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Regards,
Perez....
I have been prescribed "Fortijuice" by my gastroenterologist a number of times this past year prior to a right hemi-colectomy ( resection of the last part of my small intestine, the ileo-caecal vale and first part of my colon) as my weight at 84 lbs was insufficient to withstand the surgery. It is available here in England only on prescription by a GP or hospital Consultant Gastroenterologistand can only be used under medical supervision. I first had Fortijuice 7 yrs ago when undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and was unable to eat even home made soup with the fibre sieved out, and it helped me survive.
The patent is held by N.V. Nutricia in The Netherlands, so not sure if it is available where you live - I assume the USA?
It comes in 9 different fruit flavours, in small plastic bottles of 200ml. I prefer blackcurranrt - the banana flavour is foul!
Notes on the bottle state:
"Fortijuice, a high energy blackcurrant flavour juice tasting nutritiaon (sic) supplement, is a food for special medical purposes for the dietary management of disease related malnutrition. It is gluten, fibre, lactose and fat free and is suitable for patients requiring a low fat diet." I am not sure if it is dairy free.
I had to drink 3 bottles a day. It provides 150 calories per 100 ml, and as I was unable to eat anything without severe faecal incontinence, it provided me with 1,800 cals per day. It sure kept me alive.
However, my Crohn's was so bad (CRP of an unbelievable 270 when norm is less than 5) I was put on a naso-gastric tube with Osmolite liquid supplement, directly into my stomach. This took 2 and a half months, with tube connected to a pump, for 10 hrs a night. Not something I wish to experience again. When my weight starts to plummet I go back on the Fortijuice.
You could try googling it and see if it is available in the country where you live, and for further information as to whether it is dairy free. You will need a doctor to prescribe it though - it is definitely not available as an OTC med.Luckily, I am over 60 yrs of age and get all my meds free on our socialised National Health Service - as well as all my treatment, surgeries etc.
When hospitalised 4 times this past year, the IBD specialist Dietician tried to get me to take Ensure, but I just couldn't drink that milky stuff. Fortijuice I can tolerate, if cold from the refrigerator...would be better with a glug of dry white wine though!
I was recently diagnosed with "pancreatic insufficiency", apparently a rare complication of Crohn's, and besides taking Creon enzymes each time I have a meal or snack, have to keep to a high protein, high carb, low fat and fibre diet. The Fortijuice helps keep my weight stable now at some 103 lbs. My gastro is not entirely happy with this, but it is the best I can do.
Hope this helps...I haven't tried any other supplements and have always tried to steer clear of "snake oil" remedies. My gastro suggested I try probiotic yoghurt to try and get the bacteria in my small intestine corrected, but as he said: "they won't harm you, but you are probably wasting your money." I'll go down the NHS route now, only taking what my gastro prescribes.
My current meds (weekly self injected methotrexate injections, and 8 weekly infusions, in hospital as a day patient, of Remicade, are at long last giving me some semblance of a normal life, for which I am grateful, having had Crohn's for 40 yrs.
Please let me know if I can help further.
Liz.