How did you regain strength after a bad flare?

[Missmissie]

Hello all,

Just curious what others have done after a really bad Crohn's flare to work up their strength again...?

 

[ronroush7]

Try something like Ensure or some other nutritional shake

 

[Sophabulous]

I agree, ensure plus was a great help to me. I did 8 or 9 weeks total liquid diet, but that was to spare another course of steroids more than anything.

I still find adding them to my diet here and there alongside food does help. I often revert back to no food and just ensure plus for a few days if I'm feeling crappy and off my food.

Other than that it was very gradually trying to build up muscle again. Nothing too strenuous, just what I felt comfortable with and if that was just a little walk then so be it. Some days I could cope with more, some days I couldn't even go to work. It felt like one step forward and two steps back for a long time but looking back I've improved. I'm still not as strong as I was, but definitely better.

Best of luck x

 

[SoOoO CoNfuSeD]

Integrating fresh vegetable juices on the daily, often with a shot of freshly juiced ginger as well. Eventually, by being able to nourish my body, I was able to integrate daily workouts. Consistancy and patience was key for me.

 

[KarissaLundgren]

What do you use for the liquid diet, I am currently acting as my own Dr. Because of the incompetency level in this town.

 

[Tuff]

I upped my protein, I get really tired without it, and it's needed for healing.

 

[cmack]

Hey Miss,

You may want a blood test to check for infections. I felt very weak and it turned out I had sepsis. It was scary because I didn't even have a fever. Only a blood test revealed that I was in a dangerous situation. I felt like I wasn't recovering properly as well.


I wish you the best,

Chris

 

[teeny5]

My dr had me on ensure 3 times a day plus regular meals to gain weight. I was anemic as well and took iron supplements. Beyond that just rested when needed and slowly got better. Figuring out what foods are good and bad for you helps so you can avoid the ones that make you feel worse.

 

[Missmissie]

Hey Miss,

You may want a blood test to check for infections. I felt very weak and it turned out I had sepsis. It was scary because I didn't even have a fever. Only a blood test revealed that I was in a dangerous situation. I felt like I wasn't recovering properly as well.


I wish you the best,

Chris

Well, blood work has been done, I've been back in the hospital since Tuesday. I'm not septic, just really sick. I appreciate all the replies, I guess I should have reworded my question...I just wanted to hear some success stories and different takes on what everyone has done. I find it interesting and it gives me motivation. Thanks a lot tho! I asked the PHP about setting up maybe some PT for when I'm outta here...

 

[cmack]

I'm sorry to hear you aren't well. I didn't mean to dishearten you with what I said, it was just that it took a while for me personally to recover. I had 14 surgeries inside of two or three years so I guess I'm not the typical case. I eventually got better though, so maybe that's a more positive outlook.

I wish you the best.

 

[valleysangel92]

Hey there,

I think for me, I've learnt to rest. I used to have a really bad habit of going really over the top whenever I had a good day, I'd over work myself and then end up exhausted and back in a flare. The trick is to ease back into life, listen to your body and try to eat well if you can (I don't mean lots of veg, but lots of energy rich food). If its been a few weeks or so and you're still feeling really run down then its worth getting some blood tests done to see if you have any vitamin or mineral deficiencies that need addressing.

I have been told by my IBD team that fatigue is a major part of having a chronic illness, and that even when not in a flare, I should expect that I won't have the same energy as I used to or as the people around me, so learning how to pace myself has also been really important to me. I've stopped worrying about things that don't really need to be done, and I've learnt to prioritise the vital things first. This way anything that absolutely HAS to be done gets done, and then any reserve I have left can be used for other things or can be turned into something fun.

 

[Missmissie]

Hey there,

I think for me, I've learnt to rest. I used to have a really bad habit of going really over the top whenever I had a good day, I'd over work myself and then end up exhausted and back in a flare. The trick is to ease back into life, listen to your body and try to eat well if you can (I don't mean lots of veg, but lots of energy rich food). If its been a few weeks or so and you're still feeling really run down then its worth getting some blood tests done to see if you have any vitamin or mineral deficiencies that need addressing.

I have been told by my IBD team that fatigue is a major part of having a chronic illness, and that even when not in a flare, I should expect that I won't have the same energy as I used to or as the people around me, so learning how to pace myself has also been really important to me. I've stopped worrying about things that don't really need to be done, and I've learnt to prioritise the vital things first. This way anything that absolutely HAS to be done gets done, and then any reserve I have left can be used for other things or can be turned into something fun.

I like that, thank you