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Hey Lizzie - quick question
Hey Lizzie. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. Is it normal to have a gnawing feeling in your stomach almost like you're hungry after you've eaten? Is this because of the ulcers or Gastritis? I just found it curious. It's obvious that I'm not really hungry. It just feels kinda like that. It's just kinda strange. I was wondering if you might know. Thanks!
I'm sorry, the onion thing was meant to be addressed to dizzybuff38 who said that she could not smell the onion, but that it still made her eyes water. The explanation of why it still makes her eyes water is what I was trying to help with. Sorry for the confusion and sorry again for butting in. I just thought it was interesting is all.
I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand? :( Maybe I'm a bit slow but could you please explain what the onion slicing thing is supposed to represent? Thanks!
Hi - thanks for that very erudite explanation - fascinating. Do you know why I can't taste or smell anything (which can be dangerous in case of fire)? I was taken to hospital unconscious by paramedics when I fell, and my gastro thinks I had a TIA (transient ischaemia attach) viz a viz a small stroke. I was kept in hospital overnight for observation and saw a Neurologist, who only had me do some simple mechanical tests with my hands and eyes. My discharge sheet said I had a haematoma (blood clot) between my skull and brain. No brain scan was done, which my gastro was appalled at. I have tried to do some research on the internet, but can't find out much about how I can get my taste and smell back. I sometimes have to force myself to eat as I have no appetitie. A bit worrying when I only weigh 122 lbs.
Thanks for any insight.
Liz.
Thanks for any insight.
Liz.
So sorry to butt in on your conversation, but I'm just trying to find some info on my own aches and pains. I took the liberty of finding the proper way to explain the onion thing, and thought I'd share it with you (even though I'm pretty sure that nobody REALLY cares). I'm still searching for answers about my own medical issues, but hope that this little tidbit will help you when slicing onions in the future. Again, sorry to butt in.
When you slice through an onion, you break open a number of onion cells. Some of these cells have enzymes inside of them, and when they are sliced open, the enzymes escape. The enzymes then decompose some of the other substances that have escaped from sliced cells. Some of these substances, amino acid sulfoxides, form sulfenic acids, which then quickly rearrange themselves into a volatile gas.
The gas reaches your eyes and reacts with the water that keeps them moist. This changes the chemical's form again, producing, among other things, a mild sulfuric acid, which irritates the eyes. The nerve endings in your eyes are very sensitive and so they pick up on this irritation (this is why our eyes sting when we slice onions). The brain reacts by telling your tear ducts to produce more water, to dilute the irritating acid so the eyes are protected. Your other reaction is probably to rub your eyes, but this will actually make the irritation a lot worse, of course, if you have onion juices all over your hands.
When you slice through an onion, you break open a number of onion cells. Some of these cells have enzymes inside of them, and when they are sliced open, the enzymes escape. The enzymes then decompose some of the other substances that have escaped from sliced cells. Some of these substances, amino acid sulfoxides, form sulfenic acids, which then quickly rearrange themselves into a volatile gas.
The gas reaches your eyes and reacts with the water that keeps them moist. This changes the chemical's form again, producing, among other things, a mild sulfuric acid, which irritates the eyes. The nerve endings in your eyes are very sensitive and so they pick up on this irritation (this is why our eyes sting when we slice onions). The brain reacts by telling your tear ducts to produce more water, to dilute the irritating acid so the eyes are protected. Your other reaction is probably to rub your eyes, but this will actually make the irritation a lot worse, of course, if you have onion juices all over your hands.
Hi Lizzie, Nexium is an acid reducer. Usually they prescribe it for Acid Reflux or Gerd. I guess they think I have too much acid in my stomach and that's what caused the Gatritis.
I'll look at the article. I found out something interesting too. I found there's a conection between Crohns and Diabetes. They are both auto immune diseases. Well, I don't have anyone else in my family with Crohns but I have an awful lot of Diabetes. I'm really the only one who didn't get it on my mother's side. Isn't that interesting? My grandmother also had colon cancer twice and had to have surgey to remove the cancers but did very well.
