I cannot deal with this

Hi everyone

My name is Jake and im 17 years old, i was diagnosed 9 months ago with Crohn's disease after loosing 20kg (35-40lbs) in around 1.5 months and falling ill. I do not know how to deal with this, i used to LOVE gym i was heavy into body building but now i struggle to keep the very light weight i have (58kg) i feel like i cannot gain weight, and because of 2 fissures that arnt healing due to Crohn's (have had them for 8 months) i cannot do any sport. I am struggling i need help.

how do i gain weight? Can doctors prescribe anabolic steroids for this muscle wasting condition?

Are your bowel movements under control? How many per day? Until you're able to absorb nutrition and get some level of gut healing, I know it can be hard to gain weight back.

when i have flare ups i go usually around 8-9 times a day right now they are under control 1-2.

Ask your doctor for help if weight gaining is an issue, they can get you a dietitian.

You could also consider using Elemental Nutrition to increase your calorie intake, there's an EN forum under treatment.

As far as anabolic steroids, that's something that no one is going to prescribe, corticosteroids are used for crohn's disease, never anabolic.

TestTyrone did you mean to add test to your username or do you want an admin to remove that?

I can understand your body image frustration. I think the main thing is to treat your disease and when you are better will be able to hopefully be in the shape you want. Are you on any medications? How are you responding?

Thanks alot guys for the help! I am on imuran and pentasa satchets they are ok, i havent stopped taking them so im not sure how much they are doing.

and no i wanted test to be in my name thank you though

it's supposed to be a tricky way to spell Testerone -TestTyrone hahahah

Does anyone hate the alternatives to cow milk i almost throw up drinking them

Full fat coconut milk and cashew butter in blender with protein powder (if cant do whey, maybe rice based or pea or chia or capsules of full amino acid supplement), glutamine (gut friendly amino acid), frozen cherries, ice, water, probiotics, omega 3 cod liver oil, opened cap of calcium/magnesium/mineral, squirt of vit D -- that's been putting weight back on me and keeping gut healthy with other meals being clean protein and veg cooked in plenty of coconut oil. I've been walking and doing bits of yoga. I used to do gym or yoga everyday, but this healing thing is taking longer than I expected (5 months). I bake w coconut oil (and organic butter) and use butternut squash, apples and just a touch of honey to sweeten. The Vicious Cycle book has good, simple crohns friendly recipes. To boost calories at breakfast, I add coconut milk and cashew butter to eggs before I scramble them w vegetables. I cook huge load of veg about every five days so they're ready to roll. My dad helps me too. It's a lot of work to eat scd/paleo, but it tastes good. For strength I'd say make sure you're getting your protein and at 17, you'll get your gym strength back soon!

hmmm it sounds good! hmmm sounds like something you would drink out of a coconut on a beach

I struggled with low weight for years. I am 180cm (5 feet 11) and had 60-62kg in even somewhat good times. I am at a normal, healthy 74-75kg right now, the increase is virtually all muscle.

For me the three main reasons for gaining and keeping your weight up are:

1. Most importantly managing your Crohn, that is long term remission. Of course, it's hard when you have to fissures that haven't healed yet and you re also quite new to Crohn's. Still, the biggest problem for weight management is that if you have diarrhea, your body just takes in a fraction of what it takes in if you have normal bowel movements.

2. Supplemental liquid nutrition. I still drink one bottle, sometimes two a day (I also forget drinking one sometimes...). i use Nutricia Fortimel Neutral flavor bottles that have 300kcal each and basically are liquid substitute nutrituon that you could live on by yourself (it's not just a protein shake, it also contains sugar, fat etc.). They don't taste good but after months you get used to them and you just don't care any more.

3. For me, the last one is sport. It's hard when you have problems doing sport. After sport you are just hungrier and your body builds up muscle, which means you gain weight.

Thank you so much everyone for helping! I am on a scholarship at school and I am having ALOT of trouble keeping grades above passing because I am always tired and lathargic I asked doctor for adderall because of its studying effects but he wouldn't prescribe it, should I find external source? I NEED something to help me study I virtually feel dead.

