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Molly-Baby

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Nov 10, 2015
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I have Crohn's disease. I am finding I am becoming increasingly stressed by a situation, and as the stress increases, my Crohn's symptoms and pain are worsening.

The Mayo clinic suggests:
Although stress doesn't cause Crohn's disease, it can make your signs and symptoms worse and may trigger flare-ups. The association of stress with Crohn's disease is controversial. When you're stressed, your normal digestive process changes. Your stomach empties more slowly and secretes more acid. Stress can also speed or slow the passage of intestinal contents. It may also cause changes in intestinal tissue itself. Although it's not always possible to avoid stress, you can learn ways to help manage it.

Any thoughts, ideas, or experiences about stress & Crohn's (or UC)?
 
Hi molly i started doing yoga its so relaxing , but i could not do it for a while now because im a little ill now :)
 
I just started a thread today about this same thing. I do not ever flare without a high stress trigger. Everyday stress is no problem. But a high stress situation is the only thing that causes my flares.
 
I recently tried Accupuncture to help with the symptoms, along with daily prayer. I am catholic and find that prayer helps. I have been diagnosed and had symptoms since 2001.
 
I know stress definitely affects Crohn's. Earlier this years, i had lost 2 family members and during that time, my Crohn's severely inflammed. I have been on Budesonide since March 2016. Since January, I have had a ct scan, colonscopy and mutliple blood work and xrays
 
Has anyone tried Humira or Remicade? My Doctor is recommending that for me. I met with both companies at the Take Steps walk here in June. I am afraid of the side effects and costs.
 
I am currently on Humira right now with no problems. I was on Remicade twice. The second time, I developed a lesion that had to be removed surgically. I don't know if I developed antibodies. Everyone different.
 
I hope You are feeling better. I will definitely pray for You. I have been dealing with Crohn's since 2001. Had surgery and been thru multiple treatments, including accupuncture and medications. Currently on Budesonide 3x a day. My doctor is recommending Biologics next, like Humira or Remicade. I am not sure. I know I cant be on steroids too long.
 
I'm currently on Humira. My doc considered both meds and went with Humira simply because of my location - I'm not close to an infusion center which is required for Remicade. They're both similar in that they are TNF-Alpha blockers - blocking that particular channel of your immune system. That worried me at first because I heard it as an immuno-suppresant, but it's not as bad as other medicines in that category. The only real immune system risks are for rare diseases like TB, Hepatitis, and a rare form of lymphoma. I had to get tested for TB and all forms of Hepatitis, and get immunized against hepatitis. The only other restriction i have is that I can't have live vaccines (like smallpox and the nasal flu vaccine) and they recommend my wife get her flu vaccine every year.

Humira was a miracle for me! I was so bad right before my diagnosis - I was anemic and had no energy, I was bleeding like a stuck pig every time I went to the bathroom. They put me on Prednisone to control it, and the Humira kept it from coming back.

There is also a risk of developing antibodies to the medicine, so you have to get checked occasionally. Also, because it's a biologic, you have to have it express shipped and then keep it refrigerated. It's distributed through specialty pharmacies, and I just make a phone call every couple weeks and it's taken care of. Again, it's so worth it if it helps (which it did for me).
 
Stress is my biggest trigger. With 3 kids and a stressful career, it's difficult to avoid. I've been finding things to help me unwind. Riding my motorcycle, kayaking, hiking, exercising, and I even do "The Art of Floating" occasionally to clear my mind. One of the biggest things to remember is to not let little things stress you out. I have to remind myself of that often.
 
What's the Art of Floating? I've been working with MN mindfulness, etc., not just for Crohn's but ADHD and PTSD, so I'm always interested in new information and techniques.
 
Life itself is stressful enough but when you add Crohn's to it all, I feel like the stress can be totally overwhelming. I go to acupuncture and massage once a month to help. I'd like to also try yoga but finding time for myself is such a challenge that I haven't managed just yet.
 
cllsanders said:
Life itself is stressful enough but when you add Crohn's to it all, I feel like the stress can be totally overwhelming. I go to acupuncture and massage once a month to help. I'd like to also try yoga but finding time for myself is such a challenge that I haven't managed just yet.
Click to expand...
I go for acupuncture also. Beforehand I used to get bad swelling in my legs.
 
Crohn'sbusters2001 said:
I recently tried Accupuncture to help with the symptoms, along with daily prayer. I am catholic and find that prayer helps. I have been diagnosed and had symptoms since 2001.
Click to expand...

