by trying to follow all of it and that did me no good at all. Don't stress about it too much. It's very unlikely that eating the wrong thing is going to have any lasting effects (in those kind of situations, your doctor would be far more involved in deciding on your diet, e.g. after surgeries or when prone to blockages). You may find you can eat more things without reaction when you're in remission, but, again, it's trial and error and some common sense.

Unless you are very unwell at the moment, eat the food your wife bought for you and enjoy it, but start only with a small amount. If it has negative effects you'll know for next time and can either avoid it or try a larger portion, depending on how well this time goes.

 

[The Real MC]

Every CD case is different. I didn't develop any reaction to foods until five years after diagnosis.

I agree that soft bland low fiber foods are safest if you want to enjoy your vacation.

 

[Turftech]

Thanks everyone.

I took it easy... It at least I thought I did. There is an outhouse I became very familiar with on Sunday morning however.

I ate rice crackers... A hundred boosts, a grilled chicken breast burger with mayo, (instead of chicken dogs) and grape jelly and sunflower seed spread sandwiches... That's it.

Anyway.. Going again this weekend so I'm going to have to get creative being uncreative with food choices.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Chris

 

[teeny5]

Sounds like you did pretty good! Glad there was an outhouse available as well.