American Crohns in Europe

[Phil in Europe]

Howdy Yall! I'm an American living in Europe (Hungary) and have had Crohns for 9 years, but only recently diagnosed in September. Started in 2011 while in Iraq, continued on into civilian life. I wasn't sure what the issue was as having diarrhea on a regular basis goes hand in hand with military service. Crapping your pants once in a while however isn't normal but the good folks in the military medical community are often bad at diagnosis in my experience. Fast forward to August 2019, been over here a year and finally get a chance to see a Gastro doc. Diagnosed me after a colonoscopy (found at ileum terminal). He prescribed me Pentasa which obviously did nothing, then decided to file VA claims due to overwhelming evidence. I see a second gastro doc (more specialized) and agrees with the diagnosis, but prescribes me Medrol and a few other drugs, one of which is #2 in lethal injection. Go figure. At this point because the steroids didn't work, they want to hack at my intestines because other treatments aren't allowed (READ too expensive for socialized healthcare). That's a whole other rant I'll save for another time. Right now I'm just floating in the breeze because of the virus, and can't take anything that will suppress my immune system. Combined with eczema and degenerative joint arthritis in my hips- life is peachy. My abdomen squeaks and groans so much I now self identify as a Pirate Ship. My diet options were quite limited to begin with but now I'm limited to baked french fries and Cup O Soups with the peas removed. Happy Days