i had surgery back in june. had 20" removed and term. ileum. i am hoping and praying that my remission will last a long time. any diet/supplement suggestions? i am currently taking 6mp to prolong remission, a multi vit. and iron for my low blood count. thanks! kristin

Hi, Kristin.

Since your surgery was back in June, I'm assuming you're well beyond the need for obvious post-surgery foods that are very, very soft or pureed, etc.

With that said, it's not the best idea to make specific or arbitrary diet suggestions for someone with IBD since we all have individual tolerances and sensitivities. Beyond some obvious stuff: for instance, MSG, artificial sweeteners and hydrogenated fats aren't good for anyone, let alone for someone with a compromised gut, the honest answer is that there's quite a bit of personal homework we all have to do to work out our best diet.

Here are three suggestions toward that end, though.

Number one, keep a detailed journal of diet and bathroom activity as well as notations of anything stressful. That will help you put the different puzzle pieces together to form a coherent picture.

Number two, remember that as your life becomes more or less stressful, your dietary needs are very likely to reflect that. What I mean is, if you're under a lot of stress, it's not a bad idea to proactively scale back your food choices for awhile (go with your gut feelings....no pun intended....to determine how long). Remove foods that are tolerable only when you're at your best and stick primarily with foods that have shown themselves to be safe for you all the time. As an example, I have yet to have baked or poached fish bother my gut, but I only include peanut butter in my diet when there are no signs of any problems.

Number three, if you haven't already purchased Jini's book, Listen to Your Gut, be assured that it is well worth the investment! (I was a little shy about the purchase when I first came across her book online, but I am eternally glad that I took the plunge and spent that comparatively little bit of money.) One of the things you can learn from her book is how to "dialog" with your gut. Developing this ability will really cut down on how much time you have to spend experimenting and testing to figure out trigger foods.

Lastly and on a different note, believe me, I can understand where you're coming from when you talk about hoping and praying that this remission will last a long time.....and the flip side of that statement, which is fear that it won't. We all need a way to deal with that fear and with other stresses, both past and present, because feeling like you're walking along a cliff edge which you might fall off of at any time is not a very fun way to be and I intuitively feel that living with that fear long-term increases the likelihood of the very thing we fear coming to pass. In Jini's book, there is a chapter about the mind/body therapies she has found most effective to deal with these negative feelings and stresses (and we all have some!). My own personal favorite is EFT.

Wishing you all the best on your healing journey,

Nicole

P.S. There is also an entire chapter in Jini's book about diet, which includes guidelines you can use as a springboard in figuring out your diet.