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Just diagnosed. Need to know what to drink

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 5/23/2010 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
 

Hi. I am a 48 year old female.  I was just diagnosed with Crohns and got out of the hospital yesterday from a blockage.  I was told I could only drink clear fluids for the next three days and then I could eat stuff like mashed potatoes.  I am so weak since I have not eaten anything since last Tuesday and today is Sunday. I have been drinking gatorade and chicken boullion soup and eating jello.  

The Dr. has me on a high dose of steroids for 8 weeks.  I am also taking asacol 3 times a day. 

I need to start eating soft foods tomorrow but I don't know what type of foods I can eat.  Can I have yogurt? Protein drinks?  I just want to feel better.  I also don't know how long I need to stay on soft foods before I can introduce regular foods.  I have looked for a Crohns diet and there really isn't one.  I know I can't eat vegitables or Fiber foods.  It just seems like everything you can eat seems to not be good for you like white bread, pasta, rice.  I'm having a hard time understanding what is good for me and what's not.

Can anyone help me with the food?  Thanks! 

Posted 5/23/2010 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
Diet is incredibly individual and truely depends on you. There are the low residue, SCD, and makers diet that are associated with crohns.

Some basic soft food to see if you can tolerate them (start simple then you can do add ons if you like):
Yogert, scrambled egg (scrambled to the smallest of bits)
Baby and tot’s foods (those little yogert bits are awesome)
Soup – Tomato or other “cream of” soups pack nutrients and are simple to swallow. I particular love cream of Potato!
Mashed potatoes – There are various types of instant mashed potatoes available at supermarkets, from family-sized boxes to individual servings. Try flavored potatoes, such as sour cream and chives, or top plain potatoes with cheese or gravy. Consider mashing other vegetables as well.
Baked potatoes – Available in the frozen food aisle, there are now microwave-ready baked potatoes that come skinless and are even a bit softer than a regular baked potato. In flavors such as cheddar, just top with sour cream.
Soft shell pasta – Pasta shells that are small and not chewy are the best bet. Add marinara sauce (make sure there are no chunky tomato bits, though) or pesto sauce for extra flavor. (Tomato gives me heart burn)
Macaroni and cheese – Stouffer’s microwave mac and cheese is softer and easy to eat than the Kraft version, which, although marketed to children, is chewier. Lean Cuisine also makes a light, soft option.
Shakes and Smooties (no seeds from strawberries or anything like that)
Applesauce – A good source of fruit, eat regular applesauce or try other flavors such as strawberry.
Cottage cheese – Small curd cottage cheese is tasty with shredded Mandarin oranges on top.
Pudding – Don’t stick to solely chocolate and vanilla. Try banana and butterscotch, too.
Ice cream – The obvious choice never gets old. Sorbets and ices are refreshing as well.
Tarts or cream pies – If the crust is soft enough, eat that too; otherwise just eat the filling.

This is a safe food list for some of us:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=17&m=1669119
Posted 5/23/2010 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
 

 Thank you so much for helping me.  I have written everything down that you said for me to try.  One other question.  Since I am about to go to the beach, I should be able to eat some soft seafood within a week I would think.  Is it o.k. to eat shrimp or crab or crab cakes?  I want to be normal and eat with everyone else if we go out for seafood.  What do you suggest? 

Posted 5/23/2010 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
I do not know, it has been years since I tried to eat seafood. But given you have just obstructed if you would not give it to a one year old, do not eat it. I wonder if you could ask them to put it in the blender? Or food processor?
Posted 5/23/2010 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for that advice. "if a one year old can't eat it then I can't". I will keep that in mind.
Posted 5/24/2010 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Just for awhile, you will realize what you can tolerate and what you cannot. It help to keep a food journal.
Posted 5/24/2010 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Florida,

Sorry that you've had this major turn of events in your life!

