Advice for no ENERGY????

I would suggest getting your Vit D and B12 levels checked. They might be low. I started taking an additional 2000 units of Vitamin D a day back in September. It has been a godsend to me. Its help some with the fatigue, but helped even more on the Fibro pains and joints pains. Good luck!

By all means get your vitamin D level checked (as well as B12 and iron and electrolytes). Vitamin D can be high in some people with Crohn's because the intestinal cells that characterize Crohn's convert the inactive forms of vitamin D in the blood into the active form. Make sure that you are not already high in vitamin D before starting supplements, but you should also be aware that this may be a temporary high level and it can quickly change to low levels of vitamin D.

I used to be so tired that I would sleep from friday night until noon on saturday, get up and eat some food, nap until dinner, eat dinner, go to bed and sleep until noon on sunday, lunch, nap, dinner, and go to bed before getting up for work on Monday.

Are you dealing with any depression? It is VERY common for depression to set in with CD. A few years back I starting seeing a psychiatrist (something I swore I would never do, and thought would not be very helpful) at the urging of a friend who had read how positive results were seen with the use of Prozac to treat CD.

I spent a year in therapy - talking to the psych once a week for an hour. I spent about a month to 6 weeks on Prozac, but it irritated my stomach and I did not find it particularly helpful (I definitely did notice it working, you don't feel sad on it, you just feel kinda flat). However, I found the process of talking through and trying to understand my feelings around the disease (and other various issues in my life) was hugely beneficial. I found that this process enabled me to identify the how and why I was feeling certain ways. Once I was able to identify those feelings, I was able to address them more clearly. On the other side of this experience I find myself with a lot more energy. I attribute that to having dealt with the period of depression I was going through which seemed to be causing fatigue.

Anyways, just something to think about.

As for diet, if I am in a flare, I like to rehydrate with pedialyte (I think the orange is the best). You would be suprised how big of an impact dehydration (and chronic dehydration) can have on how you feel. I also take the vitamin supplement Forvia. I tried an herbal supplement called MaxGXL, it was expensive and I did not notice any real difference. Also, I would recommend eating small meals throughout the day. You want to try to maintain a consistent blood sugar level...something hard to do when you are pooping it all out. I have found that approach to have a bigger impact on how I feel compared to what I actually eat.

It's an old, old story. Search "B12" on the forum and you will see a lot of Cd-ers have the same problem.

Also wanted to mention to eat the best diet possible that you can tolerate. Make homemade soups when you have the energy and freeze some so you have it for when you have no energy to cook. If you have more energy in the morning use a crock pot so you have dinner already prepped. Eat a balanced diet with all the food grous (if you are able to tolerate). Aim for at least 3 -4 different foods at each meal and 35 different foods per week. Most people (not only Crohn's) eat the same 10-12 foods per week which can lead to fatigue in anyone. Try different juices: orange, pomagranet, cherry. Sprinkle cinnamon on everything you can and use lots of herbs and spices for the antioxidants in them. Try mixing together different cereals in the morning and adding 2 different kinds of fruits (i.e blueberries and sliced banana.) If you drink ensure - make s smoothie with it by adding banana and other fruits you can tolerate. Hope this helps. Can you tell I ama dietitian?

ladybug, I second your advice about diet variety and eating as well as you can tolerate. I feel so much better when I eat a variety of foods. I don't have scientific evidence as to why this is, but it is. Even when I am supplementing with vitamins and eating the few things I know don't cause problems I never feel as well as I do when I can consistently eat a varied diet.

Comment on the B12. I have always tested in the normal B12 range, even at my worst, and on top of that take B12 supplements, and for a period of time was getting B12 injections. I never noticed a difference (which makes sense, since I was never deficient). B12 is crucial, however, my extreme fatigue was present in spite of normal B12 levels. (hence, my advice above related to considering the impact of depression and if it is a factor, treating that).