Crohns Patient

Wonder Treatments - Too Good To Be True?

2012-01-24T20:13:00.008Z

Recently I got an email from a family member with a recommendation from a trusted friend for a wonder cure to his Crohns Disease.

He recommended Quina Compound, which cost him £800 gbp for a four week course!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinchona

Looks interesting with a lot of medicinal history, but if this plant is so amazing then surely it would have had its properties proven scientifically. The amount he was charged also raises my suspicions.

Being open to alternative medicines I went to a Chinese doctor years back. From the description of Quina on Wikipedia, I believe I was prescribed something similar.

Basically I was given a bag of bark and other pieces to boil in water, strain and then drink. I must say, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted, and I did not see any notable benefit. The accompanying acupuncture was a lot nicer and I actually found it quite relaxing. That was until they wheeled out the electrocution device and wired it up to pins in the my nipples. Needless to say, I knocked that on the head and saved the £50 gbp for something else.

I have also noticed a lot of spam comments over the years on this blog with random links to professional looking sites setting everything from Yoga swings to Aloe extracts.

Saying all this, I realise I am contracting myself as I recommend the intolerance York Test, which has a flashy website and costs a lot.

The basic message is beware. By all means try different remedies, each person is different, just beware of costly scams (especially if you cannot afford it).

Coming off of Azathioprine

2011-12-08T11:40:00.003Z

It has been a long while since I have posted anything. Which is good news, as I have been rather well.

I have recently stopped talking Azathioprine, which is a big milestone in my journey with Crohns.

Something to celebrate after 14 years of taking the medication daily!

The last time I came off the medication it did not take me long to be back into remission. This time I feel a lot healthier and have learn my lessons from last time.

Life style choice is the biggest factor. Last time I was young and would be out most weekends smoking and drinking. Now that I am a married man and parent I find it a lot easier to remain healthy - with the odd blow out now and again.

I also think stress plays a part.. So I try to remain chilled and not get stressy about minor things.

So my top tips for staying healthy are

Stop smoking
Drink sensibly
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Try not to get stressed

Fingers crossed.. and I will not have a lot to blog about in the coming years.. But I will post anything I think might be useful.

Five steps to combat Crohns

2010-03-01T13:21:00.002Z

Outlined are the steps I have most founds useful coping with my Crohns Disease.

Stop Smoking
Stay away from yeast (or whatever you may be intolerant to)
Eat Well
Exercise
Listen to your body and rest up when required

I went out this weekend and broke rule number one. First time in a long while I had smoked. The next day I really suffered and it served as a good reminder.

Not smoking is most certainly the biggest factor in my recovery. I will not be going back to that habit, and I urge anyone with Crohns to stay away from the smokes.

Yeast intolerance migth only apply to me, but thought it worth mentioning. A lot of people with Crohns seem to suffer some form of intolerance. Try to monitor what causes to feel bad. Perhaps do an intollerance test.

I would recommend an exclusion diet to find out the route cause of your Crohns if you follow these steps you still do not feel well.

Stay Well!

Super Juice

2010-01-28T12:08:00.003Z

A good friend of mine has recently launched a super juice ingredient called Gojiflax. He thinks it will help people with bad Crohns and would love for people to give him some feed back.

I haven't tried any myself yet, but it looks promising and I think this kind of thing could really help settle down a bad bout.

Let me know if anyone tries it or has any other tips for Chrohns combat.

Baking Business

2010-01-25T13:48:00.005Z

As mentioned in the previous post, I have found certain yeast products to be okay. Namely those without fast acting Yeast.

Check out this interesting Guardian article and comments on the subject.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been baking my own bread with dried yeast and find that this is okay. Although it is proving to be a messy job and my baking skills need a little refinement.

The plan is to get a bread maker in the not to distance future. No mess, a good loaf, and timed to freshly bake bread for me and the mrs in the mornings. Quality! Hopefully it won't end up as another gadget stuff under the cupboard.

Update

2010-01-18T13:32:00.004Z

Apologies for not keeping this blog as up to date as I should..

The reason excuse is that I have simply been quite well.. Which is great news!

I still get the odd bad day. As mentioned in previous posts I have come to find that yeast and smoking really effects my condition. Staying off the smokes helps the most and trying not to consume to much yeast keeps me tip top.

