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So desperate...Please help! Offer any suggestions!!

mharvey90

mharvey90

SOFT FOOD DIET HELP!!!!

I am really desperate to find some way to calm down my bowel spasms I am having from my stricture. I have this pesky stricture in the area where my ileum was (which I had removed 7-8 years ago.) I've been on Remicade and Humira and nothing has seemed to help, and I've been flaring since March. Now my inflammation level isn't hugely elevated, but it's scar tissue in that area that is giving me a huge problem. I am a sophomore in college, so I have to wait until summer break, and then I'll be getting this area removed.

Here are my symptoms:
Pretty sharp pain in that area from time to time. I get really really constipated because waste has a hard time getting through that area. I'll go 4-5 days even up to a week without having a BM, and when I do it's extremely painful, and in the days leading up to it my abdomen gets so bloated that I could pass for a 5-month pregnant woman. But, my most BOTHERSOME symptom right now, are the nearly constant spasms I get in that specific area. And by spasms I mean TERRIBLE, angry "digestion" noises, that are extremely loud and just plain unhealthy sounding. This is giving me very severe anxiety, because I'm a full time student and it's so difficult to attend classes and take exams when I'm in a quiet room, because without any notice, my stomach will start making these terrible sounds, and people just don't understand what it is. Frankly, it's extremely embarrassing. Even around my family and closest friends I get embarrassed by these sounds, let alone a huge silent room full of strangers my age.

So...I am thinking that maybe if I go on a soft food diet, this will make it easier for my intestines to digest food, and give that area some time to calm down. I am desperate to hear stories from you wonderful people on here that have put yourselves on a soft food diet, for which reason, what kinds of food you ate, and if it helped you, and in which way. PLEASE!!! I am so desperate to make these terrible noises stop!!

(I have taken Chlordiazepoxide/Clidinium, as well as dicyclomine for bowel spasms, neither have worked.) I am also on humira, align, and azathioprine.
 
Last edited:
C

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
Hi there, I am and have been for the last 2 weeks suffering exactly like you are!! I am fed up and having test galore done. Humira didnt work for me a year ago and cant take azathioprince but I used my flagyl daily again and along with Pentasa, entocort and nexium. Today is the first time my stomach isnt growling and I dont have narrowing at the moment. Bowel spasms stuff dont work but sometimes Gas X well help relieve it and I use half a tylenol 3.

Using a heating pad helps too, and or a warm bath. Hope you get relief soon! I feel your pain literally!
 
shazamataz

shazamataz

I understand the noises, mine are LOUD sometimes! I guess they don't bother me too much as it seems when things go quiet that I have a bit of a problem.

Hmmm, could you arrange with the disability office to sit your exams in a seperate room?
 
mharvey90

mharvey90

I've been thinking a lot about trying to hit up the disability office for that reason. I just hate that I have to consider myself needing an accommodation because of this . I almost feel as if my friends and others will think of me as a whiner, etc if I do this. Plus, it's so hard to describe this to people. I feel like the people in the disability office will think I'm just crazy if I tell them I need to sit in a separate room because my "stomach makes noises" =/

Jettalady, have you tried a soft food diet at all?
 
C

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
Yep, sorta on it now.. oatmeal, with rice milk, banana pudding, ensure... but today I felt better and ate a grilled chicken sandwich at lunch... big mistake, but I have to prep on Wed, clear fluids for my scope so that will be bowel resting... and it sucks.
 
kenny

kenny

I was given an eating guideline for people with restrictions while I was waiting for surgery. I had to back it up with Meal Replacer drinks but It was the only way I could get along while waiting for elective surgery. Took like 3 months :(

It was pretty obvious about what to eat and probably not much different than the links provided. But the biggest thing was to never eat much at any one time. I had to graze all day to keep up 2k calories. Things like

Puddings/cream soups/soft fruits/Cream-o-wheat/cheese cake/Cottage cheese/Peanut butter and white bread/Yogurt/Ensure Drinks/soaking enriched white bread in the soups or milk.

Enriched white bread has a ton of calories and essential nutrients. Also Multi-vitamins Multi-vitamins and multi-vitamins! :D
 
P

Peaches

What Kenny said. When I'm flaring I basically reduce myself down to Ensures multiple times a day and soups - with only a SMALL amount of noodles in the soups. I try to stay super low residual so my bowel can rest.

And I completely agree about getting accommodations to test in a different room. I don't even know HOW you could concentrate and get a good grade with those thoughts running through your head! It is about taking care of yourself whatever way that is. Screw what anyone else thinks. You will thank yourself later for a less stressful time in school - promise!
 
Nytefyre

Nytefyre

Me as well. I have been using Boost, soup, jello(reminds me of the hospital), some V8, and other stuff the consistency of baby food. To me, a soft diet sucks but it does help to calm things down. I hope you can find a solution to the noise problem. Good luck!
 
mharvey90

mharvey90

well today was my second day on the new diet. and today I have noticed a lot less bowel sounds, which is great :D and i've figured out that what I was trying to get at was a low-residue diet, not really a soft food diet. so i'm gonna post another thread so I can get more suggestions :)
 
crazycanuck

crazycanuck

Location
Langley, B.C.
This may be a dumb little input but my GP doc told me when pains get bad and my noises start to take tylenol as it has been shown to slow down the bowels? I'm not positive thats what it was but I believe it was. Anyways like Jettalady said with the GasX maybe tylenol at those times could help to slow things down a little and keep noises a bit quieter.
 
K

kristyn

I find that Gas-X really does help. Some of my favorite soft foods are Cream of Wheat (they make instant packs- I like the maple/brown sugar), and mashed potatoes- sometimes I can go a whole week on that. I have major food issues with anything that resembles milk (I puke every time they try to give me barium tests- they can never finish the test), but it makes ensure drinks impossible too. I drink a lot of juice and herbal tea. Oh- my favorite thing when I really feel crappy is Squirt (its a citrus soda) it doesn't taste as sweet at 7-up or sprite and the carbonation is perfect- not flat, but not too much. Its low sodium and the kick of sugar is good.
 
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