Got diagnosed in 2008

Hello im kerry and i got diagnosed in the beginning of 2008 but had the symptons a while before then, it first started when i was 15, went to the doctors to see what it could be and they said it could be a milk allergy so went away thinking it was that for about 2 years until i started get really stressed at the end of 2007 and by a few days into the new year i was really poorly couldn't stand or eat anything at all so went back to the doctors and they asked me to give a stool sample and it got sent off to the hospital, a few days later my doctor rang and said i needed to be referred to the gastroelogy outpatients. When i went there they said it could be crohns disease or colitus but they wasnt sure so i had to come back in a week later for a colonoscopy. When i went in i was really seriously dehydrated and had to be kept in and put on a drip. After a week i was able to go home but had a ton of tablets i had to get used to taking. So im still not used to my illness but i want to try a diet that will help me cos after reading a few things online im defiantatly eating all the wrong foods which i know now isnt doing me any good. Would really like some help and suggestions on what i should and shouldnt cut out of my diet. Im going to start a food diary and see how it helps me. Wish me luck

Hi Kerrylou :bigwave: Welcome to the forum. I would say the common culprits for causing symptoms are wheat, dairy and caffeine. It may be worth asking toget in contact with the dieticians at your hospital, depending on how you feel about this you can under their advisement go on a liquid diet for a week or two. They then give you a lowflex diet you can follow which means a lot of things like chicken, rice etc. After a week or so of this you are given a list of foods to try and you make a note of how you react to these. The onky other stuff I have been told it not to eat stuff with little pips or seeds like tomatoes as these will aggrivate the bowel. Do not eat the skin of things like jacket potatoes etc and when eating a potato the hotter it is the better as it is less fibrious. There is a diet, fitness and supplements forum here which will also give lots of advice on things like this and also meal options.

Hi Kerrylou! Welcome. I'm glad you've found us. Lots of good folks here and lots of experiences to learn from.

As far as I'm aware, everyone is different in this regard. When I first got diagnosed, I understood diet to play a different role for me than do now. When I'm not flaring, eating some of the foods you mentioned carefully and in moderation don't present a whole lot of problems for me. When I'm flaring, that's another story. Angrybird's suggestion there to note your foods and how you feel is a good one, in my opinion. I've tried many times to keep a food diary and am all "gung ho" for a while, and eventually tire out. Any time you put into learning how and when these foods affect you will make life a little easier!

Hi Kerrylou! :bigwave: sorry you have to be here but there is a wealth of info here and keep in mind we are not all the same and diet is also different. Most people do well on the low residue diet and when in a flare the Brat diet. In extreme cases, some go on ensure or modulen. Listen to your body, and you will learn through time you will know what to avoid. As formentioned here, dairy and wheat are best to be avoided. They cause bloat. Some try the celiac diet, of no gluten at all. Trial and error is needed.

Even though at times WE KNOW what affects us we do it anyways... strict diets are very hard to follow like the SCD diet. It depends on where and how bad your Crohn's is.

Lots of people to give you advice. Glad you joined us, hope we can help you!

Hi Kerry. Welcome. I'm sure you can help your symptoms at somewhat with some dietary changes. Anything wheat based is going to cause inflammation, so that includes most foods that we live off in the western world, ie. pasta, pizza, breads, buns, cakes, biscuits and most other processed foods.

I would take angrybirds advice and cut out caffeine, sugar, dairy and processed foods and see how you get on with that. If you have never tried to cut out all these foods at once it can be very daunting, but remember that it's not easy and its ok to fall off the wagon as long as you get back on(especially coming up to christmas) and just do what you can.

Good luck and happy foruming .

Hi Kerry and welcome If you haven't seen it yet, I'd check out our diet forum for various dietary ideas.

What medications do they have you on?

All my best to you!

Hey David, im currently on Mercaptopurine which seems to be working alright, its just that i found certain foods aggravate it even more which isnt good