Juice diet is out the window.. Although the juicer is still kool and will continue to use it sporadically.

Recently I have notices certain yeast products are worse for me. I think this is because they contain high levels of fast acting yeast. Certain breads and real ales seem to be okay for me.

Hence I have recently staying baking my own bread and continue to buy Paul Ranklin's great yeast free goods.

I will endeavor to do better with the updates in 2010 (perhaps that should be my belated resolution).

Internet Research

2009-05-26T12:34:00.002Z

It is amazing how little people research conditions they may have. I include myself in this generalization. I would be an authority on Crohns if I were to spend the same amount of time researching the Crohns as I do looking at motors on the internet.

So this lunch I decided to have a look and see whats out there (weather pretty poor outside). At the same time I have updated my links section of the blog, after BlogSpot decided to wipe them all.

The NACC seems to have some good stuff. This Crohns FAQ article was very insightful. Must do some more reasearch on this Infliximab drug, as I don't want to be on Azathioprine forever.

Another interesting site was Medical News Today. This seems like a good place to go for up to date research and developments news. I've added their RSS feed to my reader, and will keep an eye out for interesting bits. There was one article on the discovery of a Crohns Gene which caught my eye. Quote below;

"The protein encoded by the Crohn's disease susceptibility gene NLRP3, cryopyrin, is an intracellular bacteria sensor that plays a key role in initiating immune response," - sounds like there are some good in roads being made into the cause of Crohns.

Anyways.. I will report back if I find any other interesting peices.

Juice Diet

2009-05-11T14:31:00.003Z

Was feeling rough again the other day.. Not sure if it was some kind of tummy bug. Knew I needed to watch my diet and give myself some recovery time. Been feeling crap a lot recently!

I recalled hearing about a guy was cured from his Crohns by switching to a juice diet. He was so pleased with the results he set up a juicer website call UKJuicers.

So I decided to get myself a juicer and give it a go. In the end I went for a Philips number from Amazon. I bought all the fancy ingredients for the recommended potions; bio acidophilus, spirilla, and wheatgrass. It wasn't cheap, but it should last a while.

Near enough everyday I have been having juice for breakfast and I feel great. My Crohns has been really good, despite smoking recently ( I am a mug and have stopped now). Not only does my body seem to agree with the juice, it is also pretty healthy. My muffin top (paunch) seems to be shrinking slightly now I drink this super juicer and walk to work.

Recovery Time

2009-03-31T15:43:00.003Z

Had what must have been food poising a few weeks back. Hit me for six and it took at least a week to recovery.

After a few days the symptoms where just like a bad bout of Crohns. This really worried me as I had been doing so well for ages.

I had faith and just tried to look after myself as best I could. Stayed off work for a few days, then worked from home, ate good food, stayed away from booze (not that i felt like it), and eventually I got back to normal.

Say It With Flowers

2009-03-06T13:49:00.003Z

Another outpatients appointment loomed and I realised the same doctor had been looking after me for over 13 years!

My Doctor has been so great over this period. She has always been really concerned for my well being (as any good doctor should be) and interested in how I am coping with Crohns in my life. It is always a pleasure to tell her any good news I may have, such as getting a new job, moving house, and any other personal achievements.

I expect she has enjoyed seeing me mature and overcome a lot of the difficulties growing up with Crohns through at me.

So for this appointment I decided to buy her a big bunch of Lillies to say thank you.

It felt good giving her some recognition, although I was reminded by the excitable receptionist that they and the nurses play there part too. Perhaps I will get them a pot plant next time ;)

A Gentle Reminder

2009-01-23T13:11:00.005Z

Despite feeling much better of late I still suffer symptoms which remind me of my condition. I have given up on the notion that the disease will just disappear, it is something I will have for the rest of my life.

After many months of feeling fine I had a fortnightly stint where bloody appearing in the toilet bowl daily. This can be quite a distressing site, but something I am now becoming accustom to.

(Note: I did not take this picture, i would normally have half this amount at worse)

I can recall the first time it happen, and the shock I felt seeing bright red crimson on the toilet paper... Initially you panic a little, thinking "f**k internal bleeding".

I've mentioned it before to my specialist doctor, who I really respect and trust, who sees me for my outpatient appointments, and she says it is perfectly normal.

