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Barely eating

Could I be doing more damage by not eating?

I started bleeding again

so one day ate a tin of chicken soup and 2 slices of bread
day after 2 cream crackers
day after 1 ham sandwich
and today 1 ham sandwich

I'm scared to eat, I know it sounds silly but I'm not bothered about d, it's when theres blood with it, and for some silly reason I think eating will make me bleed more

But I feel weak and dizzy etc and people keep telling me I'll make everything worse if I don't eat??
 
I know the temptation to not eat, but our body needs something. Have you tried Ensure or Boost? Broths are also good as well. You need to make sure you are staying hydrated enough. Also for me ham doesn't digest well, so you may want to try cutting that out. My fail safe is turkey or chicken sandwiches but everyone is different. There are others on here who have put themselves on liquid diets until things quieted down and so hopefully they can provide some advice on this.
 
I don't think you will be doing any harm by eating. If you are hungry, then eat. Remember, your body does need food to fuel itself.
But call your doctor to tell them about the blood and see if there is anything more going on.
 
Thaks to both of you, I've always been ok with ham, its like pork and lamb that makes me ill, but may be worth trying chicken instead

I've seen my dr about the blood, I've to do a sample to see if its infection,
 
I do the same during a flare-up and my doctor tells me off. My bad flare-ups always consist of blood, mucus, severe pain and embarrassing diorhea. i nibble biscuits during the day then have a meal in the evening therfore spending most of the night and early morning stuck on the toilet, but atleast i'm not going to be caught short in public or stuck on the toilet most of the day
 
well, if you don't is there isn't any pain......most crohnies can attest to that.

But, *not eating* isn't a great long-term solution. I got a tiny blender (Its from Emril's cooking line) and I can blend any soup into a smooth broth. I really have to put the brakes on during flare-ups, which means a lot gets hand blended.

My favorite is blended won-ton soup. Really hits the spot during a flare up.

hope you are feeling better.
 
I would be wary of the ham sandwiches. Some crohnies have issues with breads and if it's deli meat it probably has a lot of nitrates (Or is it nitrites? One of the two!) to increase shelf life.
 
You certainly want to stay away from lunch meats in general until you know what your triggers are, as well as anything that is leafy and green.

I found that when I was first got diagnosed and was unsure what to eat, I ended up going with some sort of broth (chicken usually) and then at each meal I introduced one ingredient to see if it would aggravate me. Took a little while, and there were some painful lessons to be sure, but in the long run I now have a better understanding of what I can and cannot eat.
 

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
You certainly want to stay away from lunch meats in general until you know what your triggers are, as well as anything that is leafy and green.

I found that when I was first got diagnosed and was unsure what to eat, I ended up going with some sort of broth (chicken usually) and then at each meal I introduced one ingredient to see if it would aggravate me. Took a little while, and there were some painful lessons to be sure, but in the long run I now have a better understanding of what I can and cannot eat.
Welcome to the forum :bigwave: I hope you can join our forum and tell us your journey on your on thread so we can meet and greet you. On a YOUR STORY thread.. hope to see you there!:thumright:
 
Could I be doing more damage by not eating?
But I feel weak and dizzy etc and people keep telling me I'll make everything worse if I don't eat??
I personally don’t think so, if my experiences are anything to go by.

Sometimes you just need to let your digestive system and bowels take a rest from constant processing and elimination. I learnt this from a health centre, where they were using water or juice fasting programs for a whole host of ailments:

http://www.treeoflife.nu/programs/detoxification-fasting/juice-fast-detox/

People can do supervised fasts for weeks or months, so not eating can be safe in the right environment and circumstances.

I have found that eating actually makes it worse, especially if you are eating the wrong foods.

Last week I ate the wrong foods and had the worse flare that I have had in five years. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the gut with a knife, I had terrible cramps, diarrhea, exhaustion and was passing loads of blood. That was the Thursday and I had to take the day off work sick.

On the Friday morning I just ate plain fruit. Then from Friday lunchtime until Tuesday night I fasted with a combination of water and vegetable juices only, no solid food. Drank around two litres of juice and one litre of water each day throughout the day.

Started feeling better on Sunday night / Monday morning, and everything is now under control. The pain, cramps, diarrhea and blood have ceased, and my energy levels are slowly rising. I will now introduce broths and then soups before going back onto solid food.

