• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Crohns disease for half of my life

Hello, my name is Neil. I am writing about my Crohns disease experiences, from when i was diagnosed as a 15 year old in high school. I just want other people to know about some of my problems even though at the moment my crohns disease is actually going ok. First thing that happened for me was constant diarrhea, I learnt the location of every single public toilet in Brisbane just so i could have a life. That was the thing for me, because i was so young when i was diagnosed i wanted to be like everyone else and kind of did the opposite of the advice my family were giving me. A few years later I was very ill and had lost alot of weight(I weighed 35kg on one hospital visit) and was still trying to live my life as much as possible. At this point i nearly died and had to get emergency surgery and have an ileostomy put in. I was immedietly better, I remember how different i felt, not being in constant pain. I think a bag and stoma are also difficult in their own way. I was finding that i had some body image problems and can totally understand how some girls get annorexic because of the pressure to look a certain way. My stoma and ileostomy are now permanent. I'm feeling good, I weigh almost 80kgs which is normal for someone my height and age, I have not had to be hospitalised for ages so i'm being optimistic about things continueing the same way. I hope to make friends with people in the same situation and be a part of the community.
 
Hi Neil and welcome to the forum! It sounds like you've been through a lot and are headed in the right direction. I'm glad you were able to regain weight and that having a stoma has helped with your pain. There's a stoma subforum that you might be interested in trying out.

Once again welcome and nice to meet you!
 

SarahBear

Moderator
Location
Charleston,
Welcome to the forum, Neil!

It definitely sounds like you've been through a lot. I'm so glad you're feeling better now! Are you taking any medications now?

:hug:
 
Top