by jr2 » 21 Jul 2012, 18:03
yeah, the problem with me is the tests themselves make me very sick for months afterward and with my weight being so low now i don't want to take the risk of going through them only to be told i have areas of inflammation and ulceration but these are not definitive for diagnosing Crohn's, which is what I've heard before. I've been on this hamster wheel of being a medical mystery for almost 30 years.
As far as foods, I think people are really different so you have to experiment. Also, for me it's a matter of making sure I don't pile too many high risk foods into any single day of eating if that makes sense?
Like you ripe bananas are okay but unripe are deadly. I rotate fruits through my diet and I just make sure to be careful about quantities. Strawberries, blueberries, mango, pear, nectarine, grapes, oranges or tangerines are the ones i mainly rotate through. Apples are weird. Sometimes I'm fine with them ,other times not. But generally I tolerate them better if they are peeled. Raw greens can be really rough for me, but cooking them makes a big difference. So I don't use them raw in my smoothies any more. I either steam them or saute them and I'm much better. In fact, raw vegetables in general are rough on me so I always cook them. I can't tolerate dairy at all, and it isn't just the lactose because lactose free dairy is still a problem for me. I generally avoid grains, and especially wheat but I do eat oatmeal without trouble. Fortunately, there is almond milk, which seems fairly safe for me.
I tried going vegetarian for awhile but can't really get enough calories in my diet without at least eating some chicken and fish, which i tolerate without any problem. I also can eat avocado, which I love :)
A lot of people say they have trouble with onions and bell peppers but as long as i cook them well i'm okay with those.
Generally I keep my diet very simple and plain. Nothing fancy or complicated. The closer foods are to their most basic form the better my body tolerates them.
I take vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, and i also love the probiotic called Culturelle. i also like one called Florastor. Probiotics are also a really individual thing and i went through a lot of different kinds and strains before finally finding two that don't make me sick, and also seem to help.
I've heard that coconut water is really good for people with Crohn's, so I'm going to try that. I can use small amounts of coconut oil for cooking without a problem so we'll see how that goes.
Good luck to you too, and if I can help in any other way just let me know.