Not sure if I should be here!

[Grumbletum]

Hi I'm Helen, 51, and it is great to meet you all, even if it could be under more pleasant circumstances!
I'm here because I've just been diagnosed with a bowel problem and was surfing the Net to see if I could find tips on alleviating the symptoms til I get a full diagnosis. So glad I found y'all
I've had recurrent urinary tract infections over the last 3 months and my doc eventually sent me for an ultrasound as she thought there must be an underlying problem. Antibiotics were clearing some of the symptoms, but not fully and not the stomach and pelvic pains. Ultrasound shows that a loop of my small bowel is 'not pulsating', so I've had bloodtests done for possible allergies and I have a consultation at the surgical clinic, but not til Feb 24. When I asked the doc if this is what's causing the UTIs, she said maybe cos the affected loop is right next to my bladder. She mentioned Crohn's as a possibility.
So I'm kind of in limbo at the moment. I have lost weight, mainly due to lack of appetite, but I don't have bad D - only if I eat certain foods i.e. cheese and fatty foods. The pain is pretty much there all the time - it just varies in severity, but that and the UTI symptoms are aggravated by coffee and tea. Oh, and like a lot of people I've noticed on here, I have a very vocal stomach.
I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of a good elimination diet? I look in the fridge when I'm hungry, but it just seems like a gastronomic minefield at the moment.
Wishing you all a peaceful and as pain free New Year as possible. x

 

[Guest]

hi Helen, welcome to the forum

possibly the low residue diet might be a good place to start, even though you might not have classic Crohn's symptoms... here's a link to our Wiki entry on it, but in addition there are a few other things i'd recommend you avoid, anything acidic (like orange juice), anything spicy, and onions.

http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Low-Residue-Diet?&highlight=low+residue

you've probably been told about cranberry juice for your bladder - i'm actually taking it now as i had a bad water infection over Xmas - it does help, but i water it down with lemonade to dilute the acid content.

good luck, and let us know if you need help with anything here.

 

[Astra]

Hi Helen
and welcome

I recommend the low residue diet too, it works. If you graze all day on items from this diet, it should help. for ex, chopped up cooked chicken mixed with white rice, chopped up salmon with mashed potatoes, white bread sandwiches with lean meats, white pasta and tuna, so when you open the fridge for a mooch, it will be there in your Tupperware ready to eat!
Avoid citrus fruits, bananas are good, avoid red meat and seeds and grains and nuts, and snack on Arrowroot biscuits or Rich Tea biscuits, and Rice Krispies or Cheerios for breakfast with white toast, bagels or muffins, and butter is ok too.
Keep a food journal and document everything, then eliminate food that irritates.
Here's another link
http://www.healthcastle.com/low-residue-[wiki2="Fiber"]fiber[/wiki2]-diet.shtml

good luck!
Joan xxx

 

[Grumbletum]

Thank you for the links Explains why I've been a bit rough the last couple of days - I have been finding it hard to resist the Christmas cake!!

 

[Astra]

oooooooooooo ouch!
no wonder your tum is grumbling!
Far too rich, but it's hard to resist! Yum Yum!

 

[allieinwonder]

I know how you feel, I'm undiagnosed as well. There are a number of undiagnosed people on this site; it seems like sometimes this is like finding a needle in a haystack! My symptoms are very similar to your as well. I hope you find answers soon!

 

[Grumbletum]

Just read your story, Allie. How worrying and frustrating for you :- (. Knowing something is wrong but not what is not nice. I think I was lucky to get the ultrasound early on. I had an ovarian cyst removed 25 years ago and they wanted to rule out one in the remaining ovary.
It's scary really. Since I started feeling ill and the possible Crohns came up, loads of people I know have 'come out' of the IBD/IBS closet!

 

[allieinwonder]

Ha ha I love that phrase, coming out of the IBD/IBS closet.

I have had ovarian cysts as well. One burst a year ago. I wasn't flaring at the time, so the CT they did wouldn't have shown anything anyway...since then I have had another CT, ultrasound, colonoscopy, and blood and stool tests. They have narrowed it down to Crohns or UC, and my gut feeling is that its crohns. They wondered if it was Crohn's when it first started when I was 15, but I ended up having a GI that wrote it off as IBS without even really taking the time to make sure it was the correct diagnosis. It is frustrating, but I have learned that I can't give up.

I know how scary all that this can be. This forum helps so much!

 

[Grumbletum]

Yes, the support here is brilliant. And yes, persevere. I had the UTI problem with the cyst, but kept getting tested for kidney stones etc before an ultrasound showed up the cyst. And get this : it had teeth in it! I thought I'd be featuring in the next 'Alien' movie! I was in Turkey when it got really bad and remember how scary it was to be in foreign hospitals.

 

[allieinwonder]

Oh wow! How the heck did it have a tooth in it?

I had a UTI with my cyst as well, but it really didn't seem like a big deal, lol. When this flare started in September they also tested me for kidney stones at the urgent care facility I went to (one of several places I ended up in the states when the pain spiked, no one really found anything).

The foreign hospital thing is definitely making me nervous. I know the care here in a hospital is brilliant compared to the states, but communication would be very difficult. The army helps a lot though, they have people whose sole job is to come to you in the hospital, translate if need be, and make sure you are taken care of. I just hope it never comes to that, even though I see IBD diagnosis that way often.

 

[Grumbletum]

Lol. Dermoid cyst. Can have teeth, fingernails etc!