I go to acupuncture every other week for GAD (general anxiety disorder) and Crohn's. It works well in preventing flare ups as well as reducing my anxiety. I go as an alternative to taking medicine as a preventative. I still have flares occasionally, but as I said it works well enough that I only have to take medication as needed for abnormally bad flare ups. Anyone who hasn't tried it should check it out.
 
StrayTaco said:
What's the Art of Floating? I've been working with MN mindfulness, etc., not just for Crohn's but ADHD and PTSD, so I'm always interested in new information and techniques.
Click to expand...
"Art of floating" is a desensitation chamber that allows you to float in a pool of salt water. It's very relaxing.
 
I am also currently having a flare up due to stress that I can't control. Normally I don't get stressed about exams or presentations or anything like that. But when it comes to caring about friends and family, my stress goes through the roof!
 
Hopa said:
I am also currently having a flare up due to stress that I can't control. Normally I don't get stressed about exams or presentations or anything like that. But when it comes to caring about friends and family, my stress goes through the roof!
Click to expand...

Hope you feel better soon.
 
Crohn'sbusters2001 said:
Has anyone tried Humira or Remicade? My Doctor is recommending that for me. I met with both companies at the Take Steps walk here in June. I am afraid of the side effects and costs.
Click to expand...

I have been on both Humira and Remicade. I was on Humira for Inflamatory Arthritis in my left knee and Remicade for Ulcertive Colitis. The Humira can be risky as it lowers your immune system and recovering from colds/illness can be slow. Thankfully my knee healed and I went off of it. As for Remicade, I had it infused and it helped quite a lot. Sadly it's effects wore off and I had to have my colon removed. But it can possibly stop Inflamatory Bowl disease temporarily.
 
I have had Crohn's for 4 and a half years and I can definitely say stress takes a huge toll on my Crohn's symptoms. I have gotten a lot better over the years with managing my stress, but I am now a sophomore in college and a lot of the time, stress is unavoidable. I try to stay positive by taking care of myself in every way that I can and remembering I just need to take each day at a time. :)
 
I got massages every month for a year. I only could afford once a month, wished I could have afforded once a week. My massage therapist was the best.
 
I think my chiropractor is awesome, she massages me too! She has even put me on the traction table several times. Talk about service, her husband is a massage therapist as well... great combo! Yeah, it costs $$$ though. I try to go as needed, I also wish it was more.
 
I do not have Crohn's but I have had UC for 20 years. I agree that stress makes any physical or mental health condition worse. My father is dead now, but when he was still alive he had to have one of his legs partially amputated. He had a lot of pain from that and other health problems. But when we were all sitting around the diningroom table playing card games and he was having fun, I never once heard him complain about pain or even look like he was in pain. He was having fun with the card game and socializing with the family and friends.
 
I had Physical Therapy on my neck a while back.
The best part was a 15-20 intense, deep neck massage.

To deal with stress I have to be learn how to put things in perspective.

I want to start socializing again with my peers at my Clinic, but first I want to wait to see what the side effects are from the 6mp pill and the Humira injections. By my peers I mean folks like me who have mental health issues. It's like this forum, when a person can talk or socialize with people who have something in common they feel understood and accepted.

🐼
 
I shall keep every dead thread alive 😄

Stupid, but I stress out more about money than my actual disease. Like, if I need surgery in the future, how am I gonna pay the hospital co-pays. I have Health Insurance so I shouldn't complain, but my hospital co-pay is $285 per night for the first 7 nights. Now, if I still had a job instead of living on a fixed income this wouldn't bother me as much, I guess. 😕

My Charge Card DOES have a limit and my interest rate is ridiculous. 😱
 
I just hit "Thanks" on a post from 2016 from Ann Morgan ( who by the way, is ME. ) 😄

So, I cannot delete my old profile because it is under my old Yahoo e-mail account, which Yahoo had a breach last year and I never had access to my Yahoo e-mail account again. That is why I had to open a new profile under my new g-mail account. No way to delete my old profile I suppose ?
 
I always had issues with Yahoo as well. My computer got repeated viruses, even from using the main web page to sign in and check mail. I quit using Yahoo for anything a while back.
 
Lurking here since the weather chilled out and the rain moved in as they said it would. Lynda would you qualify for a line of credit? If so you could consolidate your debt from the credit card and pay far less interest.
Chris, I found Firefox to be a robust browser with a lot of add on apps to control advertising, pop ups and from videos playing upon auto start. I once used Avant browser and got a lot of viruses and potentially unwanted programs as the virus checker called them.
 
Bufford : I will check out that Line of Credit idea. I never thought of it.

