How do YOU deal with Crohn's Disease and its symptoms?

Here are some helpful tips from our Chronnies Chatters! If you would like to add your helpful tip to our page, please e-mail it to Debbie at Cooners@bestweb.net.

Debbie says: "Remember, we are NOT doctors! These tips are intended only to tell what helps us as individuals. Before trying any new treatments or radical changes in your diet or regimen, please check with your doctor."

  When I'm having lots of "D", I drink hot jello & eat popsicles just to keep lots of fluids in me. - Sandra aka organist925

   Take Librax under the tongue. - Debbie aka Cooners

  Other people know this but, if you have sore muscles from pred or fibromyalgia then heat works really well. A tanning bed is one of the best ways to get your entire body nice and hot in order to help ease the soreness. My mom has one and finds it works really well. - Nicol aka ajobeia

  This has worked for me, although there may be doubters because it involves supplements and it has literally changed my life. I also have gained 15 pounds. I take a product called Fibersmart once a day. I also take a natural vitamin, not synthetic, 3 times a day, called lifes' fortune. I found immediate results within 3 days with boost of energy and normal movements. Now, if I overeat what I shouldn't the movements change, but I am able to eat anything I want except for ice cream or milk. I am told I could take some lactase for this but just have not tried this yet. Sorry,but it seems I cant keep anything short. - Lisa K aka spazel

  Sorry, I am so new to this stinking disease that I haven't figured out anything that helps or doesn't help yet. Wish I had more input to add. Maybe by the next time, I will be able to answer better. - Kathy aka MsKathy26

  "never go anywhere without extra underwear?" LOL - Jacquie aka jacquieG4

  When I want to drink something besides water, like koolaide, I add liquid plain gelatin to help coat my stomach and cut down on the acid.

For those who have to drink Ensure, try putting it on cereal instead of milk (especially if you are lactose intolerant). I would suggest only using the Vanilla flavor for this.

Also if drinking the Ensure, I mix it with water and Ovaltine (no caffine). That almost makes the Ensure palatable.

I drink jello also, but find that irritates my stomach unless put twice the water it
calls for. The plain gelatin tastes awful by itself, but helps with the acid, so I mix it with my drinks. And I'd rather drink something flavored when really sore, rather than just water. - Terry aka tr1107

  1) I take a high-quality GNC Gel-cap vitamineas well as a good GNC B-complex in
capsule form. The gel-cap vitamins are easy to absorb as are good capsules. What energy I do have is because of these since I have no appetite! I've tried drugstore capsule & gel-cap vitamins and have come to believe that the quality is as important as it being a gel-cap. When I was taking the drugstore brands, they were useless & didn't help me at all!!

2) I find that when the meds like prednisone make me dizzy, caffeine free coke works wonders. I'm also a big fan of popsicles, which I can usually get down when nothing else will go. Not only are they great for the fluid & taste, they also sometimes help me to "numb" the pain, like ice on a wound!

3) For me, getting information & support from both family, friends & my Chronnieschat family with my CD has been as important to my health as anything else! - Kit aka kit2594

  HAVING A FLARE:

I get a fever. (usually a small one) To help with the 'hot flashes' and fevers, place your bare feet on an ice pack. This will cool you off right away, at least most of the time! Works well for menopause also!!

Whirlpool baths help with the aches and pains. Or if you don't have a whirlpool, put baking soda in the water. This also helps with the pains in the muscles.

When you are having a flare, eat very small meals frequently through the day. This will help your intestines digest food easier as well.

MED ADVICE:

When taking pred, eat a banana a day (if you can tolerate it). It help with the potassium loss.

Do not drink anything acidic when taking meds. You will not digest the meds as well. I prefer to take meds with a sip of milk, to coat my tummy and a glass of water.

OTHER ADVICE:

Let your intestines 'rest' at least once a week, by eating soft foods and liquids. This seems to lessen the flares.

To help pain control, learn to meditate or use relaxation therapy. I prefer relaxation therapy, it seems to benefit not only the pain, but also the intestinal cramping.

