Crohn’s Disease and IBD can make life very difficult. Gut pain, bloating, anal discharge, urgency, and fecal incontinence are all difficult subjects to discuss. Here is a list of items that have made my life with Crohn’s Disease a bit easier.
Here are some items I personally recommended that can help make your life with Crohn’s or IBD so much easier. I have personally purchased and/or used every item I recommend. These are items that help me get through my day with Crohn’s.
By means of full disclosure, I may earn a small commission from Amazon for links to any products or services from this website.
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$37.41$32.48Ensure Max Protein drinks are great when you are having trouble eating and need both calories and protein. They come in several flavors, have only 1 gram of sugar, and 30 grams of protein. I always keep a few in the fridge for those days I just don't feel like eating, so I don't get shaky or weak.
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12/22/2024 02:54 pm GMT -
$35.99
DripDrop electrolyte powder can really help you stay hydrated during medical issues and recoveries. Both my cancer and GI nutritionists recommended it, and it is available in a variety of flavors. Fruit Punch is my favorite, with Grape as a close second.
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12/22/2024 06:05 pm GMT -
$35.99
When chronic diarrhea strikes, can dehydration or electrolyte imbalances be far behind? (Pun intended.) DripDrop has fabulous flavors that you mix with water to increase your hydration. This electrolyte powder comes in a variety of great flavors!
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12/22/2024 02:55 pm GMT -
$24.95
IBDassist IBD Relief works wonders for the symptoms of IBD and it is made to work in conjunction with IBDassist. (As with any vitamin or supplement, you should consult your doctor to make certain this is an appropriate product for you.)
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12/22/2024 06:44 pm GMT -
$22.99
A sitz bath is so helpful in reducing the pain from hemorrhoids and anal itchiness and sensitivity. This one can collapse for smaller storage. While the description doesn't say it fits an American oval toilet seat, it does. The squeeze bulb can be used to push water to just the right place. A soak in a warm sitz bath can provide so much relief.
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12/22/2024 02:31 pm GMT -
$25.00$19.99Add a small amount of these Sitz Bath Salts for Hemorrhoids to warm water in your sitz bath and soak for about 10 minutes. You can't imagine how much pain it will relieve. This is the best brand I've found so far.
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12/22/2024 02:32 pm GMT -
$43.99
A wedge can help you get more comfortable in bed while recovering from a variety of surgeries. It can also help with GI issues such as GERD. This memory foam wedge is extremely comfortable.
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12/22/2024 02:32 pm GMT -
$24.99
Why a stethoscope? You can use it to listen to your bowel sounds in your gut. You can tell if they are faint and slow, or loud and gurgling. The most important reason to have one? If you hear nothing, then your bowels may not be moving at all. This could be a sign that things are blocked and that you may even have a possible partial or full obstruction. If nothing else, this stethoscope (which is long enough to reach my belly) gives me some peace of mind.
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12/22/2024 06:05 pm GMT -
$8.67
Exam gloves are essential when using anal/rectal suppositories or for applying ointments. They are especially necessary if you are dealing with any cream that is made of zinc oxide (such as Calmoseptine or Destin) because otherwise, it is really difficult to wash the cream off of your fingers (it resists water and moisture.) Gloves just make it so much easier.
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12/22/2024 02:31 pm GMT -
Fecal incontinence is a very unwelcome side effect to GI issues and sometimes from radiation and chemo. These pads can help with this embarrassing situation.
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$7.95
Here's a link to my first book, Embracing Life's Limitations: Letting Go of Who You Were Supposed to Be. It is a story of growing up with bilateral hip dysplasia, living with psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, and talks about my first cancer journey, months in hospice, and the incredible doctor who tried a very risky surgery that ultimately saved my life. It's about learning to adapt to, and even embrace, our many limitations.
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12/22/2024 06:45 pm GMT -
$14.99
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12/22/2024 06:05 pm GMT -
$8.99
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09/18/2024 04:15 am GMT -
$16.97
These soft, unscented wipes are so much easier on your bum than toilet paper, especially if you are dealing with anal pain or hemorrhoids. (Don't forget, these are not flushable. Put them in a covered trash can and not in the toilet!)