Side Note : Been a customer of my bank since 1984 and I recently had to pay for the new checks I ordered. Why don't companies reward loyalty. AND I worked for this same bank for 24 years. ( sigh )

Chris: I bought a new phone recently. I usually learn by trial and error and just pushing buttons. But I watched a YouTube video today that showed me 13 things I didn't know about. There are probably 100 more things yet for me to learn on this phone. : - )
 
Lynda Lynda said:
Bufford : I will check out that Line of Credit idea. I never thought of it.

Side Note : Been a customer of my bank since 1984 and I recently had to pay for the new checks I ordered. Why don't companies reward loyalty. AND I worked for this same bank for 24 years. ( sigh )

Chris: I bought a new phone recently. I usually learn by trial and error and just pushing buttons. But I watched a YouTube video today that showed me 13 things I didn't know about. There are probably 100 more things yet for me to learn on this phone. : - )
Click to expand...

I bet there are. :) Have fun learning new tricks!
 
Lynda, if you have been with the bank for this long you should have no trouble getting approved for a line of credit. The way it works is that the entire balance of the credit card is paid off each month to avoid interest charges. That money comes out of the line of credit, and each month one has to make a payment to manage the account.
Interest charges are usually well below half the rate many cards charge, and over time it can save you a ton of $s.
 
I say distractions work for me.. I stress about my disease more than anything after wieghing 86 lbs and having emergency surgery 10 years ago, I still freak out over every tiny flare and stress. Then my Husband gets annoyed because I want to go get checked at the ER because of my paranoia.. Its a cycle haha. Distractions.
 
Jess72707 said:
I say distractions work for me.. I stress about my disease more than anything after wieghing 86 lbs and having emergency surgery 10 years ago, I still freak out over every tiny flare and stress. Then my Husband gets annoyed because I want to go get checked at the ER because of my paranoia.. Its a cycle haha. Distractions.
Click to expand...

I used to be a "frequent flier" at the Emergency Room ten years ago ( panic attacks. ) Now I have relaxing music CD's and headphones and that relaxes me for an hour. I even did some visualization once along with the music, like meditation. It was the first and only time I actually was gone someplace else ( in my head ) for 45 minutes. I have not achieved that level of "meditation" since then.
 
Every evening I like to play a couple of CDs on the living room stereo. When I do, I meditate and take a journey far away. It helps clear the mind and lift the weight.
 
Big stereo is my thing. I was heavily into the stereo hobby back in the 1970's with top end equipment both in the house, the car and even the canoe.
 
Why won't health insurance cover yoga and massages and chiropractic and accupuncture. I don't think my health insurance even covers a Nutritionist. Preventative Medicine could possibly keep us out of the hospital.
 
I agree, my chiropractor helps me a LOT!... and it's 40 bucks for 10-15 minutes... out of pocket! The government here used to pay 90% or so for twelve chiropractic adjustments a year per person. Not now. I bet it costs us all way more time and money now... to pay an MD to diagnose simple back pain all day long and then write out a prescription for tablets. JMO ;)
 
I am glad the chiropractor has helped you.

I had PT on my neck a while back. The best part was the DEEP neck massage. Massage therapists don't give a DEEP neck massage like that. Someday I will go back to my Rheumatologist and ask for a PT referral. Generally the doctor will prescribe 3 times a week for a month. I couldn't afford that, but if I could just go once a week it would be less money. I have degenerate disc disease in my neck with limited mobility.

Take Care.
 
Hi I'm new to this but I need some opinions from other people with Crohn's disease. I am 20 yrs old. I got diagnosed when I was 16. I developed 4 ulcers from stress when I was about 17-18 due to bullying and emotionally abuse from my ex. It was painful and annoying being uncomfortable all the time.

Well that's why I'm asking for opinions now. I am extremely happy at the moment, great job, great boyfriend, 2 dogs and I'm alive today of course. But lately I have stressed out nothing major, but my stomach aches all day everyday. I can't sleep. I take one bite of food and I'm done. My crohn's went 2 years undiagnosed and it still hasn't been as bad as I feel now. Also, at my new job I just got, my insurance doesn't start for another 2 months. On top of the pain I am puking blood and my bowel movements are bloody as well.

I feel like cause I am hurting that I am hurting my boyfriend and my family. Please HELP! I am terrified and confused about what to do.

Thank you.:confused2:
 
Welcome, I'm sorry you are suffering. You will have to go to the ER and get checked because the cause of the bleeding needs to be stopped. You aren't hurting anyone by getting help, they will understand. I wish you the best, let us know how you are doing.
 
This has always been a what came first, the chicken or the egg for me. When I’m feeling unwell I get stressed (still have obligations). When outside stresses occur, I don’t feel well. Where does the circle begin, where does it end?

Really helps when people who are healthy tell you that your illness is from stress, NOT! Anybody heard that one before? Lol
 

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