Crohn's Caregivers
For several years, I've been alongside my mama on her Crohn's journey. It has been a process of trial and error, as we've tried to get her condition under control and in remission. These are some of the products that have helped her during different ...
When my mom was initially going through her digestive disfunction, a family friend suggested this book to her. It got the ball rolling on my mom taking holistic steps with her diet, as she awaited a medical diagnosis for her condition.
Unfortunately, one of the side effects of my mom's Crohn's experience has been hemorrhoids and she learned that tissue can irritate them. So, she uses a bidet attachment. Tushy is a highly rated offering that you can get at a great price.
My mom chose to eliminate gluten from her diet. In her research, she came across this cookbook and enjoys the recipes.
For those with IBS, Crohn's and other issues, the BIO Bidet has a night light, which is great for older users, and a heated seat.
Although it took some years, my mom has finally come to terms with her diet does have to be looked at through the lens of what she can't have, but instead as an opportunity to explore fun ways to eat in broadly in a healthy way. She is really excited...
My mom's inflammation was such that she had to use an ostomy bag for over a year. These hollister pouches are easy to use.
In the beginning of her ostomy journey, my mom used a 2 piece hollister pouch. They are easy to put on. Before she could do them herself, I used to do them. It's fairly a fairly straight forward process.
These wipes are a must have during the process of changing out the ostomy pouch, ensuring the area around the stoma is clean.
Minimizing any odors from the ostomy bag is imperative. This odor eliminator spray was necessary for my mom to use. We sprayed this in the pouch after securing the clamp and before the pouch was attached to my mom.
These clamps are easy to attach to the pouch. They are durable, but don't let the pouch over flow. Trust me on that!
Although the odor eliminator spray is good, my mom used a trick that she learned from a nurse, who also had an ostomy pouch, was to put 2-3 tic tacs in her pouch before attaching to help with the odor as well. This was a game changer, and my always u...
To minimize the smell in the bathroom when we changed out her pouches, we would spray Poo-Pourri. We found it to be effective.
When my mom's Crohn's would be at its worst, she would be extremely cold. Having this electric heater on hand was one of the tools we used to help her.
During the times that my mom's Crohn's is out of remission, she has to do all she can to not become dehydrated. Body Armor is her go to for electrolytes and hydration.
To help slow the diahrrea side effects of Crohn's, my mom has heavily relied on these fiber wafers to help bulk up her stool.
It can be a challenge for my mom to eat when her Crohn's is flaring up. At the doctor's suggestion, we have my mom drink high protein smoothies using Ensure, frozen bananas, peanut butter and protein so she can get her calories and protein intake.
My mom changed to OWYN from Ensure because she really likes the dark chocolate flavor. She uses it in the protein shake drink that she needs to get her daily caloric and protein intake.
My mom really enjoys using this protein in her daily shakes.
Recently, my mom's doctor suggested that she incorporate Muscle Milk into her diet. Therefore, she drinks this as a standalone beverage and now includes this in her protein shake in lieu of OWYN.
To say my mom loves her Ninja and uses it every other day is an understatement.
I created this journal of reflective questions based on the caregiving challenges that I have endured. It's a transformative tool, particularly for young caregivers who do not have immediate access to paid therapy.
Whenever my mom has an upset stomach, she eats one of these lemon ginger chews to help settle her feelings of uneasiness.
I received this as a gift. This deck has provided me with practical suggestions to navigate stressful situations as a caregiver for my mom when she's in remission.
Throughout the years, my mom has had to switch treatments and those insurance approvals take time. She's had to rely on Immodium AD to help with her persistent diarrhea when there's been a gap in her treatment protocol during a Crohn's flare up.