need helps staying out of hospital- long post, sorry!

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

First off, I want to thank everyone who answered my past questions. I've been

trying to go through all the e-mails, but it's been a time consuming experience.

So I do appreciate everyone who has answered my questions, and I'm sorry if I

didn't thank you specifically.

I was/am having a Crohn's flare up (my first since being diagnosed last year)

and had to be hospitalized for a week, because I couldn't get my

fevers/dehydration under control and my CRP was 150. My fevers get really high,

up to 103 (at least that's high for me), and they really drain me, plus

contribute to the dehydration.

I'm on Remicade and Methotrexate, and apparently the Remicade is wearing off or

not working anymore. When I was in the hospital, my dose was doubled. It kept

the fevers away for about 4 days, and then they came back, so now I'm on

Prednisone as well. Thankfully, the Pred seems to be keeping the fevers at bay,

especially since my GI started to talk about the possibility of surgery if they

can't get things under control. I'm really scared, and I haven't even been

diagnosed for a year yet.

Anyways, when I was in the hospital, I wan't SCD legal. I tried my best, but

with all the crap I had to drink for scopes and CT scans, I'm sure it was full

of illegals, and the stuff I could order off the hospital menu when I could

actually eat I know had illegals in it.

I guess I'm looking for advice and input. First off, I'd like to do my best to

stay out of the hospital. I'm going to my GI on Thursday to discuss medications.

I'm thinking he'll probably want to switch me to Humira, since it doesn't seem

like the Remicade is working anymore. I want to bring up LDN, but I'm pretty

positive he'll turn it down. I've just heard how well it works with SCD, but I'm

not sure how long it takes to kick in, and if it works for only certain cases of

Crohn's- maybe less mild?

So here are my questions-

1. Now that I'm on Prednisone, I'm assuming that masks any type of food reaction

I could have. Is that correct? And if so, how do I know which foods I can really

tolerate, do I just wait until I can get off prednisone?

2. Does anyone know if certain foods can contribute to fevers (I may have asked

this here before, and if so, I'm sorry)? Before I got into the really bad flare,

I would have times where I would just spike a fever of 103 for a day, but then

it would go away the next day. Has anyone seen any correlation between fevers

and food?

3. What about the illegals in my meds, do I just deal with that? I was taking

Tylenol to get my fevers down, and I'm sure it has illegals. I'm sure the pred

does too. I don't think I can afford to get everything compounded. Will it just

take longer for me to heal?

4. Should I or should I not be taking supplements and probiotics? I'm still not

sure if the yogurt is working with or against me. Should I just order probiotics

online and lay off the yogurt for a while?

5. If I have to go back to the hospital, does anyone have any suggestions on how

to stay SCD legal? It doesn't seem possible to me, but I'm wondering if anyone

has had any experience with that.

6. Is the Freeda prenatal vitamin legal? I have been taking them, but I think I

read that anything with iron is illegal. Also, does that mean that cooking with

an iron skillet is not ideal? I am anemic so I know I need iron, and I'm

confused on how to get it.

7. I guess this is OT, but for those of you on LDN, did you get approval through

your actual GI, or did you have to go out on your own? Also, was your case

severe, or do you know if LDN works for moderate to severe Crohn's cases?

Sorry this post was so long. I'm a bit overwhelmed right now and want to do all

in my power that I can to help myself heal and get things under control. I

appreciate your listening and look forward to your responses.

Take care,

Amber