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Oh yes. It certainly soothes my J-pouch. Just make sure you don’t over munch because that will not help. It’s more natural than most medicines, therefore there are less bad side effects. You may be a little paranoid or anxious after your first couple times, but just don’t overdo it and be smart about when you smoke and you should be alright. In the majority of states that allow medical marijuana, Crohn’s disease is a qualifying condition. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Also, doctors will tell you that it does help. Before my surgeries, my mother asked my gastroenterologist whether or not I should be smoking and how it affected my ulcerative colitis. She didn’t like his answer. He said it does help. It stimulates appetite, relieves pain, nausea, anxiety, and distracts you from the burden of your condition. It can help you gain weight if that’s an issue. I honestly have not had many issues j-pouch related when regularly smoking. Like I’m almost a normal person. I have recently quit for personal reasons. 2 weeks in now, and I am noticing a decline in the effectiveness of my j-pouch. I’m already going 1-2 more times a day than I was, experiencing more gas, more pain, more liquidy stools. I fear I may have to start back up again. On the bright side, herb is more affordable than healthcare. I’m sure it affects  everyone differently, but I am a strong advocate.

I believe it could help with symptoms and is worth trying, but I am very skeptical of marijuana having any anti-inflammatory properties, and should not be taken with that objective in mind, in lieu of proven anti-inflammatory medications. As far as managing symptoms (and you do not say what those symptoms are), it's something you should try and could have some value. It's in the nothing ventured, nothing gained category, and it's all trial and error anyway. So give it a shot and see what happens.

Last edited by CTBarrister

Don’t knock it till you try it. Cigarettes and alcohol obviously won’t help. The fact that you lumped it in with alcohol shows your minimal knowledge on the plant. Medical marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for many illnesses. Jaydog is free to make their own decisions. If you have any examples or experiences of your own that would offer insight into any way it has negatively affected your condition, please share. That would be much more useful than simply sharing your beliefs.

If you have any examples or experiences of your own that would offer insight into any way it has negatively affected your condition, please share. That would be much more useful than simply sharing your beliefs.

Excellent point, but I think the chances of such examples or experiences being provided are zero, because all I hear being spouted is "marijuana is evil" in around a dozen posts made by this poster on the subject, with not a scintilla of either science or experience or examples posted in support of such beliefs. Jaydog is presumably intelligent enough to draw his own conclusions on the value of such posts. As I read his original post, he specifically was looking for experiences, and not "religious" type beliefs. His specific question was, "Anybody use marijuana to help with any symptoms?" Obviously someone who hasn't, by definition, can't answer his question, and those who only want to post to get others to listen to their "beliefs" and hear themselves  talk, isn't really adding anything of value to the thread.

Last edited by CTBarrister

1st off, I was replying to the person above you. But I suppose my words are wasted on them. Secondly, cannabinoids and terpenoids, both found in marijuana are proven to have anti-inflammatory abilities. Even if I am removed from this group at least I was able to drop some knowledge and real life experiences before my departure. All I’m hearing so far are opinions, which don’t really help Jaydog.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6308289/

https://www.marijuanadoctors.c...ions/crohns-disease/


Science does not lie

Last edited by Ron Burgundy

Ron,

I knew exactly who your post was directed towards and posted merely to support the point you made.

Regarding the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana, the scientific evidence I have read suggested that there are mixed results in applying the anti-inflammatory agents in marijuana to IBD:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/h...d-hope-or-hype%3famp

"While studies have shown improvement in symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea, there’s still limited evidence suggesting that cannabis use in IBD patients treats the inflammation associated with the condition."

That's consistent with all the past studies I have read about. If it were otherwise marijuana would be used in lieu of antibiotics and biologics.

Most of the real science I am familiar with suggests marijuana can be very helpful for symptoms and I indeed encouraged Jaydog to try it for symptoms. However, to use marijuana in lieu of more proven anti-inflammatory agents used to treat IBD, such as antibiotics or steroids or biological drugs, isn't the standard in the medical industry. If used, marijuana is used as a complimentary and not primary treatment. I am not aware of a cause-effect relationship being established in any study between marijuana and abatement of the inflammation that results from IBD.

I agree on all other points you have made, and I think Jaydog should try marijuana based on the studies in the link I posted above.

