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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 5/10/2008 11:13 PM (GMT 0)
Someone commented on a previous post of mine that ensure is one of the worst things to eat while having a flare up. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on this? I find that it does bother my stomach, but food is just as bad.
Posted 5/10/2008 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I found ensure was the best thing for me when I couldn't eat and it really got me going again I was on it for 3 weeks after a abcess surgery . I really like boost too it tastes great . Keep them cool .I know at first they don't seem the greatest but in a few weeks they make a tremendous difference. You can try different flovours if you like. lol gail
Posted 5/10/2008 11:58 PM (GMT 0)
Replacement meals like boost and ensure are often encouraged by GI's for 2 reasons, 1) to aid with bowel rest (going on a liquid diet for a few days or so) 2) for those who are having a severe enough flare and major loss of appetite that still need to eat food but can also add boost or ensure along with their diet for weight gain and nutrients because of lack of eating enough food daily.

:)
Posted 5/11/2008 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Chronicallyill,
I like Breeze, made by the makers of Boost. It's lactose free and fat free. The taste is not bad and it adds 250 calories. I didn't tolerate Ensure, but Breeze doesn't cause any problems for me. I've been getting it from Walgreen's. The cost is about $31.00 for 24 8 oz containers and there are no shipping charges.
Moodindigo
Posted 5/11/2008 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
I think ensure also comes in lactose free as well, maybe even boost, it's either one or possibly both that do...never hurts to use a variety either.

:)
Posted 5/11/2008 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
My doc said not to use Ensure because it is mostly sugar, which can cause bloating and cramps. I use something called Nutren. A higher percentage of the calories come from fat versus sugar (50% from fat for Nutren, vs. 20% for Ensure). I don't get cramps and it helps keep my weight up. Ensure Plus also has less sugar than regular Ensure so you could try that. Good luck
Posted 5/11/2008 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
My doctor put me on an Ensure and water only diet after I was first diagnosed. I was on that for 6 months. It helped get me through a very bad time because I could barely hold anything in. It was much easier on my stomach than food.
Posted 5/11/2008 3:14 AM (GMT 0)
Intersting to hear everyones different comments about these supplements.
Posted 5/11/2008 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
Very interesting to here everyones views. For me it's just a toss up on weighing out the pros and cons, which helps more, taking it and having a few symptoms from the sugar or eating food and putting ten times more stress trying to digest the food. I would rather go for the latter. I just wish there wasn't so much sugar in them, but can't change that. oh well. I'll just keep taking them anyways. My weight has been plummeting and I am fatigued beyond the point of sanity.
Posted 5/11/2008 5:02 AM (GMT 0)
I don't have any problems with Boost or Ensure.
The Ensure I have is lactose free but the Boost has lactose in it.
Posted 5/11/2008 2:55 PM (GMT 0)

I think either Ensure or Ensure Plus would be fine. Ensure Plus has even been documented to induce remission in some patients who in been steroid-dependent for years.

 

I wouldn’t worry too much about sugar in the formulas. Our body breaks down all carbohydrates we eat into simple sugars anyway. Sugar isn’t bad for you in itself; the problem is that foods that are high in sugar are often low in other nutrients and high in fats, and therefore high in calories. Enteral nutrition formulas contain sugar as an energy source, which our body needs, but also contain all the vitamins and minerals we need.

 

Using these liquid diets can actually reduce inflammation and decrease levels of inflammatory cytokines, so I wouldn’t worry about drinking as much Ensure as you can handle. In fact, a case study was just published a few weeks ago reporting on a woman with Crohn’s, psoriasis, and scleritis, who either didn’t respond or lost response to all the standard Crohn’s medications, including Remicade, and then had a spectacularly good response to enteral nutrition (Crohn’s symptoms cleared up, psoriasis healed, and eyesight returned) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18344883?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum).

 

She was on the liquid diet exclusively for five weeks (with improvement beginning after the first four days), and since then has been able to maintain remission using two meals a day of the liquid formula and two regular meals per day. The formula she used was Modulen IBD (which does contain sugar, by the way). This particular formula is not currently available in the US, but enteral nutrition formulas all seem to work about equally well.

