New to Crohn's and needs advice!

[samlucy]

I've had on going problems with abdominal pain for the last 5 years - I'm 22 years old - and recently things got well out of hand and I was in and out of hospital for 2 weeks with chronic pain. I'll have diarrhoea one minute and constipation the next, major fevers, nausea for 4 weeks straight 24 hours a day, lower back pain, right hand side pain, etc etc. It has not been a fun few months!

I've had countless tests done at the hospital and all of my scans/bloods are clear so the doctors have come to the conclusion that it's IBS or Crohn's or something along those lines. I haven't had it fully diagnosed but I'm currently in the middle of studying and can't take time off to get these tests done, so considering my symptoms I've been told to treat this as IBS/Crohn's and go onto a strict diet.

I don't have a clue where to start!!!

I've been looking on forums and websites for ages, and everyone says different things! I was told to eat only meat, vegetables and fruit, but all of the information I'm getting says different!
I'm so confused and I don't know who to talk to for help. I don't know what I should and shouldn't be eating - The only thing I know my stomach reacts to so far is dark chocolate, and mayonnaise.
I've had pain for so long I don't know what causes it and what doesn't. Any suggestions what to do?

 

[Crohn's 35]

:welcome: to the forum. You do sound like the typical crohns patient and you could have an abscess, do not let it go with out seeing a doctor ok? The only diet that seems to work is the Low Residue diet. Most people avoid dairy as it causes bloat. I use rice milk. I have been on all other diets and didnt make a difference. With having diahreah and Constipation you could have some narrowing or inflammation so becareful and chew your food well. The BRAT diet is safest whilst being in a flare. Bananas, Rice Applesauce and Toast. Drink lots of water, not juices or soda. You have to keep hydrated.

Hope this helps, many people here to help you. :hang:

 

[kenyasolovely]

Pen gives good advice.

And I'd like to throw in, I was diaognised in May of this year. I make it a goal to focus on eliminating "trouble" foods right off the back. I identified those foods by keeping a journal of what I ate that caused me pain. I usually eat the same things so it was kind of easy starting out. I learned pizza, was a big NO NO! But I can eat corn with no problem even though most Crohnies cannot digest it. I found that was easier because then I was able to find out what was causing me pain and wean off those foods and replace them with things I could handle.

Also just fyi...my Mom recommends Food Allergy testing. I'm getting mine done next week. Theory is that the foods you are allergic to, may be causing you to have a reaction and your body to overstimulate even though you don't "see" the reaction (like itchy eyes and such you'd normally see with allergic reactions). Its all internal and your body attacks itself when you eat foods you aren't supposed to which is why the food testing is good.

Best of luck!

 

[SMFonda]

I've found that a vegetarian diet has worked the best at minimizing my digestive experiences with Crohn's.

 

[hugh]

I've found that a vegetarian diet has worked the best at minimizing my digestive experiences with Crohn's.

I'm the opposite, Paleo (2.0) is working for me.

You will have to find what works for you.

 

[Yanick]

Samlucy,

As you can see even from this brief line-up of responses, you are not going to find a straight answer you may be seeking for. With IBD, it takes a lot of experimentation and attention to detail to figure out what foods will make your symptoms better or worse. To complicate matters, some foods may not cause an adverse reaction immediately after you eat, and some may adversely affect you over-time.

I tried almost every diet out there, and the one I found to work best is the specific carbohydrate diet, otherwise known as SCD. It took over a month to kick-in, so if you try it - definitely stay with it for at least a month before you make the judgement call. If after a month you feel no difference, then it may not be for you.

If you want to learn more about it, just search online for "scd diet", you will find a lot of good information and many testimonials.

Best of luck to you... oh, and no matter the success with any diet, don't skip your dr. appointments.

Yanick