General help

Hi,

My girl friend has Crohns. She was diagnosed about two years ago. She doesnt show the classic symptoms of crohns though in the sense that she rarely if ever experiences diarrhea. She goes days on end without a bowel movement. She has many of the other symptoms though (blockage of the intestine from scar tissues, psoriasis, joint pain etc). The psoriasis in particular has gotten terrible it's now on both of her feet on the underside and both hands underside as well. She stays in constant pain from the cracked skin.

Recently she gets tired very easily and im begining to worry that she is becoming anemic. She's on Remicade and a few other common drugs prescribed for the side effects and related problems that accompany crohns.

I'm not certain why im writing on the forum except to say i'm scared to death. She's a hard head and won't take easily to holistic or natural treatments. I'm just the opposite I don't trust most doctors. To me theyre much like a mechanic, go to ten different ones and get ten different answers.

All I know is that the treatments she is currently undergoing dont seem to be working very well. I dont want to lose her, the future is so uncertain these days and her health seems to be going slowly down hill.

If anyone is familiar with this type of crohns and can offer up some solid advice as to what herbs or other natural treatments will work along with remicade etc I would be forever in your debt if you would share any information you have on it. My hopes are that advice from other folks living with crohns might nake her take a more serious look at alternatives and give her a little light at the end of her tunnel. Her bouts of depression these days are getting worse and worse.

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General Help NEW
by: Annette Young


Hello there,

I am sorry to hear that your girlfriend has been diagnosed with crohn’s disease. Many people suffer with this condition in a very different way and constipation is one problem. This feeling will make her feel very uncomfortable and if she has blockages of the intestine this can bring its own set of problems as well as a fear of eating. Some people do suffer from rashes and skin conditions but psoriasis can also be exaggerated by stress and anxiety.

Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of Crohn's disease and it can be so intense and overwhelming that she may feel as if she just wants to sleep all the time and will have no energy for anything. I can understand why you are worried and seeking external help.

She will feel completely exhausted but I'm sure your support is much appreciated. Sometimes, just knowing someone is there can bring such benefits. The solution as such, is for her to rest when she feels extreme fatigue but to become more active when she feels less tired and in this way she worked with her body and not against it.

It doesn't sound as if her current medication is helping her as efficiently as it should so I would suggest that she goes back to have the medication reviewed. Unfortunately, it is trial and error with Crohn's disease. Some medications will work well for some but not for others but I'm sure that there is something out there for her that will alleviate some of the symptoms at least.

From a natural perspective, she needs to focus on her diet eliminating any foods that may act as triggers and these can include dairy products, spicy foods, alcohol and cigarettes etc. The more simplistic the food the better. Mashed potatoes and vegetables or even pureed foods are good, so soups can be beneficial. The trick is to enable the food to be digested as easily as possible without putting much pressure on the digestive tract.

As she has intestinal blockages, this sort of approach to food will probably be best as well as eating smaller amounts but regularly. Keeping a food diary is useful because this may highlight certain triggers that she was not aware of.

I come from a natural health background and I would certainly advise that she deals with any stress and anxiety in her life by learning relaxation techniques and meditation. This can really help with promoting inner healing but importantly it can help to feel calm and more in control of her life, as well as enabling her to relax and to sleep better.

You don't mention her sleep pattern but for many Crohn's sufferers a good night sleep can be a thing of the past. It is important that she exercises, I would suggest light exercise, yoga perhaps because it works on the whole body including the intestinal tract but it will not exhaust her.

I hope this helps.
Annette
general help
by: Anonymous

Hey if they put her on meds, they might try a TNF blocker.. I was on Humira and now I am on Cimizia and I had the horrible skin issues and now my hands are blister free.. So nice NOT to have cracked skin. They give Humira to Crohns patients as well as people with really bad psorisis. She should talk to her doctor.
Maybe the remicade is not working
by: Vanessa

Hello
I have Crohns disease and before I got my surgery, I was on remicade too.
I really understand your girlfriend for not taking natural herbs or something like that. I do the same thing. Maybe you hate doctors but the medication they are giving to us have been tested, they know what can be the side effects. Herbs and things like that can be very bad for the GI tract so in my opinion, it is not a good idea to try it plus the herbal product have not been tested, so we do not know the side effects,s some of them can be very bad for the kidney or other organs.
I am sure your girlfriend is very strong and brave, If the remicade does not work, maybe she could ask her GI to try another medication.
Good luck and please keep us updated.
PS I heard oil fish was good and taking vitamins is a very good idea :)

Afraid
by: lili

Hi,
I know what you are going through. My fiance has Crohn's and up to about 2 months ago I felt the same way you do. It is normal to feel afraid and uncertain of the future. But, there is a future. We are getting married in 2 weeks..
Generally, Crohn patients are very stubborn and very resilient with their illness.
I was told by an older Crohn's patient to try "aloe juice" he swears by it..Maybe your girlfriend will be willing to try it, it is sold at any health food store. It is clear and really has no flavor. Good luck and keep us posted, and be strong she will pull through. Only they know their own unique type of crohn's and how to deal with it. Just be there for moral support when she needs you...
Good Luck to the both of you..

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