From my own experiences, I had to give up tinned soup, crackers, bread and ham, as all these things irritated my system. So I expect that you feel weak and dizzy because you are hardly eating, and what you are eating is processed and lacking nutrition. With fasting you don’t eat either, but you still get essential nutrients from whatever vegetables you are juicing. So you get all the goodness from the vegetables but without the fibre to irritate.

Tinned chicken soup is pretty awful. You may be better to make a chicken vegetable broth at home. Broths are very good for sick people and work on the same basis as vegetable juices (i.e.) you still get all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, trace elements and nutrition you need, but without the fibre that would inflame an already inflamed system.

I have a good broth recipe if you need it? If so, please let me know and I will find it for you.

Hope you feel better soon.
 
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Miss Spencer, I couldn't agree with you more. If you read this could you please post up your broth recipe, I really would appreciate it if you would.
 

Lisa

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
New York, USA
I'll share my broth recipie.....

Take a roasted chicken carcass - skin, fat everything....throw in pot. Add a few carrots (actually it's great if you use the carrots first as a 'rack' when roasting the chicken, they pick up a LOT of flavor!).....some whole peppercorns, bay leaf or two, quartered onion is optional.....salt to taste (if you use a lot of seasoning when roasting the chicken less salt is needed)

Add water to just cover the chicken and put on to boil. Cook at a boil/simmer for at least 2 hours, longer if you like (I think I did mine 3-4).....let cool, skim the fat off. Remove chicken and put aside (to pick over for soup meat), strain broth 2 times through cheese cloth.

The longer you cook the broth the more concentrated it will be.
 
Miss Spencer, I couldn't agree with you more. If you read this could you please post up your broth recipe, I really would appreciate it if you would.
Yes, I have two recipes. I will find them on Sunday and write them up for you. I am pretty sure that both recipes are vegetarian but you can adapt them to suit.

I make my broths with all organic produce. But if you can't afford to do that or can't source organic vegetables, then just use the best quality that you can afford.

Sorry I can't do it sooner for you.
 
Thank you pasobuff and thank you miss spencer, difenitely will be trying both out. I'm over food at the moment....well not over food but over not being able to find things that I can eat.....
 
I am sorry; I seem to have misplaced my favourite recipe book containing the broth. I am currently moving and half my books are packed up the other half have gone to the charity shop.

This is what I can tell you: It is important use certified organic vegetables, herbs and spices whenever possible. This broth is a healing broth; you don’t want toxic chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers from non-organic vegetables in the broth. If you can’t afford all organic, just use half and half. If you can’t source organic, then just use the best quality vegetables you can afford.

But the basic broth is filtered pure water and vegetables brought to the boil in a stainless steel pot. Fill the pot ¾ with water and add all the produce you are using. The idea is to slowly leech all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from the vegetables. Once boiling, you then lower the heat and simmer for at least a minimum of 1.5 hours for vegetable broth and for at least a minimum of 3 hours if you have included a chicken carcass. If you want to add a teaspoon of wheat-free bullion or wheat-free shoyu / tamari or miso, or black peppercorns, then wait to the end to stir them in.

When the broth is ready, you strain the liquid through a sieve, and discard all the vegetables / bones / meat. Drink only the broth liquid. Lasts around 2 days in the fridge, just reheat when needed. Although if you are in a cold climate, you don’t even need to refrigerate, just leave in a pot on the stove covered and reheat when needed.

Use things like kale leaves, spinach, cabbage, celeriac, celery including the leaves if using organic produce, leeks, turnips, parsnips, radish, beetroots including the tops leaves if using organic produce, watercress, potato peel, carrots, onion, garlic, fresh herbs. The more green leafy vegetables and root vegetables you can get in the broth the better.

Loads of different recipe ideas on the web but the process is basically the same. Here are two ideas:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=56304

http://chetday.com/brothhealingproperties.htm

If using meat and bones, only use from certified organic free range animals that are reared on a natural organic diet, as you obviously want to keep any antibiotic traces out of the broth.

This broth is rich in potassium and other nutrients, it can be used in place of solid food for a few days if feeling run down or if you can’t eat due to a health issue.

Broth is extremely nutritious because it is in easy to assimilate liquid. The gelatine which is the end result of minerals leeched from the animal marrow, bone, and cartilage and the added minerals from the vegetables, help to sooth your intestines.

