- Location
- Connecticut U.S.
Hi,
I'm a 61-year-old male Ashkenazi Jew diagnosed with Crohn's. I may have had a bout of Crohn's when I was 12, but it was undiagnosed and all symptoms disappeared after a very long summer.
I smoked tobacco for more than 40 years. I had a heart attack in 2005 and throat and neck cancer in 2009. The heart attack got a stent. The cancer got a throat dissection, radiation and chemotherapy.
I experienced my first adult flare-up of Crohn's Disease after starting Chantix for smoking cessation in 2007. Starting Chantix is probably a coincidence, but I figure any possible connections are worth mentioning here. I tried to ignore the symptoms that would flare every three or four months, causing unbearable intestinal pain starting just below my sternum and working downward over the course of 8 to 48 hours. The flares would include feverish chills and bouts of vomiting and end with vomiting and diarrhea. When the flare ended, I felt completely normal and ready to eat and drink again almost immediately -- like flipping a switch.
Last year, the flare-ups became somewhat more frequent, seemed to last longer and caused enough dehydration to land me in ER for an IV to replace fluids. Because of family history (father with Crohn's) and a talented group of doctors, Crohn's was quickly diagnosed. I was prescribed 4g of Pentasa.
I should mention that the throat and neck cancer necessitated removal of salivary glands and that exasperated dental problems that led to the loss of all my molars. I believe that food not being thoroughly chewed either caused or worsened a lot of my intestinal problems. Recent dental implants have helped remarkably toward alleviating this problem, and I recommend that everyone suffering from Crohn's pay special attention to the simple act of chewing one's food.
I also want to mention the experience that someone else termed "Crohn's Brain." During each flare, at some point I would start to not at all feel mentally normal. Thinking about problems or puzzles -- something I usually enjoy greatly -- would become nearly impossible, and even light, passive pursuits like watching TV became unbearably annoying. Perhaps it was simple dehydration, or maybe a natural reaction to intense continuous waves of pain -- I have no idea. But it happened every single flare for years and I think the mental aspect is notable and very strange.
I never felt like the Pentasa was doing anything effective, and I cut back my daily dosage to 1g a day about six months ago -- against my GI specialist's better judgment, but he didn't press his case urgently.
It was about a month ago that I happened to eat a piece of licorice candy as I felt a flare coming on, and immediately felt a huge sense of well-being and no intestinal pain or discomfort. Now, I'm always hugely suspicious of personal testimonial cures, and I generally only subscribe to scientifically proven tests with results that are verifiable and repeatable -- but the licorice candy made a marked difference for me and I think that it's worth documenting in this forum.
About a month ago, I stopped taking Pentasa completely and switched to DGL, a relatively inexpensive over-the-counter chewable deglycyrrhizinated licorice that takes out the stuff that's bad for the heart in regular licorice extract. I feel great. I eat an unrestricted diet (including dairy and fiber) and hope that this is a miraculous answer for me to put Crohn's into long-term remission. I know it's only been a month, but so far, so good.
Sorry for the longwinded story. I hope that this tale may help someone in some way. I'll try to update as the months go by. I've been extremely lucky with this disease: Not having to suffer through Crohn's as a youth or young man; fast diagnosis; escaped any surgery; and finding an apparently easy answer relatively quickly. Good luck to all and please don't give up hope. Peace.
I'm a 61-year-old male Ashkenazi Jew diagnosed with Crohn's. I may have had a bout of Crohn's when I was 12, but it was undiagnosed and all symptoms disappeared after a very long summer.
I smoked tobacco for more than 40 years. I had a heart attack in 2005 and throat and neck cancer in 2009. The heart attack got a stent. The cancer got a throat dissection, radiation and chemotherapy.
I experienced my first adult flare-up of Crohn's Disease after starting Chantix for smoking cessation in 2007. Starting Chantix is probably a coincidence, but I figure any possible connections are worth mentioning here. I tried to ignore the symptoms that would flare every three or four months, causing unbearable intestinal pain starting just below my sternum and working downward over the course of 8 to 48 hours. The flares would include feverish chills and bouts of vomiting and end with vomiting and diarrhea. When the flare ended, I felt completely normal and ready to eat and drink again almost immediately -- like flipping a switch.
Last year, the flare-ups became somewhat more frequent, seemed to last longer and caused enough dehydration to land me in ER for an IV to replace fluids. Because of family history (father with Crohn's) and a talented group of doctors, Crohn's was quickly diagnosed. I was prescribed 4g of Pentasa.
I should mention that the throat and neck cancer necessitated removal of salivary glands and that exasperated dental problems that led to the loss of all my molars. I believe that food not being thoroughly chewed either caused or worsened a lot of my intestinal problems. Recent dental implants have helped remarkably toward alleviating this problem, and I recommend that everyone suffering from Crohn's pay special attention to the simple act of chewing one's food.
I also want to mention the experience that someone else termed "Crohn's Brain." During each flare, at some point I would start to not at all feel mentally normal. Thinking about problems or puzzles -- something I usually enjoy greatly -- would become nearly impossible, and even light, passive pursuits like watching TV became unbearably annoying. Perhaps it was simple dehydration, or maybe a natural reaction to intense continuous waves of pain -- I have no idea. But it happened every single flare for years and I think the mental aspect is notable and very strange.
I never felt like the Pentasa was doing anything effective, and I cut back my daily dosage to 1g a day about six months ago -- against my GI specialist's better judgment, but he didn't press his case urgently.
It was about a month ago that I happened to eat a piece of licorice candy as I felt a flare coming on, and immediately felt a huge sense of well-being and no intestinal pain or discomfort. Now, I'm always hugely suspicious of personal testimonial cures, and I generally only subscribe to scientifically proven tests with results that are verifiable and repeatable -- but the licorice candy made a marked difference for me and I think that it's worth documenting in this forum.
About a month ago, I stopped taking Pentasa completely and switched to DGL, a relatively inexpensive over-the-counter chewable deglycyrrhizinated licorice that takes out the stuff that's bad for the heart in regular licorice extract. I feel great. I eat an unrestricted diet (including dairy and fiber) and hope that this is a miraculous answer for me to put Crohn's into long-term remission. I know it's only been a month, but so far, so good.
Sorry for the longwinded story. I hope that this tale may help someone in some way. I'll try to update as the months go by. I've been extremely lucky with this disease: Not having to suffer through Crohn's as a youth or young man; fast diagnosis; escaped any surgery; and finding an apparently easy answer relatively quickly. Good luck to all and please don't give up hope. Peace.
