Food lover in mourning...

I'm a real food-lover. Food was my hobby. I'm a fashion journalism student in London (originally from Texas...), but was pursuing a career in food-writing. I was reading books by famed food-writers and was in the middle of an internship with a prestigious national newspapers' food department. I savoured the most RANDOM foods, from kimchi (rotten spicy cabbage, a Korean diet staple), to steak tartar doused in raw egg yolks, to Vietnamese minced eel. I can't think of anything I'd rather do than just EAT! I have a bigger (and more adventurous)appetite than any boy I know.

But alas, in January I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and must kiss my anticipated career in food-writing goodbye. I'm in mourning, not for my intestines but for my tastebuds.

My story is short and, fortunately, rather uneventful...

This past October I was hospitalised for a week with the UK's NHS. After a scary week-long sting in East London's most overcrowded hospital, I was discharged with a diagnosis that just read 'inflamed bowels'. The pains had gone so I just went on with my daily life; if the doctors weren't concerned then why should I be?

I went home to see my family in Texas for Christmas and on boxing day the same exact pains came back. A hospital stay and colonoscopy later, I've been diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I'M the one to get it, out of ALL the finnicky eaters in my family! Oh the irony.

My GI put me on Pentasa- 4 pills 4 times daily, which works out to be 4 grams a day. That seems like a lot to me, but is that a normal dosage? I've taken it pretty religiously and have restricted my diet A LOT, but I just had another flare-up.

So all in all, I've had 3 flare-ups in 4 months. Is that a lot or am I doing well? I don't know anyone else with Crohn's so I don't know how to gauge it...

This forum has been so helpful and informative! I just want to thank everyone for replying to my posts with such zeal!!

Well it really depends on the person. When I was first diagnosed I wouldn't say I hit remmission at any point for about eight months to more like a year. So in the begining I would say you will get more flares but that is only in my experience so I do not want to guarantee you anything. What you really want to do and right now is as good a time as any to make a food journal and just test every food you want out and write it down. I plan on becoming a chef if I don't like physical therapy because I love working with food and eating good food. So don't put down food journalism just yet as long as you are able to eat a lot of different types of food. Also eat what you try in moderation.

Good luck I hope I was helpful

Hi Megatron and welcome to the forum. I took at least 18 months to move into remission after I was first diagnosed but everyone is different. I take the same dosage of Pentasa as you do and have done ever since 3 months after my diagnosis. I tried Asacol first but I wasn't absorbing it properly so switched to Pentasa. I also had to take meds to slow my Diarreah and steroids for 18 months. Hopefully you won't have to go down the steroid route just yet. Its important to keep a food diary to eliminate what doesn't agree with you during a flare. That doesn't mean you can't ever eat it again, it just means be careful when you are flaring. I can eat almost anything when I'm not flaring and so can so many others so keep that in mind. Its also important to rest when you are flaring, stress and doing too much will make your syptoms worse. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask away if you want any more info.


Ruth