The Official MT Colitis & Crohns Sufferer's Thread

Bump for all the bad ass members!

I've been diagnosed with Crohn's for around 8 years now - I also have Psoriatic arthritis and the two are linked (along with my asthma), it took a long time to get a proper diagnosis and even longer for treatment. I was taking Humira which treated both of the above - the Humira then led to me contracting Lymphoma in 2007, which thankfully I recovered from and remain in remission. 
I don't have any regular treatment now for the crohn's or arthritis - if I have a bad flare up of either I'll take prednisolone for a short duration but anything harsher than that and I'll avoid it now. Immuno-suppressants nearly killed me and the sides with with steroids are horrendous! 
I kept a food log for a long time and so I can somewhat manage the crohn's and avoid certain triggers - animal fats tend to be a massive trigger. Avoiding stress and trying to manage stress are I think the biggest factors in trying to control both the crohn's and the arthritis - if I get really stressed then both will wreak havoc! 
 
On the whole I tend to lead a pretty normal life now all things considered. I don't advocate shying away from pharmaceutical treatment as everybody has different needs but for me the various treatments brought nothing but hassle and complications but it does worry me that one day I'll have no choice but to go back to harsher drugs and I'm especially worried that one day I'll need surgery for the crohn's :(
 
It's nice to read some of the positive posts this thread and hear about other's experience with it and how it affects training etc :) 

I'm having a bit of a flare up at the mo, myself which is not ideal!

^^ Me too. Colitis been very good the last few years up until a blip last March which lasted for a couple of weeks and then again very recently, probably triggered by excess xmas alcohol and also foods i don't usually eat.
 
Things usually settle down once I return to a basic diet of chicken, salmon  mashed ripe banana and sweet potatoe. After a few weeks I add back in green leafy veg, then red meats and peeled cooked apple.
 
Things always deteriorate for me when I overdo the carbs or start having processed or gluten containing foods for a week or more.
 
Back on the pentasa enema's and pebble's as a precaution in the meantime.....funtimes :)

Never realised there was so many people on here suffering Crohns/Colitis, good thread this. I've not read every post but I have a question and I'm sorry if it's already been covered and I missed it.
 
I'm 47, have Crohns and on Mercaptopurine and Asacol and I often get flare ups of verying length and severity but the main problem I have is fatigue, this has hit me real badly at the moment as I changed to Stronglifts 5x5 7 weeks ago and I've had to stop now as it's wrecking me.
 
I saw my specialist yesterday and all my bloods are crap, which I expected as I know when things aren't right, he gave me a proper b0ll0cking for overdoing the weight training and sent me off to see dietician and physio. Physio was surprisingly excellent, knew Crohns very well and came over as very knowledgable on weight training (looked like he had done some himself). Anyway, he suggested Stronglifts is too demanding for my age/condition due to the constant weight increases and 3 days a week squatting at max so he helped me modify my old PPL routine and I'm going back to that when this latest flare up settles.
 
Both the dietician and the physio suggested I should take a protein supplement as they don't think I'm getting enough in my diet due to the fact that I often suffer with malabsorption in the small bowel and I struggle to eat large quantities of food generally as it causes me to get bloated and a lot of abdominal pain.
 
I know absolutely nothing about supplements of any kind so I was wondering if anyone else has any advice on protein supplements that are OK to use with Crohns. Do they cause any issues or are they completely safe? Are they OK long term? Anyone recommend a particular make?
 
Sorry if these seem dumb/basic questions but I really have no idea on the subject and this seems the best place to come for advice.
 

Hi mate, I cannot speak for anyone else but I just use a plain whey protein, unflavoured, and mix in some porridge oats. The porridge seems to help with the stomach.
 
You may find this on Glutamine helpful  to you http://www.crohns.net/Miva/education/articles/Glutamine.shtml 
 
I supplement with Psyllium husks daily  and fish oils are reported as helpful by some too.  I'd try and stay away from any supplements with Creatine in them or any artificial sweetners like aspartame etc.
 
Chicken and fish are easy on the stomach and I find a grapefruit for breakfast does wonders form my stomach. Everyone's different so it's a matter of trial and error but I find eating just protein foods alone play hell with my guts, I am always better if I combine proteins with some form of fibrous carbs.
 
Hope you get better soon!

i like poached eggs

Both the dietician and the physio suggested I should take a protein supplement as they don't think I'm getting enough in my diet due to the fact that I often suffer with malabsorption in the small bowel and I struggle to eat large quantities of food generally as it causes me to get bloated and a lot of abdominal pain.

I know absolutely nothing about supplements of any kind so I was wondering if anyone else has any advice on protein supplements that are OK to use with Crohns. Do they cause any issues or are they completely safe? Are they OK long term? Anyone recommend a particular make?

I think that's great advice from your health profs.  Yes, but I'd use a very high quality wehy isolate powder from a reputable brand - eg Bulk Powders, Myprotein, Maximuscle, Reflex, Multipower, and others - to enhance absorption and minimise wastage.  I would mix them in water and start with 1 scoop twice per day, then work up to 1 scoop 4 times per day.
 
If you want to learn about the different types of whey, read my article here: http://articles.muscletal...hey-protein-guide.aspx
 

Following anarchy's post above:
 
Oats are very individual - see how you get on with them
 
Glutamine peptides may be useful too - but make sure it's a reputable supplier (this is important as some brands may seem reputable but 'cut' their glutamine with other, cheaper powders
 
Creatine - good advice - avoid it
 
psyllium - is a funny one - I'd be careful as the fibre can cause issues
 
fish oils - useful for extra cals if you're malabsorbing
 
Fibre as a whole should be low to moderate.  Your bowel needs to rest and you need to increase transit time to maximise absorption

I've never had issues with long term use of flavoured whey, stuck to the same brand for 3 or so years (and others several years before that) and all is well, but then, I'm not a particularly heavy user either this last 2-3 years, 40-50g per day.  The rest comes from o3 eggs, a stunning amount of red meat and some pork - I do take a digestive enzyme for this amount of meat but I suffer no gastric issues/disturbances, it's all groovy ^_^