TestTyrone said:

Hi everyone

My name is Jake and im 17 years old, i was diagnosed 9 months ago with Crohn's disease after loosing 20kg (35-40lbs) in around 1.5 months and falling ill. I do not know how to deal with this, i used to LOVE gym i was heavy into body building but now i struggle to keep the very light weight i have (58kg) i feel like i cannot gain weight, and because of 2 fissures that arnt healing due to Crohn's (have had them for 8 months) i cannot do any sport. I am struggling i need help.

how do i gain weight? Can doctors prescribe anabolic steroids for this muscle wasting condition?

Click to expand...

Hi Jake
I have done weight lifting on and off for about 30 years and i'm still doing weights. When I was diagnosed with crohn's( about fifteen years ago) I was losing weight but once they got it little under control my weight has come back on, Don't give up and keep doing weights just do lighter but more reps . Also when your having goods day try taking Creatine , I do. Remember never give,every day we get through, might be the day they find the cure.

Man :') inspired me, I have never spoken to someone who loves gym and has Crohn's! Thank you! Is there a way I can add you as a friend?

TestTyrone said:

Man :') inspired me, I have never spoken to someone who loves gym and has Crohn's! Thank you! Is there a way I can add you as a friend?

Click to expand...

Im not sure my friend, I have only just joined, but if I get a chance to work it out or if you work it out I would be happy to have you as a friend.

Hi mate,

I'm 24 years old and had my first flare and diagnosis about 7 months ago, when this happened I lost about 3-4 stone going from 14 st to 10 st and In my experience the best way to gain weight after loosing so much at that point once your in control of the condition is to suppliment a large ammount of your nutrition with special drinks that can be prescribed by your Doctor, in my country they are called *ensure* energy drinks which provides you with 500 cal per serving plus every vit / mineral your body needs to survive as a sole source of nutrition. Take those for maybe 8 weeks or how ever long you need them and your weight will increase very quicky.

Eatting steady meals just isn't enough to get you back into shape quickly and it's also a nice moral boost watching those scales raise every week consistantly and I even got back to the GYM sooner than I thought to build back muscle mass as i'm about 6'4 ft tall.

Hope this advice was helpfull and good luck with your experience with IBD.

My son gains a few lbs then will stay at that weight for some time. He stayed around 100 for 2 months or so and then gained 11 lbs by eating a lot of peanut butter (like a half cup per day)...hasn't gained any recently though...staying around 108 - 111.

Almond milk is very nutritious and its the only one I pecan use in my cereal and tastes good TestTyrone, peanut butter smooth and bananas with your protein

hey TestTyrone,

I just wanted to suggest Enteral Nutrition (EN) (nutritional shakes) as well. My son was 16 (almost 17) when he was diagnosed. He had lost approx. 25 lbs prior to diagnosis. His initial treatment was six weeks of exclusive enteral nutrition - no food at all , just the nutritional formula; he ingested 3000 calories per day. During the first six weeks, he gained 10 lbs. After the exclusive 6 week period, he stayed on half the dose (1500 calories), 5 days per week plus a regular diet, over the next six weeks, he gained another 20 lbs! He continued with the supplemental EN for almost two years and, in total, gained a healthy 50 lbs. He's gradually reduced the amount and still now continues with 1-2 shakes per day (250-500 calories).

It's definitely something to look into!!

But, a couple of things to keep in mind... if you still have active inflammation, this will lessen your ability to absorb nutrients and will make it more difficult to gain weight.

Also, there are different types of formula... semi-elemental and elemental formulas are the most easily absorbed, even with inflammation. These, unfortunately, do not taste as well as other nutritional shakes... I know Peptamin or Peptamin 1.5 is a semi-elemental shake (not sure about others). Shakes like Boost or Ensure (in the U.S., Ensure may be different in the U.K.) are not semi-elemental or elemental. They will still provide nutrition, etc. but are not formulated to be as easily absorbed as the semi- or elemental formulas. (My son was initially on an elemental formula, he now drinks Boost.) Here's a link with more info on formulas.

http://www.thriverx.net/PDFs/Adult Enteral Formulas.pdf

Also, with the fatigue you're describing... you could be low in iron. Ask your doctor if you need a supplement (but, speak with your doctor before just adding a supplement!).

Good luck!

Hi

We also from Melbourne, my daughter is a little older than you at 18.

Are you doing year 12 or 11?

We used ensure for weight gain, it does have casein but is lactose free.

TestTyrone.

If you are doing year 12 and can trace the start of your illness back to before the start of 2012. You need to look at getting a Seas application completed for uni entry. As the school holidays start this weekend and applications close early October, you would need to look in this week.