Elevate the headboard of your bed about 1 inch, to help with nausea, gas and sleep. - Rochelle aka tori85

  I find that when I travel, and I seem to do that a lot anymore, that if I don't eat or eat just a tiny breakfast before leaving that I do much better, and have to stop much less.  When I used to irrigate after my first ostomy I didn't have to worry much about this, but now that I can't irrigate I have to be more careful about what I DO eat before traveling as with a ileostomy you have NO control on the flowage into your pouch except through how and what and when you eat.

Also, for those of you with ostomies. I have found that if you can find a pouch with a charcoal filter, it really helps in keeping the bag from filling up with gas, which as you KNOW can be a real pain, and rather embarassing at times. - Tom aka TakTom

  Even with all that I have learned about this disease, I still know that it's not easy to deal with. I have an online friend who has been trying to escape his Crohn's by drinking it away and am so sad at the depression it has caused him. Not only is he lost right now, but it is also hurting his wife and kids and everyone else that loves him. So I think my tip would have to be to acknowledge the depression and accept the disease (while fighting it of course). The best things I can think of to help with that are staying as active as possible. Get help when needed. Surround yourself with those that love you and NEVER give up, even though it would seem much easier. Realize that those around you can't totally understand what you are going through and forgive them for that. And don't only expect to receive love and understanding from others but give it back also. Have compassion, respect, and know that everyone has the right to be who they are. Learn all you can about your disease so you can make the best decisions regarding your health.

And last know that when things go wrong, they might feel like failures but they become experience and tomorrow is another day! – Sheryl aka SherylKir

  I have no cure alls or any fancy solutions........On a good day I eat everything  and of course on a bad day I stay away from pork, pizza, and other spicy foods.  Best solution for me is to have all you great friends.  I know I have done my share of venting.  I know I can no longer have remicade as I had a reaction to it, and NEVER want to go thru that again.  Thanks everyone for being my main support!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - BARB aka bornzy

  The best tip I can give is to pick the right DR. and be sure that he/she is close enough to care for you without having to travel forever just to get to his/her office. - Ellie aka FISHNUT

   my tip.... for those in the u.s. - the drug store walgreens doesn't have public bathrooms - at least not around here. and mcdonalds have the cleanest bathrooms of any of the fast food places i have been into. - Becky 

       I have a really bad habit of telling myself, "Oh, whatever it is will pass..." or, "...It's just ME....".   There are so many symptoms, but when I start to get mouth ulcers or skin erruptions, that's usually an indication that I had better really pare down my food intake. - Sayte aka Bump

   I thought about this a lot when you first asked me; about how I would
answer, since most all of the tips would be from chronnies and everything.
But I guess the best tip I can give from my point of view is to beleive
that when a friend says they are willing to help, they really want to help.
We wouldn't say it if we didn't mean it.  From just listening to taking
hospital trips to holding your hair when you give praise to the porceline
Gods, believe that we want to be there for you.

I've had people ridicule me for wanting to know more about the disease my
friends have.  They said that I was sick and wrong for spending "all my
time with a bunch of sick people." and things like "you don't understand."
That's right.  I don't understand; I don't know what you are going through.
I understand that and I don't want to know, I just want to be there for my
friends. 

So a tip for you, don't push your friends away.  It's not good for either
of you.  If you are truely friends, having Crohn's or any other disease
won't change your friendship. - RAch aka rach88

  When I drink Ensure, I add some cold milk to it and it makes it taste like chocolate milk.  It's really good! 

Also, for years I've had to have different-sized clothes in my closet.  This can get pretty pricey.  One day I decided to check out Value Village and Goodwill (second-hand stores).  You wouldn't believe my beautiful wardrobe now.  I even have designer clothes!  I am SO proud of my wardrobe.  It is also very inexpensive.  You don't need to go to a retail store to have a beautiful wardrobe. - Cheryl aka LoyalAlways

Home | Photo Gallery Index

Site Maintained by The Organist