Hi everyone. I'm 22 years old and just got diagnosed with Crohn's in the terminal ileum.
I've always been a really healthy person, so to be told that I have a chronic and debilitating illness came as a massive shock. I know that the cause of the disease isn't known, but I can't help trying to work out what I did to cause it. I feel like only then will I be able to rectify the issue and work towards getting better or at least alleviating some of my symptoms.
I'm currently taking Pred and Pentasa, which, to be perfectly honest aren't helping me much at all. To be fair, the pred did put an end to my diarrhoea pretty quickly (though it wasn't much of a problem before - no more than about 4 bowel movements a day), however I still get fairly intense intestinal cramping on and off throughout the day and especially after meals. I also generally feel terrible - I am tired and weak all the time, I get the shakes, have chest pain and palpitations and lightheadedness.
I have done a lot of research on the lightheadedness/chest pain/palpitations thing but haven't been able to find anything linking it to Crohn's Disease. My gastro is quick to dismiss it as anxiety but I know it's not. I have seen doctors but they can't think of anything it could be. Sometimes I feel like I should go to the ER as I think I'm having a heart attack. Surely it would be unlikely for someone of my age, build (I'm pretty thin) and medical history to have a heart attack, but who knows?
I hate taking drugs intensely, and feel like I have no chance of getting better while continually bombarding my body with poisons. Unfortunately my gastro doesn't believe in any treatment that isn't drugs. He won't even suggest any dietary changes I could make. Luckily I had a naturopath do that for me, and I currently don't eat any meat, dairy (except plain yoghurt), wheat, sugar, soy, processed food or stimulants.
At the moment I feel like all I can eat is pureed food - raw food hurts too much! I can't eat garlic, onion or chilli without feeling like my intestines are on fire.
It scares me that I could feel like this forever. I can't think about anything else these days apart from how bad I feel. I have deferred my university course in order to allow myself to rest and recover, but I don't know whether that'll be enough. My friends and family don't seem to understand what I'm going through. They don't offer me any support or understanding and seem to think that I'm ok just because I seem ok and don't complain. I really wish I had someone who could, at least temporarily, take care of me so I could truly rest and rejuvenate, instead of having to constantly take medication and supplements, cook my own food, make appointments, deal with unhelpful doctors and just generally try to hold myself together.
I have read a lot of the other posts on this website, and I realise that my Crohn's symptoms are mild in comparison to some of the awful things other people go through. I'm thankful that I can still eat reasonably normally, and can carry out most day to day activities. I can only hope that I won't get any worse.
I've always been a really healthy person, so to be told that I have a chronic and debilitating illness came as a massive shock. I know that the cause of the disease isn't known, but I can't help trying to work out what I did to cause it. I feel like only then will I be able to rectify the issue and work towards getting better or at least alleviating some of my symptoms.
I'm currently taking Pred and Pentasa, which, to be perfectly honest aren't helping me much at all. To be fair, the pred did put an end to my diarrhoea pretty quickly (though it wasn't much of a problem before - no more than about 4 bowel movements a day), however I still get fairly intense intestinal cramping on and off throughout the day and especially after meals. I also generally feel terrible - I am tired and weak all the time, I get the shakes, have chest pain and palpitations and lightheadedness.
I have done a lot of research on the lightheadedness/chest pain/palpitations thing but haven't been able to find anything linking it to Crohn's Disease. My gastro is quick to dismiss it as anxiety but I know it's not. I have seen doctors but they can't think of anything it could be. Sometimes I feel like I should go to the ER as I think I'm having a heart attack. Surely it would be unlikely for someone of my age, build (I'm pretty thin) and medical history to have a heart attack, but who knows?
I hate taking drugs intensely, and feel like I have no chance of getting better while continually bombarding my body with poisons. Unfortunately my gastro doesn't believe in any treatment that isn't drugs. He won't even suggest any dietary changes I could make. Luckily I had a naturopath do that for me, and I currently don't eat any meat, dairy (except plain yoghurt), wheat, sugar, soy, processed food or stimulants.
At the moment I feel like all I can eat is pureed food - raw food hurts too much! I can't eat garlic, onion or chilli without feeling like my intestines are on fire.
It scares me that I could feel like this forever. I can't think about anything else these days apart from how bad I feel. I have deferred my university course in order to allow myself to rest and recover, but I don't know whether that'll be enough. My friends and family don't seem to understand what I'm going through. They don't offer me any support or understanding and seem to think that I'm ok just because I seem ok and don't complain. I really wish I had someone who could, at least temporarily, take care of me so I could truly rest and rejuvenate, instead of having to constantly take medication and supplements, cook my own food, make appointments, deal with unhelpful doctors and just generally try to hold myself together.
I have read a lot of the other posts on this website, and I realise that my Crohn's symptoms are mild in comparison to some of the awful things other people go through. I'm thankful that I can still eat reasonably normally, and can carry out most day to day activities. I can only hope that I won't get any worse.