 

Hope this helps.

Posted 5/11/2008 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks writer for info. I was going to give up on it totally, but now I think I'll at least keep it in the fridge for back up when I need it. Right now though it's all I want to eat because it's easy and I don't have the energy to cook at all.

Posted 5/12/2008 4:10 PM (GMT 0)

Hi ,

I drink 1 or 2 ensure a day  and was doing so whilst flaring badly a few months ago .... back then i drank ensure much more slowly and was sipping water at the same time.

I also have Modulen IBD( Nestle ) from the GP on prescription and find that is very well accepted by the bowel , it just doesnt taste as good.

I think ensure makes me slightly bloated compared with Modulen but i dont think there is a huge difference .

there is something soothing about Modulen though , and i seem to remember reading some claims that it can help induce remission . I would recommend it if you can get it

Posted 5/12/2008 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
my doctor writes me a prescription for my ensure.
with 2 kids every $ helps.
Posted 5/12/2008 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
I went out and bought the Target Brand Ensure (cause it's cheaper and I'm po'). It tastes decent and I don't have to eat so that's a plus.
Posted 5/12/2008 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
I wanted second Writer's comments. A temporary diet of just these meal supplements can be as good as meds in some cases (if you can stick to them). Just supplementing with them helps too. If you have a lactose/other problem with the Boosts/Ensures consider the Rx formulas.
Posted 5/13/2008 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Anyone here do ensure liquid diet without eating any foods for a few days still have poops?

:)
Posted 5/15/2008 5:54 PM (GMT 0)

WS Gator said...
my doctor writes me a prescription for my ensure.
with 2 kids every $ helps.

Hi!  How does that work exactly....gettting a script for the ensure?  I had no idea this could be.

--newcrohnswife

Posted 5/15/2008 6:00 PM (GMT 0)

pb4 said...
Anyone here do ensure liquid diet without eating any foods for a few days still have poops?

:)

When I switch to exclusive liquid diet, I can go a few days w/o them. I keep track of everything in a planner... Generally no more than 2 days pass between. Poops tend to be small...could also be liquid so watch out if you feel urgency.
Posted 5/15/2008 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
newcrohnswife-

I was having so much pain from eating that I started using Ensures as meal replacements for breakfast & lunch. So the next time I saw my family doctor I told him how I was using them & asked him if he could write me a prescription for X amount a month. The doctor looked at for a second & said OK. I took the prescription & sent it to my prescription insurance company medco. Now medco sends me my Ensures every month. works great. worked so well that when my wife & I took our new born to the pediatrician I asked that doctor if he would write a prescription for the baby's formula, he looked at for a second & said ok. Now medco sends us the baby's formula every month too.
Posted 5/15/2008 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
I tried the generic Ensure, and at first, it was great. But after a few days, I got extremely sick. I have been thinking of trying something different, so thanks to everyone who posted! I have trouble eating anything in the mornings, so trying something new may be just what I need. tongue
Posted 5/15/2008 8:16 PM (GMT 0)

Illini said...

pb4 said...
Anyone here do ensure liquid diet without eating any foods for a few days still have poops?

:)

When I switch to exclusive liquid diet, I can go a few days w/o them. I keep track of everything in a planner... Generally no more than 2 days pass between. Poops tend to be small...could also be liquid so watch out if you feel urgency.

Thanks for your response...I know it's likely different for everyone and normally I have formed/solid poops but my daughters graduation is comming up on the 24th of may and I plan on doing a 3 day liquid diet before the 24th in the hopes that I won't have any poops at all...it's gonna be a long day, starting early in the morning until late at night so I really want to have the day to enjoy rather than worrying about pooping period.

I plan to do mostly consume/broth, tea, water but I thought I'd add the ensure, maybe 2/day for those 3 days in the hopes that nothing poopy will be comming out by Saturday...guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed...my luck I'll be spending the day running to the can to pee all the time with all the liquids I'll have in me...can't win for losing but it's better than pooping.

:)

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