Does anyone else hate elastic waste bands?

[lifelover]

Greetings!

I wanted to thank everyone for sharing their stories. Like so many of you, I have felt so alone in my struggle with Crohn’s. I have chosen only to tell a select few of my nearest and dearest, but I've never felt I have anyone who can relate to what I'm going/have gone through. This site is overwhelmingly full of wonderful people and stories and advice.

My story goes like this:
As a baby, so I'm told, I cried and cried for "no reason at all". My mom said she always thought I had a tummy ache but he doctors never found anything that indicated a reason for my fussy fits.

As a small child I was always thin and frail and I constantly complained that all food made my tummy hurt. In my little kid mind I thought my tummy was turning into stone. My mom took me to get an upper GI but they didn't find anything and told my mom I was probably making it up for attention because of my parent’s pending divorce. Also as a small child I could not tolerate elastic around my waist or a tight belt. (does anyone else here hate elastic?)

As a teen I was still very thin and frail, and still had issues with my "tummy turning to stone". I was constantly being accused of having an eating disorder because I was so skinny even though I ate like a pig. I developed a complex about eating and overcompensated to make everyone stop accusing by eating tons of sweets and ice cream. I still have a bit of a complex about it even though I am now of a healthy weight. As a teen I began suffering from chronic extreme joint pain mostly in my hips as well as one of my shoulders and now in my feet as well.

I went to so many doctors over the years with various complaints that never could be diagnosed. I was always a mystery and would leave the doctor's office confused and frustrated and was made to feel "it was all in my head." My family and friends thought I was hypochondriac- but I knew that something was wrong.

I was diagnosed in 2008 with Crohns. I saw a bit of blood when I went to the bathroom, but it really was not much and I honestly was not alarmed in the least. I had severe cramping at night and would wake up out of a dead sleep doubled over in pain. After a couple weeks I still saw the blood so I went to the GI doc just to be safe.

I had a terrible experience with my GI doc. She immediately ordered a colonoscopy but refused to tell me what any possible outcomes could be. Waking up in a fog in recovery after a night of non-stop vomiting from the prep, she blurted out that I had Crohn's and to look it up on the internet if I didn’t know what it was. She then blurted out that I'd be at minimum on 9 pills a day for the rest of my life. She also handed my fiancé pictures of my colon which I still have nightmares about till this day. I can only imagine what those picts did to him! Poor guy. He still married me, so I guess he's not too terribly scarred.

I currently take only 4 pills a day of Colezal even though I'm prescribed 9, and it seems to be effective for me. Even though it's not supposed to effect joint pain, it totoally helps. If I stop taking my meds my joint pain immediatley returns. I also take lots of probiotics, B Complex, Oil blends, Tumeric supplements and regularly go to acupuncture and chiropractor. The only symptoms I get currently are pain in my stomach and occasional urgency to “go”, and I still get some joint pain. I know I'm lucky to not have experienced the "real bad stuff", but I live in constant fear that I will.

Unlike most it seems, my symptoms were mainly in my joints which seems to baffle most docs I've seen. I had biopsies which were conclusivley Crohn's, but I had blood tests that pointed to UC, which also baffles most docs I’ve seen. But I’m told to go with the biopsies since they’re more accurate.

Currently, I'm 29 years old and I feel pretty good. Emotionally I have mostly good days, but occasionally it all just feels so heavy. I am now experiencing fertility issues (may or may not be related to Crohn’s) and I'm often concerned about passing on the bad genes. But the docs I've seen assure me that the odds are not great enough to deter me from trying to conceive. I eat super careful and acupuncture seems to be the most effective treatment I’ve tried.

So that's me! Thanks for letting me share!

 

[shazamataz]

Welcome Lifelover great to hear from someone doing well ! May it continue, and good luck with conceiving!

 

[imisspopcorn]

Welcome Lifelover,

I hate tight waistbands...but love elastic PJ bottoms. (Only when they are stretchy ) Good luck conceiving, I hope everything goes well for you.

 

[pewpewlasers]

I have pj bottoms that I like to wear around the house that have an elastic waist but I have to pull them below my tummy or else the pressure hurts. They are pretty loose but some days even the slightest touch on my abdomen hurts.

 

[merrywidow]

sorry to be a party pooper, but crohns is genetic. you can pass it on to your children. this may not be want you want to hear.

 

[Angeleye005]

Most websites will argue that its genetic and others will argue is enviromental. There is a gene they associated with crohns like all disease that is more prone to crohns and can be found if a certain test is done.

http://www.crohns.net/Miva/education/articles/The_Genetic_Component_of_Crohns_Disease.shtml

This site goes more into detail about it, occording to my doctor most crohns patients dont have any family members with the disease. No one in my family had it so im the first. Your doctor is right, the odds are small that it will be passed on to your child. Oh and also look at some sites on pregnancy with crohns. Ive read a lot of them and most crohns patients feel better then they ever have during pregnancy. My doctor told me that he even had a couple peoples where there crohns was cured when they were pregnant and it never returned. Though he told me not to get pregnant just because of it lol. Some will only have a couple flare up at the end. Some none, some wont have flare up for a couple years. Of course there are some who have bad cases during there pregnancy but there are more good cases then bad. Makes me wonder if its because of the hormones and the balance ajustments your body goes though during pregnancy that corrects it.

 

[Guestly]

Welcome Lifelover!

