Crohns and Colitis Exchange

I haven't been able to talk my doctor into doing a bone scan yet, mostly due to the fact that I thankfully haven't had to take prednisone in a looong time. Due to the limited foods I could eat when I first got sick with ulcerative colitis I've been taking vitamins for aeons now. My eating isn't as limited now but I still take vitamins. Even though I should be taking more calcium, I figure I'm getting more than the average person does.

My joy came when I got my last annual set of bloodwork done and we added in Vit D to check (I'd taken in an article about how IBD and low Vit D go together). I pretty much knew my levels would be low but it still bummed me out that they were. Oh goody I get to add yet another vitamin to my daily arsenal...

I was hoping to avoid any more pills, but I suppose I should look into Calcium and Vit D. I'm not even taking a multi-vitamin right now. I just hate taking so many pills every day, but I think I may have to suck it up and at least look into those 2. GGGRRRRR!

Take care
Mindy

I remind myself that if I wasn't taking the vitamins then I'd probably have to take more prescriptions and I'd probably feel worse. That usually gets me out of feeling sorry for myself.

I just did a count and I take 7 pills in the morning and 6 at night (I counted the probiotic powder as a pill, and I counted taking 2 Dipentums at a time as 2 pills each time). But ... I don't have to take prednisone or Questran and I used to.

Oh and lucky me - I can't swallow pills so I have to look for chewable, liquid or powder as much as possible.

Mindy,
Hugs honey. First, try not to sweat the bone scan, I have had ostepenia for years, most likely beyond that by now. And actually I used to trip a lot! And we never knew why, just found one when the doc did my last MRI of my ankle I have a fused bone in my ankle that keeps my ankle from moving right. Surprise! Most likely been there for years and the reason I would trip and broke my leg, both my elbows and so on and so forth! But.. knock on wood I have not broken anything in over 5 years! And not since I have been on predisone! So, try not to worry about it. Us crohnies have too much to worry about as it is!

Mindy, I will be honest, when I started Imuran my doc told me I had to start a multi vitamin he did not care which one but something to keep my immunity up. I felt like a toddler and wanted to stomp my feet .. No more pills, especially big ones! But he even said get the chewable kids one and take double or 3x times the amount. Gosh, I love my doc!
So, I went to Costco when they had a coupon and bought their Gummie Multi vitamins, Vitamin C chews, and their Calicum & Vitamin D Gummy Bears. And if am feeling a bit down, I chew a few extra of the Vitamin C. They taste Ok, and better than horse pills vitamins that I tend to burp up all day, which is gross! They must be better than nothing because my finger nails are growing longer since using
them! And when Tim got a upper resp infection for weeks, I only felt beat down from it for less than a week!

If you do not belong to Costco, Meijers has their brand chewable vitamins and at times has sales of buy one get one bottle free!


So find some vitamins you can live with, that you can commit to taking every day.. And try not to worry the last thing you need is to loss any more sleep worrying!

Hugs,
Gin

Why are you not on a vitamin, miss? Shame on you. I take a prenatal. The iron in it can help constipate you so maybe you could put on a few more pounds from that.

I was supposed to have a bone density scan but I haven't yet. When my doctor sent me to the other specialist in St. Louis, that's the main thing he asked me to do and we never had one ordered or anything, so I haven't done it, and my GI hasn't brought it up either. I guess I should get on that.

Hey mindy,

I recently just started taking a calcium supplement with magnesium it and also started taking vitamin D-3 because my knee was hurting. My knee has stopped hurting since taking them. I was also reading on here awhile back about us crohnnies being Vitamin d deficient and started taking them. Im feelin a lot better since taking them. I had my PCP do a vitamin-d test and it came back normal and my nails are growing like wild fire too! if you get some vitamin d supplements, make sure that you get the Vitamin D-3 form. Thats the form that our body makes naturally and it helps your body absorbs calcium better too.

I also take a lot of supplement pills, but like sheba said I'd rather pop a bunch of supplements that takes a lot of edge off of my meds than to have to start taking more meds and feeling even more worse from taking more of them.

Thanks to all for your responses! I guess I just needed that little kick in the butt to get things going! Gin, I will definitely look into the gummie vitamins. They are much better than the freakin horse pills that are for adults. I already have to suffer through the stupid potassium pills. God, they are huge!

Hannah, after all of the grief we give you about not checking in on a timely basis, your response made me giggle! The tables are turned! Thanks "mom"!

Thanks so much for your support, guys! I know things could be so much worse! I'm in a funk now that I am coming off this prednisone...it is making me half crazy! It just really pisses me off that another body system is affected by this:( But, the fact that my doc just wants to watch it for now is reassuring. Can't be too bad if he is not going to treat it right now.

I do have a membership to Sam's Club and am getting ready to make trip over there. I will check all the vitamins that they have there.

Thanks, Darkntall for the Vit D info....I would have had no clue what to get!

You guys are the best!
Hugs-Mindy

We have a great bone health community with a ton of experts.

Something I have learned while tending it is that weight bearing exercise seems to be just as important as the calcium and vitamin D. The other thing is that they don't diagnose osteoporosis until you are past menopause.