What now??? - Any advice much appreciated!

[Beebop]

Ok so I have had my diagnosis of Crohn's and finger's crossed everything seems under control... So what now? I find the unpredictable nature of this disease so hard as I have no idea when I will flare again or even if I will (although my GI is convinced that without meds I will). What do people see as the must dos of Crohn's? The things that I can do to best support my health?? Should I go gluten or dairy free? Cut out starch? I find diet super tricky as my reactions tend to be slow building...

Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated! You guys have been fantastic already. Thanks so much

Bridget

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

Hi You are right, we don't always know when we might flare again. But, I've just sort of learned to take one day at a time. As far as diets. I am lactose intolerant, although I can tolerate some lactose with supplements if I don't go overboard. The biggest one for us is we do our best to keep what we eat low fat, no fried foods and most of our meat is chicken, pork or fish. We also have quite a bit of vegetables and fruit around the house as well.

Also, have found that beef hamburger is a no no and either reduce intake of red meat or cut it out because it seems to mess with my system and will cut me up. Although, ground turkey will do ok. Gluten and starch doesn't seem to be an issue for me. But, refined sugars have been known to give me diarrhea. Too much roughage in the diet can cause issues, but it is important to have some fiber.

Best thing to do is to find out what works best for you. I know that I did quite a bit of trial and error when I was first diagnosed and also need to do it again that my stomach has changed a bit since then. If there's a certain food that tends to not work for you, either do your best to stay away from it or limit yourself. You'll do fine Take care.

 

[Slim Johnson]

One thing I would recommend would be to keep a food journal.

When I started mine, I fasted for three days, only drinking water. Since I was having a terrible flare, it was easy not to eat for three days. The idea is to eliminate the food that is in the intestine, before journaling, so you have more accurate results.

Start by introducing one food that you already know won't bother you. Write down the time (b-fast, lunch, dinner etc.) you ate, what you ate, and then followup with any noticeable issues that you have (cramping, sweats, D, etc.) over the next two to three days. Then gradually introduce more foods, while keeping track of time, and issues.

After a period of a few weeks, to a few months, you will start to see patterns between the foods you eat, and the issues, or nonissues that follow your meals.

After doing this, you will be able to better tailor your meals, and eating habits to suit your needs, and tolerances.

I would also urge you to regularly drink water, lots of water. Chronies easily get dehydrated between the sweats, and the D, and staying hydrated is crucial to our well being. Shoot, on these hot summer days, I can easily drink over 4 litres of water a day!

I hope this helps.

 

[nannie]

:hug:I would say keep a food dairy but sometimes no matter what your diet you might get a flair up. On the up side try probiotic supplements and aloe vera juice this really help me for a few mouths but i know people who swear by this best wishes:hug: