May I join you here?

[mandapanda18]

Hi! I stumbled upon this board and was curious if I could join you all? I have crohn's disease, took about 4 years to be diagnosed, but that's the result! I would love to hear your coping skills, advice and stories!

[OrangePixyStix]

Hello and welcome!

What type of medication are you on while pregnant?

I just recently found the board as well, been diagnosed since Feb 2012. I'm on remicade infusion and a daily anti-inflammatory, but they definitely recommended that I do not get pregnant while on this treatment plan. (no biggie, I don't plan on getting pregnant ever if I can help it).

Hopefully this board will be a great source for coping skills, it's definitely a tough illness to have for many reasons.

[mandapanda18]

I am not taking any medication while pregnant, there are a couple that *may* be considered safe, but I'm not risking it. I waited 6 years after my first symptoms to attempt pregnancy. I was taking remicade prior to pregnancy and had surgery to remove the scar tissue that had fused my intestines together and to my abdominal wall in Feb of 2011; I had to wait a year after surgery to try and get pregnant, so I went the year and stopped taking birth control in April of 2012. Six months later I was pregnant (to my surprise, I had intentionaly waited 4 months to let the bc get out of my system)and I stopped my med's ASAP.

Surprisingly, my flares have been far and few between. I really work on my diet, still keep up with my walking (at least 2 miles a day) and stay away from my trigger foods. I feel that eating gluten free has really made a difference in my symptoms, it may not work for everyone, but it does for me!

[Deleted]

Welcome to the board! Can you post a little more about your diet? We are hoping to start TTC in a few months, but I have a long way to go before I feel like I'll be healthy enough to be pregnant, and my current doctor has been the opposite of helpful.

[Deleted]

welcome! I have been gluten free since my emergency resection in feb 2013 (I had a perforation, abscess, and multiple obstructions). I'm not sure whether it's the surgery or the diet, but I feel better than I've felt in years!

[mandapanda18]

May 13, 2013 15:33:32 GMT -5 Catlawdy said:

Welcome! After a bout with c diff, we weren't sure what I had (IBD, Crohn's, fissure, fistula or what) and I was diagnosed with infection induced IBS in December.

Uggh! I had c-diff from 11/2010 to 6/2011 I couldn't shake that nasty bug! Didn't help that I found out I was allergic to Vancomycin and Flagyl while trying to get rid of it!

[mandapanda18]

May 13, 2013 14:31:03 GMT -5 @pixiechinchilla said:

Welcome to the board! Can you post a little more about your diet? We are hoping to start TTC in a few months, but I have a long way to go before I feel like I'll be healthy enough to be pregnant, and my current doctor has been the opposite of helpful.

My diet has been a lot of trial and error! I have had 3 different gastro's as I didn't feel like I was getting the level of care I needed, you need to just push through and find one who will work with you no matter what. The first I had said I was crazy and told my husband perhaps I should be put on antidepressants since I clearly had nothing better to do than make up symptoms!

On a typical day I try to eat a protein + complex carb (non-wheat based) + fruit/veggie with every meal and/or snack. I have found that most of the gluten free alternatives are absolutely terrible, but some are okay. I have replaced my bread with gf corn tortillas and occassionally a gf roll. I eat rice, beans and potatoes instead of pastas etc. I will tell you that being GF is a lot of work and label reading, but luckily I am not truely "allergic" to gluten (celiac), I am simply intollerant to it, so every once in a while I cheat and eat something that has gluten in it. I feel bloated and gassy for a day or two, but nothing major. Everyone has different trigger foods, so really you just need to figure out what your's are and try to work around them.

For me, my triggers are dairy (milk, ice cream, yogurt) (I can eat cheese though)
Super fiberous fruits and veggies (uncooked broccoli, cauliflower, too much salad, etc)
Popcorn
Nut (I can have a few, just not a ton, and nut butters are okay)
super acidic foods (citrus, tomatoes)
super spicy foods

Good luck! PM me or page me if you have any other questions!

[mandapanda18]

May 13, 2013 16:40:52 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

Hi and welcome! I have no clue what is wrong yet but I have played around with GF as well. Did you happen to feel sick or get more headaches at first? And feel like you were starving?

I went 100% GF for another two weeks and then I got a flare of something...still there 4 days later. I don't know what I will do if my blood work comes back that I NEED to go GF for real. I can't seem to break the code and I hate being sick.

Congrats on the baby! I hope you stick around.

I was super lethargic and had headaches! But, I would caution you against going gf if you want to be tested for the gene or celiac, it will not show positive if you haven't been eating the gluten, it's a catch 22. I myself tested postive for teh IgA whatever gene that says I am predisposed to celiac disase, but my biopsy (endoscopic) showed that my illium was fine. I have a gluten intollerance, not allergy.