I can appreciate your confusion about "what's good for you" and what you actually might be able to eat while you're recovering from this obstruction.  The low residue diet kind of goes against everything we've been learning about "healthy eating" for the last 15 years - on a low residue diet there are no whole grains!  No fresh fruit!  No uncooked vegetables!  It is a surreal experience when you first start trying to eat to keep your Crohn's bowel happy vs. following the guidelines for the general public.

The good news is that hopefully, after you've recovered from this event, you'll have a medication protocol that resolves the flare and you'll go back to eating everything you did before.

My one piece of advice is to think carefully about ice cream - lactose intolerance is very common in all adults, it is very common after a gastric infection and if your ileum is inflamed, it is likely that you aren't making a whole lot of lactase.  You can take lactase pills if you really want some ice cream.  If you find that you're gassy, nauseated or have diarrhea after a dairy meal, take the hint and avoid lactose until you're better.  Most people with lactose intolerance don't have difficulty with yogurt.  Many are ok with hard cheese as well.

Like others have said, you'll learn over time what works for you and what doesn't.  I've been trying to figure out a good diet for the last 8 years, too, and I end up eating what I like most of the time.  Only every now and then I have to revise my plan to address my belly.   I did learn by experience that a high protein diet with simple carbs makes me feel pretty good - unfortunately I hate to eat that way so I usually don't.

Glad you found this website.  I've been posting here just a few weeks and it's been very helpful.

Posted 5/24/2010 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
The low residue diet is only a necessity for those with a tendency to obstruct. If your obstruction was caused by narrowing due to temporary inflammation rather than permanent scar tissue, then once the inflammation goes down you should be able to eat a wider variety of foods. And if you go into remission you should be able to eat as you did before your diagnosis - at least in theory. People with Crohn's do seem more prone to food intolerances than the general population and those can be tricky to find. Over time you'll naturally learn what you can and can't eat though.

Bad luck about getting the Crohn's diagnosis and starting off with an obstruction. That must be quite the shock. Sometimes the worst flare-up is the first one, however, so hopefully that's how it'll pan out for you.
Posted 5/24/2010 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you SO much for all of the advice everyone is giving me. I am SO glad I found this web site. It has been a life saver to me and has helped me understand from those of you who KNOW what is going on. Thank you again!
Posted 5/24/2010 7:30 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to healing well. We look forward to getting to know you. Feel free to ask questions, there are lots of people willing to help. Don't forget the search function up top.(google) Just remember to start your search question for this site with 'healing well' For example 'healing well asacol' brings up previous posts on asacol. Enjoy Rob
Posted 5/24/2010 1:36 PM (GMT 0)
I follow a low residue diet all the time, and I am currently in remission. I too tend to have obstruction/stricture problems and this diet works best for "me". Its an easy to chew, easy to digest diet. You might want to google either the Mayo Clinic or one of the GI clinics and get some diet ideas about the low residue diet.

As for drinks I drink Gatorade and Water alot. Its good to keep yourself hydrated and to keep things softer and easier to pass. Good luck~
Posted 5/27/2010 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
HI

I have been recently diagnosed after years of symptoms. I am reading a lot and feel I know much more than even a few months ago. I read and bought the following books/info 1) Low Resdiet (Nanners said where to get info) 2) Makers Diet by Ruben 3) Breaking the Vicious Cyle by Gottschall (This is the SCDiet) . I also bought and am using "Nourishing Traditions The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon".

I am trying to be 100% SCD compliant, while using some of the Nourishing Traditions recipiets.

These books will teach you so much. I have asked the smart folks here about which is best and the answer is always the same. This is personal, so what works for me, may not work for you. However, if you read the books you will be in a better position to decide a path. For me this issue is easily important enough to take the time to do the research.