I sometimes wonder how many people with the condition suffer from this and frequency. Also what is actually happening inside me. I tried to hunt down an old Chrohns forum which i once used to ask thses questions, but can't seem to find it via Google anymore. I'll keep looking.

It's Friday... Wooo Hooo

Food Intolerance

2009-01-19T13:19:00.004Z

I have found over the past few years that food intolerance plays a big part in my condition. So it was with interest that I read this article on the Daily Mails website.

It is great to hear that people are combating the symptoms of Chrohns with no need for drugs. I know the dietary exclusion method is pretty hardcode, but it is a price worth paying if it works.

Since quiting smoking my condition has improved dramatically and I have even begun starting to introduce yeast back into my diet in small quantities. Although I still have the odd problem with serves as a reminder of my condition and has encouraged me to continue with this blog. More about that in a future post...

Like a Phoenix from the ashes

2008-12-16T11:30:00.003Z

....well not quite

BUT THE BLOG IS RE-BORN!

After some encouragement from a friend I have decided to start up this blog again. As I have also discovered over the years Crohns always seems to rear it's ugly head just when you think you are getting better.

It's been a year now and I have made some good improvements, but I still have issues to deal with most days and would like to continue to share my experiences and thoughts with anyone who cares to read this little blog.

Don't expect a lot though.. Perhaps a short post each month at best...

Thanks for recommendation

2007-01-16T00:06:00.000Z

Thanks to the anonymous comment poster who recommended Breaking The Vicious Cycle. I had heard of this ladies book before, but recently deleted it from my Amazon wish list. After reading the website I decided that this book sounds promising, so i will get it ordered and report back.

A recomendation of my own would be the Gut Reaction journal. I finally read it in the bath this evening, after it sat gathering dust under my bed for two months. Well worth signing up for, entertaining read, and some good advice. The wacky professor's letter and answer page is worth subscription alone - classic book plugs.

Still haven't fogiven Blogger for screwing up mu blog! BASTARDS!

They Killed my Blog!

2007-01-07T18:52:00.000Z

Thanks to Blogger my blog has been bolloxed for a while now. After forcing an upgrade to the new version of their software they managed to screwed the process up and delete my template.

A new plank template has been put in place for now. I tried emailing support to see if they would reinstate my design, but they claim to have no back ups. But do not fear! Using my cunning I got a backup of the HTML source code from Google cache (what a geek!).. I then managed to loose the file (not so cunning)

Note to self: Take back up of new blog template, and remember where you saved it

Cure for Crohns?

2006-12-05T00:28:00.000Z

An article in the Scotsman claims Prof John Hermon-Taylor has found a vaccine for Crohns.

Make of it what you will. I am still unsure about MAP being the cause of my condition, but I still limit my dairy intake. Not sure about one of the comments at the end of the article.

"My campaign tells everyone to boil their drinking waters as well, even if it is bottled. Water filtration does NOT kill MAP."

Cocaine Cubical Usage

2006-12-04T23:27:00.000Z

This weekend I witnessed a common site whilst out on the town. All the cubicals in the pub where full of youths stuffing their noses with cocaine. Luckily I am still feeling well, but it amused me to imagine myself stuck in this scene and busting for the john. Perhaps such an experience wouldn't be so amusing if it were real.

Anyway, on the subject of toliets. As a Crohns suffer you really appreciate a good boys room. I think more should be made of good tolietory services, perhaps an idea for a website, www.plush-bogs.co.uk, to highlight the best and worst in the country.

It's all about;

Motion sensor taps and flush
Old school push button world dryer hand dryers - easy elbow action

Radom hand dryer review video on Google videos

Amazingly many serivce stations on the M1 motorway get toliet technology mix just right! Respect due

Straight pill popping

2006-11-08T19:09:00.000Z

The Crohns is doing good at the moment. I have been following the guidance from my intolerance test and have been staying away from the Yeast. My digestion is acting like a normal persons and sticking to the spirits has made why hangovers a lot more bearable.

Today I hit the toilet and dropped a rather large hot one. In fact I was rather proud of the beast; it was defiantly a "crowd pleaser".

The only thing that concerns me at the moment is my pill menu. I am popping more pills than ever these days, although only one set is prescribed. Am I becoming a hypo like my uncle? I remember checking my older relatives when I was a youth and thinking "god, these guys are paranoid health freaks". Perhaps spending money on supplements is a good thing? It's just hard to know what's a con and what is really beneficial.

