Confession - self-medicating....

Okay I have a confession to make. First a bit of history.

20 or 30 years ago I would sometimes get really bad gut pain in the middle of the night, usually bought on by rich food or the like. I thought it was just bad indigestion or similar.

Way back then I found the only thing that was effective in removing the pain was to get up and have one or two cans of Coca-Cola which usually did the trick. I'm talking about a pain low in my gut at the front, and usually referring to my back as well. The coke would make me burp and after a number of burps the symptoms would usually go away, or at least diminish to the point where I could get back to sleep.

Now about 30 years later, after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease, I realise that Crohns was the cause of my problems way back then. Since diagnosis about 6 months ago I have been on Imuran (failed, made my crohns worse)) and prednisolone, which helped somewhat. But my GI doesn't want me to be on Pred. too long so I am down to 4 mg a day at present and tapering.

Meanwhile I am waiting to go on Humira starting at the end of this week. But a few times lately I've had that middle of the night gut pain again and tonight is the third night this week that I have been up at 2 or 3 AM drinking Coke. When I mentioned this to friends and family here they are are always horrified, this telling me the old stories about how Coca-Cola rots your gut. And yet, I find that it works!

Does anybody else use Coca-Cola, or something similar? Is there any empirical evidence to show that Coca-Cola will damage your gut, or make the Crohns worse? I'm really interested to know if anyone elase has experienced this, and if what I am doing to relieve my symptoms in the short term they just harm me in the longer term.

I find coke makes my UC worse, but if im feeling "bunged up" alcohol helps loads, although too much kills me. Maybe the same is happening to you? Although it is bad a few times its good for you??

If you feel like it helps and you can carry on then go ahead, definitely not for everyone but if it works then go for it, you know your body best

I used to drink loads of coke and everyone told me over and over again that it would make my Crohn's worse and that it would rot my insides etc etc. I gave up drinking it completely three months ago and it hasn't made any difference to my symptoms at all......

Yes, coke and other sodas are damaging to your gut and immune system. The high concentration of sugar will kill bacteria in your gut and while you may think that is a good thing, it is detrimental to your gut. It will start to slowly kill bacteria including all of your beneficial bacteria. Our guts want to be part of a bacteria environment and seeing as our immune system basically depends on our digestive system, as good bacteria dies our immune systems weaken. Without beneficial flora within the good nutrients are not assimilated properly by the gut and deficiencies start to pile on and we become susceptible to different illnesses. This process is actually trying to be linked to many different auto immune diseases.

As the beneficial floral dies, yeast will thrive. Yeast will then furthermore weaken your immune system. Yeast will cause diarrhea and interestingly enough cause a great deal of anxiety. So if you have been experiencing anxiety along with these pains in middle of the night it very well could be the yeast caused by the coke.

Also soda has an average ph level of 3.2 which makes it extremely acidic. Coke has an even worse ph level of 2.5. Seeing as our blood needs to be at a basic ph level of 7.4, enough coke would definitely bring down the ph levels. Furthermore harmful bacteria tend to thrive in acidic environment so not only are you creating an environment without competing beneficial bacteria but you are also creating an acidic environment. Those two things combine make a great home for malicious bacteria. I'm sure you have read the importance of a balanced ph level so i won't go into that any more.

All that sugar along with the caffeine (g.i. stresser) preservatives, aspartame, etc. I would absolutely seriously consider giving up coke especially if you are having digestive problems at the moment, i think you would be glad you did.

Gtzucc, you've got a few interesting theories there, I' m not one to try and argue about the health benefits of soda drinks or coke, but I think you'd be waiting a long time for your blood pH to change at all with drinking coke (by the way, a large protein load would lower your gastric pH significantly more than any soda drink). I'd also say that most carbohydrates would cause an increase in small bowel bacteria (they love it), rather than killing them.

Gra, in regards to your symptoms, a few things come to mind:

1. Perhaps IBS, more common in those with IBD, you might benefit from a low wind (or even low FODMAP) diet, plus peppermint oil when you feel bloated or windy. If you're getting crampy pains, then a trial of mebeverine might be worth a shot - however, I'd be a little cautious if you have any stricturing, as this is a mild antispasmodic, and may make obstructive issues worse.

2. You may have mild obstructive symptoms, have you had your small bowel assessed (ie. MR enterography) looking for any stricturing? May benefit from a stricture diet - try and make a food diary and see which foods tend to cause the most problems.

In regards to the coke, I wouldn't worry about a few cans here and there, especially if they settle your pain - although you're only treating the symptoms, better would be getting a full assessment to see what's causing the symptoms in the first place and address that.

Best wishes.

Aussie said:

Gtzucc, you've got a few interesting theories there, I' m not one to try and argue about the health benefits of soda drinks or coke, but I think you'd be waiting a long time for your blood pH to change at all with drinking coke (by the way, a large protein load would lower your gastric pH significantly more than any soda drink). I'd also say that most carbohydrates would cause an increase in small bowel bacteria (they love it), rather than killing them.

Gra, in regards to your symptoms, a few things come to mind:

1. Perhaps IBS, more common in those with IBD, you might benefit from a low wind (or even low FODMAP) diet, plus peppermint oil when you feel bloated or windy. If you're getting crampy pains, then a trial of mebeverine might be worth a shot - however, I'd be a little cautious if you have any stricturing, as this is a mild antispasmodic, and may make obstructive issues worse.

2. You may have mild obstructive symptoms, have you had your small bowel assessed (ie. MR enterography) looking for any stricturing? May benefit from a stricture diet - try and make a food diary and see which foods tend to cause the most problems.

In regards to the coke, I wouldn't worry about a few cans here and there, especially if they settle your pain - although you're only treating the symptoms, better would be getting a full assessment to see what's causing the symptoms in the first place and address that.

Best wishes.

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Hi Aussie,
Yes it would take a long time for soda to effect your ph level but seeing as the average american tests a 5.5 ph level in their urine and seeing as how america is the sickest nation in the world i don't think adding a 2.5 ph level drink to our already acidic diet does much good. And yes you are right, protein would lower your ph level but only animal protein will do this. Animal proteins are very acidic and seeing how much animal products the average person eats a day is quite haunting. Plant proteins are non acidic.

As for carbs, sure natural, unrefined carbs would benefit beneficial bacteria. but in this case we are talking about refined carbs which are superfoods for harmful bacteria and then the malicious bacteria crowds the beneficial bacteria and eventually destroys them (thats one way sugar will kill) The other way is through tonicity or more specifically hypertonic solution. This happens when the concentration of sugar is higher outside the membrane of the bacteria than inside. The bacteria wants to create a balanced system so water will pass through the cell wall from inside the bacteria to dilute the concentration, eventually the bacteria will dry up and die.

Gra, I am guilty of being an excessive Coca-Cola drinker to relieve stomach pains. Since surgery, I rarely drink soda, but I am also disease-free at the moment. Good or bad, yes, I relied on Coca-Cola to relieve my tummy aches.