Last edited by CTBarrister

Spasms are an issue easily resolved by taking anti-spasmodic medication at bedtime. Have you tried taking bentyl or levsin at bedtime? I would use those before marijuana because they work preemptively. It probably wouldn't hurt to take marijuana as well at bedtime but the antispasmodics specifically slow down the motility of the bowel. I wish you had mentioned this at the beginning of the thread because this should be an easy issue to solve.

Last edited by CTBarrister
@CTBarrister posted:

Spasms are an issue easily resolved by taking anti-spasmodic medication at bedtime. Have you tried taking bentyl or levsin at bedtime? I would use those before marijuana because they work preemptively. It probably wouldn't hurt to take marijuana as well at bedtime but the antispasmodics specifically slow down the motility of the bowel. I wish you had mentioned this at the beginning of the thread because this should be an easy issue to solve.

I go in for my follow up next wed and I'm going to ask for that medication. Do spasms go away once I get a few months under my belt? I'm really hoping to not be on any medication if possible

Jaydog,

I was plagued by spasms right after takedown, and it took a year or two for them to calm down to the point where I did not need meds.  However, one of bentyl, levsin or donnatal, taken 30-45 minutes before meals, and at bedtime, completely resolved the issues.  The one negative is that these meds, taken during the day, can make you feel a little loopy, but taking one at bedtime shouldn't be a problem and should really help calm down the nighttime spasms.  I did try to avoid taking them during the day except when things were bad, because I would feel loopy and have difficulty concentrating on even the most simple tasks.

Motility can be screwed up by surgery and your body takes a while to adjust back to your new alignment.   Chances are over time it will eventually resolve as your body recalibrates.  It could be weeks, months, maybe a year or two.  But in the interim you may need to take one of these antispasmodic pills at bedtime in order to have a better night's sleep, and as needed.  Marijuana could potentially help as well, although antispasmodics have a targeted action to slow down the motility of the bowels.

Last edited by CTBarrister

Okay Lauren, we know your stance on marijuana and alcohol. You are only as delicate as you let yourself be. I played rugby with an ileostomy 4 or 5 weeks after my first surgery and still scored enough to win an All-state award even with missing half the games. The human body is an extraordinary thing and you can do anything you set your mind to. J-pouches are not weaker nor inferior to ordinary people, we are often times tougher. Again, I don’t understand, why deter someone away from something that might help them if you have never tried it yourself? Isn’t your main goal on here to help people? It doesn’t hurt to try new things. Based on your 6 year review, I don’t see why you aren’t trying anything new? 14-20x a day is not right. That’s a nice percentage of your day to spend on the toilet. I go 3-4x a day when regularly smoking. We had our surgery around the same time, I used to be similar, but have seen massive amounts of progress. I have an excellent surgeon/specialist. The only meds I’ve taken since surgery are Imodium and psyllium fiber capsules but was able to wean myself off. You can get better too, but you have to be open-minded and switch things up if what you’re doing isn’t working.

Last edited by Ron Burgundy

Hi Jaydog I had my takedown 6 weeks ago and have been smoking marijuana for the last week and it's helped alot,I've had no incontinence at night,and can fart easier and sleep better and less stressed.alchohol plays havoc on my guts and dries me out and makes me feel sick.but weed has no negative side effects except the munchies.

Weed is quite hard to come by but doctors can prescribe a asthma type inhaler for people with gastro and incontinence issues.

I've not had the spasms but have heard of people with them,like Emily paris on youtube,she talks about it in her one year post takedown video. that needed to take anti depressants as anxiety medication helped with the spasms ,Im on lexapro which might be why I have no spasms but the marijuana is worth trying in moderation.

Last edited by Former Member
@Former Member posted:

Hi Jaydog I had my takedown 6 weeks ago and have been smoking marijuana for the last week and it's helped alot,I've had no incontinence at night,and can fart easier and sleep better and less stressed.alchohol plays havoc on my guts and dries me out and makes me feel sick.but weed has no negative side effects except the munchies.

Weed is quite hard to come by but doctors can prescribe a asthma type inhaler for people with gastro and incontinence issues.

I've not had the spasms but have heard of people with them,like Emily paris on youtube,she talks about it in her one year post takedown video. that needed to take anti depressants as anxiety medication helped with the spasms ,Im on lexapro which might be why I have no spasms but the marijuana is worth trying in moderation.

I love Emily Paris videos too! She has not posted in forever!

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