An ongoing life battle....

Hi my name is Ash, I'm 34 and have had chrons since I was in my early 20's. I have just gone through an 8 week flare up and have been off tramadol, steroids and domperidone for 3 weeks now. I won't go through the whole of my story as it is a very long one involving hospitilastion etc etc. I am now trying to sort out a diet or eating plan as I suffer from a serious bloat which I can't get rid of no matter what I eat or take, (peppermint) i look pregnant. I know the azathioprine stops me from losing weight and after the steroids this is now my ongoing fight, weightloss and finding foods that won't bloat me. Thankfully the chrons is behaving with some minor blips along the way, thankfully nothing like it was a while back as I had been well for 6 years and forgotten what an awful illness this is!

Hi Ashair and welcome

With that bloat, have the doctors tested you for small intestine bacterial overgrowth? If that's what you have (it's common with Crohn's Disease) then two diets that people tend to have decent success with are the paleo diet and specific carbohydrate diet. Both are discussed in our diet section.

We're here for you!

Thank you, that's the most helpful advice I've had as my doctor thinks I'm moaning and being vain!

Hiya Ash
and welcome

I'm sorry you're suffering with this. I don't have bloat anymore, here's the foods that I avoid.
salt, less carbs, onions, cauli, broccoli, cabbage, sugar alcohols (xylitol), fatty or fried foods, mustard, black pepper, chilli, BBQ sauce, vinegar, carbonated drinks, acidic fruit juice and alcohol.
Keep a food journal and document everything that you eat, then start an elimination process.
Good luck!
Joan xxx

Hello Ash and welcome to the forum

As already mentioned definetly check out the diet and sups forum and keeping a food dairy can always be helpful and picking out problem foods. Also not sure about your doc, being concerned about a belly that looks bloated enough to look like a pregnancy is not vain, it's common sense. Have they always been this dismissive?

AB
xx

When I was in hospital my dad had to fight to save my life as before my diagnosis I was diagnosed with ME and basically treated as a hypochondriac, they were actually letting me die. I ended up having hydrocortizone injections daily which saved me and it was a nurse that made sure i was receiving the help i needed. I bloat as soon as I eat pretty much anything and have been complaining of this for over a year but the doctor and others I have seen don't seem interested. All I was offered was peppermint capsules which didn't work for me. I've had no other advice or help on the subject until now

When you say ME, are you referring to mastocytic enterocolitis?

No chronic fatigue syndrome.

I see. Have you had your vitamin D and vitamin B12 levels tested? If so, when, and what were the specific levels? People with Crohn's are commonly deficient and it can lead to severe fatigue. There are other causes of fatigue in Crohn's of course, but those are very common.

One thing i have learned with my 37 years with an ilieostomy is, I find myself getting really dehydrated. And it doesn't take long to happen. I usually end up having to go to the er to get fluids in me through an iv. And i have found also that being dehydrated can cause you to feel absolutely exhausted. A matter of fact i am going through that as i type. I was admitted to the hospital this last May. I was so bloated my tummy was hard enough you could play when you tap on it it sounded like a bass drum lol ( not really a laughing matter i know