Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis - Cannabis Treatment

[CustardVape]

My wife has Crohn's and UC.  She's suffered terribly over the years, and it fucking kills me seeing her in pain.

I've heard that CBD/THC could be beneficial, which is the main reason I joined this forum to learn how to grow her some herb.

 

[silvester growdrobe]

@CustardVape

Fingers crossed it works out for her, best of luck!

 

e2a: I know ibd causes appetite issues, but does anybody else get hungry? Like really, really hungry. I've been getting the odd day here and there recently when my hunger just can't be satisfied, I can eat until I'm absolutely stuffed and an hour or two later I'm getting proper hunger pangs again. No idea if it's the UC or if I'm just a greedy fucker

Edited May 11, 2022 by silvester growdrobe

[soto]

9 hours ago, silvester growdrobe said:

@CustardVape

Fingers crossed it works out for her, best of luck!

 

e2a: I know ibd causes appetite issues, but does anybody else get hungry? Like really, really hungry. I've been getting the odd day here and there recently when my hunger just can't be satisfied, I can eat until I'm absolutely stuffed and an hour or two later I'm getting proper hunger pangs again. No idea if it's the UC or if I'm just a greedy fucker

In the past I've been prone to binge eating, I went through this phase of eating lots of those huge (150g) bags of crisps. I swear they make them like that to make you eat more. Eating food all the time makes me crave food. No doubt about it. 

But once I go on a calorie controlled diet, it only takes a week or so before I have little appetite. Although admittedly you kind of look forward to food more. I do a lot of exercise though, never really got into the obese category thank God but man, were I to carry on like that for years I'd end up like a huge fat fuck. 

 

[soto]

So just a couple of hacks that make weight loss easier. 

Fruit

I know this kinda goes without saying but fruit like apples and pears makes dieting a hell of a lot easier. The fibre is satiating and it fills you up. You  just need to find your favourite fruits, I quite like Braeburn apples persoanlly, they're cheap and cheerful. In contrast Gala apples are awful yet cost the same price. Some people like Pink Lady but I can't stand them personally. Each to their own.

Calorie controlled dieting

And there's nothing like digital kitchen scales to put things into perspective. Measure everything you can, use the tear feature to measure liquids you put on solids, for example a bowl of cereal in the morning. 

Sweeteners

Don't be afraid to ditch sucrose and spend money on expensive sweeteners like truvia. Don't get me wrong, sugar alcohols can be problematic for crohn's patients but i not, go hard on those. And get a bike, make it an integral part of your life. Be thankful we don't live in American car dependent surburbia. If you shit yourself, just accept it and ride home.

Edited May 25, 2022 by soto

[soto]

Also just as an aside, I finally have my valuation. Christ it took forever.

But on the downside, I appear to have long covid. I can't help but think ustekinumab had something to do with it. 

Don't get me wrong, a drug like that can be amazing for some crohn's patients and they should imo seriously consider taking it on advise of their consultant.

But given I feel barely any different on it than off, it doesn't seem to matter whether I take it. My last dose was I think mid Feb, haven't taken it since and don't feel much different. Had a month of diarrhoea but I can pin that down to other events. But I've been left with this damn cough which has lasted three sodding months since I got covid and shows no signs of going away, it's no biggy but just having to clear my throat with thick phlegm produced each morning. Admittedly I have hayfever which can produce asthma if the tree pollen is bad but only time I ever had anything this bad was when I spent a month in tree infested rural Portugal.

I had a bit of a health scare too which kinda forced me off this drug. It's not a huge deal, honestly it's one of the weirdest thing ever were I to explain the serology, which made it a complete mystery but at the same time very hopeful as it didn't match a pattern which made any sense whatsoever hence going through a series of vaccinations whereas others would be told they have it for life.

I should probably have gone into more detail but I'll just say that as long as the vaccinations work I'm in the clear, if they don't then that could be a problem but I've been assured that once the vaccinations take effect, I'm likely to be in the clear. You have to have three doses of it over three months. It's just so weird to have effectively (if at an extremely low dose over two blood tests) to have tested positive for this thing and yet to be told you will clear it. Fuck taking immunosuppressants in that situation. I'm still confused as to where I got it from. It's can technically be sexually transmitted and I was tested for it in 2018 but tested negative and haven't been sexually active since slightly before that. The great thing is were it not for all this shit it would never have been picked up.

Edited May 26, 2022 by soto

[soto]

Just realised the last three posts were mine so apologies if this feels like spam. I'll make it short.

I have a severe bile acid diarrhoea diagnosis from 2018 but I've missed something that's been staring me in the face all this time. Bile acid has a pH of between 6 and 8, basically like milk or eggs. I know bile acid quite well and can confirm this. However the acid doing so much damage is much more corrosive, it really burns, literally makes you wince as it leaves your rectum causing massive inflammation.

This is clearly what something like hydrochloric acid would do. I have fking gastric acid diarrhoea! It's not even a thing. There is a disease which might cause this but it's a one in a million thing. I do also have GERD which hasn't been treated properly. I did try omeprazole years ago but can't remember why I stopped. 

So, just maybe treating GERD will help provide some relief. Please God make it so lol. I've had enough of gastric acid diarrhoea.

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by soto

[soto]

Apologies for the mumsnet type posts. I just thought I'd update that I've been on Stelara (ustekinumab) for over a year now and it's completely failed. My calprotectin has been above 1000 for most of the last three years, although it did hit almost 300 on the last one which I keep being told is positive but it never really seems to correspond well with my symptoms. I had one test register 2000 when I felt much better and another at 400 when I was in the midst of a bloody diarrhea bout the last time I posted.

So off for a colonoscopy in January. I've decided that whatever comes back (provided there's no cancer or surgery required), I will probably take myself off medication for a while although I will get a medicinal cannabis script again and see how that goes.