I would prefer that someone just tell me the answer but unfortunatly there is not one, so we have to figure it out ourselves

Best of luck

David

 

Posted 5/31/2010 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
The thing about Crohn's Disease is that the name is kind of a "catch-all" for all the different types of disease there actually are out there. Everyone is different, and everyone's diet is different as well. Not only that, but the level of severity of your Crohns can also dictate whether you respond violently to the foods you intake or not. My friend has been pounding back McDonalds and soda everyday since I've known him, yet my Crohns won't allow me to ingest sugar, caffeine, or any of the fun stuff.

the only way you'll really know your limits is to "eat and see." Take small steps toward you regular diet and then observe how it treats you. (It'll go a LOT faster if you record what you eat and then the following pain, if any (between 20 ins and 2 hrs after eating) and the stools.

A good place to start is to find foods that'll cover your daily needs of vitamins and minerals and all that fun stuff.

Gatorade, or Pedialyte (for sugar)
Vegetables are OK as long as they're peeled and cooked. (No gassy veggies: cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, caggabe.)
Ensure, or Glucerna (for sugar-less)
Cheerios (Watch your dairy intake, some can drink it, some can drink a little.)
Eggs are great for protein, cook away! Also think about switching to the brown ones, not white. (Egg drop soup is super easy and delicious and super high in protein!)
Bacon
Soups
Chicken
Hamburger (Grass-fed)
Rice! (Surprisingly helped me, as well as sushi for my Omegas, which I love. There was some luck!)

These are some basic things I started with and then gradually ate a bigger variety of things. If things take you back down a peg and don't agree with you, don't give up on it! Try a different company, and know where your health food stores are! They will be more expensive, but they also have a good variety of foods without all the crap chemicals you see these companies inject into their meats (like antibiotics) and stir into their mixture (like high-fructose chemical syrup.) FDA is run by big pharma ex-CEOs whose main goal isn't exactly to keep you healthy but more along the lines of keeping them and their buddies rich.

Also remember to start taking supplements! Your body is going to need some help with vitamins now.

Post Edited (Tebasaki) : 5/31/2010 10:25:10 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/31/2010 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
I find that broth is way more satisfying when its home made. I take chicken, veggies and water and cook it for hours. Then i strain out all the solid stuff. I'll drink that on my more miserable days, or add some chicken if I can tolerate it. Its better than the salty stuff you can get from bullion, and I hope its more nutritious. Also, I found out that eggs, with their high water content, are considered to be okay on liquid diets. At least according to my doc. Just plain eggs though, you never know if cheese will get to you. If you really must add cheese, go lactose free. Kraft American cheese is lactose free and I seem to be able to eat that okay. YMMV
Posted 6/1/2010 7:08 AM (GMT 0)
Diet is extremely subjective. Everyone is different, and sometimes even in one person the "bad" foods change. Like me. One thing will be fine for months, but then all of a sudden it's bad.... and something that was bad is now fine. Until you've stabilized, stick to basic stuff that you already know won't bother you. After that, you can try experimenting with different types of foods. I suggest cheese, particularly mozarella. It helps me a bunch.

Most restaurants, even specialty ones, will have at least a small section of non-specialty items, so if it turns out that seafood bugs you (i'm allergic to it, which sucks because i love shrimp) you can hopefully find something else to eat. Burgers are common, and have yet to upset my stomach.

I also recommend taking a multi-vitamin. I've been a little on-and-off with that (im a bit lazy), but when I'm having a particularly bad flare, it helps to get SOME nutrients in, even if I can't eat. If you find yourself passing them whole, get chewables and see your doctor. Gatorade also helps and is delicious.

You should also be aware that Crohn's has a significant effect on your mental health. I often find myself getting ridiculously angry over absolutely meaningless things. Though I rarely admit it, I occasionally find myself in a very depressed mood. It helps when I remind myself that that's not me, it's the Crohn's, and I'll be darned if i let this stupid disease tell me what to think.

Getting used to the idea of farting while using a public toilet is also a good idea. It happens, theres nothing you can do to stop it, so just treat it a practical joke on everyone in the area. It's much better than getting all embarrassed.

This one is very important: Never ever be afraid to tell your doctor about a symptom. GI specialists are used to it, and won't bat an eye. Neither should you. Crohn's does not define your life, but it is a part of it. I think one should never be ashamed of a part of their life.
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