enzymessssssssssss

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anonymous

New member
okay, i no this may sound like a stupid question, and y'all would prolly think that i no the answer

But, what happens if i don't take my enzymes. I no that when i do take it, it helps me digest my food, etc. But what happens if i don't take it (other then get a bad stomach ache) Do i not absorb the protien and fat??? And when i don't take them, and i eat, does the food just not register the food, and let it pass with out getting the nutrients. Do the calories count if you eat something, and not take your enzymes, or is it just as if your body didnt eat anything at all?

I've always wondered about it, and im sorry if it sounds like a stupid question, but i'd apprieciate a responce from anyone who has any insights.

Thanks

i am a CFer
 
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thefrogprincess

New member
Everyone is different as far as how well their body can absorb their food. When I forget my enzymes I get diareah frequently not to mention horrible stomach aches. I went through a period of not wanting to do my treatments and take meds and even though I wasn't taking my enzymes I maintained my weight, but I ate more often, so I know my body was getting so my body was getting some benefit from the food, I just had to eat more to maintain.
 
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JazzysMom

New member
I went on enzynes when I was first diagnosed at 7. The reason for looking for my diagnosis was chronic diahrea & stomach cramps. Sometime in my teen years "I" decided I didnt need them anymore & stopped taking them. Up until around the age of 27 I didnt take them & had very few problems. One time I went into the hospital & they had done a stool sample that showed a horrible amount of fat in it which means I was actually absorbing 7-10% of all fat I took in. I wasnt having diahrea etc & my weight was pretty easy to maintain. I didnt have any extra weight to work with if I got sick, but I looked healthy. They had me go back on enzymes just because I wasnt getting the most out of my food I ate without them. Even if we "seem" ok without the use of enzymes, tests can show other things. CF can really be tricky.
 
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Emily65Roses

New member
Not a stupid question. I found out the hard way when I was younger. It's very simple. Since the food has no way of digesting, it simply runs right through you. Yes, I mean diarrhea. Not fun.
 
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JR

New member
Ok look here man I dont know like the rest of us how ur body works but mine I get real bad stomach aches and then I have to use the restroom more often and i have to eat more to maintain weight. But there is more than just the weight issue it can affect your height as well. I am now only 5'5" becouse i didnt take them for a while but since i started takin them ive grown like 5 inches in the last two years or something like that so plz take them it will help you fight infections and it will also help you gain wieght and grow Ive had CF since i was 3 so i know a bit about it that and I am now almost 17 and I am told a lot of stuff before my parents are told butt I have made it well known with my Docs that I want to know everything about my body and what is goin on at the time so I advise all of the CFers that read this post have your docs tell you EVERYTHING it actually makes it easyer to cope with when something does go wrong
 
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anonymous

New member
heyloo "intheIMAGEofHim", i take 4 with meals and 2 with snacks. I take Ultrase MT 20. 5-7, wow that seems a lot to me, but were all different <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> are yours ultrase as well or another brand?

to "JR" thanks for the info...totally forgot about my height :p, i still wanna grow like 3 inchs, so i hope i still got some left in me. im almost 16, and 5' 5'', i wanna be 5' 8'' <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

to everybody else. Thanks so much for your responses. its just weird, we all take all these medications and when my friends started asking what everything was for, i realized i wasnt positive what they were either. I knew they helped my CF, but i could never describe anything in detail. Thank you for answering all my questions, not only here, but on other posts too <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

ttfn <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">
 
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EagerEyes

New member
Hi! I usually take about 5-6 MT-20s. For a while there, I also stopped taking them, but it was because I thought maybe I could lose weight doing it, but I have such a huge appetite (not from not enough enzymes, I just always do!), that it didn't make a difference. I didn't have many "nasty problems", but I was scared my stomach would get even more round than it is, so I started taking them again.
And...I'm 5"3, 130 lbs. I have that big CF appetite!! I used to be sickly looking I was so thin, then, I just started gaining weight after I got my period..ugh haha
Is there anyone else in here with CF who isn't thin and has no problem keeping weight on??
 
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BillyBob55

New member
Hi there,

I have had a lot of problems taking my enzymes in the past. Not taking them resulted in diaroehea {can't spell!} and i regret it because my lazyness could cost me my current good health and more seriously, my life. I cannot stress the fact enough that you must take your enzymes. I do not want anyone to stupidly suffer as I did.

BillyBob
 
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intheIMAGEofHim

New member
Yeah...I do take Ultrase MT 20. But I usually end up taking just 5, I take 7 if Im eating a big meal or something really "fatty". <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">
 
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wallflower

New member
The enzymes help break your food into a form that your body can absorb in your small intestine. Not taking your pills (depending on your severity of blockage in the pancrease), means that most of your food will pass through without your body being able to absorb: fat, calories, calcium, vitamins (like D which you need with calcium to make your bones strong and grow and K for vision and blood clotting). Some vitamines are hard to digest to begin with and you need to take suppliments (which I take with my meals and enzymes).

I take 4-5 Pancrease with meals and 2 with snacks. Sometimes I get lazy about taking my pills, so I use a visual to help motivate me when I think "this one time won't matter" - Imagine whatever you are eating at the time on your plate, looking and smelling good - and then scrape it all into the garbage. For me, thats about what it amounts to, and I hate wasting good food! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
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aragorn

New member
Well, if you didn't take enzymes, you wouldn't get enough calories or protein, because as you probably know, our bodies can't absorb enough fat on its on, so the enzymes help it. Therefore, if you never took enzymes, you would get very, very thin. It would be really bad, so always take them.
 
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anonymous

New member
I used not take them as I dont get problems ( ie, cramps, upset tummy, "the runs") as a result, but a few weeks ago, my weight started to drop, Ive lost about 1kg (and when you cant afford to lose 1kg, thats bad) so i've since been taking my creon religiously! I actually didnt realise you could put on more weight if you took them!

Shamrock, x
 
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cfgirl2008

New member
Geez those are alot of enzymes ya'll have to take. I'm on ultrase MT20 and take only about 2 or 3 with meals (depending how much it is) and about 1 or 2 with snacks (depending how much it is).


Tiffany 15 w/cf
 
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