My Brother's story

When my brother was 16 he just got sick... no idea what was going on, he was bed ridden for 6 months while the doctors worked on diagnosing him it turned out to be Mycoplasma pneumonia, it was sever. as soon as that dissipated, he developed rheumatoid arthritis and has that for the rest of his life.

He is 21 now and he developed chron's last january, strangely enough he was already on humira and it was not helping his chrons. over the past few months he has been doing the remicade injections up until a few weeks ago, they were trying to increasingly spread out the injections so it was a week between the 1st and 2nd injection then 2 then 4 then the latest was 8.

He JUST went in today to get a colonoscopy and his mild-ish case of chrons is now severe he has to choose between surgery which will leave him with a bag on his hip or a clinical trial

:depressed: seriously, he never gets a break

i think he needs to re work his diet, and im wondering if there are any tip for reducing the inflammation that any of you can offer

Wow - sorry to hear this. That is quite a struggle. It sounds like he didn't get dealt a very good immune system unfortunately. I would poke around in the food/diet section of the forum here - there are lots of good posts already there to take a look at. I'd hope that with his severe case they would get him a good Crohn's dietician referral to help him out. And you being supportive (like you are trying to be right now) is sometimes the best medicine emotionally he can get. Welcome and let us know if you have any other questions!

Thank you very much, i have been looking around the forums a bit and i was happy to learn about steaming chicken and other tid-bits like that

Mycoplasma Pneumonia is a common cause of Arthritis, but it causes it because it is in the joints. If he still has symptoms, he still has Mycoplasma, and immune suppressants are only going to make that worse.

Take a look at Low Dose Naltrexone which can treat both Crohn's, and Arthritis by making the immune system more effective in killing the pathogens that cause symptoms of both diseases.

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/

Turmeric, Ginger, and Fish oil are all antiinflammatory and antibacterial. Larger doses are needed to have a noticeable effect on serious Arthritis pain.

Dr. Burt Berkson of New Mexico treats both Crohn's and Arthritis with Low Dose Naltrexone and Alpha Lipoic Acid, and is likely one of the best doctors in the U.S. for either condition, in my opinion. If you want to stop the progression of both diseases, I would highly recommend his approach.

http://www.cancercontrolsociety.com/bios-old/Berkson.htm

Good luck

Dan

hi Ian... so sorry to hear about what your brother is going through. i just wanted to say that, if he does have to have the stoma surgery, it really isn't the end of the world..... i know it sounds a depressing concept, having to live with a bag on his tummy possibly for the rest of his life, but honestly if the surgery is going to remove the diseased bowel and thus his Crohn's symptoms, bringing back quality of life, reducing pain and dietary issues, and basically making him feel healthier, then all the negatives of it fade into insignifance somewhat.

i had my stoma formed at age 23.. i was just married. without it i would be dead, no question, i'd been fighting for my life in ICU.. and previous to that i'd had a miserable life, unable to function the way i wanted to... the surgery gave me my freedom back.

i know your brother has other health issues too, which are not going to get sorted by surgery, but the way i look at it is, the Crohn's symptoms are something he CAN do something about, if all meds fail. by all means, i'd say he should consider treatment, whether it be what the docs are recommending or the LDN route.. but please don't let him continue to avoid surgery if things are continually getting worse, just because of the cosmetic and emotional issues having a stoma brings... these things can be overcome - sometimes Crohn's can't.

your bro is lucky to have you.. kudos to you for looking out for him the way you are doing - that makes such a difference.

Welcome Ian, and i think it's great that you're here to support your brother. This is a great place for support, for you and him. I just started on this forum a few weeks ago and everyone has been wonderful.

Some people have found relief with the SCd diet or a low starch diet. It is not easy, but maybe he can give it a try. Check the below links for more info:

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

http://www.kickas.org/londondiet.shtml

Hey Ian,

Do let your brother know he is welcome here.

Awesome to have you aboard. We need supportive folks like you.

With surgery would the ostomy be perm or temp?

Hi Ian, Welcome. What a kind supportive person you are and your brother sure is blessed for having you. The members of this forum are very knowledgable and have helped me a lot. I would encourage you to continue to ask questions and keep us updated.

Your poor brother. That really is a lot to deal with. What kind of clinical trial were they thinking of putting him into?