Question-Is this in my head?

[Tummytroubles]

Ok, so I have been in a flare up now for about 3 weeks with some ups and downs (mostly downs) - I'm currently on my second week of Prednisone treatments (for the 6th time in 3 years) and today my stomach felt ok, so I ate.

About an hour after I ate I had the most unbearable pain - going to the bathroom didn't help at all. This pain is definately my fault because I ate meat but thats not the point.

The point is, after like 4 hours of the pain I decided to eat a lollypop...and the pain decreased significantly... Is it the sugar? Does this make sense? Or is it just a coincidence that I started feeling better after dosing myself with a sucker?

Thoughts?

 

[Keona]

hmm.. good question... did you have a lot of gas? Im not on pred yet but in my experience, I have noticed the sugar makes things worse not better..but Im no expert.
I think you know your body best... what is your gut telling you (no pun intended ) - just curious what you think now...
Wendy

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

It's not all in your head! Your blood sugar could have been low. Sometimes eating candy makes me feel better too and I'm guessing that's why. Personally, my sodium levels tend to get low too and eating salty things like potato chips always make me feel better even when a meal would probably make me feel worse.

 

[Tummytroubles]

Thanks for the opinons!
Keona - I do get some gas pains with Pred, but generally pred makes be feel a lot better. Except the mornings! Morning are HORRIBLE waiting for the pred to kick in for the day.

Cat-It could be that my sugars were low because I have been having a hard time eating lately.

But hey! If sugar makes be feel better - I'm OK with that! haha

 

[AndiGirl]

I wouldn't say that it isn't all in your head. I agree with Cat, that your blood sugar could have been low. With Crohn's eating can become very sporadic when you flare-up. I fight with low blood sugar off and on. When I get terrible gut wrenching cramps, I will chew gum. It seems to help me. I don't know if chewing helps to speed up the digestive process, if it just distracts me, or both. I swear by chewing gum. It won't completely get rid of the pain, but it often helps with the cramping.

 

[tiloah]

I've noticed when I start getting an "attack" and I start feeling pain/like I'm gonna throw up, I will reach for a Starburst.

 

[Keona]

research crohn's and sugar though. Even though it doesn't cause pain right away...it increases your candida levels in your guts and wreaks havoc. Sugar is hard to quit...Im finding anyway.. because the high levels of Candida makes you crave it. Vicious circle... I just read about it -- a lot. It makes your inflammation worse.

 

[Tummytroubles]

I used to eat a lot of sugar, but i can't now for obvious reasons. It was 1 lollipop and maybe its just what i needed The pain decreased but there still was some pain. And after about 2 hours, it came back... So I guess, sugar is not the cure!

But thanks for the information, i never noticed sugar made things worse - usually its meats and veggies, chips and popcorn. But then again, lately I haven't been eating much of anything!

Chewing gum, thats a good tip, maybe a sugar free. I've also noticed that doing something with my hands distracts me from the pain, like drawing, painting, knitting - things like that.

 

[Rebecca85]

I think chewing gum does speed up your digestion. If I have some, I get incredibly hungry. I think your brain says 'hey, she's chewing something! Get ready, stomach! Make room in the intestines!' and of course nothing arrives.

 

[Keona]

well, you asked for thoughts and those are mine.

 

[Tummytroubles]

... and like I said, thank you for the information

 

[Jennifer]

Perhaps you could try a bland diet for now since you said you aren't eating much. If you eat meat, have it be a baked chicken breast (keep the spicy and salty seasonings to a minimum) or some white fish (less fatty than salmon and has less mercury than sword fish and tuna which larger fish have more of). As for veggies, remove the skins off of anything as the fiber in them cannot be digested, stay away from carrots and corn, and make sure all veggies are steamed because raw is harder to digest. Same goes with fruits, don't eat the skins and raw is always harder to digest, try apple sauce. Also steer clear of nuts or anything with a lot of fiber. Also try Ensure as a supplement to at least allow you to get some nutrients in when the pain is just too much for regular food. White rice is also ok to eat but stay away from brown rice because again, its hard to digest.

Food doesn't cause flares but it does cause symptoms and when you're already in a flare, its best to stick with a bland diet so you don't have to go through more unnecessary symptoms. Keeping your meals small and more frequent may also help.

 

[Tummytroubles]

Thank you CrabbyRelish-very helpful information