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Pain/gas/noises under left rib cage.

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/18/2012 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
I have posted a little about this a few months ago, but I am not seeing any progress, so I thought I'd try again.  My Crohn's is still bothering me since giving birth to my son 18 months ago.  I started Remicade (was on Humira prior) in April with modest results.  I feel much better directly after the infusion, but feel lit wears off about a month in.  I have an appointment with my GI in December and will bring up increasing the dosage or decreasing time between infusions.  I know it takes a while for things to get tweaked and I am trying to remain patient. 

One of my main complaints since about January is pain, gas, and LOUD stomach noises stemming from my lef rib cage area.  I have just finished my second 10 day round of Flagyl for suspected bacterial imbalance.  The Flagyl seems to help while I'm on it, but the effects don't last long once I stop it.  I do not want to try another round.  Too many anitbiotics.  Does anybody have any advice about combating this bacteria?  I am never constipated and take a fiber supplement daily.  OR, do you think it sounds like something different?  The noises and pain are not as prevalent in the morning, but seem to increase as the day goes on.  I also often have smelly gas at night, which is something I have never really experienced before (I mean I am GASSY!).

My doctor does not seem too concerned because the pain is not severe and it's "just gas", but it is really impacting my life!  On top of that, I still have recurring stomach apain and D due to my CD.  I really want to get everything under control so we can try for baby #2, but my GI says not now.  I was in complete remission when I was pregnanct with my first, and had a picture perfect pregnancy and want that again!!  Any advice is much appreciated!!

Posted 9/18/2012 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Myrne! I'm sorry you didn't get much of a response before. I understand exactly what you mean about gas and noises. I get them frequently when I have c. diff., which is a bad bacteria and comes from not having enough good bacteria. Antibiotics can help, but do you take a probiotic? I think that would definitely be a good thing since you've noticed that Flagyl can help. Since Flagyl reduces the bad bacteria (from what I understand), then a probiotic to increase good bacteria should likewise help.

Also, what is your diet like? Lots of Crohnnies have gas with milk products and/or gluten. They aren't necessarily lactose intolerant or have celiac disease, but just a bit of a sensitivity. Maybe keeping a food journal could help? I know for me, I tend to get a bit more gassy with chocolate (not sure if it's the milk or the sugar) and also with fiber (not sure if it's the fiber or the gluten from the wheat products).

Anyway, I'm not sure about medications to take for it - I'm afraid I just "let it out" in private and in public I just suck up the cramping or excuse myself to the bathroom. You may need to increase your frequency of Remicade infusions.

Are you taking anything for the pain? I know I made myself a downward spiral for a bit: I was getting stomach pain (from gas and diarrhea), so I took Percocet. This slowed things down and made me a bit constipated, which mean the gas and noises got worse. Then I would cramp with no relief because things were blocked, so I would take another. I hadn't realized this until I brought it up with my GI. Now I'm trying to wean off and it's helped make a difference.

Not sure if this helps or not, but good luck! I am trying to get healthy so my husband and I can try for baby #1. We went off birth control this week, even though I'm not quite to 100% (more like about 50%). But I don't think 100% will ever really happen or for a while, and I don't want to delay any more. Let me know how things go! :)
Posted 9/19/2012 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your response scifigal2k!  I do think I could do a better job at watching my diet.  I usually eat pretty healthy, but I don't restrict dairy or gluten, so maybe I should try that.  I take Tramadol occassionally for pain and agree with you that it can actually end up exasperating these sypmtoms since it slows things down, but I haven't had any Tramadol in at least a month.  I, like you, am trying to stay off any meds that I will not want to be on when pregnant (which includes Flagyl and pain meds) since I want to try again in the winter and only want the Remicade in my system.  I will try some diet changes and see how it goes.  Thank you!
Posted 9/19/2012 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Myrne,

scifigal2k's response is very thorough and on the mark. I can say for myself, the one thing that can and does throw my stomach into fits is diary products, specifically milk.
If I were to drink a glass of milk, yes, definitely tons of noises from my stomach and gas as well. I would definitely recommend giving it a go on the lowering or restricting of diary products.

