Bolt from the blue!

[STEVONYMO]

Hi everyone I am new and just joined! My story started about 20 months ago now. It all started after I got back from a holilday to Egypt where I got the mother of all tummy infections. I was ill for weeks after and lost 15lbs in weight. Anyway it cleared up but then I had tremendous personal stress in my life and a couple of months later I started with an ache in my lower right. I went to my doctors and he sent me for a major blood test to rule out other things. The blood test came back clear but I got worse, it had now miraculously moved too lower left and I felt sick and in a lot of pain with shortness of breath as well.
I was refered to the hospital were I had inspections of my back passage and an ultra sound scan, my colonoscopy was botched as they moved the day twice and I couldn't get time off work for the eventual test.
Anyway nearly 2 years later and I have all the symptoms that people talk of including tiredness, aching joints and muscles and occasional pain in the lower left. I have had numerous blood tests looking for arthritus etc etc but they have now fianally concluded I have mild crohns or lesions on my lower left bowel. I manage it with omega 3 and pro biotics and I am lucky in that folks have it a LOT worse than me but the joint ache and upper back ache is just horrible and stops me doing what I want.
I was shocked how I was healthy one moment and then struck down with this affliction! The only thing that helped the initial pain was manuka honey (15+), things are not as bad as back then but as I say the joint pain,tiredness and anxiety is the worse for me now.

 

[CLynn]

Hi Stevonymo! Welcome to the forum. So, did they never actually do your colonscopy? I also wondered if your iron and B12 checked? A total blood work up is good, being on low on different things can contribute to the tiredness.

 

[Ckt]

Hi and welcome to the crohnnie club! I have a question..manuka honey helped you?can I get it at my local health food store?what do u know about it?oops..that's two questions!!tee :biggrin:

 

[STEVONYMO]

Hi. No I saw the consultant again and he wrote to my doctor saying he suspected lesions in my left bowel by this time my symptoms had settled down. I get flare ups and like I say joint pain and muscle aches but I have it a whole lot better than most. He did recommend if I could manage it with out drugs that would be better and I just about do. They think it's a minor case of crohns/lesions and to be honest they just left me to it.

Yes manuka honey is available at most health stores but the down side is that it is expensive! I took it neat off the spoon when I had bad pain at the beginning. It was the only thing that made me feel better, but like I say I do not the horrific case of poor souls on here, so it may not work if you are really bad!

 

[STEVONYMO]

When I started with my problem, some 20 months ago, it was really a "bolt from the blue" in that the pain and nausea was awful. I couldn't eat and felt really ill for days and days. I was not improving at all till I bought some manuka honey (15+) and took it 4 times per day direct off the spoon. I slowly improved and to be honest I went through 4 pots of it over weeks and it got me back on my feet.
I am by no means cured lol! I still get bad flare ups, I still have to watch everything I eat and have terrible muscle and joint ache but the initial pain has never returned to that degree and for that I thank manuka honey. I wish I could afford to take it permanently but like I say it is very expensive! You must use (15+) or better as that has higher concentrate of the inflammation reducing factors!
They even use it on open wounds in hospitals that will not respond to anti biotics and several cases have been reported of a heal when they were going to amputate due to infection, so imagine the good it does if you can get it into your bowel.
I did drink it in tea also but was told boiling water can stop it working as effectively but I just wanted to get it in there so took it raw and in tea!

Good Luck

 

[Ckt]

Thanks stevenymo! I'm going to the health food store tomorrow to get a huge bag o carrots for juicing so I'll look for it. I'm pretty sure humira has stopped working for me so I'm open to trying anything that's not harmful!if it helps the pain they would be awesome!even if it just takes the edge off enough to help me sleep..
Have you tried any other supplements and/or food?i have heard bromeliad is really good for the gut along with plantains..something in the enzymes and studies have been done on plantains with really good success.

 

[STEVONYMO]

Hi. You know the oddest thing is...Things generally work for a short time but then its almost like it adapts and whatever was working stops! I have been overjoyed at points and thought that I was on the way to full recovery only for a period of stress or eat the wrong thing to bring back my symptoms.

My latest was large doses of Omega 3's. They got rid of all symptoms for a couple of days but they soon returned, I still take them because they take the edge off them and do help. I've tried all sorts of things but nothing works forever. Manuka got rid of the most painful time in my life and truly "calmed it down!" I still wonder if I had continued for months if it would have healed my problem and I may re visit that therapy in the future.