I Need suggestions for crohns.

by Tonita
(NJ)

Hi i have a friend that was diagnosed with the disease about three years ago, but she has severe pain to the point where she faints. She is thrity two and the doctors said they would not perform surgery and that she has to learn to live with it. I can see she is becoming depressive and I wish I could help her some way. Do you have any sugestions?































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Comments for I Need suggestions for crohns.

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Suggestions for Crohns NEW
by: Annette Young


Hello there,

Thank you for writing in. I think it is great that you are providing support for your friend and can see how devastating Crohn's disease has been for her.

I am not surprised that she is feeling depressed because it is very hard to cope with day-to-day pain and to have your life changing completely without any control.

I also know that it can seem as if a door has been shut in your face and that there is no hope when the doctor says there is nothing that they can do or that the individual has to live with the pain.

You don't mention what medicine they have given her but there are various options and I really believe that she needs to go back to her doctor and demand more help if the pain is this bad. It's probably the last thing that she feels like doing if experiencing chronic pain. Failing this, perhaps she should go to see a different and more understanding doctor who can give her some more informed advice.

One thing that she can do, is to ensure that she is not causing any additional pain by eating the wrong foods, smoking or drinking alcohol are well-known triggers and these should be avoided at all costs. When she is an extreme pain it is probably best for her to not eat foods that is hard to digest but to eat very simply and basic foods that will not aggravate a flare-up.

Some people find mashed potatoes, soups or food that has been pureed is really useful during these times.

You haven't mentioned specific details about her condition, apart from the pain so really the only things I can suggest are that she learns relaxation techniques and these have been proven to help people feel better and to cope with their situation in life. If she is very stressed i.e. has external stresses in her life, it can help if she can eradicate those.

She can listen to guided meditation CDs that can help her mind and body to relax a little bit, she can develop a good sleep pattern so that her body has the chance to start healing because if feeling fatigued, it will be hard for her body to fight back.She needs to keep her body hydrated and to ensure she has all the relevant vitamins and minerals.

She can keep a food diary and and some people say that it is beneficial to have a hot water bottle or heating pad and apply to the area with the most pain as this can help it to subside.

I have attached some links to help you and your friend and I wish you the best of luck.

http://voices.yahoo.com/coping-crohns-relaxation-techniques-override-1590555.html?cat=70

http://voices.yahoo.com/managing-acute-abdominal-pain-comes-with-1023353.html?cat=5

Best wishes,
Annette
severe pain
by: Tod

Has her doctor suggested Humera or Remicade treatments at all. Remicade has been my savior after 40 years of CD i am living a totally normal, pain free life!

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