Honestly, you are quite safe not eating solid food. In the past eleven days I have hardly eaten any solid food. I am surviving on filtered water, lots of homemade vegetable juices and homemade vegan smoothies. The only solid meal I have eaten was fresh fruit four days ago and lightly steamed fresh vegetables and potatoes three days ago. I find fasting on liquid to be very healing. Soon I will be introducing broths and then pureed soups, then healthy solid food again next week.

The only other thing I will mention is: when you are in a flare, rest and sleep is extremely important. Your body only heals, repairs and rejuvenates when you are sleeping, so a good nights sleeps and some nanna cat naps throughout the day if possible are a fantastic way to aid your recovery.

You need to give up the tinned soup and ham sandwiches and crackers, and find more soothing nutritional foods to be eating. Homemade broth and homemade soup are both a great start.
 
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I totally agree with this statement that was made:

You need to give up the tinned soup and ham sandwiches and crackers, and find more soothing nutritional foods to be eating. Homemade broth and homemade soup are both a great start.[/QUOTE]

In all of the food items that you mentioned that you were eating, you included bread and meat and dairy.

It sounds counterintuitive, but try eating only eating easily digested (i.e. NOT corn) fresh organic raw fruits and vegetables. If you are worried about obstructions, chew it really good! Apples and bananas have REALLY helped me when I have eaten them. Broccoli lightly cooked. Oatmeal or something like that for more carbs (and if it is a grain like Oatmeal, I would make sure it is cooked well so it is soft).

Avoid dairy like the plague. I think it causes it. I would rather eat a steak at this point than drink a glass of milk (though I dont want either).

Other raw or very lightly cooked vegetables to try:
melons, pretty much any fruit except for ones with sharp indigestible parts like pomegranites, cabbage lightly cooked and well chewed, carrots raw or cooked.

Do not eat anything that you are too uncomfortable eating or have had bad experiences with in the past. Make sure you ARE eating. You will feel better soon!!
 
debs-
I can't say anything that someone else has covered. :) Just listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs.

Be well <3
 
I would be wary of the ham sandwiches. Some crohnies have issues with breads and if it's deli meat it probably has a lot of nitrates (Or is it nitrites? One of the two!) to increase shelf life.
Yes, I second this-I too like sandwiches when I'm sick. But ham's a mortal enemy of mine when I flaring. Not only the things Crohns08 said, but ham is very salty and none of us need that when we're dehydrated from the big D.


I usually stick to tuna, rinsed off first, patted dry and light on the mayo because it's super-high protein. I use white or sourdough bread only. When I get tired of tuna, I get hubby to bring me a rotisserie chicken and I shred that and eat it on a sandwich too.

I totally understand you're afraid to eat, I've been there myself. But it created so many problems for me-now I stick to Ensure, poached eggs, homemade broth, and you guessed it, sandwiches when I'm flaring-seems to work good.
 

rygon

Moderator
agree totally with the 2 posts above about making chicken soup. Its the only way i like it. Reading one of my cookbooks, roasting the bones for 5-10mins will give a much richer taste.

Once ive got the broth, i usually add cubed potatoes or spaghetti, bit of olive oil, diced carrots and peas and a bit of thyme. Best bet is to season the carcass beforehand with salt + pepper as you will find the pepper just sinks to the bottom (not what you want in your last spoonful of soup)

No idea how good it is but my dietrician gave me a list of things to try and stay clear of, called resistant starches (cant be found on the wiki site)
 
Thanks for the tips rygon-I never thought of seasoning the carcass or roasting the bones, I'm definitely gonna give this a try with my turkey carcass and bones.
 
Salt is needed when you have d- sodium is an essential electrolyte that is needed to make cells work. You lose it when you have d. Any good rehydration drink will contain salt. Just don't go over 5 grams a day!
 
I tend not to have an appetite, but I take vitamins and protein to supplement what I do not take in by food. My dr is ok with it as long as I maintain my health and weight. For protein I use Muscle Milk, which is one of the better tasting proteins and is also high in calories.
 
Try sipping some homemade chicken broth. It's really easy to make, with a crockpot and a whole chicken (or whatever you have on hand, but the whole chicken is cheaper and has more nutrients). See recipe at odddlycrunchy(dot)blogspot(dot)com. Bon appetit!
 
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