I've been reading here all week. What a great resource! It's good to know there's a place where people understand what you're talking about with this sucky disease. I was researching my medication when I stumbled in here, and I kept coming back.
I was diagnosed with Crohn's in the summer of 2008, when I had an emergency colon resection - it had perforated. I almost died. I had had "problems" for years - ever since 1986, when I had a serious case of food poisoning. It seemed to keep coming back. After all kinds of tests, changing doctors, more tests, no one could figure out why I still had bouts of cramps and diarrhea. The doctors decided that since everything was "normal," I was a mental case, and they wanted to send me to a psychiatrist. I stopped with the doctors and just tried to take care of it myself. I managed for 20 some years.
In Nov I had a routine colonoscopy, and was told I now have ulcerative colitis in addition to the Crohn's, and need medication. They put me on Asacol, but I couldn't tolerate it, so now I'm on Entocort, with no problems. I have virtually no symptoms as long as I'm careful what I eat. I have to take a lot of vitamins, which I understand is typical, and I take Welchol to control diarrhea.
I have a serious distrust of doctors and medications at this point, but I try to control it, since I don't want to get carted off in an ambulance again. I'm in my 60's, retired, and after reading many of the stories here, I know I am blessed to have lived most of my life without anything serious happening to me. I mean, I was really sick a few times, but I recovered on my own, and lived a normal life (with the help of daily doses of Imodium).
Now I see from reading other folks' stories and posts, my disease must be fairly mild. So far, I've been blessed.
I was diagnosed with Crohn's in the summer of 2008, when I had an emergency colon resection - it had perforated. I almost died. I had had "problems" for years - ever since 1986, when I had a serious case of food poisoning. It seemed to keep coming back. After all kinds of tests, changing doctors, more tests, no one could figure out why I still had bouts of cramps and diarrhea. The doctors decided that since everything was "normal," I was a mental case, and they wanted to send me to a psychiatrist. I stopped with the doctors and just tried to take care of it myself. I managed for 20 some years.
In Nov I had a routine colonoscopy, and was told I now have ulcerative colitis in addition to the Crohn's, and need medication. They put me on Asacol, but I couldn't tolerate it, so now I'm on Entocort, with no problems. I have virtually no symptoms as long as I'm careful what I eat. I have to take a lot of vitamins, which I understand is typical, and I take Welchol to control diarrhea.
I have a serious distrust of doctors and medications at this point, but I try to control it, since I don't want to get carted off in an ambulance again. I'm in my 60's, retired, and after reading many of the stories here, I know I am blessed to have lived most of my life without anything serious happening to me. I mean, I was really sick a few times, but I recovered on my own, and lived a normal life (with the help of daily doses of Imodium).
Now I see from reading other folks' stories and posts, my disease must be fairly mild. So far, I've been blessed.