I've heard of the Jewish connection but don't think I have that in my family. Of course I haven't gone back any further than my grandmother's parents who were actually missionaries. I did find out our ancestors came from Scotland from my mom/grandmother's side. I talked to another gal on the gastro forum about that because she's from Scotland too. It's a small world, isn't it!
I know they don't know enough about Crohns or what causes it. I wish they'd hurry up and find out! (not impatient, am I :) You know what else I find interesting? I know that they say that stress doesn't cause it and they now say that stress doesn't cause ulcers, but it does seem strange to me that I started having all these symptoms after an EXTREMELY stressful year this last year and a half. I had a lot going on and it was one thing after another hitting me it seemed. Then all of a sudden I started getting the heart palpitations (which I checked out and my heart was fine though they said I have PVC's and PAC's), then I started getting the stomach aches which they at first said was H.Pylori but the stomach aches didn't go away, only got worse. Finally, they saw the mass I had, did the surgery and biopsied it and said it was Crohns. Total surprise to me. For one thing, I always heard most people get it when they're young. I'm 42. I also didn't have a lot of the normal symptoms like weight loss, blood in stool, vomiting, etc., though did have digestive discomforts, stomach pains and some diarhea off and on. Not unlivable. I still wonder what brought this on and why now? 2006/2007 has been my worst time in my life. I sure hope 2008 is better!
Take care!
I'll look at the article. I found out something interesting too. I found there's a conection between Crohns and Diabetes. They are both auto immune diseases. Well, I don't have anyone else in my family with Crohns but I have an awful lot of Diabetes. I'm really the only one who didn't get it on my mother's side. Isn't that interesting? My grandmother also had colon cancer twice and had to have surgey to remove the cancers but did very well.
I've heard of the Jewish connection but don't think I have that in my family. Of course I haven't gone back any further than my grandmother's parents who were actually missionaries. I did find out our ancestors came from Scotland from my mom/grandmother's side. I talked to another gal on the gastro forum about that because she's from Scotland too. It's a small world, isn't it!
I know they don't know enough about Crohns or what causes it. I wish they'd hurry up and find out! (not impatient, am I :) You know what else I find interesting? I know that they say that stress doesn't cause it and they now say that stress doesn't cause ulcers, but it does seem strange to me that I started having all these symptoms after an EXTREMELY stressful year this last year and a half. I had a lot going on and it was one thing after another hitting me it seemed. Then all of a sudden I started getting the heart palpitations (which I checked out and my heart was fine though they said I have PVC's and PAC's), then I started getting the stomach aches which they at first said was H.Pylori but the stomach aches didn't go away, only got worse. Finally, they saw the mass I had, did the surgery and biopsied it and said it was Crohns. Total surprise to me. For one thing, I always heard most people get it when they're young. I'm 42. I also didn't have a lot of the normal symptoms like weight loss, blood in stool, vomiting, etc., though did have digestive discomforts, stomach pains and some diarhea off and on. Not unlivable. I still wonder what brought this on and why now? 2006/2007 has been my worst time in my life. I sure hope 2008 is better!
Take care!
Hi April - just been researching strictures, in case I need surgery - dismayed to see some 70% of Crohn's patients need this - and it doesn't cure it! Yaaah. Guess I have been so very lucky so far not to have had strictures, but I always knew it could happen.
I today found a fascinating article by the American College of Gastroenterology which really explains IBD in minute detail both Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's - and the differences.
The URL is:
http://www.gi.org/patients/gihealth/ibd.asp
You may want to take a look.....there are some photos of a normal intestine, one with UC and one with Crohn's, so you can see how differently on endoscopy the two similar, but different diseases (if that makes sense) look. Gosh, I wish the internet had been available when I got Crohn's so I could have got myself educated then. It has been a long journey for me with this disease, trying to figure out why and how I got it - still no answers from the researchers, but at least now there are so many different drugs to treat it and keep it in remission. The Jewish inheritance question has always reared its' head with me - every gastro I have seen has asked me this question and although my elder sister believes our maternal grandfather was Jewish, we can find no evidence as the town where he was born and brought up had their synagogue bombed in World War2.
