Wife of a crohn's disease sufferer

[Duckyegg]

Hi guys,
Hope your all doing good, looking for some advice for me/husband, seems that chrones suffers are sometimes better to talk to than the doctors.

My husband has been suffering with chrones since Oct 2010 which all came to a head in March 2011 where he ended up in hospital for a total of 3 mths, He is currently taking a cocktail of drugs & humaira every 2 weeks but he seems no better off, I do understand that he's going to have a lot of downs, I also understand that diet is much needed.
So really our question is, Does a diet really need to be changed?
I think so, my husband thinks not, his diet is awful (in general) he drinks huge amount of full fat coke (example 15 cans in 3 days) this wk-end alone he's had 3 takeaways consisting of KFC, Mac D's & Chinese, he's also suffering with a flare up & has been for wks surely this would make things 100% worse?
Ive read so many personal stories that have changed their diets & it seems to have a huge impact on there life & help relieve symptoms although he tells me that his doctor has told him it makes no difference!!
We are struggling as a family I sometimes feel as if he's in denial about chrones,I personally think huge amounts of caffeine, dairy, takeaways crisp's etc are hard enopugh for a " normal" persons diet let alone a chrones sufferer.
What do you guys eat?
Has diet relieved symptoms?

Any advice is great, thanks guys
L xx

 

[Leebie3]

wow L!! ummm yes def he needs to change his diet! you're right.. even without crohns that's a bad diet..

I haven't been diagnosed yet so can't really help too much

wishing you all the best

 

[LittleChloe]

I do not know why doctors tell patients that diet makes no difference. Maybe because no one diet helps everyone or perhaps because specific diets don't cure the disease. Some people on here have changed their diet and their disease has stayed the same. Others have made changes and it has helped them feel so much better. In our case soda was one of the first things we eliminated from our daughters diet. The acididity of coke is nothing but bad, especiallly on inflamed intestines. We have made many other changes because when you don't absorb all the nutrients from the food you eat what you do eat needs to be good. In our experience diet has made a difference. Since your husband is really struggling with this maybe he could start by making one change at a time. The book "Patient Heal Thyself" by Jordin Rubin was very helpful in motivating us to make changes. We wish you the best.

 

[Robert747]

Hello there,

Well I think you have answered your own question within the post - but isn't giving advice just the easiest thing in the world. As you know every case is different but if it helps - I had a really poor diet and lifestyle - very long days at work and two young children and my own health was well down the list for me. Then I contracted Crohn's and I decided it was now or never to turn things around, so from the age of mid thirties until now (I am 53) I cleaned my act up enormously regarding diet and became a regular at the gym. It makes a huge difference - although I enjoy all the 'bad' things in moderation. Incidentally I am halfway through a 6/8 week liquid only (Fresubin) diet - which just proves (to me) how easy it is to give up all the things I thought were impossible (chocolate, etc). Only one person can make this happen though.

All the best,

Rob

 

[Zeing]

L, I'm glad to see you are as supportive as you are with you husband. When I was first diagnosed with Crohns I was in complete denial. I figured I would just ignore that I had it and take the meds they were giving me. It was my Wife, who knows better than I, who really started talking to me about my diet and things I should be doing. She helped push me out of my stubborn phase and knocked some sense into me.

Yes, diet makes a big deal when it comes to Crohns. There are many diets out there and not every diet works for everyone. Fast food made me feel better in the beginning, however with a mix of prednisone I gained a lot of weight. Plus, I'm sure it help me goto surgery quicker. Basically, your husband needs to figure out the "good" foods that settle are for him. This takes time, I've been diagnosed since 2007 and my diet is still changing.

I wish you both the best of luck!

 

[Duckyegg]

Thanks guys I really appreciate the response, I will admit I'm a dragon & probably not the most understanding as I should be! I just won't him to understand what he is doing to himself, he really suffers a lot, we have 2 young children & they have missed all the family time we use to have & miss the old daddy, our daughter has her own health issues & I know he wouldn't allow her to be the way he is,
I wish this disease never rose its horrid head
Lisa x

 

[SarahDub]

I know how it feels, I was a total takeaway junkie until I found out I had crohns. I started slowly with my diet change cutting one bad thing out a week. Now I'm in flying form and have not much D at all unless I'm flaring big which is now. I did find it difficult at first but I knew I had to make small changes first, I still have takeaways just not as much. I stick to a low fiber diet and have cut out red meat entirely.

 

[maria]

Oh yes! Diet is major. I was in the same spot he was. My advice to you is maybe cook some healthy meals that taste good.. Just put it in front of him then walk away... After spending all that time on the toilet and in pain he wont want to go fix his own food and he will just eat it and realize it doesnt taste that bad. Hopefully soon he will notice a difference in his health and maybe it will push him to be stronger and more stricked on his diet. There's better choices for the bad food we eat like ''healthier soda" and other things but very expensive . I recently have eliminated gluten out of my diet and I feel amazing and with each day I feel so much better. One thing for sure is support and your already doing that your an awesome wife. I hope everything gets better for your family.

 

[Angrybird]

Hello there, I can only agree that diet can play a part in symptoms especially once as bad as you have described. Perhaps check out our diet and sups forum to get some info about the diets that are out there:http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17 and as Maria has mentioned get some healthy recipes that can still taste good. I hope that hubby can be feeling better soon.

AB
xx