Anyways, here's my pill list..

3 x Azathioprinie (prescribed - this stuff is the nuts)
Aloeride 180mg (seems to settle my stomach)
Large code liver oil (why not?)
Jointace - Glucosamine + Chondroitin (my dog takes this shit!)
Bio-Acidophilus (bacteria that wants to be your friend)

Intolerance Results

2006-09-13T22:16:00.000Z

Today the York test results arrived. The only food substance I showed an intolerance to was Yeast. Upon reading the results I didn't know whether to be over joyed or disappointed, prehaps I had expected more.

Some notable foods that contain Yeast are: Beer, Cider, Wine, Bread, Pastries, Soya Sauce, and vinegar (notice the inclusion of the alcoholic beverages first).

This all falls inline with my own discoveries about which foods disagree with me. Now that I am more informed, a concise effort to avoid these foods can begin.

I will monitor my progress, and perhaps re-introduce dairy into my diet... Looks like I will be sticking to the Rum and Vodka.

P.S Crohns suffers seem to have intolerances to different food substances, so if you have Crohns it doesn't mean that you also have a Yeast intolerance. I will post my results from the Yeast free diet, and if warranted recommend the intolerance test.

Self Mutilation

2006-09-11T22:57:00.000Z

This week my very kind Auntie has purchased me an intolerance test. To conduct the test you have to jab your finger with a miniscule needle to draw some blood then soak it up with the provided magic wand, hence the picture and title of this post.

The whole procedure wasn't that bad, but I must admit to being a bit of a pussy. Drawing my own blood is not something I am practiced in, and I found the whole experience very strange. Needles no problem, camera on a tub up your bum, piece of piss and the drugs are great. Barium chalk drink, perhaps a little difficult. Colonic irrigation, interesting when administered by a hot nurse.

Anyways, I await my long list of things to stay away from. Hopefully there will be nothing to severe, like, oxygen or sun light.

The Results to Follow :)

Back in the Days

2006-08-21T21:52:00.000Z

Things are going kind of well at the moment, so I am going to tell you about my Crohns experiences as a youth.

The Crohns has manifested itself in several ways from when I first experienced problems. When I was young I used to be a healthy chubby lad. Full of beans and boundless energy. When I hit my mid teens I found myself being constantly fatigued. My appetite dropped off over the years and I begin to loose weight. At the age of 15/16 I was very ill. Keeping food down was very hard and my weight plummeted.

All this was very frightening, as I had not been diagnosed with anything. One doctor blamed my condition on eating citrus fruit the night before?!? Contemplations of eating disorder even crossed my mind.

Eventually I was diagnosed with Crohns whilst I was in hospital just before my GCSEs. My weight had dropped to under 8 stone. Keeping food down was impossible, even digesting water was hard. The one freind who visited me whilst I was in hospital will never be forgotten.

Finally they had diagnosed me correctly! Steroids were prescribed, which suck, and I hate, but they did kick off a recovery. Eventually I was put on Azathioprine, which helps me a lot and I still take it today. Along the way I was also given some crazy Nestle protein style drink called, E(something), this tasted crap, but did provide some nutrition.

In my late teens I was learning to live with the illness. Keeping stuff down, especially beer was a struggle. My weight was still poor, and I was constantly knackered, eventually being given the short lived nick name of monging bur.

Growing up with Crohns isn't easy, but I never let that stop me fur fill my ambitions or from having fun.

Good Times

2006-07-26T11:43:00.000Z

I am actually feeling quite good at the moment. The Crohns plan is being followed, but I have added a new rule.

Stay away from Bread and wheat

My auntie has also put me onto an intolerance test, called the York test. I have posted a message on a Crohns forum to see if anyone has tried it. From reading the forum I have learnt that most people find that different things flare up their Crohns.

Recently I got a bit of a fright when reading Whisky's Crohns blog. She was mentioning something called a fistula. Apparently people with Crohns can develop wholes in their body!!!!!!!!! FREAK OUT!

Hopefully I won't be getting one of these.. Gots to stay of the smoking and be a good boy.

My Crohns Plan

2006-07-18T22:07:00.000Z

For while I have been trying to follow my new Crohns plan in a quest to improve my condition.

