I'm New Here

Hello everybody. My name is Stephen and i am from Dublin and am 25 years old. I was diagnosed with CD in 2001. I have had one relapse since then but i have constantly been on medication which consists of Pentasa, Imuran and Calcichew Tablets.

Just wondering is there any tips on diet as i dont really get that much off my doctor. I have a lot of redness on my face especially my nose and i dont know if this is due to the fact of my Chohns Disease and stuff i am eating that i should avoid. I hate going out and getting starred at. Any ideas people.

Ps Nice to be here!

Welcome Irelandian. You will find lots of support and good advice here at this forum. You're fortunate to have maintained such good control over your CD for so long.

As for diets, I would encourage you to look into restricted carbohydrate diets. Two of the best diets for Crohn's are:

1. the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (as outlined in Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall) which basically eliminates all grains and other complex carbohydrates from the diet. Anecdotal evidence suggests that 80-90 percent of Crohn's achieve remission on this diet.

2. the Life Without Bread diet as outlined by Dr. Wolfgang Lutz in the book of the same title. He was an Austrian physician who put upwards of 80 percent of his Crohn's patients in remission with a diet that limited daily intake of carbohydrates to 72 grams.

Aside from anecdotal evidence, there is clinical data to support the use of restricted carbohydrate diets in managing Crohn's disease.

Thank You. Its not that bad but i do get severe stomach cramps from time to time. I dont know if the medication i am taking is effecting my skin though. Its really red and am just looking for suggestions on what it could be and anything to help it

Hi Stephen,

I am originally from county Antrim so not too far away from you as the crow flies eh?

Welcome to the forum!

It is possible that some of the meds you are on could be affecting your skin.. Imuran makes you photosensitive for one (have a look at your info leaflet in the box) off the top of my head.

Ummm....just pondering... workwise are you outside alot or do you find things are worse in cold weather?? Have a look at something like Roseca (spelling?).

Might be worthwhile getting a dermatology referral Stephen - thats how I got the right diagnosis and treatment in the end with several of my skin problems.

Glad you arent having too much in the way of GI symptoms and truly hope it stays that way!

Most folk find a low fat, low fibre regime helps them and then look at dairy and gluten for instance if still having problems. Have a look at the food section for some more ideas.

Looking forward to seeing you around and posting more. Welcomd again.

Thank you soupdragon! I work indoors but i can still feel the cold a lot and i believe that the cold does make it worse. It gets really really red and you constantly have people starring at you which is not nice! I could upload a photo but its embarrassing

Welcome!
Lots of info in the Food and Diet threads.
Seems different things work for different people. My doctors
don't give me any advice in that department either.

As for being embarrassed, dont be! I started the 'battle scar' thread,
where people can post their scars, wounds, etc. freely. We've all
had some pretty nasty things, so don't feel bad about that!
Glad you're here!

hello there

MINI Cooper said:

Welcome!
Lots of info in the Food and Diet threads.
Seems different things work for different people. My doctors
don't give me any advice in that department either.

As for being embarrassed, dont be! I started the 'battle scar' thread,
where people can post their scars, wounds, etc. freely. We've all
had some pretty nasty things, so don't feel bad about that!
Glad you're here!

Click to expand...

Not sure how i am operating on this forum, just finding my feet.

You seem very positive, good for you keep it up.........

Can you tell me if i posted "my story" correctly


Regards

Every person will be effected differently with each medication. You just need to try different ones untilk you find one that will suit you best or you can take the approach which i have which is no medication unless i'm having a flare up. Docotrs still scratch their heads with me and i put it down to being very positive stuborn and taking control. IF from time to time you get this redness well just remember people will always look for the floors in others rather then their positives. Stff them I say !!!! All the best.
Mel

Hi, I'm new....I have alot of trouble with my face too. I just found this really great
"recipe" for a facial that has actually helped my redness and it is very soothing.
Here it is: 4 tablespoons of powdered milk, 2 tablespoons of warm water, 2 tablespoons of honey. Wet a washcloth with warm water and rest it over the mask for 10 minutes. Rinse it off with washcloth and pat dry. It's a little sticky but it worked for me.

angie said:

Hi, I'm new....I have alot of trouble with my face too. I just found this really great
"recipe" for a facial that has actually helped my redness and it is very soothing.
Here it is: 4 tablespoons of powdered milk, 2 tablespoons of warm water, 2 tablespoons of honey. Wet a washcloth with warm water and rest it over the mask for 10 minutes. Rinse it off with washcloth and pat dry. It's a little sticky but it worked for me.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Ill have to try that one!

soupdragon69 said:

Hi Stephen,


Ummm....just pondering... workwise are you outside alot or do you find things are worse in cold weather?? Have a look at something like Roseca (spelling?).

Click to expand...

I had that on my face as well. My GP noticed it and prescribed some tablets (can't remember what they were now) and it went away. It's actually fairly common, but it effects some people more than others.

Welcome to the site by the way. I'm up here in Donegal. what consultant do you see in Dublin. I travel down to Tallaght hospital for my consultant.

My GP wouldnt prescribe me with tablets so would need something i could buy. I must try that mask you were talking about! Will tha powdered milk be found in the baby department of the supermarket. How often should i do it.

Also, is that Zinc cream available in the supermarkets as well. When you say it is hard to get off, how hard exactly are you talking?

I didn't read all the above posts so I apologize if i ask anything you've already said, i'm a skin care therapist so i might have some helpful advice as far as you're skin condition goes... Is it just redness or do you have bumps as well, also is it made worse by anything such as food, extreme temperatures, stress?? I would see a dermatologist to really find out what's going on but in the meantime here are some suggestions:
- use SPF of at least 15 everyday, there are a lot of good sunscreens specifically for the face nowadays that won't clog pores.
- don't use any stimulating products on your skin, this could make whatever it is worse.
- if you exfoliate, cut back on that (no more than 3 times a week) because if this is some type of inflammation exfoliating too much can make that worse. also, if you exfoliate use something gentle, no nuts/ seeds or anything abrasive to the skin. pumpkin enzymes, salicylic and lactic acids are all good gentle exfoliants that won't irritate sensitive skin.
- look for skin products that have anti-inflammatory and healing properties with ingredients such as chamomile, lavender, licorice, green tea, omega 3, vitamin e, aloe vera, zinc
- try to avoid spicy foods and alcohol and see if that helps.

I hope some of this helps. Like i said before I would definately see a dermatologist to get to the root of this issue. Best of luck to you with everything.

Ive posted this on some other threads but here are some books that are helpful regarding diet; you can check them at Amazon:

The 2 below are written by nutrionists and are more or less low residue diets with supplement reccomendations:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Eating-Ri...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233840269&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/What-Eat-IBD-Comprehensive-Ulcerative/dp/0981496504/ref=pd_sim_b_njs_1

And the books about SCD and low carb diets mentioned above:

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Vicious-Cycle-Intestinal-Through/dp/0969276818/ref=pd_sim_b_3

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233840468&sr=1-1

What creams with SPF of 15 would you reccommend then?

I am just looking for creams that are good for reducing redness of the face or foods that should be avoided that may be a factor.