Hopefully that will work out for you and best of luck!
Posted 9/19/2012 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
You're welcome! :-) Just as a thought for how you do this: I would suggest going off of almost everything that I listed all at once and see what happens. Ideally, the gas will eventually clear up. Once this happens, then very slowly introduce the difference foods one at a time for about a week and see what effect it has. So for example, just add the milk products for a week. If you're still gas-free, then do the gluten for a week. Does that make sense? That way you can keep track of what it is that you've introduced that could be cause.

Good luck!
Posted 9/20/2012 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys! So of course, now I have caught a chest cold of sorts and have been prescribed a z pack and cough medicine. I told my GP I was a little nervous about taking these meds because of my current stomach issues, but he says that adult whooping cough is going around and I am nervous about passing it on to my son. I will take the cough syrup sparingly because it has hydrocodone in it and don't want it to slow things down and increase my gas issues. I need to take it a little though because I have been averaging about 4 hours of sleep every night this week and felt like I was going to keel over at work this morning!

I will start the elimination diet once I feel better. I have already gone all day without dairy, no noticeable changes, but still early. Thanks again!
Posted 9/20/2012 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
"One of my main complaints --- is pain, gas, and LOUD stomach noises --- The noises and pain are not as prevalent in the morning, but seem to increase as the day goes on. I also often have smelly gas at night, which is something I have never really experienced before (I mean I am GASSY!)."

-Sounds like me to a T! But I am lactose and gluten free, yet I experiance this daily and just want it to stop! Im so tired of trying to hold in all those painful stinky farts! There's got to be something to help with this! I already take Align and Primal Defense (probiotics), not helping. :(
Posted 9/20/2012 10:05 PM (GMT 0)
I tried several different probiotics and nothing seemed to make any difference until I tried Florastor on the advice of someone here after my c.diff infection. It works very well for me. Florastor is yeast based as opposed to the other probiotics that are bacteria based. I don't understand it all, but I do know that it seems to be helping balance things out for me and it cuts down on the gas and bloating. I drink Almond milk...my favorite brand is Blue Diamond in the Original flavor. I tried some other brands/flavors that I didn't like. It gives me good calcium and doesn't upset my system the way milk did. I drank Lactaid milk for a long time, but I like the Almond milk even better. You unfortunately have to experiment with what works for you, because we all have different gut flora and respond differently. Good luck with it all.
Posted 9/21/2012 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your response! I should look into probiotics more and will try your suggestion. Bi started taking an over the counter probiotic when these symptoms started, but didn't notice a difference, but maybe I'm taking the wrong type.

What do you think the chances are these arent symptoms of Bactria overgrowh, but of a stricture? My GI has talked about that being a possibility, but it isn't something that is easily detected I guess.
Posted 9/21/2012 10:03 PM (GMT 0)
Pill probiotics are ok, but from what I understand they aren't live cultures of the bacteria but are in fact dead. The best kind of probiotics to get are ones that have live cultures. These need to be refrigerated. The best one I've heard of is called VSL-3. It's a little expensive, though. Also, eating a couple of yogurts a day that have live cultures can be helpful, too.

I don't know much about strictures, I'm sorry. :(
Posted 9/22/2012 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
A CT scan or MRI, or small bowel follow through test all might be able to show a stricture...you can ask your doc about it. After I had Salmonella many years ago, and c.difficile last winter, it took many months after the infection was cleared for my GI system to return to normal (or I guess I mean my IBS "normal") My doc called it "post-infectious irritable bowel." I know it's all very confusing. I hope you progressively start to feel better. My understanding with the probiotics is that the pills that are not refrigerated activate when they hit the heat of your intestines, but they still contain live, active cultures. VSL #3 and Align have both received a lot of study and good reports. They didn't work for me, but seemed to have helped others. I wish I could help more...you just have to keep communicating with your doc and experimenting with what works for you.
Posted 12/1/2012 7:20 AM (GMT 0)
My neighbor has Crohn's and I was wondering if anyone has tried Moringa Oleifera? I read in an herbal book that quercetine and alfalfa are helpful, so I recommended them to her, and Moringa seems like it would be helpful for the same reasons that alfalfa is helpful.

Any thoughts?
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