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12/22/2024 06:45 pm GMT -
$19.99
If you are recovering from abdominal surgery, these women's panties can provide the support you need during the healing process. They are supportive, comfortable, and the fabric breathes well. The higher waist helps prevent having underwear elastic directly pressing on the radical hysterectomy incisions. These certainly are more comfortable than the abdominal binder you may be given at the hospital (and they happy to be pretty, as well.)
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12/22/2024 06:05 pm GMT -
$44.95
When you have IBD it can be really hard to absorb certain vitamins. IBDassist has the vitamins we need in the dosages we need to help keep us healthy. It is so much easier to take one capsule than dozens of individual ones. (As with any vitamin or supplement, you should discuss its use with your doctor.)
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12/22/2024 06:05 pm GMT -
$17.99
Rollin' With My Crohnies! I just happen to love this t-shirt. It is available in Men's, Women's, and Youth sizes. They also have many color choices. Sometimes, you just have to have a sense of humor about things. You could laugh or you could cry -- I'd rather laugh!
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12/22/2024 06:45 pm GMT -
$22.96
If you have bile acid malabsorption and have to take a bile acid sequestrant, such as Cholestrymine, Colesavalam, or Colestopol, then you know how hard it is to mix the bile acid powder with juice or another liquid. It clumps. It floats. It is thick and grainy, and hard to drink. But if you have a Helimix Vortex, you simply pour the powder and the liquid in, shake it up and down 20 times, and it will be thoroughly mixed. I've never found anything that works this well. I highly recommend the Helimix Vortex.
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12/22/2024 07:06 pm GMT -
$19.95$14.44Calmoseptine Ointment temporarily relieves discomfort and itching around the anus. It provides a multiple purpose moisture barrier. It has a numbing agent to reduce the pain from hemorrhoids, or the itchiness caused by excessive diarrhea. This is my "go to" product for anal itch, burning, and pain.
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12/22/2024 07:07 pm GMT -
$24.83
Great for learning the basics about Crohn's and colitis.
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12/22/2024 06:45 pm GMT -
$11.86$8.15Desitin with the purple label can be so helpful with the irritation and skin breakage that can happen during and after radiation. It contains zinc-oxide (so you have to wash it completely off prior to any radiation treatments) but it can help skin in the anal areas to stay dry so it can heal. (Itis always best to wear exam gloves to apply this because it can be hard to rinse off bare hands._
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12/22/2024 06:46 pm GMT -
$31.95
Do you love to swim but fear having a fecal accident while in the pool? These adult swim reusable pants can be worn under your swimsuit, or in many cases, instead of swimsuit bottoms. They fit snuggly around the waist and legs to prevent leaking. While they aren't the most attractive thing in the world, they can give you the chance to return to swimming without fear of fecal accidents.
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12/22/2024 07:07 pm GMT -
$29.99$24.99This sofa or bed cup holder is amazing! It can hold cups of coffee, cans or glasses, as well as other items. I personally keep my glasses in one section for safekeeping, along with my Roku remote. When I adjust my adjustable bed, this cup holder stays in place. It is so helpful whether on a bed, a couch, or a table top.
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12/22/2024 02:32 pm GMT -
$101.92$42.55This bedside commode is inexpensive yet sturdy, and able to accommodate a person up to 350 lbs. During recovery, using a bedside commode is so much safer than taking risky walks in the dark to the bathroom.
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12/22/2024 06:45 pm GMT -
$24.99
These pads and liners make keeping a bedside commode so much easier. They also reduce smells that accumulate overnight or in-between being emptied.
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12/22/2024 07:06 pm GMT -
$23.49$20.00This has to be my favorite flavor and type of hydration powder. Just add to water!
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12/22/2024 11:11 pm GMT
awesome suggestions! I already have a few of these things but like your suggestions. I have IBS -c.