This article does indeed address the Ashkenazi Jewish factor. It seems weird to me that neither my late parents, late twin brother, nor my sister have/had Crohn's, as it does tend to run in families. Guess I am the "runt of the litter", or as my GP tactlessly put it: "Liz you were born with a bad hand of cards".
I don't know if there is any correlation between Crohn's and breast cancer, but only today I got an e-mail from a lady in America who has had Crohn's for 20 yrs and now has breast cancer. I have no idea how she got my private e-mail address, but the internet is all encompassing, like Big Brother. I have responded to her as best as I can.
Neither my current gastro (very bright young guy in his early 40's) nor my experienced bc surgeon have come across a patient with concurrent diseases and perhaps this is why they are so helpful and concerned.
My lovely 34 yr nephew, who has a Ph.D in biochemistry and worked for Cancer Research Uk for some 10 years, sent me this quotation by H.G. Wells, author, humanist, historian and utopian:
"The disease of cancer will be banished from life by calm, unhurrying, persistent men and women....in hospitals and laboratories and the motive that will conquer cancer will not be pity or horror; it will be curiosity to know how and why".
I like to think that gastros/researchers will also have this philosophy in their quest to find out why we get Crohn's. Perhaps a pipedream for me at my age, but hope springs eternal for younger people like you. Treatment for Crohn's has come a quantum step since I was dx in 1970, when there were no meds except steroids. I feel I have done all I can to keep myself in remission, using the net to find methotrexate and having to battle with my then gastro to prescribe it.
To your questions.....to my knowledge and experience with many hospital dieticians, allergies do not cause Crohn's or exacerbate it. True allergies are very rare, but you may have an "intolerance" to certain foods. Perhaps you could keep a food diary and eliminate foods which cause discomfort/distress. I can't eat sweetcorn, beans of any kind, peas, cereals or fibrous vegetables. My husband loves to cook fajitis,,,but anything with chilli in it gives me instant pain in my stomach, and diarrhea. So now, he cooks a separate chicken marinade for me without the chillis. I can't also eat Indian curries, because they nearly always have chilli in them. My advice would be to stick to a high protein diet (fish,chicken, turkey, lean meat like pork) and avoid fibrous veggies.
As for your meds - I tried Entocort some 8-9 yrs ago when it was first available in England - it only works on the small intestine. I found it useless and did not stop the diarrhea and rectal bleeding, but it may work for you as it seems your Crohn's is only in the small bowel. Mine is called pan Crohn's Colitis, from the mouth to the anus. Nexium I have never taken - isn't it an anti--depressant or pain killer? We don't have it here in England, so can't really comment.
Keep your spirits up, talk to you soon.
Love,
Liz.
I today found a fascinating article by the American College of Gastroenterology which really explains IBD in minute detail both Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's - and the differences.
The URL is:
http://www.gi.org/patients/gihealth/ibd.asp
You may want to take a look.....there are some photos of a normal intestine, one with UC and one with Crohn's, so you can see how differently on endoscopy the two similar, but different diseases (if that makes sense) look. Gosh, I wish the internet had been available when I got Crohn's so I could have got myself educated then. It has been a long journey for me with this disease, trying to figure out why and how I got it - still no answers from the researchers, but at least now there are so many different drugs to treat it and keep it in remission. The Jewish inheritance question has always reared its' head with me - every gastro I have seen has asked me this question and although my elder sister believes our maternal grandfather was Jewish, we can find no evidence as the town where he was born and brought up had their synagogue bombed in World War2.
This article does indeed address the Ashkenazi Jewish factor. It seems weird to me that neither my late parents, late twin brother, nor my sister have/had Crohn's, as it does tend to run in families. Guess I am the "runt of the litter", or as my GP tactlessly put it: "Liz you were born with a bad hand of cards".
I don't know if there is any correlation between Crohn's and breast cancer, but only today I got an e-mail from a lady in America who has had Crohn's for 20 yrs and now has breast cancer. I have no idea how she got my private e-mail address, but the internet is all encompassing, like Big Brother. I have responded to her as best as I can.
