• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Hello! A little about me and my good friend Crohns lol

Hello everyone! I am glad I stumbled across this forum! My name is Stephanie I am 28 years old and have had Crohn's Disease since I was 12 years old. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 22. When I first got sick when I was 12 the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and thought I was making it up that it hurt when I ate and I didn't feel good. I became so skinny that they actually put me in an eating disorder unit. So after that everyone assumed I was just anorexic and it was a very frustrating time in my life. My flare eventually calmed down after about a year but nothing was ever the same after that. I became lactose intolerant and I thought I just had a "sensitive" stomach for years. I had a couple of short flare ups and would end up in the ER over the years but the Drs would just give me pain killers and send me on my way. FInally in the beginning of 2006 I became really sick again and it reminded me of when I was 12 except this time as an adult I was not going to just be turned away by drs with scripts of anti depressants or pain killers. I finally found a GI Dr who was willing to do more testing and finally after a colonoscopy I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease. I went on different medications and constantly felt even worse. The pain was so bad I became addicted to pain killers for a few years which was one of the hardest things to come off of. Eventually what has helped me the most was getting a food allergy test done and finding out I could not have gluten, yeast, lactose, casein, and I suspect that sucrose may be an issue for me now too. I finally was able to attain health insurance again. I have not had it since before I had Crohns. I can finally go to the GI Dr again and see how much worse my Crohns has gotten since 2007 when I last saw him. I can feel overall that I am doing worse and am kinda scared to find out how bad it may be now! I was diagnosed with Crohns in my terminal ileum. I will be going to a GI Dr soon and see where I am at. That's a short version of my backround with this disease. If you have any questions please feel free to ask :ybiggrin:
 
One thing to note is the side effects meds will have on your stomach (i.e., pain killers will usually cause constipation/pain). Pay attentin to the drinks AND food you ingest. You should find probiotics extremely helpful..daily probiotic will make a great difference. Read up on the studies and get a good probiotic. Sometimes you may have to try a few before you find one an effective one for you. Good luck!
 
I just wanted to say welcome to the forum! I know it can be scarey to have tests. Worrying about what the results may show can be very stressful. But, you need to have these tests so that your doctors can appropriately treat you. Sometimes medications can help treat your symptoms, and other times surgery may be the best option. It is important to know what the status of your Crohn's is so that you make informed decision about how you will treat it.

Good luck and keep us posted!
-Lisa
 

SarahBear

Moderator
Location
Charleston,
Welcome to the forum, Stephanie!

I'm sorry you had such a rough time getting your diagnosis. :( You've sure been through a lot.

Are you on any medications for Crohn's now?

:hug: I hope you feel better!
 
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