How to ease Crohn's

[tolmie]

Hi everyone, Im from Glasgow, Scotland and I'm on here on behave of my mum who is in her late 70s. My mum has had most of her bowel removed and is constant in and out of hospital, at one point her bowel got strangled and ended up in coma. She has very severe Crohn's and I said I would try and find out online if theres anything that can ease her pain etc. Just now she cannot leave the house for a few reasons, everything she eats, drinks goes straight through her to her bag and therefore cannot put on weight. When she was healthy she was around 10 stone but now she is 7 stone and extremely frail, her bags are constantly bursting and she is having to clean this on a daily basis. This is very hard for someone in there late 70's and the nurses have not seen anyone who has had it this bad. She has had many operations and theres probably not alot else they can do. I would like to ask you people who suffer from this, is there anything you would recommend she eats to help her put weight on, also anything to give her energy, anything that will stop her toilet from running so bad. She has days where she is on the toilet for 5-6 hours and cannot leave, this is why she cant leave the house. Also is there any type of bag she can get, she keeps complaining her bags burst and also that they pancake, whatever that means. Thank you for your time

 

[ronroush7]

I an sorry for all your mother is going through. Has she tried any of the protein drinks. If she does, make sure it doesn't have carrageen in it . Best to her.

 

[tolmie]

Hi Ronroush, yes she was given protein drinks and said they were disgusting and couldnt drink them, shes not the best at sticking with stuff even if its not the best tasting. She usually ends up in hospital every 3 months with no potasium and calcium I think it is, this is because she cannot retain food and doesnt get any of the benefits. So not only isnt she suffering from crohns but because she has no potasium she is vert close to a heart attack which she has had 2 of already, it really isnt a life and just trying to get some tips from people out there. She seems to have real issues with bags bursting and that causes alot of problems, hopefully these things will improve in future for the younger generation.

 

[ronroush7]

I hope technology comes up with some kind of new bag. Has she ever done a food diary to see what foods aggravate her gut? Is she on any vitamins?

 

[tolmie]

Im not sure if she is on vitamins, she is on around 20 pills a day. Regards to food its hard to explain, absolutely nothing stays in, shes had so many ops and now everything just leaves her body. She was on a nutrion drip bag thing in the house and not even that could build her up, it really is that bad. She certainly doesnt eat fried food, currys or anything really bad.

 

[ronroush7]

She will be in my prayers.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

I would recommend really trying to pursue the ensure / fortisip drinks with her. They are meal replacements so she could be on just them and not need to eat any food but she would need about 4-6 per day for this. There are several different flavours she can try. They may not agree with her - they actually gave me diarrhea but I am able to eat so it wasn't so critical with me. My dietitian recommended mixing them with milk to make it less thick and more digestible. Is this something you can try? Sounds like liquid meals are going to be better at the moment as they will be easier for her and give her all her daily needs, which would prevent the drops in calcium and potassium. You could also try making your own calorific drinks using full-fat milk, bananas etc and add in protein powder.

I also eat yogurt daily where I go for Rachel's organic greek style honey yogurt, which is 131 calories per 100g! I add to this 1-2 tablespoons of milled Linseeds, which you can buy from Aldi, which is 484 calories per 100g. This is high in omega 3. I also try and eat a lot of brownies, like in costa a small gluten-free brownie is around 400 calories.

 

[tolmie]

Thanks for the advice guys, if theres anything else you can think of food wise please update here, much appreciated.

 

[fuzzy butterfly]

Hi tolmie.. has your mum been checked for bile salts malabsorbtion. This can be the cause of severe dioherra. I have to take a medication (Questran)for this problem. It may be worth getting this checked out. She may then be able to gain weight as she will be able to absorb the nutriants in what she eats better..
Wishing the best for your mum n you

 

[dejavucandace]

I have purchased a powder multi vitamin that contains some protein. Each drink is about 100 calories so that isn't a lot considering your mother is very small. Mine is mixed with water as I was told that people with bowel disorders are not likely to absorb pill form vitamins when in active flareups. I live in Canada but im sure there is something like this in your country. And mine is very yummy! I do hope you can find something to make her more comfortable. This can be a very terrible disease....

 

[Grant]

Hi tolmie, I think fuzzy butterfly may just have hit the nail on the head. Questran is good for stopping malabsorbtion. I think this could well be worth pursuing via your Mum's Specialist & GP.
I wish you & your Mum the very best wishes in what sounds such a terrible time for you both.
Rgds
Grant