Peanuts & Peanutbutter

[teeny5]

So everything I have read says that any kind of nut or seed is hard to digest and to stay away. What about peanutbutter? I am just hesitant to try it...is it the actual nut or just it's shape that is hard to digest?

 

[Creepy Lurker]

So everything I have read says that any kind of nut or seed is hard to digest and to stay away. What about peanutbutter? I am just hesitant to try it...is it the actual nut or just it's shape that is hard to digest?

Peanut butter is fine so long as it's smooth. It's the clumping together of chunks that is the problem.

 

[teeny5]

Thanks! Just get scared to try some things cuz if I choose poorly I am sure to be sick for a couple of days.

 

[BWS1982]

I think the stickiness of peanut butter could have caused this year-long flare, about a year ago I had about 5 servings off a spoon, with just a bunch of water to wash it down (I'd had some prior without any ill effects, and like they say you have to test your boundries, trial and error BS)....the current GI doc says there's not enough evidence to rule out food as a cause to flares, so that's up in the air....roasted salted peanuts in the shell are one of my fav foods though

 

[Agent X20]

The last serious flare I had about 18 months ago started the day after I'd eaten some roasted salted peanuts. Don't think it was that alone... I'd been building up to it for a while... but certainly helped it on its way!

 

[dad_01]

So everything I have read says that any kind of nut or seed is hard to digest and to stay away. What about peanutbutter? I am just hesitant to try it...is it the actual nut or just it's shape that is hard to digest?

The concern about nuts pertains to two aspects (from what my nutritionist tells me).

One, a nut can cause a blockage because of how hard it is physically. But, two, even if you eat nuts in a smooth form, such as creamy peanut butter, there can be problems because of difficulty in digesting the nuts (I'm not sure if this pertains to all nuts).

Sorry if my info is not very detailed. If you are interested, I will run this by my nutritionist again. (She is what I'll call an alternative nutritionist but is credentialed.)

 

[Creepy Lurker]

The concern about nuts pertains to two aspects (from what my nutritionist tells me).

One, a nut can cause a blockage because of how hard it is physically. But, two, even if you eat nuts in a smooth form, such as creamy peanut butter, there can be problems because of difficulty in digesting the nuts (I'm not sure if this pertains to all nuts).

Sorry if my info is not very detailed. If you are interested, I will run this by my nutritionist again. (She is what I'll call an alternative nutritionist but is credentialed.)

I have smooth peanut butter listed in the booklet I got for my low-residue diet from my hospital nutritionist. That's good enough for me :tongue:

 

[teeny5]

I tried smooth peanutbutter and so far so good. You never know with Crohn's though. Some days I can eat a salad just fine and other days it hates me!

 

[dad_01]

I have smooth peanut butter listed in the booklet I got for my low-residue diet from my hospital nutritionist. That's good enough for me :tongue:

Probably smooth peanut butter meets the low residue criteria because - as I understand it - low residue has to do with roughage, where the concern is for a blockage, not difficulty of digestion.

 

[dad_01]

Probably smooth peanut butter meets the low residue criteria because - as I understand it - low residue has to do with roughage, where the concern is for a blockage, not difficulty of digestion.

When my son was released recently from the hospital they also reccomended a low residue diet, esp if he is having flares:

-no seeds (ex: no seeds that are in cucumbers)(can be hard to digest; if he is not digesting them he may see bits of them in his stools)

-no skins from vegetables or fruits (can be hard to digest; if he is not digesting them he may see bits of them in his stools)

 

[dad_01]

Sorry to hijack this thread but DAD how is your son doing???

Thanks for asking. He has been doing fine since his last hospitalization.

He had been in the hospital three times in the past few months - once for surgery for a peri rectal abcess, and two times for what we're concluding were partial blockages of his terminal ilium.

He is on a cocktail of medicines - remicade, pentasa and flagyl. These recent postings about oral thrush concern me, along with whatever else he may be susceptible to from the immuno suppressants.

He is being tapered off of prednisone and we're hoping it doesn't trigger another partial blockage when he is off of it. His GI indicated that if he has more episodes of what he thinks are partial blockages, then surgery (to remove diseased sections of his terminal ilium) would be necessary.

