#chron's colitis

[mey-rin-is-fabulous]

Okay as anyone who’s been around for any amount of time since 2021 knows I have colitis. And I’m gonna run through everything that happened before and after my diagnosis. Under a read more to save your dashes.

I first started having problems after easter 2014. Constant diarrhea and constipation and it was switching between the two constantly. It started off by me only having bowel movements every three days and I found my bathroom usage got worse after either eating high fiber foods or pizza. And as I kept going through highschool it got worse and worse, I had a hard time going to school and staying in class, my guts were constantly churning and accidents were not uncommon. All throughout this I had no idea what I was experiencing was a bowel disease, I just figured it’d clear up eventually. 

My mom and me thought it was a diet thing, so we tried adding more electrolytes, these blueberry smoothies and I tried to add yogurt. None of it helped. So now we’re coming up to late 2018 the end of my highschool career and start of my failed college career. I went to my doctor, he sent me to a specialist. I filled out a form, said specialist told me to just take metamucil, I thought that was the end of it. It wasn’t the metamucil did nothing.

2019 I was still experiencing problems. Went back to my doctor, said hey I think this specific type of food is setting this off. My doctor agrees that I should cut it out. I find out on my own somewhere along all of this about the gluten free diet and celiac disease. So I decide to go gluten free, it helps.

2020 since our family doctor retired me and my mom go see a satellite doctor, a small little cubicle in our local pharmacy with a nurse practitioner and the doctor on video call. I tell him about the problems I’ve been experiencing and he writes up a recommendation to send to a specialist.

Late 2021 I receive a call from said specialist, I have been scheduled for a colonoscopy early 2022. Colonoscopy gets pushed back a month from late January to early February. I go for my colonoscopy and after I am told that I have ulcerative colitis. I was prescribed an enema for like 2 weeks and mezavant(big pills we started at like 4 daily) which was constant. After that I had to get a TB test to make sure nothing would affect any current or future medications. Went back in March for a sigmoid( get yourself knocked out never do it while awake.) We scheduled another sigmoid for May, this time I would be knocked out for it, things were looking better. Also throughout this whole time, I was getting bloodwork off and on. Went into my doc’s office in September and my levels were looking good but around that time I accidentally had non GF spaghetti. After September things got rough for me again.

Now in early 2023, I had my first sigmoid of the year in April. My doc told me instead of ulcerative colitis it was looking more like chron’s colitis. I was told to stop taking my mezavant and was instead prescribed a steroidal medication as well as calcium tablets and vitamin d tabs. I was also prescribed another steroidal medication that required constant bloodwork. About a week or two on the new meds I was told to stop taking the new steroidal meds because my liver enzymes were up. Makes sense because I was extremely sick and after I stopped taking the medication I started feeling better. Saw my doc again end of June so now we’re in July and I’m getting a chest x-ray done this Friday and if everything’s good probably starting my new medication treatment after. the medication is delivered through IV but can be given through a needle injection after, it’s called entyvio.

[disabledsysboxes]

Autoimmune - 3

[chronicallycrappy]

Are you disgusted by Miralax because you had a colonoscopy?

Boy have I got the trick for you!

I have to take Miralax sometimes due to my GI disorders, but it disgusts me because it reminds me of colonoscopy prep when I was shitting and throwing up everywhere!

Now I put my Miralax into baked goods! I've only tried brownies so far, but I think eventually I will branch out into more treats.

Here's how I do it:

1. Get your laxative powder

2. Gather ingredients (box mix is fine) to make brownies. I like to add pudding into the mix as well to offset the texture of the powder. It bakes pretty well, kind of hard to mess up.

3. Decide what size dose you want your brownies to be, and how many brownies are going to fit in your pan. Pour out the amount of powder you need to make that many doses. After this you can always choose to cut them in different sizes, or you can double the amount of powder if you know you need a bigger dose but don't want to eat several brownies.

4. Mix your batter and powder together thoroughly. Make sure you don't have chunks of powder that aren't integrated. They will crunch and taste very bad.

5. Bake like normal and cut them into shapes to fit your dosage. Feel free to add frosting, and if you screw it up and they still taste icky, you can crush up the brownies and mix them with frosting before rolling them into balls like a cake pop!

I bag mine and keep them in the freezer to last a while because I have never needed an entire pan in the amount of time that they can reasonably sit out on a counter.

Happy baking!

[lovelyscot]

[darkmoonseance]

wanted to make a point to try more unique foods I'd never tried before this year and instead I got MYSTERY INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

[ketokamp]

A Food Philosophy Born on the Brink of Death

Dane Johnson is a dedicated Natural Medicine Practitioner specializing in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis and he’s developed a food philosophy that was born on the brink of DEATH! Today he’s going to share his Pain to Purpose story and talk about all of the moments that led up to his spiritual epiphany, and why he believes that, “healing starts in the mind,” and how he healed his symptoms. In this captivating episode, he’ll open up about his battle with seemingly incurable diseases, and the inspiring journey of reclaiming his health and well-being.

[kaizengastrocare]

At Kaizen Gastro Care, we provide advanced, comprehensive ulcerative colitis treatment in Pune, Maharashtra, to help you achieve optimal digestive health.

[crxptidx]

literally does anyone else’s skin feel like its bruised all over when they’re on prednisone or is it just me. It feels like I’m some dog’s chew toy. I am in so much pain,,,

[theguartist]

Vent rant about a thing Mom said a moment ago

Trigger warnings for death surgery blood and illness

So I told Mom I was going to the Doctor's appointment about my stomach pain and she blurts out that my cousin had his large intestine removed because of recurring bleeding. That is a symptom of either Chron's disease or Ulcerative Colitis! I've had stomach problems for years!

