u/Willing_Security1193

It's been a journey with my teenage son to say the least, he's a great kid, just had some speed bumps in public school. Thankfully his Sophomore year he pulled a 180 and got his H.S. Diploma early and graduated with honors. He has joined the Army at 17 and he got a GREAT job, a job that would also set him up for life on the outside as well.

We couldn't be more proud of him and we are so excited for him to start his own journey. We also have a 16 year old daughter who is very close with big brother and has finally been able to look up to his example.

What i'm struggling with now as a father is accepting that i'm not going to be my sons "right hand man" anymore, this is our first kid "leaving the nest" and the shock has been ramping up this entire week. It's a bitter sweet, a "happy sad".

Since this is new territory for me and i'm now reflecting on everything leading up to this day, I'd appreciate any tips on how to cope with this after he leaves today. What were your healthy coping habits? what did you realize that broke your heart and how did you get through it? Thanks

It's been a journey with my teenage son to say the least, he's a great kid, just had some speed bumps in public school. Thankfully his Sophomore year he pulled a 180 and got his H.S. Diploma early and graduated with honors.

He has joined the Army at 17 and he got a GREAT job, a job that would also set him up for life on the outside as well.
We couldn't be more proud of him and we are so excited for him to start his own journey. We also have a 16 year old daughter who is very close with big brother and has finally been able to look up to his example.

What i'm struggling with now as a father is accepting that i'm not going to be my sons "right hand man" anymore, this is our first kid "leaving the nest" and the shock has been ramping up this entire week. It's a bitter sweet, a "happy sad".

Since this is new territory for me and i'm now reflecting on everything leading up to this day, I'd appreciate any tips on how to cope with this after he leaves today. What were your healthy coping habits? what did you realize that broke your heart and how did you get through it? Thanks

Hope you all are doing the best you can despite the circumstances of this reddit group. I wanted to talk a little bit about a most recent discovery that I felt obligated to share with you all despite knowing how subjective this disease really is. I have suffered from frequent, urgent, and loose stools my whole life, thus leading to a perpetual cycle of malabsorption. I have multiple areas effected in my GI tract as shown through a scope obviously, but strangely enough, I am BLESSED that my “pain” level is minimum to non-existent most days. 

My doctor has expressed that he is still surprised at my lack of pain despite telling me it’s one of the worst cases he’s ever seen. My first calprotectin was comicly high (1600), after getting on Humira for 2 years, they recently gave me another test and to my surprise was now (2900). Over the past 1-2 months, I have started paying more attention to my daily routine and been more mindful of what I’m taking in. My daily supplement intake is modest, daily Vit D, Omega-3 fish oil, and B-Complex. But the supplement that has surprised me the most has been taking 2 tablespoons of Metamucil (Psyillium Husk) after my breakfast. 

I always thought that Metamucil was for elderly folks that had issue with constipation, but there is so much more to it. As some of you may know, Psyllium Husk actually has a quality that absorbs excess water and “bile acid”, slows down gut motility and allows for slower digestion. I have since seen a DRAMATIC change is my urgency, consistency, nutrient absorption, not to mention the reduction of mental stress. My doctor said something to the effect of “If it works it works…..and but that’s also very interesting”. Obviously my doctor is not going to go into the physiology of WHY this helps so much, so I had to take matters into my own hands. 

Upon further research, I went searching for a better explanation other than “yeah, Metamucil bulks up stool”, my question has been, but WHY do I feel so much better on a day to day basis? Relief that I couldn’t even get while on one of the top biologics? Here is what I wanted to share with you all as a potential avenue for you to discover: 

In regards to IBD-Crohns-D (Diarrhea) specifically:

1. Metamucil/Psyllium Husk converts into a ‘gel like’ substance, bulks up loose watery stool and slows the motility down. (fact)
2. With gut micro-biome dysbiosis as a possibility, Metamucil also slows enough to ‘feed’ beneficial gut bacteria through ‘Fermentation’. This also releases short-chain fatty acids like: Butyrate, Acetate, and Propionate.
3. These short-chain fatty acids support the cells in the lining of the colon, but COULD also be maintaining a better protected Epithelial barrier in the mucosal layer.

All I can do is share how this has radically changed MY condition, listening to your body is half the battle with this disease and marked changes good or bad is worth exploring further. It is my belief that this daily combination MAY be interrupting a terrible cyclical issue we all may be facing.

What I hypothesize may be happening, Psyllium Husk-bulk reduce motility->fermentation aka ‘good bacteriabarrier repair or atleast protectionreduction in leaky-gut, therefore reducing severity of an ‘immune response’ to that cycle, as more inflammation = more damage to epithelial barrier = bacterial signal = loose bowel and over the top bile acid. OVER AND OVER again.

I know everyone is different, but I would hope that all of us would share ANYTHING we had that has worked for us that perhaps we never thought about. Wishing you all good health and a way through this!