Alright, so if this truly is my 'new normal' with my Crohn's again then my diet will need an overhaul.
Over the past 3-4 years I have been very lucky. Although still hitting the washroom 8-12 times per day, I was able to eat mostly anything I wanted in moderation. Pain, cramping, and burning pain would only happen if I ever tried things like popcorn, brussels sprouts, cabbage, too many peppers or tomatoes, too much dairy, too many raspberries/blackberries/blueberries/pomegranate, saskatoon berries, celery, rhubarb - basically anything seedy, stringy, super tough to digest.
I ate a low amount of red meat and alcohol has been really minimal.
Well... now that has all changed.
Here is what I know:
- Boost is good. Gives me calories and some nutrition and does not seem to cause any excess pain.
- rye bread has been decent. I can add butter or peanut butter and it is fine. Pain increases minimally and passes quickly.
- roasted potatoes are ok, slight pain increase but short-lived.
- mashed potatoes aren't great. Moderate pain increase but also over quickly.
- stewed apples, pears, cherries, and some pastry seems fine. Again, slight pain increase, does not last long.
- small amounts of pasta - severe pain increase, moderately long (a few hours).
- jam is out entirely. Hours of severe burning pain that is debilitating.
- full-fluids like pudding, ice cream, yogurt, chocolate, lemon bars -> moderate pain, moderate time..
- French toast -> mild pain, moderate time, but gets in some much-needed protein, calcium, and calories, plus a boatload of cinnamon to help settle the stomach while I am eating it.
- basic chicken or salmon -> moderate pain, moderate length.
- creamy soup - moderate pain for hours.
- veggies are out for the most part (apart from potatoes, yams, butternut squash, and avocado).
- most fruits are out, though I have yet to try kiwi.
So, what seems to work best is having Boost for two meals of the day, maybe some bread with peanut butter as a snack for added energy, and then a super small meal of soup, a tiny bit of pasta, French toast, or potatoes, all after having my bedtime medication to numb the pain.
This kind of diet will help me get the majority of the calories I need, help me to keep my strength up, and also prevent the debilitating pain from taking over my entire day. Let's cross our fingers it is temporary... but it has been about a month already.