It was the same with the Pneumonia and Gallstone, she only told me of those family medical histories AFTER. All of us siblings nearly died of Pneumonia!

The only one she told us of was Porphyria.

Edit: Wait a minute, she told a second one, when her sister (my aunt) har her appendix removed.

[anna-pineappel]

3 years ago, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease

And on my diagnosis-anniversary, I wanted to share my story of what went down and the symptoms I had that lead to my diagnosis. This is a bit long, but if someone relates to this, I’d highly recommend getting checked out.

In August of 2021, I went to the Emergency Room for a Charley Horse in my left calf. I went thinking I was having a blood clot since the pain and cramping wasn’t going away so to the ER I went! Good thing I did, because my hemoglobin was low, along with my iron, and I had to be admitted and get an infusion. The doctors strongly recommended iron supplements after the fact and in Canada, I was told to get the ones behind the pharmacy counter, they’re a stronger strength, but I didn’t need a prescription.

I went back to my family doctor after the fact, and ran a shit ton of bloodwork, looking for anything that pointed to anemia. I was also on birth control pills at the time, but of course my doctor had to ask: “are you just having heavy periods?” Which I wasn’t but still got abdominal ultrasounds. They ended up finding a fibroid, but it is small enough that they weren’t concerned about it causing anemia.

Eventually other nutrients were starting to tank, Vitamin D, B12, folate, etc. Also despite the iron supplements, my iron levels weren’t going up as quickly as the doctors wanted. So I started getting bloodwork for malabsorption disorders: Celiac, Chron’s, Ulcerative Colitis, etc. and one of those came back positive: Celiac antibodies. Seriously, my number was off the charts at >250… the lab deadass stopped counting.

After that, my family doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist (stomach and intestine doctor) because in order to get an official diagnosis, you need to do a gastro-endoscope biopsy to assess damage to the intestines, which cause the malabsorption. The basis of Celiac Disease is this: it’s an autoimmune condition. When my body is exposed to gluten, antibodies go and attack my intestines. Some people have classic GI symptoms (diarrhea, constipation, bloating) while others, like me, have non-classic symptoms (anemias, osteoporosis, brain fog, depression, etc.)

So on December 6, 2021, I went for my biopsy and right away the gastroenterologist was able to tell I had some gnarly intestinal damage that was textbook for Celiac Disease. There was enough damage that they estimated I may have been suffering for A FUCKING DECADE!!

After that, I cut gluten from my life and didn’t look back! I got my nutrient levels back up, and my follow up biopsy earlier this year showed remarkable recovery! Of course, my energy levels and general well being got better too!

[mey-rin-is-fabulous]

I really need to get better at eating regularly and staying hydrated. I think the new med will work but my bowel issues are always worse when I don't eat very often or hydrate enough.

And to think I would have probably been okay right now if I didn't accidentally eat that non GF spaghetti.

My doc says the spaghetti wouldn't cause it to get active again but I don't think I believe that. I am on a GF diet because wheat seems to be a trigger especially after an incident where I had gone GF and had some cheerios and the night after I experienced awful diarrhoea.

[helleanorlance]

Also I might have chrons or ulcerative colitis. Which like, I’m not keen on talking about my digestive issues, even over tumblr, but I am soooo stressed out about this. IBS is bad but it’s pretty complication free and IBDs have so many complications that can come with them…..

[arthallea]

life is about appreciating the affirmative statements people give to you, like "you do not have chron's, celiac disease, or ulcerative colitis"

[breathagainlife]

Lactose Intolerant: What does it mean?

Lactose is a simple sugar found in nature. Two sugars, galactose and glucose, combine to create lactose.

Are you lactose intolerant?

What are the signs of lactose intolerance? How can you tell if you are?

To find the answer, one must understand how lactose is produced.

When galactose and glucose combine, they form a bond. Your body has an enzyme, lactase, used to break these bonds.

If you do not have lactase, you cannot break the bonds, making you intolerant.

The signs would bloat, gas, diarrhoea, cramps and pain. In my case, I would throw up. I just hated the smell of milk.

There are three primary causes: age, genetic and diseases.

Your body is not born with all the enzymes required to digest food. In fact, not just milk, you might not have the enzyme to digest vegetables or fruits.

Typically, as you grow, by age six, you develop the ability to digest lactose.

Some races are born lactose intolerant, South Asians for example. In some cases, you develop Chron’s disease, Celiac’s disease or ulcerative colitis, making you intolerant.

There is no real cure for being lactose intolerant.

The severity varies. Some people bloat and develop symptoms right away. Others are tolerant of different forms. So, for example, I did not like milk, but was fine consuming cottage cheese (paneer).

So what can you do if you are intolerant?

You could add enzymes that help you digest. You could combine it with other foods, making it easier to digest.

You could spread your consumption, having smaller quantities per meal.

Personally, I found it easiest to have yoghurt. You could find the form that suits you best.

There is no law that mandates you need to consume dairy. If you are intolerant, find other ways to get your protein and calcium. Calories are easy to find in any case.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain

[gastrohv]

Gastroenterology of Hudson Valley specializes in diagnosing and treating stomach, abdomen, and gastrointestinal conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, acid reflux, diverticulitis, Chron's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and more!