I'm not real happy with his GI, actually. At the last visit, we waited almost an hour and a half to see him (we did see his nurse for a while) and, when we finally did see the GI, he stayed for all of about 12 minutes, and never really answered my questions.

 

[dad_01]

Hi DAD, well you are not alone on the waiting game I USED to wait anywhere from 2 to 4 hours for a GI,,, since I moved away from that area I have a GI who is so great, and sometimes he takes me early! Never had that before. He will take the time to explain things but as I am his only patient on Humira, and very allergic to Remicade he is keeping tabs on me closely.

Having a second opinion wouldnt hurt, some GI's are good and some arent, some mechanics are good some arent. You have to be your own sons advocate for his medications and rule out what is not working for him. I know he is probably going to need surgery, I read the other thread about the Illium which is where I had 2 ft taken out. The illium from what I remember (Benson or Kev may know they seem to have more knowledge) is the absorptable area for nutrition. Having a stricture will not reverse on its own that I know, and it can become diseased further and can get worse. I had it done when I was younger 32 and was good for 6 years, but there was no computers and not much knowledge then. I was only on Entocort after my surgery.

As for your sons medications he is weaning off prednisone which is good but I do know that Pred is a short term fix, as soon as you taper,,, I am tapering and will be finished this Saturday and ONLY staying on Humira, now weekly. Why be on all these drugs as dangerous as they are with sides, a 3rd surgery is down the road, my Gi doesnt recommend for me to have it now, unless I really really need to. It will come back. Sorry to babble on another persons thread but if your son has another bowel obstruction it will be telling you it will be time. Good luck :smile:

It seems like it is not definitive that my son's last two episodes were due to partial obstructions of the terminal ilium but it seems that his GI is treating it as though that was the case.

Funny thing is, my son never had such episodes until the two recent ones. One thing that is different is that he had started remicade. If I understood the GI correctly, he indicated that remicade can partially help reduce terminal ilium strictures but that, initially, whatever healing process it may have can first make the inflammation worse. Again, I didn't get a chance to make sure I understood this stuff correctly and want to follow up with him on this.

 

[BWS1982]

Oral thrush is very often a nuisance rather than an actual risk or severe problem. Continue to ask him if he has a gross taste in his mouth following the consumption of food, and/or check for a white filmy layer on the surface of his tongue.

 

[dad_01]

Oral thrush is very often a nuisance rather than an actual risk or severe problem. Continue to ask him if he has a gross taste in his mouth following the consumption of food, and/or check for a white filmy layer on the surface of his tongue.

Thanks. I'm wondering - do you know of a list of other symptoms - maybe in what would be termed the nuisance category - that he would be at risk for developing and that I should be on the lookout for.

 

[BWS1982]

Well, if you mean with thrush, the only 2 ways I knew I had it were the taste (most pronounced after eating), and the white coating on my tongue. If you mean other immunosuppressed related issues, that can vary greatly on the individual, but infections, colds, flus, slowly healing wounds, aches/pains, chills, sore throat, unusual lumps (endocrine glands, armpits, neck, etc...)....rashes, things like that, the immune system is purposely handicapped as you know to reduce the inflammation. Wounds can heal much slower (nuisence), but can lead to other complications if it gets infected (serious).

 

[dad_01]

Well, if you mean with thrush, the only 2 ways I knew I had it were the taste (most pronounced after eating), and the white coating on my tongue. If you mean other immunosuppressed related issues, that can vary greatly on the individual, but infections, colds, flus, slowly healing wounds, aches/pains, chills, sore throat, unusual lumps (endocrine glands, armpits, neck, etc...)....rashes, things like that, the immune system is purposely handicapped as you know to reduce the inflammation. Wounds can heal much slower (nuisence), but can lead to other complications if it gets infected (serious).

Thanks. I did mean the latter. I figured he would be more suspectible to infections, colds, flu, etc.

 

[BWS1982]

fatigue is another that others, but not I myself, have stated as a bothersome side from Remicade. Extreme fatigue though, at a point, is worrisome though, because something else may be at hand.

 

[ls1krab]

I might have to track some of that almond butter sometime this week so I can give it a try. I love peanut butter, but have heard not to eat it due to my condition. Hopefully the almond version is ok.