Reaction to food

[Lulabelle]

Hi guys,
I have been going through a flare and gone back on the humira. Did 4 injection loading dose 2 weeks ago and 2 injections yesterday.
I have been keeping a food diary more strictly and I just wanted to ask people's opinion on today's events.
I am following low fibre and had the following; AM time - 1 fortisip, small bowl of rice krispies and coconut milk, piece of white toast.
Lunch time - brownie and a cup of tea at a cafe. I met a friend and had the brownie as a treat.

Rest if the day - fortisips only as stomach very upset.

I'm not sure what has triggered my symptoms from today but I have such discomfort. Stomach has been bubbling and grumbling constantly, wind, burping or feeling like gas is rising and doesn't always exit. Feeling like I need to open my bowels and nothing comes out or a bit of wind, also feeling like I have wind but not much flatulence. It's been very uncomfortable.

The brownie had no nuts in. It was freshly made at this cake cafe and I imagine they used butter, sugar, chocolate, flour, etc. I have emailed the cafe to ask what ingredients are in them. I have looked on the box of rice krispies, they have rice, sugar, barley malt extract and then added vitamins and minerals like folic acid etc. I switched to fortisips only the rest of the day due to the discomfort and I am currently sipping peppermint tea.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you


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[Lulabelle]

Forgot to say, had diarrhoea after brownie and cup of tea :/


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[dave13]

gluten and refined sugars?

 

[Lulabelle]

I've been eating things with gluten in and haven't had a reaction like this before.


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[SarahD]

Is there any chance it could be related to something you ate the day before that you've overlooked?

 

[Whit]

I'd say avoid chocolate and tea both of which for me anyway gets the fire in my gut going again. My nutritionist likes rice krispies, quaker oats, Special K protein and cheerios as low fiber cereals. I juice and smoothie but whenever I hit chocolate the gas and rumbling starts. Good luck.
Whit

 

[UnXmas]

One major problem with food diaries: You may well be getting symptoms that have nothing to do with what you're eating. Sometimes the act of eating itself triggers symptoms, but what you ate is irrelevant and any food would have triggered symptoms at that point. Sometimes it is not one specific food that's the problem, but the overall content of your diet - e.g. a couple of consecutive days of high-fibre intake, or a couple of days of fairly rich foods. Sometimes eating a food can cause immediate symptoms, sometimes it takes a couple of days for symptoms to manifest. But the major problem is that regardless of your diet, your symptoms will be being influenced by other factors. Some might be identifiable - the medications you take, for example. Some you will never be able to know about - Crohn's varies, and our bodies vary, according to factors that are undetectable.

This is why I'm not a big fan of food diaries. Having put a lot of effort into trying to link food with symptoms myself in the past, one thing I learned was that people (well, me anyway, but I'm sure other people must too) have a tendency to see patterns when they set out to look for them. If you eat a particular food and then feel sick, it's natural to think that the food you ate was the cause. Be careful of doing this! Look only for obvious, consistent reactions. If you seem to react to a food once, don't jump to conclusions. See if you get the same reaction to the same food several times.

Honestly, I don't think I'd recommend food diaries as a particularly useful tool. I'd ask your doctor about tests for lactose intolerance and/or coeliac. I think it is definitely worth trying a low-fibre diet, but don't get caught up looking at individual foods or immediate reactions, and definitely don't look at individual ingredients. I would take a long-term view and concentrate on your overall diet. Avoid high-fibre foods for a few weeks - no whole grains, minimal fruits and veg, no nuts or seeds - and see if you feel noticeably better.

 

[Kero]

I kinda keep a loose food diary, more or less in my head, lol. There is only 3 things for me that are consistant triggers, beef, iced tea and really spicy foods. Those are foods I have tried at least 5 times and had issues with. I have been tested for celiac and know I'm not lactose intolerant because I lived off instant breakfast/banana smoothies for a few days because I felt so icky and it helped.

 

[VeganOstomy]

Get a food allergy test done. As UnXmas said, food diaries can be unreliable, since there's often a delay with many allergies/sensitivities/intolerances, sometimes even days after the offending food was consumed.


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[Lulabelle]

Thanks everyone.
Yesterday I had fortisips and then I did a roast chicken dinner and I had food on the plate that I thought would be ok. I was wrong! My stomach was grumbling so much all day and night
I have noticed I have this constant metallic taste in my mouth and I wonder if I have oral thrush as I recently had a few days of antibiotics (taken very reluctantly as they make me feel ill in the stomach) and now I am actually wondering if the antibiotics have upset things bacteria wise and that's why my stomach is going mad now. I'm at the GP today, I will ask about it and I will enquire how I can get allergy tests. You can also see a nutritionist for allergy/intolerance tests too?
Back on the fortisips today, becoming afraid to eat anything now! Zero veg/fruit, even avoiding rice krispies!


