Q. Is it possible to treat Crohn's disease with alternate treatment options?
Hello doctor,
I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease almost six years back. It was very bad and the ulcerated intestine along with most of my ileum was removed next year. Since the middle of last year, I have been experiencing severe abdominal and stomach pain all the time. The abdominal pain intensifies in bad weather to the point that it is difficult to walk, and is disabling most of the day and night. I have a constant feeling of nausea and vomit twice a day before breakfast. I also get bloody diarrhea two to three times a week. I feel temperature swings and severe weakness. I have lost 31 lbs since the middle of last year. It is as if someone is constantly putting pressure of 300 lbs from outside on my abdomen. I have vitamin B12 deficiency and have a previous history of iron deficiency anemia. I had got complete blood count (CBC) with differential, calprotectin, histoplasma, hepatitis b, celiac panel, parasite and ova stool tests done. I have been tested negative for all standard gastroenterology testing for Crohn's disease like tuberculosis and all parasites. Now doctors say I should not get this severe pain and are not taking any interest. I was treated with Stelara, Humira, Methotrexate, Entocort, Prednisone, Gabapentin, Tylenol (for fevers and headahes), Protonix and Zofran. Now I am looking for alternate diagnostic and treatment options including biome and right to try therapy, a food and drug administration (FDA) approved experimental treatment. Is Crohn's disease the only possible diagnosis for my signs and symptoms?
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I have gone through your query in detail and have assessed the attached reports. Stool report (attachment removed to protect patients identity) is unavailable. It seems you have serious flares of Crohn's disease. CT (computed tomography) suggests the same. It is very difficult to live with such excruciating pain. The symptoms like weight loss and blood in stool, along with severe abdominal pain are all consistent with Crohn's. C-reactive protein is mildly raised but it is consistent with inflammation of the bowel. Other investigations performed exclude possibility of other differentials. So, in my opinion diagnosis of Crohn's is almost certain and you are suffering from severe flares. There are often other extra-intestinal manifestations of Crohn's like fever, pain in eyes, joint pain, red skin rashes, and mouth sores. Do you suffer from any of these? Unfortunately there is no cure for Crohn's disease. Lifestyle changes and medications can help the condition and prolong remission period, reducing periods of flares. I suggest you to try microbiome therapy, it has shown promising results. A new diet called IBD-AID (anti-inflammatory diet for inflammatory bowel disease) has shown promise. It focuses on balancing gut biome using probiotic and prebiotic foods. A significant proportion of people showed significant decrease in symptom severity within eight weeks of using the diet. I suggest you to read about the diet and try to follow it. I suggest you to stick with medications as well. I suggest you to take tablet or sachet Vitamin D containing 60000 IU once a week till eight weeks. So, 1 sachet X 8 weeks= 8 sachets in total. Supplements are necessary to combat malnutrition due to malabsorption in Crohn's. I hope this helped, take care.
Hi doctor,
You are making sense, and yes I have rashes on my legs, back, arms, and shoulders. I feel so bad. I really do want to try microbiome therapy, my previous treatments were causing me extreme weakness (I was in a wheelchair last year after taking Stelara from middle of the previous year) and I was able to recover the use of my legs after stopping the use of Stelara (90mg every two months) and instead I am taking tablet Prednisone 90 mg a day for 30 days. I do not want to go back to the wheelchair. How do I get the biome treatments? Thanks.
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
I suggest you should first of all try "IBD-AID (anti-inflammatory diet for inflammatory bowel disease)" diet that I mentioned. Just search online for It. It is also aimed at restoration of normal gut biome. Hopefully it will help. Regarding biome therapy, I suggest you should be consulting your gastroenterologist. And yes, I understand, how terrible it feels being unhealthy. I hope you get better. Take care.
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