Pepsi and junk food

[popsicle]

pepsi and junk food

I do not have crohn's so I have no idea what someone who has the disease goes through on a daily basis.
Thus, I need some guidance to help some one I know with crohn's.
This person has had crohns for almost 17 years and has pretty much given up on dealing with it, she is facing a divorce (who wants to come home to someone who is laying in bed all day and will not help themselves) and wants full custody of her kids but in her current state she will not be able to take care of them the way they need to be cared for.
Right now she has 2 young kids (19 months and 3 years old) she has a full-time nanny during the day and 4 or 5 nights a weeks she has a sitter until the kids go to bed, and on the other nights her husband is expected to take care of the kids.
I have worked with her and the kids for about a year and I can honestly say her diet has NEVER been healthy. She has recently developed bed sores because she never gets up. she also does not work.
Her normal day consists of:
waking up at around 1pm
a can of pepsi
candy (reeses)
bread or oatmeal
mcdonals/ pizza, pepsi
more pepsi
and grilled cheese sandwiches.
and... more pepsi
on a normal day she drinks about 7 cans of pepsi and she will not believe me that pepsi maybe isn't the best choice, but she told me she asked her crohns doctor if it would hurt and make the crohns worse but she said it wouldnt make a difference.
she has been "bed ridden" (thats what she calls it) for over 3 years, while she was pregnant and mat leave and now she is on disability. (maybe if any one on here knows a good crohns doctor around edmonton, ab in canada they could drop me their name) she said her doctor has told her she is going to be like this for the rest of her life.
and in my opinion she abuses her meds.
she is on 2 different anti-depressants and a couple different painkillers including morphine (abuse part: if she is supposed to take 3 pills every 6 hours and sleeps for 12 or through she thinks she needs to compensate and take 6 pills for her next dose... and she is proud she can consume an amount her doctor told her should kill most people)
am I just being harsh? thinking part of the problem is that she is being lazy, and has no motivation to beat her crohns and cope with everyday life, she has already had some one else raise her kids for the first years of their lives, and I dont think she should miss anymore just because she pittys the life she has.
I know everyone with crohns is different but isnt lying in bed all day and eating junk a little excessive?...
I was just thinking I was a little more educated about crohns and how other people deal with it I could help her out or at least be more understanding.
Thanks!

 

[DanSJVDavis]

Yeah, it's harsh, but she's just making matters worse and maybe she also needs a second opinion. I drink soda, but I don't drink much of it. Caffeine is actually not the best thing for Crohn's, but I'm a nut for the coffee. If they had a decaf that tasted as good as the regular coffee I'd get it, but the cold truth is, there isn't because the decaffeination process strips a lot of the flavor and the process is costly, so they use sub-grade beans to start with, making for a pretty sorry cup o joe. I've also heard some say that High Fructose Corn Syrup causes them issues and may not be all that healthy for Crohn's.

That diet would tear the guts out of most of us here and isn't doing anything but making matters worse. The painkillers aren't helping matters either, I'll bet. I'd wager she's really in bed all the time and getting bed sores because the painkiller addiction is keeping her there. Plus, the caffeine and painkillers are likely making her dehydrated as well, compounding problems in her bowels and other places as well, because I didn't notice water listed there in the diet.

Many people don't want to hear that they're not doing the right thing to keep their disease in check, but what she's doing to herself is the exact opposite of anything I've ever heard doctors say to do.

The cold hard truth is that she's not going to get custody of her kids if she doesn't do something to help herself, possibly starting with a new doctor. Unless most of her gut is gone, the doc telling her she'll be bedridden and on painkillers for the rest of her life is, quite frankly, a quack. Unless I'm missing some other info there.

She needs to start eating better, possibly a low fiber-low residue diet to start or one of the other big diets out there for Crohn's, needs to cut down on the painkiller consumption and NEEDS another doctor that actually gives a crap. Oh, and plenty of water to flush the toxin buildup from her system. It'd be a hard climb, especially if she's flaring and truly addicted to the morphine, but she needs to ask herself, what would she do for the sake of her kids.

Sorry if it's harsh, but I don't see her doing anything to improve her situation, by what you've said and likely the doctor's words only made matters worse.