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[dave13]

I hope you have an informative visit with your doctor today.I am off to see my surgeon today for a upcoming surgery.It's embarrassing,my first day back home from hospital after my resection I lifted something heavier than I should have and now need hernia surgery.I was wacked on dilauted and didn't think about lifting and...embarrassing is all I can say.Stay calm and keep fighting crohn's! I hope you have a productive dr.visit and are able to move forward. :smile:

 

[UnXmas]

Be careful with the food allergy/intolerance testing. There are a lot of scams surrounding food testing. Only get the testing done by doctors - do not get them from a nutritionist or alternative medicine practitioner, and do not use any of the laboratories where you send blood samples or whatever by post. Since you're in the UK basically stick with the NHS. Any allergy or intolerance test you have to pay for (unless it's through private medical care) - avoid it! (I'm speaking from experience.)

Your GP will send you to a dietician rather than a nutritionist. They may arrange tests for lactose intolerance or coeliac, as these are the most common reactions to food. An NHS dietician may well help you keep a food diary and help you identify any foods or aspects of your diet which are causing you symptoms but which are not true allergies.

I'd say again that your reaction might not have been to the roast chicken - you may just be getting symptoms regardless of what you eat .

 

[Lulabelle]

Hi, I went to the GP before and I had antibiotics a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't finish the course as they upset my stomach. I thought things would sort themselves out. The GP has advised I take actimels and have live bio yogurt mixed with boiled rice incorporated into my diet to replace bacteria and this should help. It makes sense the antibiotics are the culprit. They always make me like this. I just worried it was the treatment not working.


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[Whit]

I was in the hospital three weeks ago and was on an antibiotic. All antibiotics give me oral thrush which makes my tongue yellowish and gives all food and drink a metallic taste.
I have found that my nutritionist, associated with my hospital, is quite good, honest and not scamming. She has been a huge help with diets and what I can eat.
Good luck on Dr's visit.
Whit

 

[UnXmas]

Hi, I went to the GP before and I had antibiotics a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't finish the course as they upset my stomach. I thought things would sort themselves out. The GP has advised I take actimels and have live bio yogurt mixed with boiled rice incorporated into my diet to replace bacteria and this should help. It makes sense the antibiotics are the culprit. They always make me like this. I just worried it was the treatment not working.


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You shouldn't stop a course of antibiotics early - it can lead to resistance, and means antibiotics may not work so well for you should you need them again in the future. I know it's hard when they cause stomach upsets.

I have never heard of rice helping with bacteria replacement, and I've also heard that the beneficial effects of yoghurt are a myth.

Did your GP refer you to a dietician or for tests for coeliac or lactose intolerance?

 

[Lulabelle]

No, he didn't refer me but I already have a dietician at the hospital so could always get in touch with her?
I know I shouldn't have stopped them like I did but they were only needed for a small problem and it's fine now. I just can't finish antibiotics as they always make me feel so unwell, I get D a ridiculous amount all day and the cramps are bad. I always tell GPs I react badly to them but if I need them, then I need them. I also see it that if I have terrible diarrhoea on antibiotics then are they even being absorbed? Probably not.
I started the actimel and yogurt yesterday and felt better yesterday but then again, I didn't eat any rich food. I am keeping it all very basic and low fibre as even a bit of really boiled carrot ruins me at the moment.



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[Lulabelle]

I have a probiotic that I could take? Would that be better? I don't usually like taking probiotics but if it helps rebalance things, should I take instead of yogurt or as well as?


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[UnXmas]

Personally, I tried a few types of probiotics and never found any made the slightest difference, and I've seen a lot in the media about their effectiveness being dubious at best. But it's very unlikely they'll do you any harm either if you do want to give them a try.

 

[blackli]

Just a word of warning about probiotics. I take them
when I'm not flaring and they seem to help with daily bloating etc. But my GI advised me to stop them when I am flaring. I think she feels that they add too much bacteria to the gut when you are actively flaring and they may make it worse.

 

[Lulabelle]

I don't agree with probiotics either. That's why I'm not keen on taking them now to help rebalance stuff after the antibiotics. So far, things feel more settled now I'm adding in some live yogurt and I am steering clear of rich foods - no brownies or roast dinners for now!


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