How do you cope with flare ups??

[Rob]

When having a bad flare up of crohns how do you make things more bareable?

Apart from just food etc as I know that's a big factor

I've found sometimes in middle of the night when it's just too much a hot/warm shower sometimes helps
I've also found the ol wheat bag on the belly while watchin tv can help a bit too (not to hot tho)
another is Ginger beer/Ginger ale. It can help take the edge off too

any other ideas or suggestions that you guys use?

 

[swallowedafly]

Have you ever tried modulen? I swear by the stuff. I only use it for really bad flare-ups though. It's a nutritional powder that you make into shakes so you don't have to eat anything and it gives your body a rest and time to heal. Though it can be a bummer not eating.

Baths and showers are really good. I used to live in Japan and would take onsen (hot spring baths) everyday for hours. Hardly had any pain back then, damn I could use one of those now!

 

[Rob]

I've never heard of modulen is it an over the counter thing?

What do u mix it with?
Alot of the shakes etc I've found all mix with milk, but I can't drink milk as I get worse
chease an yoghurt etc in small mounts is fine just not liquid milk

 

[swallowedafly]

I got it prescribed to me. It's sometimes known as an elemental diet. You mix it with water and it contains all the nutrition you need but in a really really basic form so there's no chance it could irritate the bowel.

I took it for a couple of months last year without eating. Though not eating sucks, I didn't have any symptoms during that time, and now when I have a flare I drink it for about a week until the symptoms go.

Oh, and modulen is the brand name, it's made by nestle.

 

[Rob]

Ah ok cool
the fact it's mixed with water is handy
I'll keep a look out for it an speak too my gp

it's gotta be better than just not eating as I tried that - works for a day or two then I'm worse off

 

[swallowedafly]

Yeah, have a word and see what they say.

Don't try just not eating mate, that can only make you weaker. Good thing about these shakes is that although you're not actually eating solid food, it still makes you feel full. And if you're feeling adventurous you can freeze one and have an ice cream!

 

[CrohnsHobo]

PERCOCETS! lol

But really I toughed it out for 13 years before I resorted to pain pills. Started with Vicodins, but those did nothing. Now I get Percocets. Now I only take 1 at night to sleep.

I keep a heating blanket in the drawer next to the bed.

The usual food stuff. Ensure/broth/low residue.

Immodium.

Have a kitty sleep on my belly. =p

I try to take my mind off it by doing other things (painting, video games, etc.)

 

[MINI Cooper]

I try to take my mind off it by doing other things (painting, video games, etc.)

:lol: yeah I became a total Xbox junkie when in my last flare.
Couldn't move much, so there wasn't much else to do. Video games also take
some of the anger from it all out.

Also a heating pad, imodium and peppermint oil were God sends.
And Darvocet was the only pain killer that worked that didn't make me vomit
uncontrollably.

oh and lots of iguana hugs

 

[Tan]

I crawl up into a ball and pray it will all go away... ha..ha.. only kidding I wish that would happen tho just magically disappear wouldn't that be wonderful!
I generally restrict my diet to very bland food that I know I can tolerate while having a flare... Also do the heat pack thing and find having a hot bath helps as well.. Apart from that not much really helps except this forum to get me thru it.

 

[Rob]

Hmmm seems heat is the best comforter there so far
that an some panedole lol

yea I find toning down my diet fairly bland helps too

when it's flair up time ul find custard an jelly in my fridge lol

 

[Rob]

Hey a fello Aussie I see Tanya

first I've met on here so far

 

[MINI Cooper]

Jed is from Australia too, but hasn't been on the forums in a while.

 

[Tan]

Yeah and kittykat a newbie too is from the gold coast!!

 

[CrohnieCarolyn]

PERCOCETS! lol

But really I toughed it out for 13 years before I resorted to pain pills. Started with Vicodins, but those did nothing. Now I get Percocets. Now I only take 1 at night to sleep.

I keep a heating blanket in the drawer next to the bed.

The usual food stuff. Ensure/broth/low residue.

Immodium.

Have a kitty sleep on my belly. =p

I try to take my mind off it by doing other things (painting, video games, etc.)

Has your Humira not kicked in yet?

 

[Rob]

Cool
how's that cyclone up that way with all the flooding?

 

[Tan]

Yeah it wasn't that bad didn't do too much damage it just couldn't make up its mind where it wanted to go considering it crossed the coast right up past Cairns then went towards Darwin as a Low then turned back into a cyclone to cross the coast again at Weipa to turn back into another Low only to dump heap and heaps of rain on us for a whole week!! We were lucky here in Townsville didn't get too much flooding from it thankfully considering we had a king tide at the same time.. we are pretty used to it happening each year so our drainage/stormwater system is set up to handle big dumping of rain... we can get like 400mm in a night and still only some streets will flood compared to Brisbane who get 100mm and think its the end of the world!! Ha..ha..
That was actually our first cyclone of the season so doing pretty good so far, mind you the last few years we seem to get the worse cyclones in March so fingers cross we get thru the month ok.
You guys having been having a lot of different weather lately too.. I heard a little while ago about a storm that came thru which wasn't good?

 

[Rob]

Yea was pretty bad lucky it didn't last too long

Adelaide isn't to bad s place we don't get many those probs of cyclones etc
jus a tad boring lol