Then again, perhaps she misinterpreted what the doctor said. Yep, without a medical breakthrough she'll have Crohn's for the rest of her life, but that does not mean she should just lay in bed forever, take painkillers and anti-depressants and give up.

 

[jooles6377]

Hi, It sounds like she is more depressed and has just got stuck in a rut which anyone would find hard to get out of if they have everyone doing everything for them. One of my symptoms is dreading trying to look after the kids and keeping the house in order because I just dont have the energy. There are days when I just cant and need help but mostly I just have to do it. If I had a nanny I would do nothing and stay in bedso maybe people need to stop doing so much for her.

I think the food she eats wont help at all but comfort food is what I want to eat as it is the only vice I have. It wont be doing her any good as fizzy bubbly pop multiplys the acid which can make the Crohns worse.

Send her a decent Doctor and possible a therapist as you never know, with a new baby
it could be serious post natal depression which for me made my Crohns much worse.

Hope this helps.,

 

[CD68]

I was more or less bedridden for a few years until I got on new drug which helped me.

I guess you'd have to know more details about your friends medical condition to know if what she says is true or not. For example, Crohn's can do real physical damage in joints such as the knees and if her knees are torn up she may not be able to ever walk very much...just the other day I ran across someone online saying they ended up with knee replacement surgery due to Crohn's. In some rare cases it can cause an abscesses or other problems to the spinal cord which can cause all sorts of problems.

On my worst days I was only able to walk around the house for maybe two hours before I started hurting so bad that I needed to lay down again and there are quite a few times in which I used a cane to walk up and down stairs. The worst part was that there was a "mental fog" that made me not able to concentrate on anything that I had previously found enjoyable and also gave me a bad memory. (this can be due to all sorts of things, anemia, for example would result in you not having the oxygen in your blood that you need) They put me on a new drug a couple of months ago and not only am I able to put in a full day of work but I feel much better mentally and am no longer on antidepressants. My doctors never did give me pain killers, they said that the way to treat the pain was to treat the disease and I guess they were right. I was always able to take the edge off with tylenol and a heating pad, there have only been a few times where I was in so much pain I seriously considered going to the ER. The thing that I dislike the most about narcotics is the mental haze they give me and I've had family members that became addicted to prescription meds during a chronic illness--that possibility always scared me away from nagging my doc to much for a script.

I can't really say if your friend is, as you say, being lazy and hooked on drugs, or whether she has real pain from the Crohn's or even if it's a combination of a lazy personality, apathy from the depression, and real pain altogether. But even if she is apathetic to life and hooked on her pain meds that alone is something that makes me feel sad for that person. Can you imagine what it's like to be so miserable that you no longer care if you live or die or if your liver and kidneys fail? I could see my patience running out for a person like that but at the same time I wouldn't be angry at them.

 

[CD68]

I think the food she eats wont help at all but comfort food is what I want to eat as it is the only vice I have. It wont be doing her any good as fizzy bubbly pop multiplys the acid which can make the Crohns worse.

When I started getting symptoms of Crohn's I naturally gravitated towards refined flour and quick sugar fixes, it was so much gentler on my raw gut than anything with fiber in it. I think I'm the only one on this board to have gained weight as a result of Crohn's...50 lbs as a matter of fact. :yrolleyes:

I know that caffeine in coffee has a laxative effect for me and I imagine that can't be useful if you already have loose stools (I mostly do not though). It never occurred to me that the acid might have a deliterious effect. Reckon that means I should try giving up the 6-10 diet Mt Dews I drink every day? :tongue: I wish I could say the soda is my only vice but I spend too much time on internet as well.

 

[Mazen]

From personal experience I believe food makes a huge difference in Crohn's. She should emphasize healthy, easily digestible food, and only eat junk food rarely. Also a daily multivitamin is essential

I guess the easiest thing she could do is start with a low residue diet. Here is a link for it:

http://www.nmh.org/nmh/pdf/pated/lowfiber-diet07.pdf

I also suggest you get some books that help with diet and emotional issues. Check the ones below:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Eat-IBD-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246282438&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/New-Eating-Right-Bad-Gut/dp/0452279763/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

http://www.amazon.com/First-Year-Ulcerative-Essential-Diagnosed/dp/1600940226/ref=pd_sim_b_2

This last book is written by a therapist who has Crohn's. So it might be very helpful for your friend to cope with this disease:

http://www.amazon.com/Coping-Crohns-Disease-Emotional-Challenges/dp/1572242655/ref=pd_sim_b_19

 

[Procyon]

I don't drink Pepsi, but I am addicted to Coke (haw haw)

Seriously, though - there's never a general guideline.