Neither my current gastro (very bright young guy in his early 40's) nor my experienced bc surgeon have come across a patient with concurrent diseases and perhaps this is why they are so helpful and concerned.
My lovely 34 yr nephew, who has a Ph.D in biochemistry and worked for Cancer Research Uk for some 10 years, sent me this quotation by H.G. Wells, author, humanist, historian and utopian:
"The disease of cancer will be banished from life by calm, unhurrying, persistent men and women....in hospitals and laboratories and the motive that will conquer cancer will not be pity or horror; it will be curiosity to know how and why".
I like to think that gastros/researchers will also have this philosophy in their quest to find out why we get Crohn's. Perhaps a pipedream for me at my age, but hope springs eternal for younger people like you. Treatment for Crohn's has come a quantum step since I was dx in 1970, when there were no meds except steroids. I feel I have done all I can to keep myself in remission, using the net to find methotrexate and having to battle with my then gastro to prescribe it.
To your questions.....to my knowledge and experience with many hospital dieticians, allergies do not cause Crohn's or exacerbate it. True allergies are very rare, but you may have an "intolerance" to certain foods. Perhaps you could keep a food diary and eliminate foods which cause discomfort/distress. I can't eat sweetcorn, beans of any kind, peas, cereals or fibrous vegetables. My husband loves to cook fajitis,,,but anything with chilli in it gives me instant pain in my stomach, and diarrhea. So now, he cooks a separate chicken marinade for me without the chillis. I can't also eat Indian curries, because they nearly always have chilli in them. My advice would be to stick to a high protein diet (fish,chicken, turkey, lean meat like pork) and avoid fibrous veggies.
As for your meds - I tried Entocort some 8-9 yrs ago when it was first available in England - it only works on the small intestine. I found it useless and did not stop the diarrhea and rectal bleeding, but it may work for you as it seems your Crohn's is only in the small bowel. Mine is called pan Crohn's Colitis, from the mouth to the anus. Nexium I have never taken - isn't it an anti--depressant or pain killer? We don't have it here in England, so can't really comment.
Keep your spirits up, talk to you soon.
Love,
Liz.
Do you think it could be the meds they prescribed to me? I'm taking Nexium and Entocort. The Flagyl I only had to take for 10 days and fortunately didn't have the bad side effects you did. I have to see the Gastro doc around the end of February.
Like I said the symptoms almost feel like hunger but I'm not hungry. I've actually lost about 6 pounds lately. I'm not sure what's going on. I have noticed certain foods bother me. I wish they'd do an allergy test on me. I may have to push for that.
I'm doing well otherwise! I hope your appointment goes well. Keep in touch.
April
Like I said the symptoms almost feel like hunger but I'm not hungry. I've actually lost about 6 pounds lately. I'm not sure what's going on. I have noticed certain foods bother me. I wish they'd do an allergy test on me. I may have to push for that.
I'm doing well otherwise! I hope your appointment goes well. Keep in touch.
April
Hi - glad you are still around! I have never had that gnawing feeling after eating but Crohn's is a tricky old disease and presents with some unusual symptoms at times. After I had that small stroke and fell, with trauma to the skull and brain, I have lost all sense of taste or smell, so never feel hungry and at times have to force myself to eat. Funny thing is, when I am cutting up onions my eyes water, yet I can't smell them!
Figure that one out, as I can't.
How are you doing these days? What meds are you on, and are they working to your satisfaction?
I feel fine, but a tad anxious waiting for an appt with my gastro re the two strictures, and an appt with a Professor of Endocrinology, referred by my bc surgeon, to see if I can continue with Arimidex and whether he will prescribe Zoledronic acid annual infusion to protect my already thin bones. Always something!
Take care,
Liz.
Figure that one out, as I can't.
How are you doing these days? What meds are you on, and are they working to your satisfaction?
I feel fine, but a tad anxious waiting for an appt with my gastro re the two strictures, and an appt with a Professor of Endocrinology, referred by my bc surgeon, to see if I can continue with Arimidex and whether he will prescribe Zoledronic acid annual infusion to protect my already thin bones. Always something!
Take care,
Liz.
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