The Crohns Plan
1. Trial Aloeride for two months
2. Continue not to smoke, and don't drink to much
3. Eat live Yoghurt
4. Stay away from Cow milk and Cheese. Try Goat substitute and Rice Dream
5. Drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day, and go easy on the tea and coffee
6. Take Omega 3 oil

The inspiration for these new lifestyle guidelines was an article on the Aloeride site. Aleoride is an alternative medicine which featured in an article that my Mum collected for me. Seen as I am a born skeptic, especially when a girly mag is recommending I purchase something, I am amazed I made the initial purchase.

The new plan has helped, but it is hard to say which measures are helping most.. Apart from staying off the smoking - As I know this is the way forward....

Still not feeling to crash hot at the moment, hoping to feel better soon as I have been following the plan well.

Crimson action

2006-07-10T19:14:00.000Z

Had a freaky experience this week. When looking down into the toilet bowl, as you do when you have active Crohns, I was confronted with a bowel full of deep crimson blood. Previously I have seen blood, mainly on the paper, but to see all this dark red claret was not a nice experience. Luckily for anyone reading this I haven't yet purchase a new digital camera, otherwise i might have treated you to an image.

The not smoking had been going well, then came the weekend and I wasn't strong enough to cope whilst drinking. My friend said, "you know the answer to that then", I imagine he meant stop drinking as well... It could be done.

Feeling Good

2006-07-03T22:54:00.000Z

Finally I have been strong and not smoked. It's been 4 days and I already feel much better. After staying off the evil tobacco and enjoying a relaxing weekend at my parents I hit the toilet with vigour to deposit what can only be descript as a Viking ship of a floater. It's strange how the weirdest things can make people happy. A grin hit my face as I took a peek down into the toilet bowl; like that of a proud father watching his sons first steps.

I will post my recently concocted plan of action for battling my Crohns that I am following shortly, but I must highlight the main ingredient to staying well is not smoking. Just have to continue to be strong, and despise smokers for the weak and pathetic animals that they are.

Ring of Fire

2006-06-24T22:40:00.000Z

How my Crohns manifests itself has changed over the years, here is how it affects me currently.

I go to the toilet frequently with diarrhoea, sometimes up to three times a day. This has been happening for such a long time, that on the odd occasion when stool is solid I have been known to celebrate after inspecting the toilet bowel with a quick punch in the air and a muttering of "yes". I can sometimes go months on end without a poo of solid consistency.

The lack of proper digestion of my food leaves me lacking energy. When I have been really ill I have found myself failing asleep whilst driving to work in the morning and then find it hard to concentrate all day.

Occasionally I get some stomach pains in the lower gut. This is always concerning and alerts me to the fact that I am having a flare up of the illness internally.

The constant trips to the toilet leave me feeling shore. The diarrhoea can burn, which is very painful and un-comfortable. Often there will be blood on the toilet issue, either from the constant wiping, or from internal bleeding causing by the Crohns disease.

Recently I have had frightening moments when there is blood all over the toilet tissue. This has to of come from internally, which leads me to believe that the Crohns is affecting the lower half of my digestive track.

When I was younger my Crohns symptoms where different. This shows that the illness can developed and change the way it inflicts itself upon you. Perhaps in another post I will talk about how Crohns affected me as a teenager.

So it Begins

2006-06-19T21:38:00.000Z

For a while I have been contemplating the blogging of my Crohns disease experiences. Recently I had been feeling quite well, but the inevitable relapse hit me hard yesterday, and I jumped out of bed at 3 in the morning to start this Blog.

The vast amount of quality blogs about Crohns surprised me, and I had second thoughts about starting my own. After a long period of thought I decided that I would be able to bring something different to the Crohns blog scene. So here I am!

The aim of this blog is the share my Crohns experiences with others. I was diagnosed with Crohns nearly a decade ago and have experienced growing up with the illness. Luckily I am not half as ill as some of people with this horrible affliction, but I have had my low moments.

Recently, I had been feeling good. I was on a slightly modified diet, had started talking some new Aloe Vera pills (which I was super sceptical of), was goning easy on the drinking, and stopped smoking. After a couple of weeks of smoking again, a hard weekend took its toll. I hit the toilet three times yesterday, and could hear the noises of any angry gut reeling back at me as I tried to sleep. Time to get back on it and look after myself!