Supplements (esp for women)

Have you been tested for your vitamin D status? This has been what I believe to be the most important thing I have had done to control my Crohn's. I was tested a couple years ago and was extremely deficient. I believe my lowest level was 11. At that time I was very sick , requiring blood transfusions, etc. I have been on high dose vitamin d3 since then and as my numbers climbed, my health improved. It was a slow process but now my last test, my vitamin d was high 30's but we are upping my dose to try to get me into around 70. There is a lot of controversy about what comes first, the cart or the horse. Some say maybe vitamin d is low bc the Crohn's is active and others say your Crohn's is active bc your vitamin d is low. I believe , at least in my case, that increasing my vitamin d status has significantly helped me control my Crohn's disease.

I also take probiotics, specifically Florastor.

Good luck to you! It is always a battle to figure out what works best for you but eventually you will find it.

vitaka said...
I take Vitamin D, a 30B probiotic, turmeric (as it's an anti-inflammatory), B12 shots occasionally, butterbur (mainly for migraines), and magnesium (especially when leaning more toward constipation).

pmedic: your Vitamin D was 11? That's crazy. Mine was 19 at the worst and I was really sick back then. Mine is currently 32 so I'm take 5000iu 3-4x/week right now.

Christy, it's important to remember that Crohnies generally have issues with malabsorption because of the inflammation, so we're often deficient in many areas. For things like fatigue, D, B12, and iron are the biggest culprits.

Vitka,
When my Vitamin D was 11, I was so very sick. My condition was classified as "fulminant" and I was being prepared to lose my entire colon. I was massively bleeding requiring multiple blood transfusions, sometimes 4 units of blood in one sitting. It was awful. I finally found my way after years of hell. I am doing great now. I I think vitamin D3 has helped significantly.