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If this is a flare up....now what?!?

Hello all. I am pretty sure I'm experiencing my first Crohn's flare up since my surgery in February (ileocecectomy). I had been doing so well and was virtually symptom free following surgery, unless I ate a trigger food.

Well, the last few days I've been a bit nauseous, bloated, fatigued and had a decreased appetite. Now today I've been having abdominal cramping and severe diarrhea every one to two hours. :( Is this a normal flare up? Prior to surgery my flare ups included obstructive symptoms because of my large stricture. Now I no longer have a stricture....so I'm just wondering if this is the new 'normal' flare.

If so....now what? Do I just avoid eating for a bit? I tried eating lunch and had instant diarrhea (and it was bland chicken noodle soup...my usual go to when I'm feeling crummy). I'm super busy at work and have no possibility of taking time off this week as my coworker is gone...so the stress isn't helping. Do I need to let my doctor know? Does this mean my inflammation is back? So many questions....feeling overwhelmed.

I'm currently on Humira, omeprazole, vit d, vit b12, calcium supplement, multivitamin, iron supplement, and 5 mg of prednisone (currently in a very slow taper).

Thank you for any input!!!
 

Cat-a-Tonic

Super Moderator
Yes, I think the best thing to do would be to call your doctor. Likely they'll want you to go in for some bloodwork so that they can get an idea of what's going on - bloodwork is usually done first before other, more invasive tests. The bloodwork might be illuminating enough on its own to indicate that you are in a flare (if your CRP is high, for example). But yes, first things first - call your doctor.

As for eating - maybe try a liquid diet for a short time to see if things calm down any. If that goes okay then move on to soft solid foods - you could try the BRAT diet which stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. You could also try supplement drinks like Boost or Ensure, but keep in mind that those drinks contain a lot of sugar and that might worsen the diarrhea.
 
Hard to tell, but you know yourself the best... if you feel like you are flaring, then there is a good chance that is.

Have you done a Humira anti-bodies test ? I wonder if it is doing its job...
Maybe it's worth to talk about to your doctor.

Hope it's all just a bump in the road and that you get better soon.
 
Update: I'm feeling much better today and actually had a normal BM this morning! :).

Thanks everyone for your help! I did the brat diet with no fiber foods. Hope it was just a little bump and not the start of something else!!!
 
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