Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Lower Bowel

Question:
I am wondering how many people have Crohns Disease that is not located in the lower bowel? I took a GI series test last week and the GI doctor told me that the lower bowel is not infected (this being after I was in the hospital, I thought having me take the test after I was in was strange…whatever). I was under the impression that Crohn's can affect any part of the GI tract but mostly found in lower bowel. I think my problem area is in the transverse part of the colon. Just curious. I think my CD might also affect my stomach. I was told by a surgeon that I shouldn't be getting crampiness right away because the food takes awhile to get to the colon but I sometimes am in pain soon after I eat. I don't understand why that wouldn't show up in the GI test. I think I def. need a new doctor!! Also, has anyone used a nutritionist? I don't know whether it's a good idea or not. I don't know if a nutritionist would know what to tell me what's OK to eat and what's not? I know most of it is trial and error but I'm too scared to do that - who wants to eat something that be bothersome 1/2 hour later?!? I'm drinking Ensure - not daily, but when I feel like I don't know what else to eat, just so i have some thing inside me. I have to say that I didn't feel this emotional about having an IBD when I was diagnosed with colitis 14 years ago!! I remember going to Burger King and having a hamburger the day I was diagnosed and I was given some samples of the meds from the doctor, and I was practically doing cartwheels in the parking lot because I didn't have pains after eating!!! Maybe just getting older, my body isn't adjusting as well.

Answer:
Crohn's can be situated anywhere in the GI tract, but is most often found in the small bowel. I also have Crohn's of the colon, which is often mistaken for UC at the beginning. I'm not sure a nutritionist will be able to help, unless you're lucky enough to find one that is familiar with this disease. But there are books that can help you find the right diet for your specific case. Breaking the vicious circle from Elaine Gottshall (I probably didn't get the name right, but I'm sure somebody will correct me), Eating right for a bad gut (I don't remember who wrote it)...http://www.healingcrow.com/ is a good site to start with if you want to no more about diets that can help you. I follow a restrictive diet, which consist in eating no sugar, no dairy and no gluten, which works quite well for me. CD can be anywhere from your throat to your anus. Mostly, I think, it is in the ileum area, right where your small intestine meets the large. But, CD has sooo many different locations and each location causes different problems and needs different solutions, thus why CD is so different for everyone. A nutritionist is a great idea. There are so many better things than ensure. The nutr. can work with you and make sure you are eating the right types and combinations and amounts of food and there are many here who stay in remission from diet control alone. I have CD that was originally in my lower bowel but is now active in the jujenum. Previously I had a resection at the terminal ileum. CD can affect any point in the digestive tract, and in my experience (16 years) the small bowel is the most common. The point where you perceive pain and cramping may not be the actual location of the problem. Your pain can be misleading in this case, i.e. you can have cramps on your right side but the problem could be a narrow section on your left side. Likewise, the speed with which you feel problems does not necessarily indicate the location of the disease. Like you, I can tell immediately, sometimes after one bite, if I'm going to have problems. The best I can say is ask your doctor about this. From the info you provided, your doctor sounds fine...the GI series is necessary to determine where your problem areas are, so they can determine treatment options, etc. It's really the only way they can see what is going on. However you may need an upper GI series to see the full picture. I'm assuming you had a lower GI test when you were in the hospital. A nutritionist is an excellent idea and also I would suggest trying to drink an ensure or similar drink daily, regardless of your other diet. This is an easy way to get nutrients and calories while at the same time taking it easy on your digestive system. You will have to determine what foods give you problems and what you can tolerate. This disease is manageable but as you know very challenging. There are apparently different varieties of Ensure. When I was in the hospital for asthma, a nutritionist prescribed a special Ensure that was marked for asthma patients. I have no idea what the difference was, but maybe there are special varieties intended for IBD. You might ask a GI Dr., or a nutritionist. Crohn's can be anywhere in the GI tract from mouth right to the anus. Seeing a nutritionist is a good idea...Finding one who is experienced in IBD is even better. One of the better ideas out there is to keep your own food journal which will help you from making the same mistakes twice. We have a tendency to forget those important details if we try to remember it all. Drinking something so sugar laden as boost or ensure will not give you any physical effects right away but continued use of it most certainly will. You don't want diabetes along with your IBD. Eliminate as many toxins as possible is a first good step. Lower the amount of oxidative stress as much as possible. Many people are originally misdiagnosed as having an appendicitis because Crohn's most frequently begins in the cecum, the part of the intestine between the ileum (small intestine) and the colon (large intestine, large bowle, lower intestine). When the pathologist report is read the apendicitis is actually Crohn's. The reason many people have cramping almost immediately after they eat, or after taking a few bites is called the gastrocolic reflex. Once we take a bite of food the salivary glands in the mouth begin to secrete digestive enzymes as does the stomach. The intestines begin the wave like contractions called peristalsis. These are responsible for moving the food along the intestinal tract. Yes, Crohn's can effect any part of the intestine - mouth in the form of apthus ulcers, the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunim, terminal ileum, cecum ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and rectum. Different nutrients are absorbed in different areas of the intestines. B12 is absorbed in the terminal ileum. Folic acid in another area, fats another. A dietician can identify where each is absorbed and when you know exactly where your disease is you will know what nutrients might need to be adjusted. The majority of CD patients have CD in the small intestine. Crohn's of the colon causes dehydration because the function of the colon is to absorb water, potassium and sodium. This is why Gatorade or pedialyte is good for dehydration. If someone has CD of only the colon and it is removed and that person never has had CD anywhere else they are almost certainly cured. Visit the CCFA website and educate yourself. Continue to question; you're on the right path. I have CD in my stomach as well as other areas and it causes me nausea and vomiting which can be quite a problem. It was diagnosed by an upper endoscopy with biopsies. I saw a nutritionist in the beginning of my disease but she was pretty useless, as far as I was concerned. What you really need to find is an IBD nutritionist or even better a wholistic nutritionist! I saw a wholistic nutritionist and she was awesome! I was also told by my GI guy to dilute Ensure with milk or soy milk because it is very concentrated and has a lot of sugar in it. It could make your symptoms worse if not diluted! I called a nutrition group today, they should call back tomorrow. I think I am going to either go to the ER or see my doctor tomorrow, because I am worried about dehydration and also the fact that I'm really scared to eat anything! All I had today was some Ensure, some pretzels, and a yogurt which I'm eating now. I know I can't go on like this, but now that I'm not on ANY meds at the moment, I'm too scared to eat something that will hurt my stomach/colon!