I'm a huge junk-food addict. I'm always, always snacking on candies when I can get them and in any given day, I'll have maybe four or five cans of Coke, if nothing else is available.

But I've experimented. I've gone, literally, months without drinking Coke and had no noticeable change in symptoms. I tried going for as long as I could without certain foods - All fast-food, fried foods, different meats, etc. And same thing, no noticeable difference. I'd get just as sick or stay just as healthy as I would when eating them.

But that's me - it could be different for her. My disease is rarely upset by foods - but almost always by stress.


I don't know if that helps at all... more like anecdotal ranting, I guess.

Me too! Well, actually I have way more than four or five cans a day. I can drink a 12 pack a day if not more. Luckily I drink a lot of water too. I just drink a lot. <_< But I've noticed something similar. It seems no matter what I eat, my intestines will have some kind of problem with it, so I just eat whatever I dang well please. :smile:

 

[trustedon23]

I don't eat junk food but I am addicted of cold drinks(any type). I can't control that. I know that it is harmful but I don't know what should I do. I am trying to control my habit(good or bad actually I don't know).

 

[danman]

I'm going to go way out on a limb here, she needs to get out of bed and get her life sorted.

I'm sorry if I seem harsh, but I've had this for 20 years, I've been to hell and back, but I've still managed to live my life and keep a job.

You mentioned that you look after her? What meds is she actually on for Crohn's?
Anti-depressants and painkillers are only masking symptoms, does she take any meds for Crohns?

I find the statement that her doc told her she would be bed ridden for life, very hard to believe. This is a debilitating illness, but there are treatments that can give relief.

If she is that bad, that she cannot get out of bed, she should get her doctor to schedule surgery fast. I would not let this illness leave me with no options in life.

It sounds like she is depressed more than suffering from Crohn's. She's using crohn's as a method of getting attention. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is my honest opinion.

 

[misscris]

To add to this and be harsh as well, if she's 'bedridden' and can't get up ... then that means someone is supporting her destructive ways. Who is going out and buying the junk food and pepsi and who is bringing it to her? She needs help either way, and it's a little hard to help and support someone when you encourage the bad behavior. Not blaming you particularly .. just stating that someone is doing it.

To be honest, if I were her spouse I'd take the kids too and fight very hard to make sure I got them. That is no quality of life for herself, but even worse for her kids to learn that behavior and live with it. Maybe someone needs to give her a harsh reality check on where her life is headed.

I too have a hard time believe that a doctor would tell her she'd be bedridden for life. If a doctor told me that, I'd tell him no way and fight to make it so I'm not. She needs to seek out more opinions from doctors, and from personally dealing with people who seek attention anyway they can. .... it's not unusal for them to lie about what doctors say or make illnesses and situations worse then they are to get that attention. It sounds like she needs psychiatric help, and fast.

Good luck .. let us know what happens and if things get better! Kudos to you for wanting to help her out. You seem like you care about her and her kids and want to help, so good luck!

 

[crohnsappleadams]

Dark colas have always been a killer for me, but everybody responds differently. More than anything else, what I'm noticing with that diet is an overabundance of processed foods, which are difficult to digest. Lack of physical activity slows the digestion process also, so that means everything she's putting in her system is festering in her intestines, likely worsening the inflammation. That's basically akin to putting your car in park and revving the engine nonstop on a hot day--eventually you're gonna cause some damage.

Your friend, however, is suffering from depression, not Crohn's. The depression may be exacerbating the Crohn's, but Crohn's is not the root problem. She needs a psychiatrist and a proverbial kick in the ass (maybe an actual kick in the ass too). The Pepsi and the junk food will worsen the depression because her body is probably starved of a lot of necessary nutrients for healthy brain function. She's basically eating and drugging herself to death.