Since I have been off work I am a big fan of the jogging bottoms with the roll over waste band - like maternity trousers.... I look like a total slob, but if it aint fleecy, soft and roomy then I am not wearing it! Given up on the Bra too.... I am such a classy lady these days!

You will meet some great people on the forum - keep us posted!

Lishyloo x

 

[CrohnsHobo]

This site goes more into detail about it, occording to my doctor most crohns patients dont have any family members with the disease. No one in my family had it so im the first. Your doctor is right, the odds are small that it will be passed on to your child.

First in my family also.

Welcome to the boards!

 

[shazamataz]

I'm the only person in my family with this too, so the genetics ay not be all that important. I expect it's environmental largely. I had glandular fever (mono) twice and believe that screwed with my immune system enough to result in the Crohns.

 

[Guestly]

Interesting... I am the only one in my family with Crohn's although my sister and my mum both have auto immune diseases. Sis has MS, and mum has Rheumatoid Arthritis - we think it's weird we all have auto immune issues albeit deifferent manifestations...

Think my sis got the bum deal - she's blind now, and she does have a funky bum but refuses to see a GI - I think she's just concentrating on dealing with the MS...

My son has ulcerative colitis though, and a very strange under active immune system - apparently it's virtually non-existant, and my GI said that was relevant because there are familial links?

All very strange...

Lishyloo

 

[merrywidow]

Makes me wonder if its because of the hormones and the balance ajustments your body goes though during pregnancy that corrects it.

there are loads of threadss on the hormones, and relation to the menstral cycle on here. mosst say that crohns get worse during a period, but is great when preganant.

 

[imisspopcorn]

I have an aunt and a cousin with it on my dad's side of the family.

 

[Tan]

Welcome!!!

Glad to hear you are doing well at the moment, hope the baby making works out soon for you!

I have actually been thinking bout looking into acupuncture for my back and joint pain so Im please to hear you have some success with it... I will def have to look into it a bit more as nothing else is working at the moment Im in pain all the time.

I too am the first in my family to have Crohn's we have asked around even to extended family as everyone keep saying that someone must have it in my family for me to have it but no can't find anyone!

 

[mwb3779]

My cousin had CD also. Other than that I'm the only one in my family I know of. My grandma thinks her mom had CD but that was a long time ago.

 

[Mugs5]

Interesting... I am the only one in my family with Crohn's although my sister and my mum both have auto immune diseases. Sis has MS, and mum has Rheumatoid Arthritis - we think it's weird we all have auto immune issues albeit deifferent manifestations.../QUOTE]

I too think it must be something with environment. I was first to be diagnosed with Crohn's, 10 years later it was my mom, then 5 years later my nephew, then 2 years later my brother was diagnosed with ALS/ Lou Gehrig's Disease, then 4 years later my sister was diagnosed with Rheumatoid. All of which are auto immune as you all know. The government has in fact joined the environmental bandwagon with ALS at least and is now doing their own massive research. So many young men and women came home (especially from Operation Dessert Storm) and soon diagnosed with it. The governement has passed a new bill/law for ALL veterans back to WWII and their spouses for full benefits if diagnosed with ALS. Even if the veteran has already died. Just and FYI.
Another point... my nephew that also shares my lovely Crohn's also shares my lovely ADHD.

I've also had fertility issues. After lots of test and evaluations everything does work but doesn't work together. When the surgeon opened me up to do my bowel resection they had to do an emergency removal of right ovary and falopian tube. Both were a total mess.

Good luck to you. I was able to get pregnant once (a miracle) and my Crohn's issues were gone gone gone until I stopped nursing. Wow, never realized that until I just typed it. LOL. I nursed for 13 months and at 15 months I was rushed to ER in pain. Hmmm interesting.

 

[Peggy]

Welcome Ifelover, love the name, meens alot to you I think, I also love elastic waist bands, they are just so comfy, good luck. Peggy

 

[lifelover]

Thanks everyone! I love this forum and I love all the feedback!

I've still been going to acupuncture as well as a holistic doctor who is giving me natural supplements to help with my fertility and Crohn's. She really wants me to try to go wheat, gluten, soy and dairy free- but I'm resistant. Im sort of a vegetarian, but I do eat some fish. So I feel like this diet just limits me even more. I love food so much I just don't feel like I'll enjoy the diet. But maybe the results outway enjoyment? Has anyone here had great results with going gluten free I wonder? She also told me something about a parasite that can cause Crohns but I'd require several weeks of stool testing to find it since the parasite only appears once every few weeks. First I've heard of that- and I really don't want to go through that! I love this doctor though- she has lots of great info. She's not pushing anything on me, she just told me about it in case I wanted to run the test.

I love acupuncture! I've made such great progress so far with it. My acupuncturist told me it would take some time to start working and it really has! My Crohn's symptoms are few and far between. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the fertility front.

Regarding Crohn's in my family history- I am the only person on my moms side who has Crohn's but lack any information about my father or fathers family. So I'll never know if it runs in my family I guess. However my mom has very suspicious autoimmune-like symptoms- no diagnosis. My sister (who might be my half sister) also has many autoimmune-like symptoms but she won't talk to me about it. I've given every doctor I've seen this info and they all say that the chances are pretty slim that I'll pass this along. I'm going to research your links to read more about it. Has anyone here decided not to have children because of the risk of passing this along? I'd be really interested to hear.

Anyway- thanks again to everyone for the great info and for sharing!