Endings and new beginnings

[goterps]

Hey all, first off I want to say how much of a relief it is to find a board devoted to something that has been such a large part of my life. I would say when I first got Chrons, but to be honest i'm not exactly sure. I do know that I have had this stomach pain since the 6th grade, and ever since then, it's been a struggle to go to classes. I find that more than any other place, that when I go to class, my stomach would tend to feel under excruciating pain and pressure, and that because of this, the thought of going to classes infuriated me to no end. In high school things got worse, until the growling that had come from my stomach finally erupted senior year, in what I would rank as among some of my most embarrassing moments of my life. It was at this point, I decided to go to a doctor who then diagnosed me with the same illness that my father has: IBS. Since that point, I have taken hyoscyamine prescribed by a GI, with some limited results. At points the growls would go away, and others, they would continue on, to the point where determining which classes I would skip became a necessity. More recently, flair ups have been a more common occurrence, and situations that don't involve being around immediate family in the last few years can also trigger my stomach growling and being in terrible pain. As I know am a month away from graduation at the University of Maryland, I know that the path i'm currently on is not sustainable if i'm going to find a full time job. The thought of having a flair up and missing hours of work at a time is something that haunts me every time I look and apply for work. If anyone has any advice for me and how to manage this, I would be forever grateful... thanks so very much .

 

[xJillx]

Hi and welcome! Have you received your official Crohn's diagnosis from a doctor or does he/she still believe it is just IBS? Do you take anything other than hyoscyamine?

Congratulations on graduating! Try not to overshadow this big accomplishment by worrying over employment with Crohn's. I have been fortunate in that my bosses have been very understanding when I need time off. Luckily, I haven't needed too much time off due to illness (*knock wood*), but mostly for appointments/testing. I hope you find employers that are just as understanding.

 

[goterps]

Hi and welcome! Have you received your official Crohn's diagnosis from a doctor or does he/she still believe it is just IBS? Do you take anything other than hyoscyamine?

Congratulations on graduating! Try not to overshadow this big accomplishment by worrying over employment with Crohn's. I have been fortunate in that my bosses have been very understanding when I need time off. Luckily, I haven't needed too much time off due to illness (*knock wood*), but mostly for appointments/testing. I hope you find employers that are just as understanding.

Actually now that you mention it, my doctor gave one of those "It sounds like IBS" answers and never went further than that in figuring out what it actually was. Occasionally, i'll take Pepto Bismol as a supplement to the hyoscyamine, but the results are still mixed.

Also thank you so much, it's almost hard to believe that school is finally ending, but i'm also excited to see what is in the cards for me. I look forward to contributing here in the future!

 

[dreamintwilight]

I agree with Jill. Don't worry too much about how employment is going to be affected by having Crohn's or some other illness. Though it seems people have a hard time with employers, they DO exist.

I think finding a doctor that can give you a distinct diagnosis and get you on proper medications will help control your disease and eliminate the worry you have because your health will be more stable when it's under control. You can't control disease, but you can control how proactive you are about finding quality healthcare!

Congrats on your impending graduation!

 

[ameslouise]

Hi Terps and welcome!

Have you never invesitaged your condition any further than "possible IBS??" If not, I would highly recommend you get to back to your GI specialist and not let go until they do some futher testing - at the very least a colonoscopy, upper GI series, endoscopy and/or pill cam as well as full blood work. If you have had all of those done already, what were the results??

Do you have diahrea? Mucus? Loose stools or constipation? Are you blood levels low in vitamins/minerals? If it is "just" IBS, there are still many other treatments out there for you to try.

You are so close to Johns Hopkins. Get over there and consult with a GI! You do NOT have to live this way!!! Sometimes it takes a long time to get a DX, but you do not have to be a victim to what is going on in your gut.

You'll find lots of good information here and many knowledgeable people with good advice!

Good luck finding some answers! - Amy