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CROHN'S & LOOSE STOOL

HI- I am a 40 year old male that was diagnosed with Crohn's in May 2007.  I had surgery in September 2007 and have gone through many medications and I am doing OK.  Some good days some bad.  I have a couple of questions.
How do you know when you are in remission?
When you are in remission do you still have any symptoms?  
Does your stool ever get back to normal?  Mine are always loose.  Not always Diarrhea but always very loose.  
I also have trouble breathing at times.  Does anyone else experience that?   It seems to coincide with my Crohn's flare-ups.  

Any thoughts will be greatly apprecited.
Thanks for reading this!!  
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Avatar universal
Remission is a relative term and usually means your symptoms are not bugging you enough to seek treatment. The loose stools are basically mild diarrhea. I've had Crohn's for 20 yrs and have not had a well formed stool since. The breathing issues are probably due to your body trying to keep up with the T-cell onslaught it is producing to destroy...whatever. You probably are very fatigued as well when this happens?
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much for the reply.  No one has ever been able to connect the breathing and the Crohn's.  Your T-Cell explanation makes perfect sense.  I am extremely fatigued when it happens.  I am going to discuss with my doctor.

Thanks again!!
Helpful - 0
203342 tn?1328737207
Did you have a resection done? If so, you may always have the loose stools. That's the bad part of this surgery. As for being in remission, you shouldn't have any symptoms during that time. If you start getting any noticeable symptoms like stomach pain, blood in stool, vomiting, fever, etc., then you should be seen again. You may be one of the lucky ones who stays in remission and never have another flare up. That's what I'm hoping for. I'm in remission, too, since my surgery last August.
Best wishes,
April
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the reply.  Yes I had a resection last September.  I kinda thought the loose stool was going to be a life long problem.  Are you still taking meds since you are in remission??  Do you worry about what you eat?  Thanks for the help!!
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Avatar universal
For me , when I am coming out of remission, I get very tired. Stomach pains,
My skin starts to get very pale, sometimes even grey looking.  You can just tell that your body has started to shut down. Any way, if I have learned anything at all, this has
been the hardest thing in my life I have ever had to live with.
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203342 tn?1328737207
Mauilive,  sorry I've been gone all day. Yes, I've noticed a big change in the way I react to foods now. Even when I try to eat healthy, like salad, I run to the bathroom and have such a stomachache. It can be quite discouraging because I DO try to eat healthy for the most part.

Lizzie's a good person to talk to. Jaybay is another good person to talk to. She's had a lot of colon and digestive problems. I can't remember exactly what all she's had to deal with but it's a lot. And she's learned a lot about nutrition and such. She said she juices a lot. I'm thinking about that. It might give my colon a break for awhile. And the juicing takes out the fiber. Those of us with colon problems need a low fiber, low fat diet.
I'm still trying to educate myself on nutrition and Crohns, etc. I just saw a Physical Therapist today who told me to use the liquid minerals and a good digestive enzyme. I've been taking a multi-vitamin, vitamin C, folic acid, and fish oil. Fish oil is supposed to coat and soothe the colon. So it's good for you.
Now I'm looking at trying liquid vitamins because the body processes it better. Important for those of us who have lost part of our colon!
Do you have a Whole Foods store near you? If not, try one of your local health food stores and start asking questions. Buy a couple of books and start experimenting.
That's what I'm trying to do!
Best wishes! If you find something that seems to work well for you, let me know and I'll do the same for you!
Take care & keep in touch,
God bless!
April
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Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the info.  It just helps knowing that I am not alone in this.  No one I know really uinderstands how hard it is to just eat a normal meal and feel good afterwards.

I try and eat healthy too but my doctor said that anything raw (Friuts & Veggies) are not good for me and I should try and avoid.  I take a multi vitamin daily as well as try and drink at least one Ensure everyday.

Is there a "standard" diet for Crohn's?   It seems that we all eat different things.

Thanks again!!!
Helpful - 0
203342 tn?1328737207
Lizzie can tell you, I believe we're supposed to eat a low fat, low fiber diet. Eating a bland diet can get boring after awhile, I know! That's why I'm checking into juicing. The juicing would still give me the fruits and veggies but would take out the fiber, which is what causes the discomfort.
My physical therapist just told me to try Liquimins ionic tonic (trace minerals) and Garden of Life omega-zyme for the digestive enzyme. He also said the "Alive" is good. I bought some of that. It's a multi-vitamin powder or liquid with everything you could possibly need! It has fruits and veggies in it and everything. I had heard about it before he mentioned it so I'm going to try that too. Check it out at your local health food store. Yeah, it can get expensive but if you try the liquid multi-vitamins then you could throw out all your other vitamins. He says he's had a lot more energy since he started taking the trace minerals and such. I don't know about you, but I could sure use some of that! :)
Keep investigating, researching and learning all you can. You will find something that will work for you.
Take care!
April
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