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Recently diagnosed and struggling info help

Hello everyone,

After 7 months of battling this disease I have finally been diagnosed after clumps of ulcers were found somewhere in my colon I believe, being 17 I have been quite shocked and the doctors here in my opinion take the piss, when asking about the disease and how to cope they said look at Wikipedia.

Now I constantly have such bad belly pain and the obvious explosive diarrheah, I have been sick I think 4 times in the last week 3 times after eating food and this morning I had some fresh squeezed lemon juice and it burnt my insides and I threw up.

Everything has made it increasingly hard to do things I constantly play football and referee and these have become extremely difficult with constant pains and feeling sick, I have been given asacol gastro resistant 400mg 2 a day for first 2 week then 4x a day after that, has this had good effects for other people?

I am also going away for a week on Monday on this leadership course, is it okay for me to take Imodium instant with this medication?

Also can anyone give advise on what to eat and drink and what not to?
Any Information anyone could give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Connor
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Hi Connor and welcome to the community. I'm sorry you've been having a rough time of it. Before I answer any other questions, were you diagnosed with Crohn's disease or Ulcerative Colitis?

All my best to you.
 

valleysangel92

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome to the forum. Im sorry youre having such a rotten time. Crohns is a hard thing to come to terms with, especially at a young age. Youve come to the right place for help and support though, everyone here is really friendly and will help with anything they can.

It sucks that your doctor seems so hands off. If he isnt giving you the care you deserve then you are entitled to ask for a second opinion or even to change doctors for good.

The internet can be a good place to get information if you would like to do some research. The forum has a wiki area which might help and other websites can be informative if you're careful. http://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/ is a good one and so is www.patient.co.uk. I hope these help a little.

Most hospitals in the UK have a specialist IBD nurse that you can call for help and information when you have symptoms that concern you or are unsure about medication. You might be able to get the number from your GI, GP or the hospital's website.

Other wise, we are all here to help, you can ask us anything and we will do our best to point you in the right direction. Even if youve had a bad day and just want somewhere to let it out, thats totally fine.

Everyone is different with what they can and cant tolerate in terms of diet.
Have you noticed any link between what you're eating and how bad the symptoms are? It could be helpful for you to keep a diary of what you're eating and how you're feeling to see if any specific thing makes things better or worse. Try and keep yourself as hydrated as possible, its very easy for crohns patients to become dehydrated, so drink lots of water.

For pain relief you can go to your GP, just stay away form NSAIDs such as ibprophen and aspirin as these can encourage bleeding in the digestive tract and cause ulcers. Paracetamol is very safe and a lot of people find that codine is ok too. If you have crampy pain then something like buscopan could be really helpful for you. Also, a lot of people find heat helpful, so you could get a wheat heat pack, some disposable heat pads (I get mine from superdrug, use proper deep heat ones not cheapy ones) or a hot water bottle and take long hot showers or baths.

I dont think there would be an issue taking imodium, i'm sure other users here have taken it while on asacol. Ive never had asacol, I started with steroids. Have you had any steroids before?

I think asacol tends to take a little while to start having an effect on your symptoms, it needs to build up in your system to get to a therapeutic level. You might want to ask for something quicker acting to help in the mean time.

For nausea you can get anti-sickness from your GP, I used metaclopramide or cyclosine or you could try peppermint and ginger to settle your stomach.

I hope this helps you a little. If you have any other questions please dont hesitate to ask them.
 
As for diet:

Most of us can tolerate boiled or simmered chicken with broth and rice.
Also mashed potatos, (some say not).Avoid beans, red sauce,spicy foods or BBQed,Mexican foods and chilipowder.
You can eat soft veggies cooked well, no cabbage thpough or brocolli if it gets you going. No corn.Green beans seem pretty safe and you can always get a juicer, because it removes all the fiber from fruits and veggies. Then you can drink alot of nutrition. If you have alot of Dairrehea, ask about getting Questran by prescription. It works very well for me and others on here. Take Vit B12, fishoil, zinc, magnesium )Good brands)Vit D 3 definately.
Hope this helps you out. Also avoid fast foods and all processed foods. It could change your life. Best to you!:)
 
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